Behind the Music

Who were the Magi?

October 11, 2023November 23, 2021 by debisimons

So, to begin, let me just say, once again, with feeling, that the Magi did not show up on Christmas night with the shepherds. The Gospel of Matthew 2:11 says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” At this point it makes sense to think that it’s been at least a year since the Magi set out from their home. I know that those colorfully-bedecked camels (which are never mentioned in the biblical narrative) add quite a splash to the manger scenes we set up every year, but they weren’t there.

What’s the Historical Background of “Do You Hear What I Hear?”?

June 21, 2022November 21, 2021 by debisimons

Note the nicety of the double question mark, please!

Okay. If you’ve ever thought about it at all, didn’t you assume that this Christmas carol was along the lines of an old folk song? I certainly did, at least partly because the words don’t make a lot of sense—to me, anyway. But when I googled “Do you hear what I hear meaning” I found something quite different, and rather surprising, about its source.

Is the “Bell Carol” Only About . . . Bells? Not By a Long Shot!

November 5, 2022November 19, 2021 by debisimons

Yet another of my many posts that starts out with the words “I assumed,” as in “I assumed that the ‘Bell Carol’ was a traditional Christmas folk song.” Well, it’s always helpful to read the info on the sheet music itself. Over the title are the words “to D. V. W., seventy years young,” and at the bottom of the first page is the statement “This carol was commissioned by the Bach Choir in celebration of the seventieth birthday of Sir David Willcocks.” The composition date is 1989, and Willcocks would indeed have been 70 that year since he was born in 1919. Was Willcocks especially fond of Christmas music, or bells, or both? The answer to that question is lost to history, I’m afraid. The author of both words and music is William Mathias, who lived until 1992 and seems to have been composing right up until the end of his life.

Dreidels and Other Hanukkah Traditions–What’s What?

October 30, 2024November 13, 2021 by debisimons

I’ve written quite a bit about Hanukkah in previous posts, specifically about the significance of latkes as traditional food during this holiday and about the meaning of the menorah as it relates to the eight days of miraculous oil, but I haven’t written anything about dreidels, so here goes:

As with anything to do with folk traditions, the origins of this item and the game you play with it are very murky, with several strands of meaning attached to them, and with some later interpretations being projected back onto the past. It is clear that games of chance such as this one, in which you win or lose depending on how an object lands after you spin it or throw it, are very ancient. Spinning tops specifically date all the way back to the ancient Babylonians, who played with clay versions as early as 3500 BC. And—get this—there was a wooden spinning top in King Tut’s tomb! Very, very cool.

Mendelssohn’s Farewell–Three Sections from His “Christus”

June 21, 2022November 10, 2021 by debisimons

O-o-o-o-h man! Are there ever going to be some deep theological highways and byways in this post. So hang on and let’s get started with this wonderful choral piece which was tragically truncated by Mendelssohn’s early death in 1847 at the age of 38. He had apparently planned to write an entire oratorio, Christus, following the same trajectory as Handel’s Messiah, but left only a few finished sections and a number of fragments. A set of three excerpts dealing with the birth of Christ is well suited for use at Christmas, and consists of a soprano recitative, a male trio, and a chorus.

What’s Up with the Twelve Days of Christmas?

February 21, 2026November 2, 2021 by debisimons

I remember back in elementary school being teased a bit by some Jewish classmates about the superiority of Hanukkah over Christmas: “You only have one day to get presents, but we have eight.” I’m sure I wasn’t quick-witted enough to mention the plethora of gift-giving in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with its extra days of celebration. So here’s the information I didn’t have back then.

But first, before you read any further, you must watch the absolutely definitive performance of this song by none other than John Denver and the Muppets. Here’s the link (sorry about the horrible low-res quality):

Menorah Mysteries

October 11, 2023November 1, 2021 by debisimons

First question: Why is the pictured lamp stand more authentic and correct as a part of the Hanukkah celebration than the usual candelabra?

Answer: Because the whole story of Hanukkah is about oil, not candles.

Second question: Should there be seven or nine branches on a menorah?

Answer: It depends. . . .

We Are Altogether Unprofitable Servants . . .

November 9, 2021October 13, 2021 by debisimons

. . . We have done that which is our duty to do” (Luke 17:10).

Note: This post was originally written in April 2016 and has now been updated.

I’m not going to try to give the full Scriptural background for this verse since I’m applying it in a very specific way. I will just say that this is something Jesus said to His disciples in a discussion about faith. You can read the entire chapter at Bible Hub.

This verse originally came to mind as I was congratulating myself on how much work I was doing to prepare for an upcoming Cherry Creek Chorale concert, which included the Mozart Requiem. (I’ve since finished a book on this wonderful work; you may purchase it here or here.) I always struggle with learning new music, especially the difficult stuff (of course).

Were the Hills Ever Really Alive with the Sound of Music?

June 21, 2022September 27, 2021 by debisimons

The real Maria von Trapp, late in life. Image accessed via https://www.factinate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-28-1.jpg

In other words, is there a true story behind the musical? And of course there is, and it’s much more interesting than the plot that could be crammed onto the stage or into a film. (Note the proper use of prepositions.)

We all know that when we see the words “based on a true story” at the beginning of a biopic or a docudrama that we’d better not take the storyline too seriously. Those warnings don’t appear at the beginning of The Sound of Music, but perhaps they should. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed researching the real von Trapp family and would urge you to follow the links below to get a fuller picture than I can give here.

How Can I Explain the Backstory of “How Can I Keep from Singing?”?

June 21, 2022September 20, 2021 by debisimons

I think this is the second time I’ve had a double question mark in a post title. Always up for a grammatical challenge, that’s me. (That’s I?)

Anyway, when my choir, the Cherry Creek Chorale, recently rehearsed this piece the conductor said, “This is one of the most-frequently arranged songs around.” There’s no way to definitively quantify the number of arrangements out there for any piece, but it does seem to be quite popular. As usual I’m more interested in the words than the music, but the tune is truly lovely, written by a Baptist minister, Robert Lowry, in the mid-1800’s. I was interested to see that his three other most-famous hymns, “Christ Arose,” “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus,” and “Shall We Gather at the River?” are all songs I’ve sung in church myself. I love, love, love “Shall We Gather” and always sort of thought that it was a folk song or spiritual.