#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 4 2024

December is a time of traditions. And #ClassicsaDay posing the #ClassicalHoliday challenge is one of them. In December, post classical performances in your social media feeds. The performances should be works written for a December event (sacred or secular) or composed in December. 

For my part, I'll be posting works from the Middle Ages up to the present. We really don't have to put up with novelty Christmas tunes. Here are my selections for the fourth and final week of #ClassicalHoliday.

12/23/24 Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck: Nun freut euch, lieven Christen gmein

Sweelinck's music became the standard for sacred music throughout Europe. Although he never traveled far from Antwerp, his works appear in contemporary collections from England to Italy.

 

12/24/24 Randall Thomson: Alleluia

Thomson is best remembered for his choral works. "Alleluia" was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the inaugural opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.

 

12/25/24 Ralph Vaughan Williams: Hodie

This cantata was written in 1953 and dedicated to Herbert Howells. It was premiered at the Three Choirs Festival in September 1954.

 

12/26/24 Roxanna Panufnik: The Christmas Life

Panufnik is one of Britain's pre-eminent choral composers. She wrote this work in 2002.

 

12/27/24 Christoph Graupner: Frohlocke werte Chrsitenheig, GWV 1105/45 

Graupner was a contemporary and friend with Telemann and J.S. Bach. He composed over 1,400 church cantatas. This work is one of over 50 he composed for the Christmas season.

 

Next Month:

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday 2024 Week 3

December is a time of traditions. And #ClassicsaDay posing the #ClassicalHoliday challenge is one of them. In December, post classical performances in your social media feeds. The performances should be works written for a December event (sacred or secular) or composed in December. 

For my part, I'll be posting works from the Middle Ages up to the present. We really don't have to put up with novelty Christmas tunes.

12/16/24 Michael Praetorius: Christmas Mass

Michael Praetorius was Kapellmeister for the Elector of Saxony in the 1610s. It is there that he most likely mounted this mass, which would have been performed on Christmas Day.

 

12/17/24 Max Reger: Weihnachstraum (Christmas Dream) Aus der Jugendzeit, Op. 17, No. 9

Reger published his collection of piano pieces "From my Youth" in 1902. One of the movements was a fantasy on "Silent Night."

 

12/18/24 John Rutter: Angels' Carol

Rutter wrote the text as well as the music for this carol. It was originally composed for a choral competition in the 1980s. It has since become one of his most-performed works.

 

12/19/24 Anon 11th C. Magnificat

The Liber Usualis is a book of commonly used Gregorian chant. It was complied in the 11th Century, and is organized by days of the church year. The Magnificat is traditionally sung during Advent.

 

12/20/24 Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Noel sure lest Instruments H. 534 No. 5 A la venue de Noel

Charpentier published two collections of popular French carols. The first "Carols for Instruments" volume came out in 1690. The second followed in 1693.

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday 2024 Week 2

December is a time of traditions. And #ClassicsaDay posing the #ClassicalHoliday challenge is one of them. In December, post classical performances in your social media feeds. The performances should be works written for a December event (sacred or secular) or composed in December. 

 For my part, I'll be posting works from the Middle Ages up to the present. We really don't have to put up with novelty Christmas tunes.

 

Giuseppe Torelli: Christmas Concerto in G minor, Op. 8 No. 6

Torelli was renowned as a violinist and a violist. In 1709 he published a collection of concerto grossi specifically for use during Christmastide worship.

 

Three Latvian Carols

Ziemassvētki is a Latvian 3-day winter festival. It includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and December 26--Second Christmas. Eastern Orthodox followers celebrate Ziemassvētki January 6-8. 

 

Ignacio de Jerusalem: Cherubes y Pastores

De Jerusalem was a major composer in New Spain (Mexico). He emigrated from Spain in 1742 and within a few years was chapel master of the Catedral de Mexico. This institution set the standards for sacred music in New World.

 

Libby Larsen: Jesus Rest Your Head

Larsen fell in love with this Appalachian tune after hearing a Library of Congress field recording. Her arrangement was composed for a publication, "World Carols of Choirs."

 

Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine

Monteverdi published this work in 1610 in Venice. It was dedicated to Pope Paul V Borghese and was written for a large choir and orchestra.

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday 2024 Week 1

December is a time of traditions. And #ClassicsaDay posing the #ClassicalHoliday challenge is one of them. In December, post classical performances in your social media feeds. The performances should be works written for a December event (sacred or secular) or composed in December.

For my part, I'll be posting works from the Middle Ages up to the present. We really don't have to put up with novelty Christmas tunes.

12/02/24 Anon.: Hymn to St. Nicolas

Nicholas of Myra, canonized in 1446, died on Dec. 6, 3456. St. Nicholas' feast day was established on December 6 for that reason.

 

12/03/24 William Byrd: This Day Christ Was Born

Byrd was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I -- although he converted to Catholicism. He produced seasonal sacred music for the Protestant court (and also secretly for Catholics).   

