Does the season have you in the mood for some caroling? Whether it’s for traveling the neighborhood, singing along at home, or kicking it back with some hot wassail, the folks over at YourClassical has you covered with the best carols. For the past several weeks, YourClassical has been polling their audiences as to what their favorite Christmas carols were. Now, with the YourClassical Christmas carol poll results collected, you can listen to host Scott Blankenship walk you through December 8th’s Minnesota Public Radio event: The Singers (of the Minnesota Choral Artists) and conductor Matthew Culloton performing the audience’s favorite carols in what worked out to be an eclectic selection.
Although Christmastime has no shortage of music to go around, the art of the carol has recently lost its fervor -- a point addressed by both YourClassical host Scott Blankenship and Matthew Culloton (founder/conductor of The Singers -- Minnesota Choral Artists) in the intro of the Minnesota Public Radio Christmas carol event. Before introducing The Singers Choir, the two discuss the impact of the carol and its current state as a beloved, if somewhat endangered institution. Most noticeably, group participation in caroling is harder to expect these days. With diminished circulation of the centuries-old melodies and a society generally averse to door-to-door busking, carolers may, for now, be limited to the private setting.
Many of the extant English-language carols that are still sung across the world today were written between the 18th and 19th centuries, although many are much older. All carols, however, were expressly written with group singing in mind. Although the inherently religious overtones aren’t for everyone, modern participants would find that the tunes themselves carry a wide breadth of emotion, ranging from the cheerful to the solemn. They also carry historical significance. Like much of the western canon, carols deeply influenced the course of how Christmas came to be celebrated. They even influenced how Charles Dickens came to write the aptly titled “A Christmas Carol”.
Although the composers of some of the oldest carols have long since been lost to time, the winning carol of the YourClassical Christmas Carol poll had a well-known name attached to it: English composer Gustav Holst. His melody, to the carol "In the Bleak Midwinter", was set to an 1872 poem by Christina Rossetti. The "in-touch" composer, who would later turn out the familiar The Planets suite, had thought it was a composer's duty to provide music to the public for practical purposes as well as those of ambitious artistic value. Since the composer was also deeply attached to English folk music, continuing in the tradition of carol writing became a rewarding side-project for Holst.
YourClassical graciously provided PDF links to the lyrics & sheet music for "In the Bleak Midwinter", along with all of the selections from the YourClassical Christmas carol poll results. They were revealed, one by one, throughout the hour-long program. Visit YourClassical now and follow along with The Singers Choir and conductor Matthew Culloton... or, save them until Christmas!
YourClassical Christmas Carol Poll Results:
1. “In the Bleak Midwinter”
2. “Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming”
3. “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
4. “Angels We Have Heard On High”
5. “Silent Night”
6. “Coventry Carol”
7. “Joy to the World”
8. “The Holly and the Ivy”
9. “What Child Is This?”
10. “Ding Dong! Merrily On High”
11. “Sussex Carol”
12. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
13. “The Wexford Carol”
14. “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”
15. “Away in a Manger”
