Christmas theme in classical music

Christmas is one of the most beloved and long-awaited holidays among Christians all over the world. In our country, Christmas has not been celebrated for so long that people are accustomed to considering the New Year’s celebration more significant. But time puts everything in its place – the country of the Soviets did not last even one century, and since the birth of Christ the third millennium has already passed.

A fairy tale, music, anticipation of a miracle – that’s what Christmas is all about. And from this day on, Christmastide began – mass festivities, gatherings, sleigh rides, fortune telling, merry dances and songs.

Christmas rituals and entertainment were always accompanied by music, and there was room for both strict church chants and playful folk carols.

Plots related to Christmas served as a source of inspiration for artists and composers who worked at very different times. It is impossible to imagine a huge layer of religious music by Bach and Handel without referring to such significant events for the Christian world; Russian composers Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov played with this theme in their fairy-tale operas and ballets; Christmas carols, which appeared in the 13th century, are still very popular in Western countries.

Christmas music and the Orthodox Church

Christmas classical music takes its origins from church hymns. In the Orthodox Church to this day, the holiday begins with the ringing of bells and a troparion in honor of the Nativity of Christ, then the kontakion “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential” is sung. The troparion and kontakion reveal and glorify the essence of the holiday.

Famous Russian composer of the 19th century D.S. Bortnyansky devoted much of his work to church singing. He advocated preserving the purity of sacred music, protecting it from excesses of musical “embellishment.” Many of his works, including Christmas concerts, are still performed in Russian churches.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky’s sacred music occupies a separate niche in his work, although during the composer’s lifetime it caused a lot of controversy. Tchaikovsky was accused of predominant secularism in his spiritual creativity.

However, speaking about the theme of Christmas in classical music, the first thing that comes to mind is the masterpieces of Pyotr Ilyich, which are quite far from church music. These are the opera “Cherevichki” based on Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas” and the ballet “The Nutcracker”. Two completely different works – a story about evil spirits and a children’s Christmas tale, are united by the genius of music and the theme of Christmas.

Modern classic

Christmas classical music is not limited to “serious genres”. Songs that people especially love can also be considered classics. The most popular Christmas song throughout the world, “Jingle Bells,” was born more than 150 years ago. It can be considered a musical symbol of the New Year and Christmas holidays.

Today, the music of Christmas, having lost much of its ritualism, has retained the emotional message of the festive celebration. An example is the famous film “Home Alone”. American film composer John Williams included several Christmas songs and psalms in the soundtrack. At the same time, the old music began to play in a new way, conveying an indescribable festive atmosphere (may the reader forgive the tautology).

Merry Christmas everyone!