12/04/24 Georg Gebel (the younger): Weihnachtsoratorium

Gebel was active in the early 1700s and worked mainly in Eastern Germany. This is one of his two Christmas Cantaats, written in the 1740s.

 

12/05/24 Healy Willan: Here we are in Bethlehem

Organist and composer Willan emigrated to Canada in 1913. He composed over 800 works and is best known for his choral and organ compositions.

 

12/06/24 Thomas Luis de Victoria: Ave Maria

Victoria was considered one of the greatest sacred music composers of the late Renaissance. His music was well-known both in Spain and Italy (especially in the Papal City).

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 4 2023

A holiday tradition (of sorts) returns! Since 2017, the #ClassicsaDay team has made holiday music the December theme. The music shared doesn't necessarily have to be related to Christmas. It can be any classical work associated with either December's sacred or secular activities (or even just weather).

The challenge is to post video performances of the works that fit the theme in your social media channels. As always, I shared selections I hadn't used before. Here are my picks for the fourth and final week of #ClassicalHoliday.

12/25/23 Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248

This oratorio was never meant to be heard in one sitting. It's actually a set of cantatas that were originally sung -- one for each of the six feast days -- throughout the Christmas season.

 

12/26/23 Johann Kuhnau: Four Christmas Chorales

Johann Sebastian Bach replaces Kuhnau as Thomaskantor after his death. Kuhnau had held the post for over 20 years and few were convinced that Bach could fill his shoes.

 

12/27/23 Johann Schelle: Ere sie Gott in der Hohe

Schelle was Thomaskantor in Leipzig for 30 years in the late 1600s. Bach would be hired to the position in 1723.  

12/28/23 Sethus Calvisius: Pareter rerum serium

Calvisius was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1594-1615. His duties included composing music for worship every week. It was basically the same job Bach was hired to do as Thomaskantor a century later.

 

12/29/23 Wolfgang Figulus: Joseph lieber Joseph mein

Figulus was the eighth Thomaskantor of Leipzig, hired in 1525 to provide sacred and secular music for St. Thomas Church and the city. Bach would be hired to the same post two centuries later.

   

Next Month:

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 3 2023

A holiday tradition (of sorts) returns! Since 2017, the #ClassicsaDay team has made holiday music the December theme. The music shared doesn't necessarily have to be related to Christmas. It can be any classical work associated with either the sacred or secular activities of  December (or even just weather).

The challenge is to post video performances of the works that fit the theme in your social media channels. As always, I tried to share selections I haven't used before. Here are my picks for the third week of #ClassicalHoliday.

12/16/23 William Billings: Creation

In his day, Billings was one of the most celebrated American composers. He exclusively wrote for amateur church choirs. He wrote hymns for all parts of the church calendar, including Advent and Christmas. 

 

12/17/23 Gerald Finzi: In Tera Pax, Christmas Scene, Op. 39

Finzi composed this work in 1954. In the 1920s he had climbed to the top of a hill and heard the midnight bells ringing out Christmas morning. That memory would form the basis of the work.

 

12/18/23 Bob Chilcott: Christmas Oratorio

Chilcott was a member of the King's Singers from 1985-1997. He arranged music for the ensemble. After leaving the group, he became a successful choral composer. His Christmas Oratorio was commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival in 2019.

 

12/19/23 Carl Hienrich Graun: Christmas Oratorio

Graun had a pretty steady gig as Kapellmeister to Frederick the Great. He held the post for 19 years, providing the court with music for both secular and sacred occasions -- like this Christmas Oratorio.

 

12/20/23 Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Les antiennes O d'Avent

Charpentier was the music master for the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, beginning in 1698. He was also often commissioned to compose music for court events -- and high church days -- like this setting of Advent antiphons.

 

12/21/23 Arthur Honegger: Christmas Cantata

Honegger completed his cantata in 1953. It would be his final work. Although he died two years later, a protracted illness prevented Honegger from composing.

 

12/22/23 Daniel Pinkham: O come, Emmanuel (Variations on an Advent Hymn)

Pinkhams was a composer and organist of the first rank. Although he wrote in all genres, a large part of his catalog was sacred music, most of it using the organ.

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 2 2023

A holiday tradition (of sorts) returns! Since 2017, the #ClassicsaDay team has made holiday music the December theme. The music shared doesn't necessarily have to be related to Christmas. It can be any classical work associated with either the sacred or secular activities of December (or even just weather).

The challenge is to post video performances of the works that fit the theme in your social media channels. As always, I tried to share selections I haven't used before. Here are my picks for the first week of #ClassicalHoliday.

12/11/23 Thomas de Hartmann: Koliadky, Noëls Ukrainiens

De Hartmann wrote an orchestral suite based on the traditional Christmas carols sung by Ukranians. He completed the work in 1940.

 

12/12/23 Juan García de Zéspedes: Convidando está la noche

Mexican composer Zéspedes started his career at the Puebla Cathedra as a boy soprano. He would eventually become its choirmaster. He continually blended folk elements with traditional Baroque styles.

