Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 December 2021

Christmas Carols

The word Carol means dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived. Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. 


In 1223 St. Francis of Assisi initiated nativity plays in Italy, with people in the plays singing songs or 'canticles' that told the story. Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in. The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries. 

Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash

Carols from this time were very loosely based on the Christmas story and were seen as entertaining rather than religious songs. Usually sung in homes rather than in churches, they evolved over time. Traveling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the words were changed for the local people wherever they were traveling. "I Saw Three Ships" is an example. 

Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected Christmas music from villages in England. Sandy's compiled "Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern" which is now in the British Library. In the lengthy introduction Sandys relates the history of the festival, bemoans that celebrating Christmas is ‘on the wane’ . He includes 80 carols, some 15th to 17th century, others ‘still used in the west of England’, plus 12 pages of music with 18 tunes. The book saw the first appearance of many now-familiar carols, including 'God rest you merry, Gentlemen'; 'Hark, the herald angels sing'; 'I saw three ships'; and 'The first Noel'. (In 1852 Sandys published a similar carol collection, Christmas-tide, for a more popular market.) 

Waits
Before carol singing in public became popular, there were official carol singers called 'Waits'. These were led by important local leaders who had the only power locally to permit payment for wassailing or carolling. 'Waits' were so called because they only sang on Christmas Eve which was sometimes known as 'watchnight' or 'waitnight', because of the shepherds were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them.

Each Christmas carol tells a story, here is the history of two of the best known:-

Once in Royal David's City

Cecil Frances Alexander lived 1818-1895 in Dublin, Ireland. She was the author of the iconic "Once in Royal David's City" (and "All things Bright and Beautiful" amongst many others). She was a prolific verse writer, her hymns heavily influenced first by Dr. Walter Hook, Dean of Chichester, and later her connections within the Oxford Movement. 

Whilst many of us are unfamiliar with the controversies surrounding both the Movement and Alexander's endorsement of the class system, her hymns are known and loved by Christians the world over. Alexander also published poetry in english and french, for adults and children.

"Once in Royal" as it's affectionately known is usually sung at the start of Carol Services in the approach to Christmas, and the Nine Lessons and Carols service on Christmas Eve. The first verse is usually sung as a solo, the soloist traditionally only learning they are singing it moments beforehand!


Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley, the founder of Methodist Church wrote a beautiful carol which began:- 
Hark how all the welkin rings 
Glory to the King of Kings 
Peace on earth and mercy mild 
God and sinners reconciled.

Until twenty years later a preacher called George Whitfield published a new version with the now familiar first line "Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to the new-born King!" Wesley was apparently unimpressed, not least (according to a BBC Culture article) because the angels in the Bible spoke their message, rather than sang it. The text is still credited to Wesley, who wrote over 6500 hymns!

The history around the tune is even more interesting. It is by Mendelssohn; a song he wrote to commemorate the Gutenburg press 400 years after its invention. Realising some new lyrics might be needed once the anniversary had passed, Mendelssohn said he did not mind what words were substituted for the original lyrics, as long as they were not religious....  

Here is our choir singing Ben Parry's version of "Adam lay Ybounden":- 

(press the triangular "play" button at the bottom)

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Parousia

The term "parousia" has been used since ancient times to describe the arrival or visit of a king or emperor.  The Greek word parousia here corresponded to the Latin word "advent", or coming. For example, in memory of the visit of Emperor Nero to the cities of Patras and Corinth, advent coins were struck that carried the legend Adventus Augusti Corinth. The numerous journeyings of the Emperor Hadrian were celebrated by many advent coins, and often new eras were reckoned from date of the parousia. 

Parousia is Greek for ‘presence’, interchangeable with "arrival" or "coming", and is used in the New Testament to refer to the coming of Christ within an eschatological context regarding judgement and resurrection. 

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

The early Christian church believed the main elements of the coming of the kingdom of God had already been realised in the life of Jesus and in his death, which had been vindicated by the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15: 23–4). Jesus also foretold the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Mark 13: 2), which was necessary for the fulfilment of the coming of the kingdom if God. When it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, its place was taken by the crucified and risen Son of Man, who became the new focus of divine presence. This was what St Paul and his contemporaries were waiting for, a kingdom of peace, justice, and love (Romans 14: 17) and for the early Church the most important part of the process had already occurred with Jesus' resurrection. The timing of the remainder was unimportant. 

Parousia can have several interpretations in the context of Advent. It is mainly used in Christian theology to refer to the second coming of Christ, but some scholars use the word to refer to Christ's spiritual presence in a church. The season of Advent is a time of waiting as we prepare to welcome Christ on Christmas Day, so parousia might therefore be interpreted as the coming of Christ into our hearts, our lives, and our community. 
 
Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

Saturday, 12 December 2020

Gaudete!

The third Sunday in Advent is "Refreshment Sunday", also known as Gaudete Sunday, and this year it falls on 13th December. 

"The season of Advent originated as a fast of 40 days in preparation for Christmas, commencing on the day after the feast of Saint Martin (11 November), and was originally called Saint Martin's Lent, a name by which it was known as early as the fifth century. In the ninth century, the duration of Advent was reduced to four weeks (a period starting four Sundays before Christmas), and Advent preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential season, which made it a kind of counterpart to Lent. Gaudete Sunday is a counterpart to Laetare Sunday, and provides a similar break about midway through a season which is otherwise of a penitential character, and signifies the nearness of the Lord's coming." (Wikipedia) 

On Gaudete Sunday rose-coloured vestments may be worn instead of violet which is otherwise prescribed for every day in the season of Advent, and it is therefore also known as "Rose Sunday". Rose is the liturgical colour for joy. In churches that have an Advent wreath, the rose-coloured candle is lit in addition to two of the violet candles, which represent the first two Sundays of Advent. Despite the otherwise sombre readings of the season of Advent, which recognises the need for penitence in anticipation, the readings on the third Sunday emphasises the joyous anticipation of the Lord's coming.

An advent wreath with three purple candles and the rose coloured candle to represent joy.

Gaudete means “rejoice”. and it is a reminder that the Advent season is a season of joy because our salvation is already at hand. To have a Sunday of rejoicing in the midst of the traditional Advent fast is not simply a concession to human weakness. It serves to correct spiritual pride, reminding those who fast that the whole of the Christian life is a matter of grace. John the Baptist reminds us that salvation is a gift of grace, it is not bestowed on us in return for penitence. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved, it requires no external conditions, unlike happiness. 
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5
Advent is a time of watching, waiting and listening, remembering and anticipating, renewal and wonder. On Gaudete Sunday we should rejoice in the unconditional love of God, as we anticipate the fulfilment of his gift of love at Christmas.