The blurred line
between Advent and Christmas
by Chris Hayes
In the annual cycle of music reviewing, I find December by far the most difficult month in which to write. The type of music we enjoy during Advent and Christmas is extremely personal and usually influenced by our traditions, tastes, and personal histories, so it is nearly impossible for someone like me to tell someone like you what is good or fitting. And then there is all the seasonal confusion. In the church most of us understand that Advent is Advent and Christmas is Christmas, but to most people in the music industry Advent means “Christmas is coming soon, so start playing Christmas music now!”
I had planned to review a classical and mainstream (pardon the lack of appropriate words to describe genres) Advent album, and then a classical and mainstream Christmas album. But in today’s market, these distinctions simply do not exist, so I cannot follow through. Forgive me, then, as I review a choral album, and a mainstream album — ironically entitled “The Three Kings” and “Advent”. (I’m shaking my head in dismay!)
The Choir of Tewkesbury Abbey returns to this column with the superbly recorded (extremely difficult to do in choral music) “The Three Kings,” a blend of familiar and new (to some people) compositions. The sequence of carols presented in splendid fashion includes both established and recently heralded composers such as Peter Cornelius, Jonathan Dove (a new favourite of mine), Gabriel Jackson, Max Reger, and John Tavener. With three different organs in the abbey, the textures and colours are varied throughout the recording, and the men and boys choir achieves some incredible timbres on a very broad palate. While this recording is three years old, better music shops may have it and it is available on iTunes, at just $9.99 for 17 tracks. (No, I do NOT make commission!).
Future of Forestry, a young band from San Francisco, recently released a seasonal EP called “Advent,” that features no Advent music — it’s all Christmas! This paint is well known for the lush music landscapes it creates using common and not-so-common instruments. For those of you interested in instrumental antiquity, Future Forestry actually makes use of a hurdy-gurdy! The group applies its signature sound to established pieces like “Joy to the World” and others. While I am usually skeptical of such projects — they often strike me as trivial — I must admit that this six-track EP actually works.
Future of Forestry is a patient band and shows in its music that it understands that music needs space to breathe. The band members don’t rush things or try to pack too much information in too little time or space. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is particularly well done by this group of excellent musicians. Again, iTunes may be the best way to acquire this at $5.94 for 6 songs.
With that, I wish all of you who read this a blessed Advent and a wonderful Christmas season. I encourage you to have a listen to these two offerings and to see how they fit into your music experiences through Advent and Christmas. We are all unique in the ways we observe these seasons. I consider my Advent complete and Christmas begun, musically speaking, when I hear my wife, Christine, sing O Holy Night.
Enjoy the sounds of these wonderful seasons!
The Rev. Chris Hayes is rector of the Parish of Quispamsis and a musician. He regularly reviews music for the New Brunswick Anglican.
