Christmas Art and Music

Holy Trinity Adult ForumDecember 13, 2009

Christmas Carols

• Oxford Concise Dictionary: a “religious song . . . associated with Christmas”

• Fr. carole -- ring dance with stanzas and ‘ringmaster’

• Grew up alongsidecomposed, literary works

• Magnificat -- 1st century

• Old words often setto new music to new music

The Carol Tradition#

• Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, 1833

• Hymns Ancient and Modern 1861-1874 has several

• Truro Cathedral, Cornwall1880: 9 Lesson and Carols

• Oxford Book of Carols,1928

• “Sheffield Carols”

Coventry Carol

• Hymnal 247 assigns to Holy Innocents

• Often associated with Christmas

• Old combination of English words & music

• Words & music 1591

• Based on medieval MysteryPlays -- Pageant of theShearmen and Tailors

John Roberts andTony Barrand

Visions of the Annunciation

Simone MartiniDante G.

Rossetti

Baptismal Anthem

• Setting of a Biblical text

• Composer is B.F. White, co-author of The Sacred Harp

Visions of the Annunciation

Flemish

Jan Van Eyck

The Midnight Cry

• NOT Bach, but ‘Wachet auf ’ tells the same story of the wise and foolish virgins

• American version, 18th century

Visions of the Annunciation

Bartholome

Esteban

Murillo

The Holly and the Ivy

• ‘Least Christianized’ of common carols

• References to holly and ivy in 15th century

Madonna and Child

Lucas van Leyden

The Bitter Withy

• Collected in 19th Century, but much older

• Apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and others

• Myth-making: explanation of natural phenomena

Madonna and Child

Luis de Morales

The Joys of Mary

• Didactic intent

• Many versions of joys in medieval legend

Madonnaand Child

Sandro Botticelli

While Shepherds Watched

• Poem text by by Nahum Tate, 1700

• Only non-psalm authorized for Christmas use before 1700

• Many different settings

• Hymnal # 94, 95

• English and American settings

Adorationof theMagi

Gentile da Fabriano

Green Grow the Rushes, O

• Widespread folk song in the English-speaking world

• Unusual mixture of Christian and other (pagan?) elements

• Several verses obscure

• Cumulative song

Adoration of the Magi

Unknown Flemish Master

The Boar’s Head Carol

• Ancient (probably pagan) elements -- sacrifice of boar

• Macaronic verse -- combination of English and Latin

• Still celebrated at several colleges and churches in England (and elsewhere)

Adoration of the Magi

Andrea Mantegna

The King(The Cutty Wren)

• Wren hunting tradition

• Similar to wassailing

• December 26th (St. Stephen’s Day, Boxing Day)

Dives and Lazarus

• Parable in Luke’s Gospel

• Not Lazarus of the 4 days

• First written record in 1557

• Collected by Francis Child -- Ballads (19th cent.)

Awake, and Join

• Anonymous 4

• West Gallery style, 18th-19th centuries

Awake, and join the cheerful choir

Upon this joyful morn

And glad hosannah loudly sing

For joy a Saviour born.