Arranged by Benjamin Harlan

The triumphant “Processional for Christmas” is anchored by “O, Come All Ye Faithful,” which summons people everywhere to come to Bethlehem to adore—in the truest sense of prayer and worship—the “King of Angels.”  The call to prayer is the central idea of this beloved hymn, which welcomes the faithful and invites them to observe the great feast of the nativity.

The Latin title suggests that “Adeste Fideles” dates back centuries, though the hymn’s origins are more recent.  For years, the author was misidentified, with attributions ranging from an unknown cleric living in the Middle Ages, to Saint Bonaventure, to an English composer, to a Portuguese lyricist.  The hymn’s author remained a mystery when Frederick Oakley, an Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism, translated the original lyrics into English.  It wasn’t until after World War II, when Bing Crosby recorded the song, that credit for composing “Adeste Fideles” was correctly awarded to John Francis Wade.

A skilled musician, professional calligrapher, and English Catholic priest, Wade fled from persecution in England and settled in France in 1745, where he was responsible for researching and preserving historical church music. In the process, Wade went beyond saving forgotten church music to organizing and distributing the songs to Catholic churches throughout Europe. 

Wade was also inspired to write new hymns.  As a Catholic cleric, it was only natural that he composed his works in Latin.  Wade first published “Adeste Fideles” in 1751, adding lyrics a decade later.  It would become his most famous hymn, with translations in more than 150 languages and hundreds of recordings. 

By John Rutter

Christopher Rhodovi, narrator

Donkeys have been featured in many ancient tales, fables, and Biblical stories, transporting humans and packs to nearby and faraway places. “Brother Heinrich’s Christmas,” a story narrated to music, may be one of the few instances where the donkey serves not as beast of burden, but as a musical collaborator. 

British composer John Rutter wrote the story and the music for “Brother Heinrich’s Christmas” in 1982 for a Christmas television special. Brother Heinrich refers to 14th century German monk Heinrich Suso, who operates the monastery winepress and sings in the abbey choir with his musically gifted donkey and companion Sigismund. One Christmas season Brother Heinrich is tasked with composing a new carol for the choir to sing at the Christmas morning service, which the archbishop will be attending. Evening after evening Brother Heinrich sits down at his desk to write a new carol,but fails to find musical inspiration. On Christmas Eve, with the deadline fast approaching, a miracle occurs. A band of angels visits Brother Heinrich and Sigismund singing In dulci jubilo, which the monk immediately transcribes for the choir to sing at the morning service. Unfortunately, Brother Heinrich cannot recall the final phrases of the song. Sigismund comes to the rescue, singing the last two notes so that Brother Heinrich can complete the song. The archbishop is pleased with the service and the choir’s performance, resulting in a memorable Christmas for all.

Arranged by Julian Wachner

The origins of “Angels We Have Heard on High” are hazy, but date to at least the early 18th century in France, where it was sung as “Les anges dans nos campagnes.”  The song commemorates the visit of angels to shepherds in the field to inform them of the birth of Jesus Christ as told in the Gospel of Luke.  Its message—that Christ came for all people, regardless of financial or titular status—is simple, yet powerful.

The song’s four verses embrace the angels’ visit to the lowly shepherds and the shepherds’ response.  The Latin chorus, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” may have its roots in a Christmas Eve custom followed by shepherds in medieval times, at least according to French legend.  As a way of sending holiday greetings to one another, the shepherds would sing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” from their own hillsides.  Of course, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” also reflects the heavenly angels’ song of celebration on that first Christmas night.

The carol was first published in a French songbook in 1855, although records indicate that the song had been used in church masses for more than 50 years before that publication. The English translation of “Angels We Have Heard on High” was published in the Crown of Jesus Music, seven years after the initial French publication. The song’s beautiful retelling of the angel-shepherd story has made it one of the world’s most popular Christmas carols.

Concert Suite
Believe

St. Louis Treble Choir
Han Wagner, baritone
Paul Heinemann, conductor

All aboard!  “Concert Suite from The Polar Express” is a medley of four songs from the 2004 movie: Believe, The Polar Express, When Christmas Comes to Town, and Spirit of the Season.  “Believe” was nominated for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards and won a Grammy (Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media) in 2006.

