About the Music

Fanfare from La Péri is by French composer Paul Dukas, best known for his symphonic poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, featured in Disney’s 1940 classic Fantasia. This vibrant brass intro showcases bold, majestic themes, setting a regal and dramatic tone for Dukas’ 1912 symphonic poem, La Péri. the story of a prince’s quest to obtain the “flower of immortality” from a fairy-like Persian spirit, “Peri.” As a standalone piece, the fanfare is celebrated for its brilliant orchestration, technical de-mands, and the power of orchestral brass.

 

Greensleeves first appeared in 1580 with bawdy lyrics, but it is likely even older. Some claim it was written by Henry VIII. More certain is that his daughter, Queen Elizabeth 1, danced to it. As an unrequited love ballad, it appears twice in Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor. It has accompanied both the hanging of traitors and British ice cream trucks on their rounds. Its Christmas iteration, What Child Is This?, draws from William Chatterton Dix’s 1865 poem, The Manger Thrones. The New Year is lauded in yet another set of lyrics,  The Old Year Now Has Fled Away. Founder and director of the American neoclassical new-age musical group Mannheim Steamroller, arranger Chip Davis’ innovative arrangements of classical instrumentation, synthesizers, and rock influences created the  “New Age Christmas Music” genre.

 

Christmas Eve Suite is Nikolai Rinsky-Korsakov’s own arrangement of excerpts from his 1895 opera Christmas Eve. Composed after the death of  Tchaikovsky, who had also used this same Nicolai Golgol story as an opera, its nationalist vein integrates typical Russian characters, seasonal gods, and Ukrainian Christmas traditions into the work. The Russian Rimky-Korsakov remarked that this combination of elements was a mistake, but one “that gave me the chance to write a profusion of interesting music.”

      This brilliant example of Rimsky-Korsakov's vivid and imaginative storytelling through music tells of the humble blacksmith Wakula, who loves Oxana. Her demand for the Tsarina's slippers leads him into a pact with the devil, who flies him to St. Petersburg. He gets the slippers and the girl and, by the power of the Christmas bells, is released from his pact.  Catherine the Great’s court objected to the opera’s violation of the unwritten law against portraying a member of court onstage; in protest of its decision, Rimsky-Korsokov did not attend the  St. Petersburg premiere.

 

Do you recognize the tune featured in the Fanfare and Processional on an Old English Carol? Troy State University of Alabama’s conductor, clinician and composer Robert W. Smith, wrote this new twist on the old carol Adeste Fidelis in 2022. Widely attributed to the 18th century English Catholic John Francis Wade, the Latin text and melody were included in his 1751 collection Cantus Diversi, but they may have been written earlier, possibly by monks.  The carol invites listeners to join  the angels in adoring the baby Jesus, born at Christmas, as it calls O Come, All Ye Faithful.

 

Perhaps Silent Night first began the use of  guitars in church! When the organ broke at St. Nicholas Church in Austria in 1818, organist Franz Gruber  provided a guitar tune for priest Joseph Mohr’s words. Shared by the organ repairman with folk singers, its earliest manuscript dates from 1833, with publication in a Tyrolean folksong collection in 1840. Our arrangement is by Erik Morales, a Florida trumpeter and music educator with over 150 compositions.

 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Polar Express, the art-inspired computer-animated movie, which  bolsters belief through an amusement-park-worthy train trip to the North Pole. With a jazzy serving of hot chocolate, Tom Hanks playing numerous roles, Josh Groban’s rendition of the song Believe, and themes of leadership, friendship, and bravery, the film shares the holiday spirit originating in the 1985 Chris Van Allsburg  children’s book of the same title.

   Movie and TV composer Alan Silvestri reports that, arriving broke in L.A. in 1970 without any goals or plans, he didn’t even go to the movies. While working as a session guitarist, he was asked to score the film The Doberman Gang. He bought a how-to-compose book by Earl Hagen and became a composer for TV and film,  including most of the TV series CHiPs, Robert Zemeckis’ movies and the Marvel franchise.    He  received an Oscar for best original song for “Believe,” from Polar Express and for the Forrest Gump score.

 

The tune for the Ukrainian Bell Carol originated as a 1914 folk chant by Mykola Leontovych. It was first sung by Kyiv University students and was shared as part of Ukraine’s bid for support for its independence in a 1918  European tour. It is based on an ancient Slavic chant about a swallow flying into a household to announce prosperity and good fortune for the new year.  Its hypnotic, four-note motif and rhythmic energy captivated listeners, making it a Ukrainian nationalistic and folk culture staple. In 1936 American composer Peter J. Wilhousky provided Christmas lyrics in English under the title, Carol of the Bells,

 

The Festive Sounds of Hanukah collection reflects the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights. These songs celebrate themes of resilience, joy, and the miracle of the Hanukah story, which commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the menorah oil lasting eight days.

     The liturgical hymn Maoz Tsur is traditionally sung after lighting the menorah, emphasizing God’s protection and the triumph of faith. Mi Y’malel recounts the heroism of the Maccabees in their fight for religious freedom, while Hanukkah, Hanukkah, and Hanukkah, O Hanukkah are lively celebratory songs often performed at gatherings, emphasizing dancing, games, and the joy of the season. My Dreidel and S’Vivon  focus on the dreidel, a spinning top central to Hanukkah games, celebrating its symbolism and playful charm. Together these songs capture the multifaceted spirit of Hanukkah, blending reverence for history with the joy of family and communal festivities.

 

Regarding Christmas Festival and Boston Pops composer Leroy Anderson, known for such other pieces as The Typewriter and Sleigh Ride, Minnesota musician Carl Menk notes Anderson’s contribution of  “so much Joy, levity, healing and togetherness to generations of musicians and families, the world around.” The NY Times shared that, of all composers,  it is composer Leroy Anderson who “will make you feel better about things.”

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       See if you can spot the origins of these indications of Winter Harmony in our sing-along medley:   Heavenly hosts sing alleluia.  Let us our songs employ. Sing, choirs of angels. Let us all with one accord sing. Sing this sleighing song. Strike the harp and join the chorus. Ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing. O tidings of comfort and joy. Peace on earth and mercy mild.