Christmas Time is Here…
Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer.
Fun for all that children call their favorite time of year.
Snowflakes in the air, carols everywhere.
Olden times and ancient rhymes of love and dreams to share.
Sleighbells in the air, beauty everywhere.
Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there.
Christmas time is here, we’ll be drawing near.
Oh, that we could always see such spirit through the year.
The music and lyrics of “Christmas Time is Here” have become a hallmark of the Christmas season. Composed in 1965 by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the iconic theme has become nearly as famous as the carols in our hymnal. The children’s choir from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California, performed the famous vocals.
If you visit St. Paul’s website (https://stpaulssanrafael.org) you can see images and videos of the parish, which worships in their 1869 carpenter gothic building (enlarged in 1895). The ceilings are high, the woodwork stunning, and the stained glass is spectacular. The choir is situated in divided chancel form, surrounded by a beautifully carved choir screen and stalls. Looking at images of the church, I can image the children of the choir in those stalls practicing “Christmas time is here.” Interestingly, their building is very similar to our original 1891 church building (now a private home), which also was constructed in carpenter gothic style. Perhaps had Emmauel been situated a little closer to Hollywood, Vince Guaraldi might have used the children of our parish for that famous recording!
The music of Christmas is a huge part of the magic of the season, and I would argue that music is integrated into the feel of Christmas in a way that is unlike any other season. Why don’t radio stations broadcast six weeks of Easter music over the airwaves in March and April? You’ll hear patriotic music and Sousa marches on the 4th of July, but it’s more of a one-day thing. In the week or two before Halloween you’ll hear The Monster Mash, Thriller, and the theme from Ghostbusters, but all that music is relatively recent, and quite frankly, rather meaningless. There are no musical soundtracks for Arbor Day, Groundhog Day, Casimir Pulaski Day, Labor Day, or Flag Day. I suppose Valentine’s Day has some love songs and there are Irish jigs, reels, and polkas for St. Patrick’s Day. Thanksgiving has a few hymns and New Year’s Eve has only one famous song.
In contrast, think of all the carols and songs you know and sing at Christmastime. From Silent Night to Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, from It Came Upon the Midnight Clear to I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, from Hark! the Herald Angels Sing to Mariah Carey’s, All I Want for Christmas Is You, if you sit down and write a list of all of the music associated with Christmas, you might be surprised at the length of your list. Moreover, you might be surprised to realize how many of those lyrics you have memorized too.
The season of Christmas is, simply put, unlike any other, and we can trace it all back to the miracle of the virgin birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord, some 2,000 years ago. God, through the gift of the Christ child, changed the world, forever.
At Emmanuel, the music of the season is a critically important part of our worship offerings. For decades, Emmanuel has been known for its extended Christmas preludes and special Christmas music. This year, the choirs of Emmanuel, and our Nativity strings, will offer an extended prelude featuring selections from the first part of Handel’s Messiah.
The world’s most popular choral work, Messiah was first performed on April 13, 1742, in Dublin. Handel conducted or oversaw performances of this oratorio 36 times, always in March, April, or May, that is, in the seasons of Lent or Easter. The annual Christmas performance tradition was introduced in Great Britain in 1791 and in America in 1818.
This Christmas Eve, Emmanuel will continue that performance tradition by offering the following selections from part one of Messiah as our 30-minute prelude:
Part One: Prophecy and Promise of the Redeemer
No. 1 Sinfony (Overture)
Scene One: God’s Comforting Promise
No. 2 Comfort ye my people
No. 4 And the glory of the Lord
Scene Two: The Purifying Messiah is Prophesied
No. 5 Thus saith the Lord
No. 7 And he shall purify
Scene Three: God’s Glory Comes Through a Virgin
No. 8 Behold, a virgin shall conceive
No. 9 O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
Scene Four: From Darkness Comes the Light of the World
No. 10 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
No. 12 For unto us a child is born
Scene Five: The Christmas Story
No. 13 Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
No. 14a There were shepherds abiding in the field
No. 14b And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them
No. 15 And the angel said unto them
No. 16 And suddenly there was with the angel
No. 17 Glory to God
Scene Six: Christ the Shepherd-King’s Ministry on Earth
No. 19 Then shall the eyes of the blind
No. 20 He shall feed his flock
The above gives a “Reader’s Digest” version of the Christmas portion of Messiah, featuring all the chorus work from the first part. Handel grouped the movements of Messiah into scenes, and while time limitations prohibit us from offering the entire first part, these selections will give you the essence of each scene.
Please note! The Christmas Eve Services are advertised at 5:30 and 8:00 P.M. Those are the start times for the prelude. That is, the selections from Messiah will begin at 5:30 and 8:00 P.M., and the liturgy will begin at 6:00 and 8:30 P.M.
In addition, our 5:30 and 8:00 P.M. Christmas Eve liturgies will be filled with familiar carols and choral favorites, including O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells, and In the Bleak Midwinter. Both the 5:30 and 8:00 P.M. services will conclude with the singing of Silent Night by candlelight, bathed in the sacred beauty of holiness, mystery, awe, and love.
I want to extend a personal thanks to all the musicians of our parish who have worked so hard to prepare our musical offerings. May their music be a blessing of love, comfort, and inspiration to you and your family. Merry Christmas!