The film, based on the 1985 book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg, tells the story of a young boy who, together with other children, takes a train ride aboard the Polar Express on Christmas Eve.  The train is destined for the North Pole, where, at midnight Santa will choose one child to receive the first gift of Christmas before leaving on his sleigh to deliver the rest of the gifts.  The little boy is the one chosen, asks for a silver bell from the harness of the reindeer, then loses it.  The bell is restored to the boy on Christmas morning, with the sounds audible only to the boy and his little sister.  As the boy and his sister grow older, she can no longer hear the bell.  As an adult, the man still hears the bell’s sound, proving the magic of Christmas never fades “if you just believe.”

Arranged by Dan Forrest

Former Anglican minister Edward Caswall wrote the carol “See, amid the Winter’s Snow” in 1858 shortly after converting to Catholicism and being ordained a Catholic priest.  The hymn was first published that same year in a poetry anthology.  In 1871, English organist and composer Sir John Goss set the carol to music.  It was included in the “Christmas Carols New and Old” hymn book under the title “Hymn for Christmas Day.

In addition to his duties as a priest, Caswall was a poet, orator, translator, and hymnist.  “See, amid the Winter’s Snow” is Caswall’s best-known hymn.  

Arranged by J. F. Dausch

Erin Brooks, soprano

Some Children See Him" was composed by American jazz musician Alfred Burt, together with his friend, hymn writer and church musician Wihla Hutson.  Completed in 1951, the song carried on a unique Christmas tradition started by Alfred’s father, Bates Burt, the pastor at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pontiac, Michigan, where Wilha worked as organist.

Every year, for nearly two decades starting in 1922, Bates singlehandedly composed the lyrics and music for his carols.  Bates then combined the carol with original art to craft a Christmas card that he sent to family and friends.  In 1942, Alfred, who was an accomplished trumpet player, pianist, vocalist, and composer, wrote the music for the family carol.  For the next six years, father and son created the carols together.

Bates Burt died in 1949.  Alfred wanted to continue the tradition, but needed a lyricist.  Wilha, who had become a close family friend, agreed.  Alfred and Wilha decided on a pattern that alternated sending out a sacred carol one year, and then a secular one the following year. Their first collaboration was to serve as both a carol and announcement for the birth of Alfred and his wife’s first child.  The result—“Sleep, Baby Mine”—inspired a second set of lyrics, “Some Children See Him,” which Alfred set to music in 1951. 

“Some Children See Him” became known outside the Burt’s mailing list in 1952, when it was sung at a Hollywood Christmas Party.  It was released on a holiday record in 1955, two years after Alfred’s death.

By G. F. Handel

The iconic and universally recognized “Hallelujah” chorus ends Part II of Messiah, George Frideric Handel’s most beloved and celebrated composition.

Handel composed Messiah in late summer 1741, during a difficult period in his life.  Though born in Germany, Handel had lived in London for almost 30 years. The Italian operas on which his career had thrived for nearly two decades were waning in popularity with English audiences, and the composer found himself in financial trouble. A stroke had left Handel in poor health.

At this low point in Handel’s career, a series of fortuitous events occurred that gave birth to Messiah and helped to reverse the composer’s hardships. Charles Jennens, a close friend and collaborator, had sent Handel his text for Messiah, hoping to persuade the composer to return to writing English oratorios. In summer 1741 Handel had also been invited to give a series of concerts in Dublin. With Jennens’s libretto in hand and the Dublin concerts in mind, Handel set to work on the music for Messiah on August 22, 1741.  A mere three weeks later, he had completed this enormous work.

Jennens interspersed passages from both Old Testament prophets and the New Testament to tell the story, thereby offering a meditation on the idea of a Messiah, rather than a narrative drama. Part I, “Prophecy and Fulfillment,” relates the prophecy of the coming of a Messiah and then the birth of Christ. Part II, “Suffering,” tells of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, culminating with the Hallelujah Chorus. Part III, “Redemption,” is a section of contemplation and thanksgiving, based on scriptural passages read in the Anglican burial service.

The first performance of Messiah, which took place in Dublin on April 13, 1742, was a stunning success. The rave reviews, however, did not follow Messiah to London when it premiered there the following season. Handel’s masterpiece did not become widely accepted until 1750, when the composer began to present it at his annual benefit concerts for London’s Foundling Hospital, a facility for orphaned and poor children. In gratitude, Handel bequeathed to the hospital a conducting score and complete set of performance parts for Messiah. 

Handel’s work—initially composed to improve the composer’s own financial circumstances, but achieving its celebrated status thanks to the Foundling Hospital’s benefit performances—is now the most famous oratorio ever written. 

