If one thinks of Christmas music, it often is from the 1940s-50s movie soundtracks which have now become festive classics, or through the many pop standards that have made the cut, and delight — or not — our ears each year. It is all bells, whistles, upbeat and joyful lyrics about Santa. But what about Christmas in classical music? There is, in fact, a lot more music dedicated to Christmas in the classical world than in any other — and this, of course, due to the religious nature of the holiday, which we nowadays tend to forget in favour of shop windows… As early as baroque composers, right through today’s contemporary composers, Christmas music is everywhere and has been the source of many beautiful works.
There are, of course, the most famous composers; from Bach and Handel to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and many more well-known big league composers, but let’s focus perhaps on some of the most recent ones and their works, which are often not as well known and have, whether they have chosen it or not, joined the repertoire of festive music.
Handel’s Messiah © sothebys-md.brightspotcdn.com
Pärt’s focal point during his impressive career has been religious music, particularly music for choirs, but some of his instrumental music is often used during the festive period as it consistently carries the dear elements of serenity and calm; one must think of “Spiegel im Spiegel” for instance. Pärt, alongside Tavener, Gorecki, Hovhaness, Otte and a few other European composers, is often well-known for having developed what has been later called Holy Minimalism. Generally speaking, it does seem to hit the nail on the head; it is often religious — and after all, the festive period is the beginning of the Christian year —, calm and relaxing, exactly what is needed from the cold nights of the coming winter…
With Tavener being mentioned, one should note that British composers have composed music quite adapted to the festive season; from Williams’ The Lark Ascending, to Adès’ Arcadiana and Nyman’s “All Imperfect Things”. These are works that are often performed and featured during the festive celebrations. Britten too has written a beautiful set of works — A Ceremony of Carols — which is not only extremely well fit to the Christian holidays, but also a very creative set of chorals scored for chorus, solo voices and harp. An unusual orchestration which blends very well.
Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols
On the other side of the pond, too, some unusual choices of festive music would lean towards Ives’ Central Park in the Dark, a fascinating work which illustrates well the cold and misty evenings of Winter. Outside of the world of Holy Minimalism, Eastern Europe classical music often fits the festive period, and this is too, due to its strong connection with Orthodox festivities. From works by Ukrainian composer Vladimir Martinov to Estonian composer Urmas Sisask. In fact, the over-popular Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells”, is based on the Ukrainian New Year’s song “Shchedryk” by composer Mykola Leontovych.
Carol of the Bells (Original Ukrainian Version with English and Ukrainian Lyrics)
This article wishes to express a certain feeling; if there is a sense of serenity and calm emerging from the festive period, it can certainly be applied to any moment of the year, and help us find some pockets of rest and quietude in our regular lives. In addition to this article, the author has compiled a playlist with some of the most interesting works which can relate to Christmas and the festive period.
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