Songs of the Season: A Celebration of Winter Holidays
Fall is here, which means the return of Georgia football (Go Dawgs!), puffer vests, and apple everything (sorry, PSL).
It also means lots of repertoire planning and rehearsing for Christmas programs, musicals, and holiday concerts.
I recognize that some of you are in positions where you may be programming a holiday concert or program, whether that's a school or community setting or an interfaith musical celebration with area churches.
If you're looking for choral music that touches on various Winter holidays and celebrations, I hope the list of anthems below is helpful to you.
There are several special holidays and celebrations that take place in Winter (and many within the month of December). Here are a few worth noting:
Celebrating Winter Holidays
Hanukkah ("Dedication")
When: Late November or December
What: An 8-day celebration in late November or December based on the story of the menorah in the Second Temple of Jerusalem. The menorah burned for eight days despite having only a single day’s supply of oil (source).
Las Posadas ("The Inns")
When: December 16-24
What: A 9-day celebration honoring the journey Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Celebrated throughout Mexico and Central America (source).
Winter Solstice
When: December 21
What: A celebration of the shortest day of the year (originally called "Yule").
"Historically, Yule—also referred to as Christmastide or Yuletide—was celebrated by feeding a large oak tree into the fireplace. The tree would be cut down on the Winter Solstice and the yule log would be slowly pushed into the flames over through the 12 days of Christmas. That ritual became the basis for the modern yule log that’s decorated with candles and berries, and generally placed on a mantle or altar." (source)
Christmas
When: December 25
What: A celebration of Jesus' birth (though many Americans celebrate it without considering themselves Christians).
Kwanzaa
When: December 26-January 1
What: A 7-day celebration of African-American culture. Similar to the candle-lighting tradition of Hanukkah, each night of Kwanzaa includes a candle-lighting ceremony representing one of seven core principles: unity, self-determination, collective work/responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith (source).
Nine Choral Anthems for Winter Holidays
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No. 1
Celebrate Around the World (Various)
Unison/2-part
This collection includes 10 songs celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Christmas, and Winter Solstice. It includes optional narration if you’d like to turn it into a full program.
No. 2
Candlelight Canon (Andy Beck)
2-Part, SSA, SAB, or SATB
This lyrical anthem is centered on candlelight as a symbol of peace, which could work well as a celebration of Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or during Advent. The melody is D-D and is sung in a round later in the piece. It’s available in several different voicings:
No. 3
Furaha! (Joy!) (Sally K. Albrecht)
2-Part, SAB, or SATB
Furaha, the Swahili word for joy, captures the spirit of Kwanzaa with a rhythmic, African-style anthem for 2-part choir. English and Swahili text are included. This anthem is also available in several voicings:
No. 4
Dansi Na Kuimba (Dance and Sing) (Dave and Jean Perry)
2-part or SAB
This Kwanzaa anthem features optional percussion accompaniment (with piano) and a lightly syncopated melody that describes the birth of music. Available in two voicings:
No. 5
Speaking Love (Steve Danyew)
SATB
Steal away to a quiet, snowy night and hear the message of this carol-like anthem: “Giving joy, sharing hope, cheering spirits: ‘Sing noel!’, bringing comfort to all people, peace on earth, speaking love.”
The text is set to a simple, accessible melody, with optional Soprano descant on the last chorus.
No. 6
An African Wish (Peace, Love, and Unity) (Jerry Estes)
2-Part or SAB
This versatile anthem celebrates Kwanzaa with African rhythms, percussion instruments, and the Swahili words for peace, love, and unity. Available in two voicings:
No. 7
Celebrate the Season (Jill Gallina)
2-part or SAB
This festive anthem works well at the beginning or end of a concert or program. Its general, multicultural message celebrates many holidays of the season, including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. Available in two voicings:
No. 8
An African Celebration (Sally K. Albrecht)
2-Part, SAB, SATB
A medley of three African songs (Betelehemu, African Noel, and Siyahamba), this joyful anthem celebrates Kwanzaa with Swahili and English text and the opportunity to add your own rhythm instruments.
Available in three voicings:
No. 9
Holiday Celebrations (Jerry Estes)
2-part, SAB
This anthem includes three songs: one for Hanukkah, one for Kwanzaa, and one for Christmas, with text in Hebrew, Swahili, English, and Latin. Available in two voicings:
I’d love to hear from you:
What are your favorite holiday-themed anthems for choirs?