EXTRA CREDIT READING: The practice of the audience standing up for the “Hallelujah” chorus purportedly began in 1743, when King George II rose from his seat, enthralled by the beauty of the music. Audience members, not wanted to offend the king, also stood up, or so the story goes. There is no credible evidence to support that this actually happened, but standing for the glorious music that closes Part II of Messiah has become a widespread tradition.

Arranged by Mark Hayes

"It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” written in 1963 by the songwriting team of Edward Pola and George Wyle, is a popular Christmas song describing activities associated with the Yuletide season.  From caroling to roasting marshmallows to visits from friends, the song paints a portrait of the magic of Christmas. 

Arranger, conductor, choreographer, and composer George Wyle was the choral director of The Andy Williams Show, where the song debuted.  Wyle is also known for co-writing the theme song to “Gilligan’s Island,” penned in collaboration with the show’s creator and producer Sherwood Schwartz.  

Arranged by J. F. Dausch

The St. Louis Schola

“Fum, Fum, Fum” is a Catalonian Christmas carol that originated in the 16th or 17th century.  Several theories have been proposed as to the meaning of “fum” in this carol.

One of the more prevalent theories is that “fum” is a Catalan onomatopoeia for the sound of a stringed instrument—the strum of a guitar or playing on the fiddle, for instance; or that it indicates the tapping of a drum.  Another theory is that “fum” refers to smoke rising from a chimney, since the Catalan word “fum” translates to “smoke.”

Whatever the exact meaning, “Fum, Fum, Fum” enjoys widespread popularity, both throughout the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking worlds.

by Vince Guaraldi

Isaiah Shim, piano
Michael Rittling, bass
Robby Burns, drums

It’s almost impossible to think of the beloved Peanuts characters without the theme music to the animated specials playing in your head.  That unforgettable music, titled “Linus and Lucy,” first got the gang dancing in A Charlie Brown Christmas'', which debuted in December 1965.  It was the first television special to feature the cast of Peanuts.

Charles Schulz, well-known creator of the comic strip, had decided that the score to A Charlie Brown Christmas should mix jazz with traditional music. That jazz music, composed by Vince Guaraldi and recorded by his trio, played a huge role in the special’s success and lasting impact. More than 50 years later, A Charlie Brown Christmas album has been certified quintuple platinum for sales of five million copies, making it the second-best-selling jazz album in history, behind Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. 

Guaraldi composed “Linus and Lucy” in 1963 for use on a documentary about Schulz and his “Peanuts” strip that never aired.  Two years later, Shultz wanted to create a scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas that showcased the song, which would become the Christmas special’s famous dance segment. “Linus and Lucy” would be used on later Peanuts specials, familiar to many as the Peanuts theme song.

Extra Credit Reading: When CBS executives and sponsors first previewed A Charlie Brown Christmas, they gave it a cool reception.  Among other issues, they questioned mixing jazz with Christmas music.  The omission of a laugh track, standard practice at the time, was also viewed with skepticism, but Charles Shultz refused to allow it.  Another perceived shortcoming was that the special featured voices of real children to play Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and the Peanuts gang, rather than child actors. Finally, few were convinced that prime time audiences were ready for Linus’s quoting of scripture, but Shulz remained adamant that it be included.  From a seeming animated flop to an award-winning special to a staple of holiday season programming, A Charlie Brown Christmas has endured, bringing its simple Christmas message to millions of viewers.

by Albert Hague

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Welcome, Christmas

Christopher Rhodovi
St. Louis Treble Choir

It’s that time in the program for that furry green grouch to try to ruin Christmas for the residents of Whoville, only to learn that even without presents, Christmas came just the same. Audience members will find their hearts growing a few sizes when they hear “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “Welcome Christmas,” hit songs from the 1966 animated TV special “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Dr. Seuss’s beloved book debuted in December 1957, both as a book version and in a Redbook magazine issue.  The author wrote the 69-page story in just a few weeks, noting that it was “the easiest book of my career to write.” The original Grinch was black and white with pink eyes.  Director Chuck Jones decided to make the cold-hearted schemer green for the television special. In the years since then, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has captivated generations of children and adults in different ways, to include versions created for the big screen and Broadway stage.

arr. by J. F. Dausch

Joseph Ciani-Dausch
Liz Mulligan

“Winter Medley” weaves together two songs that paint frosty and chilly scenes of the season:  “Winter Wonderland” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Although “Winter Wonderland” was not originally intended to be a Christmas song, over the years it has become intricately tied to the holidays.  Written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith, the song captures images of sleigh bells, snowmen, and crackling wood fires, painting a picture of a day playing in and enjoying the snow. The song references a newly constructed snowman pretending to be Parson Brown, causing something of a mystery as to identity.  Parson Brown was not a real person, but a character representing a parson, or an independent priest in the Church of England.  Updated lyrics have replaced “Parson Brown” with “circus clown.”  This program’s performance includes both sets of lyrics.

