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Sounds of the season

If you’ve been following me for a while, especially on the podcast, you may have heard me mention that I’m a lifelong choral singer. My parents shuffled me off to children’s choir at our church when I was about four, and I’ve basically never stopped, with a few breaks here and there, until my voice started to give out during every rehearsal a few years ago. I’ve been doing voice therapy for a year now to unlearn the things I unconsciously picked up that caused that issue, but the upshot is that I now need to learn to sing all over again.

I spent four years at Bucknell University, which I very literally chose for its choir. I was biased—my parents both sang there when my dad was a student—but also, the Rooke Chapel Choir (may it rest in peace) was amazing, and I knew I needed to sing there. Academic considerations came in a distant second. In the first year of my podcast, I interviewed Dr. William Payn, who conducted the choir.

The end of the year is always when I miss the choir the most, because it was time for the annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols, which was the highlight of the year. We did the service three or four times each year, and at my last one, I was so determined to remember every second of it, since I would never get to do it again. I succeeded, too, because I managed to drop my large white candle, which fell down the risers where I couldn’t possibly retrieve it in the middle of the service. Somehow I managed to get the word to someone who could surreptitiously grab me another one, and I was not the only person without a lit candle during “Silent Night”—phew! Needless to say, this sense of panic was not what I wanted to remember, but there’s no denying I got my wish!

I suppose it could have been worse…

I’m not really religious, but Christmas music, especially in the English choral tradition, speaks to me because I’ve spent so much time steeping in it. (We will not discuss Mariah’s annual contribution to every mall’s Muzak, or songs about reindeer committing homicide, because if I never hear them again, it will be too soon, and now you know why I do my best to stay away from retail establishments until the new year. If you love them, you are welcome to them, with my compliments!)

I want to share two pieces with you today for the sheer beauty of them, and I hope you can appreciate them for that beauty regardless of your background.

The first is one of the most gorgeous pieces I’ve ever heard—Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” It’s the Latin setting of the virgin birth, basically, setting the scene with the animals at the manger scene. The music reflects the atmosphere of something mysterious and miraculous that, I think, often gets lost in the telling of the story, because listeners have heard it so many times that they stop listening to it. There’s no risk of that with this piece, which almost forces you—in the gentlest possible way—to sit back and dive into the awe just by opening your ears.

I don’t know how it will hit you, but for me, I’m instantly transported into that awe in a way that relaxes my body almost instantly, like I’m sinking into the music and soaking up the darkness of the night and the mystery all at the same time. I’d call it an out of body experience, except that it’s almost exactly the opposite of that. It also has one of the most magnificent second alto lines I’ve ever encountered—altos often seem to be forgotten by choral composers, but here we get to play a prominent role, and I’m not gonna lie, that magnificently dissonant G# at 3:47 is just the icing on the cake. The whole thing feels as good to sing as it does to hear. Just let it wash over you. (Text and translation can be found here.)

The second piece is one we sang every year at Bucknell from my sophomore year on. It became its own Candlelight tradition, and the choir sang it each year until Bill Payn retired in 2014. It’s just choir, harp, and an old German carol that carries much the same energy of the Lauridsen, but in a very different way. (And yes, you may notice that this is my choir, and yes, I’m singing on this recording.)

I’d love to hear what you experienced as you listened to these two pieces, and if you have a favorite song or two for this midwinter season, from any tradition, please do share in a comment so we can all check them out!