Denver Catholic

21 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 2020 linked to the season when it comes to Christmas. Vast coves of memories are tied to those tunes that we can't get enough of come Black Friday (and are utterly sick of come Dec. 26). And yet, certain songs transcend the inevi- table "Christmas music burnout," and "O Holy Night" is one of them. It's the kind of song that makes one stop dead in their tracks, especially when being performed by an exceptional vocalist. But what is it about "O Holy Night" that stirs our hearts so? A look back at the history of the composition and its musical and lyrical characteristics can provide a glimpse into the power of this timeless piece and hopefully, a newfound appreciation for it. Much like the Nativity itself, the genesis of "O Holy Night" centers around a rather ordinary occasion in a rather ordinary French town. In 1843, the organ at the local parish in the quaint town of Roquemaure had been recently reno- vated, and a local poet by the name of Placide Cappeau was asked at the behest of the parish's priest to write a poem to celebrate the occasion. Originally called Cantique de Noël, the text in the original French was quite different than the familiar lyrics that are widely known today; it was also simply a poem. The opening lines, translated to literal English, read: Midnight, Christians, is the solemn hour When God as man descended unto us / To erase the stain of original sin / And to end the wrath of His Father. / The entire world thrills with hope / On this night that gives it a Saviour. This rather didactic recitation of the poem changed in 1847 when the popular secular composer Adolphe Adam wrote the delicate yet incredibly moving melody that is now synon- ymous with "O Holy Night" and put it to the canticle. The newly-minted composition was premiered that same year in Roquemaure by Adam's friend and local soprano Émily Laurey, who sang it at the Midnight Mass in the church of St. Jean-Baptiste et Jean l'Évangeliste. Ironically, though intended as a very spiritual and pious piece at heart, the original text of the song drew a fair amount of influence from the secular culture of the time, which is understand- able when one considers the political backdrop of France during that era of history. "This was all happening and all being done within the shadow of the second French Revo- lution in 1848," said Charles Nolan, Director of Sacred Music and Instructor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. "Viewing the text in that light, there are some interesting things that relate into that, particularly [when] looking at a translation of the French, it reflects very much on people's pride. There's definitely some interesting juxtapositions with the idea that the second French Revolution is brewing right around this this time." In the original French, one line of the canticle reads: It is to your pride that God preaches / Bow your heads before the Redeemer. Indeed, given the social tensions in years before the French Revolution, the song faced a colorful array of criticisms from across the ideological spectrum. Even so, the song continued to grow in popu- larity across France and Europe, which was not surprising, given Adam's adept ear for writing popular music. "Adolphe Adam was not a church musician, and in fact, his father was a composer as well and didn't necessarily want his son to follow in his footsteps," Nolen said. "But then he became a composer and music critic and he was mostly known for his ballets, and it may be one of the keys to its popularity, is the fact that Adam was writing popular music at the time. He was writing for public consumption of ballets. He was very intimately acquainted with what the public liked and wanted from music." As the song continued to grow in popular- ity around the world, it eventually caught the attention of a Unitarian minister by the name of John Sullivan Dwight in 1855. Dwight trans- lated the poem into English using the lyrics we all now know and love, and the rest, as they say, is history. Thus, Cantique de Noël became more widely known as "O Holy Night." Certain songs transcend the inevitable "Christmas music burnout," and "O Holy Night" is one of them." ⊲

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