carlos_kweller's Friends

Dreaming of a 75-degree Christmas
I'm back in Florida, done with my first semester of grad school, and busting at the seams with Christmas spirit. One of my personal traditions for season, along with many other carol enthusiasts, is to listen to nothing but my holiday Pandora for the entire month of December. I have 2 playlists: Classy Christmas (your Otis Redding, Nat King Cole, Vince Guaraldi, what have you), and Cheese Christmas (I just typed in "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Christmas Shoes" and let it roll) Thusly, I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a great Christmas song, and what are my all time favorites (and least favorites). After careful consideration, years of firsthand experience as a lifelong choir member, and informal polling of my peers, I have compiled personal lists of the best and worst Christmas songs. I am basically getting a Master's Degree in judging stuff, and I have learned that the proper way to go about this is to evaluate each song on its own, free of any uniform standard. But some loose criteria will include timelessness, melodic structure, singability, "warm and fuzzy" factor (secular), gravitas (religious), and quality of adaptations. Lists will include Top 10 Religious, Top 10 Secular, and 10 Worst (both). We'll start with the baby Jesus songs because, after all, he is the reason for the season.

Top 10 Religious Christmas Songs (10-6).

10. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen: Dating as far back as the 15th century, this epic drinking song with a higher purpose has a whopping 7 (yes, 7!) full verses. There are a few gifted folks on this planet who actually know all 7 verses, and if you're lucky enough to have a friend that will go for it, you know what a feat it is to behold. This carol gets extra points for being just as fun to scream obnoxiously as it is to sing. Also, who doesn't love tidings of comfort and joy?

9. Angels from the Realms of Glory: Not the most well known of the Christmas hymns, but this one has a special place in my heart, as I'm sure it does in the hearts of thousands of Florida chorus kids who did Disney Candlelight every year in high school. The word "realms", perched atop the high note of the phrase, is really fun to sing, and the Disney version of this hymn boasts a luscious, overwrought key change of an ending. COOOOMMMMEEEE and WOOOORRRRRSHIP? Heck yes.

8. We Three Kings: I wavered mightily between this song and "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" for inclusion on the list. "3 Kings" won, mostly because a superior angel-centric song already occupies position 9, but also because of the "star of wonder, star of night" refrain. It's beautiful; 4-part harmony at its Theory III best. It really saves the rest of the song, which can get a little plodding, especially with 5 verses. It's also the only time saying "Orient" is still cool. Written in 1857 in New York City, which seems a little late.

7. O Come O Come Emmanuel: It's hard to beat this one in the gravitas department; I imagine monks in dungeons. Originally done in Latin, it's super minor and has lyrics like "captive", "ransom" , and "exile". Dark, probably the darkest of all the holidays hymns. One of the only Christmas songs I prefer listening to to singing, partially because I think it's best when done by a men's choir (sorry ladies) and partially because I got stuck in the alto section on it in my early high school days, grinding out a low G that I could barely hit and did NOT enjoy. There are places for sopranos to play, and "O Come" is not one of them. But that's fine.

6. What Child Is This?: It can't be beaten for a pretty melody line or pretty lyrics, and this tune gets extra points for versatility. Adapted from "Greensleeves" (16th Century) in 1865, it fits well with any interpretation. From a solo violin line to an overproduced, nasally Christian rock scream-fest, there's a "What Child is This" out there for everyone. Some versions go major in the second verse, and I like it. But a major first verse? Not ok.

Next Up: Top 5 (religious). The good stuff.

Current Mood: festive
Current Music: duh

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