I was talking with our church choir director last week and she let me in on the upcoming Christmas season's music. Like some churches we have a night of music during Advent which is composed of Christmas music and readings about the upcoming birth of Jesus.
This year we're going to do something a little simpler. In previous years we've done some fairly complicated pieces, but this time we need to take it easy because of our upcoming trip to England in the summer. She wants to have just Canadian pieces and composers. There's a poliferation of great Canadian music out there and it would be an honor to get to sing of it this year. I'm looking forward to it.
One thing that she's a stickler for though is being true to the season. It seems that you can hear Christmas music in the malls or on the radio practically after Halloween and they don't have any qualms about playing music that announces the birth of Christ any time before December 25. At our church it's different. We don't sing about the birth until December 24. When the celebration is supposed to occur. Christmas is supposed to be a time of anticipation. We should take the time to pause and reflect on our lives, and get ready for upcoming celebration. So we sing about the quietness of the season, or the future birth.
I'm hoping there's room in our schedule for a nice piece that I found for a duet. It's to the tune of "What Child is This?" but the lyrics have been changed for Advent. It's a simple quiet tune, and would be perfect for season.
Of course, the couple of months until December are not just the times I play Christmas music. You can find me listening to the stuff when it's the middle of summer. I wouldn't have this blog now, would I, if I didn't enjoy the holiday any time of the year.
Happy Holidays!
No comments:
Post a Comment