 

12/13/23 Giuseppe Torelli: Concerto a Quattro Per Il Santissimo Natale Op. 8 no. 6

Torelli published a set of 12 Christmas Concertos in 1709. These were a subgenre of the sonata da chiesa that were only performed during December church services.

 

12/14/23 Eric Whitacre: The Chelsea Carol

Whitacre is one of the most-performed choral composers in the world today. The Chelsea Carol was commissioned for the 75th anniversary of Southern College's Lessons and Carols service.

 

12/15/23 John Rutter: Angel's Carol

As a young man, Rutter worked on David Willcocks' five volumes of "Carols for Choirs." He learned a lot. A significant part of his output is choral Christmas music.

 

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 1 2023

A holiday tradition (of sorts) returns! Since 2017, the #ClassicsaDay team has made holiday music the December theme. The music shared doesn't necessarily have to be related to Christmas. It can be any classical work associated with either the sacred or secular activities of December (or even just weather).

The challenge is to post video performances of the works that fit the theme in your social media channels. As always, I tried to share selections I haven't used before. Here are my picks for the first week of #ClassicalHoliday

12/04/23 Louis-Claude Daquin: Premier Noel

Daquin published a collection of twelve noels for the keyboard in 1757. The tunes were transcribed from traditional French sources. Many of these survive, in part, because of Daquin's work.

 

12/05/23 Mykola Leontovych: Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells)

Ukraine composer Leontovych wrote the original song "Shehedryk in 1914. 22 years later Peter Wilhousky set the text "Carol of the Bells" by which it's known today.

 

12/06/23 William Henry Fry: Santa Claus Symphony

Fry was the first symphonist born in the United States (1813). He was a major figure in Philadelphia, with seven symphonies and an opera to his credit. The 1858 Santa Claus Symphony was his most popular work.

 

12/07/23 William Byrd: Out of the Orient Crystal Skies

Byrd is thought to have composed this anthem around 1613. It would have been sung during Epiphany.

 

12/07/23 Johann Kuhnau: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

Johann Sebastian Bach was hired to replace Kuhnau as Kantor of Thomaskirche, Leipzig. It was a tough act to follow. In his two decades there, Kuhnau wrote vast amounts of music, some best-selling novels, and published collections of music.

 

12/08/23 Johann Schelle: Ehre sie Gott in der Höhe

Schnelle was kantor at Thomsaskirche, Leipzig in the late 1600s. J.S. Bach would hold that position 20 years later. This is one of the many cantatas he wrote for the Advent season during his tenure.

 

#Classicsaday #ClassicalHoliday Week 3

Traditionally, #ClassicalChristmas has been the December theme for Classics a Day. This year, it's changed slightly -- #ClassicalHoliday. 

The idea was always to encourage folks to share works composed for performance in December. The pieces could be either sacred or secular. But the hashtag #ClassicalChristmas suggested music only for one faith tradition. So new hashtag, same concept. During the month of December post works that were meant to be performed in the wintertime.

Here are my posts for the third week of #ClassicalHoliday

12/13/21 PDQ Bach - O Little Town of Hackensack

The challenge is to post classical music to be sung in December. Nobody said it had to be good.

12/14/21 Norman Dello Joio - The Holy Infant's Lullaby

Dello Joio wrote this in 1961. It exists in several forms, including a version for women's chorus, and also with orchestral accompaniment.

12/15/21 Arthur Honegger - Une cantate de Noel

This 1953 was Honegger's last completed composition. It was started in 1941 as part of a much larger oratorio. But nothing came of that project, so he reworked it for the 25th anniversary of the Basle Chamber Orchestra.

12/16/21 Georg Philipp Telemann - In dulce Jubilo TWV 1:939

Telemann was but one of many German Baroque composers to use this tune as the basis for an Advent cantata.

12/17/21 Pierre Dandrieu - Joseph est bien marié

Dandrieu composed his setting of this tune around 1714. Its first publication was not until at least 1721 (the original publication is lost). It was included in the expanded edition of 1733. But it's not clear if it was included in the original edition.

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 1

Traditionally, #ClassicalChristmas has been the December theme for Classics a Day. This year, it's changed slightly -- #ClassicalHoliday. 

The idea was always to encourage folks to share works composed for performance in December. The pieces could be either sacred or secular. But the hashtag #ClassicalChristmas suggested music only for one faith tradition. So new hashtag, same concept. During the month of December post works that were meant to be performed in the wintertime.

Here are my posts for the first week of #ClassicalHoliday

12/01/21 Vitezslava Kapralova - Prélude de Noël

Kapralova wrote this for a Christmas Eve broadcast in 1939. Her orchestration reflects the influence of her friend and teacher, Bohuslav Martinu.

12/02/21 Christoph Graupner - Gott sei uns, Gott sei uns gnädig, GWV 1109/41

The cantata "God be us God be gracious to us" was composed for the First Sunday in Advent, 1740.

12/03/21 - Tomás Luis de Victoria - O magnum mysterium

This is one of Victoria's most-performed works and is considered an outstanding example of late-Renaissance polyphony.