Composer and lyricist Frank Loesser, known for “Guys and Dolls” and other Broadway hits, wrote “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in 1944.  He and his wife Lynn Garland first performed the duet at the end of a party they were hosting, to signal guests that the night was winding down.  In 1948, Loesser sold the song to MGM (Garland was furious at his sale of "their" song). The song was featured in the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter,” winning the Academy Award for best song.

Arranged by J. F. Dausch

“Jingle Bells” is one of America’s most popular seasonal melodies, recorded by thousands of artists and orchestral ensembles.  James Lord Pierpont composed the song under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857, later copyrighting the song as “Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh.”

Historians have debated “Jingle Bells” place of origin, questioning whether Pierpont wrote the song in Massachusetts or Georgia.  Historical plaques in Medford, Massachusetts and Savannah, George claim their cities to be the birthplace of “Jingle Bells.”   Some records indicate that Pierpont wrote the song while living in a rooming house not far from where he lived in downtown Boston. 

FUN FACT #1: “Jingle Bells” was the first song ever broadcast from outer space.  With Christmas 1965 a little more than a week away, astronauts orbiting aboard Gemini 6 playfully reported to Mission Control some sort of UFO when it was time to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.  They had just completed a rendezvous with Gemini 7.  “"We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit…I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit."  The troubling report was broken up by the sounds of “Jingle Bells” played on a harmonica accompanied by sleigh bells, two of the handful of personal items that astronauts were allowed to bring along with them.  Today, those bells and harmonica—the first musical instruments played in space—are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 

FUN FACT #2: James Pierpont, the author of Jingle Bells, was the uncle of John Pierpont Morgan, the famous banker. J.P. Morgan was named after the Reverend John Pierpont, his maternal grandfather, and preferred to be called Pierpont by his friends.

Arranged by Antony Baldwin

It remains something of a mystery as to how “Joy to the World” came to be a Christmas carol, since the words are based on Old Testament scripture and speak more about Christ’s second coming than they do the first. Hymnist and clergyman Isaac Watts published the verses in 1719 in a collection of poems, each of which was based on a psalm. In penning the verses, Watts drew inspiration from a phrase in Psalm 98: “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.”

As a young man in Southampton, England, Watts viewed the church music of his day to be monotonous and uninspiring, prompting his father to challenge him to create something better. That call to action resulted in Watts composing more than 600 hymns, among them “Joy to the World!” It would take more than a century, however, before Lowell Mason, a Boston music educator and prolific hymn writer, composed the music that would eventually accompany Watts’s poem. A passionate student of the music of composer George Frideric Händel, Mason drew inspiration from two songs of Messiah to compose his instrumental piece “Antioch.” Three more years passed before Mason would find, in Watts’s “Modern Psalmist” songbook, words to link to the “Antioch” melody. In 1911, a Christmas release by Elise Stevenson and the Trinity Choir marked the first time that “Joy to the World!” appeared on a popular music playlist. An Old Testament psalm, songs from Händel’s Messiah, two brilliant hymn writers living in different countries and eras, a long passage of time, and more: it required the piecing together of all these elements to produce one of the most joyful and uplifting Christmas carols ever written.

Can one of the most cherished works in the classical repertory be interpreted in Black musical traditions?  That’s the premise of the 1992 album Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, released to celebrate the 250th anniversary of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio. The 72-minute recording, taken mostly from Part 1 of the original work (often called the “Christmas” portion), culminates with Handel’s most recognized work, the “Hallelujah!” chorus. 

The reimagined “Hallelujah!” chorus recorded in 1992 brought together a choir of more than 80 artists drawn from gospel, contemporary Christian, R&B, jazz, and other genres.  The choir was conducted by Quincy Jones, who described the “Hallelujah” chorus as “simple, timeless and powerful.” Jones elaborated, “In that sense, it's perfect for the adaptation and follows a tradition that's very strong in Black music. You can compare it to 'Amazing Grace,' which started, I believe, as a white Methodist or Presbyterian hymn and was adapted by the Black churches. Just as they did with 'Amazing Grace,' many years ago, we've taken Handel and turned him into a Baptist."

Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 1992.