Brad's Music Room

The vast majority of Christmas songs focus on the birth of Christ, and rightfully should. However, there are a few that tell of others involved in the Christmas story; the supporting cast.  This is the first of two posts about these other participants.

The Angel Gabriel

Luke 1:26-33

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“Gabriel’s Message” or “The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came” (Basque: Birjina gaztetto bat zegoen) is a Basque Christmas folk carol about the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Wikipedia)  Sting resurrected this song in 1987 when he recorded it as part of a Christmas CD to raise money for Special Olympics. Here is an a cappella version for those who like hearing how it may have sounded when it was written.

Mary

Luke:34-38

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most Highwill overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

“Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)” by Amy Grant is a single from her 1992 album Home for Christmas. It was featured on the soundtrack to The Nativity Story.

Joseph

Luke 2:1–7

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

“Joseph’s Lullaby” is a song written and recorded by Christian rock band MercyMe. It was released as a single from the band’s 2005 album The Christmas Sessions.

During the fourth century, the practice of bringing evergreen trees indoors during the dark days of winter, spread across Europe. In medieval Germany, the increase in Christianity gave rise to a new tradition.  Germans began decorating the trees with apples to represent the garden of Eden. In addition, these “Paradise trees” were soon decorated with additional food items like nuts and sugar wafers.

Germans took their Christmas tree tradition with them and they immigrated to other parts of the world. in 1848, Queen Victoria encouraged her German husband, Prince Albert to decorate a tree like those he had in his childhood. The Illustrated London News featured this Victorian tree, decorated with sweets, ornaments and candles. Suddenly, people in England and the United States created increasingly elaborate trees in an attempt to outdo one another. German artisans began crafting delicate I glass ornaments. Also In 1882 Edward Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, created the first strand of Christmas tree lights. This year, over 100 million Christmas trees will be on display worldwide.  For more details see History of Christmas Trees – Christmas – HISTORY.com.

The music for “O Tannenbaum” is from a 16th century German folk song.  There are multiple versions of lyrics with this tune. Although I do not speak German I prefer “O Tannenbaum” to the English language “Oh Christmas Tree”. The buttery smooth voice of Nat King Cole probably has something to do with that. Now when you hear this song, or see a Christmas tree think of the Germans and Queen Victoria, and thank them for this centerpiece of our Christmas traditions.

As traditional and familiar as most any English Christmas carol, the song is among the season’s more misunderstood. A celebration of a holiday custom that pretty much puzzles modern celebrants: wassailing.

Wassailing? What’s wassailing?

The text of the carol employs noun and verb forms of “wassail.” A word derived from the Old Norse ves heil and Old English was hál meaning “be in good health”. The phrase found first use as a simple greeting. However Danish-speaking inhabitants of England turned was hail, and the reply drink hail, into a drinking formula..

Wassail also denoted the drink used for the toast. Spiced wine resembled the ancient Roman hypocras, which survived into the early Middle Ages as a libation for the wealthy. The necessity of importing the wine and such spices as ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg made it dear. When fine ales replaced the wine, more people could afford it, and recipes varied according to the means of each family. Though usually prepared for immediate consumption, wassail sometimes was bottled and allowed to ferment.

The term has evolved in English for more than a millennium. What began as a simple greeting, became a toast in ritualized drinking. Now absorbed into holiday customs rooted in notions of social propriety.

The Wassail Bowl

The first mention of a wassail bowl was in the thirteenth century. A vessel in which revelers dipped cakes and fine bread. The practice of floating crisps of bread in the wassail bowl gave rise to our use of “toast” as a drinking salutation.

• “Toasts”
• Christmas parties
• Christmas bonuses
• Punch bowls (Think eggnog)

From Wassailing Through History

So lift your cups and join me now is I say was hál to this strange and wonderful old English tradition. And you thought wassailing was just a fancy name for caroling.