From hymns like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!” to classics like “Silver Bells” and even more recent popular songs like “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” there is a long-standing tradition of music for the holidays. However, there is another sector of Christmas music that holds some of the most beautiful intricacies, and unfortunately that sector is rarely touched (with few exceptions). This long-neglected genre of Christmas music happens to be the classical style.
The year is 1690. One of the most beloved composers of his time, Arcangelo Corelli (who taught a line of students that eventually made its way to Jay-Martin Pinner, the founder of the BJA orchestra and my former violin teacher), writes his first claim to fame: his awe-inspiring Op. 6, No. 8 Christmas Concerto in G minor. This Concerto Grosso for string orchestra and keyboard became very popular and is now one of the first instances of Christmas music in classical repertoire.
Fast forward about 50 years later and head over to England to meet a man named George Friedrich Handel. He has just written a classical masterpiece: his beloved oratorio titled Messiah. This piece, with its famous “Hallelujah” chorus, became a staple of classical music for hundreds of years to come, and it is still recognizable among most people in the world to this day. However, what most people do not know is that there is a tune in this oratorio titled “Antioch,” and the melody Handel wrote in this selection would later be developed and adapted to the words by Isaac Watts in the world-renowned hymn “Joy to the World.”
Many people associate classical music with this Baroque time period of the previous two composers, but there are two more composers who deserve recognition for their contributions to this genre of music. The first comes about 150 years later, when the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky would write his most famous work, and the music to arguably the most famous ballet of all time:The Nutcracker. From the playful overture, to the quick “Trepak,” all the way to the grand “Pas de Deux,” this masterpiece is beloved by people all over the world, being many people’s (myself included) favorite theatrical experience.
Lastly, let’s fast forward 60 years to see the vision of a brilliant man named Leroy Anderson. It was actually during the middle of a heatwave in the summer of 1946 when Mr. Anderson first thought of the idea and general sketches for what would become his most famous work: “Sleigh Ride.” In 1948, he finished the final touches on his symphonic orchestration for the piece that would later have lyrics added and become a Christmas classic for years to come.
In conclusion, classical music has had a significant impact on modern Christmas music, and without it, we would not have many of the classics we have today. There are many more Christmas classical pieces that people enjoy, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve and Frederick Delius’s “Sleigh Ride” (which actually came before Anderson’s), which also held a significant role in establishing Christmas music. Even though newer Christmas music can also be fun or heart-warming to listen to, I encourage you all to break out of your comfort zone and add Christmas classical music to your holiday playlist!
Listen to the pieces linked below and comment which one was your favorite!
