Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols

The Little Drummer Boy
On this episode of “Hark!”, we follow the beat of a modern carol that has gained worldwide fame, yet was composed almost while napping. It is a tale about a figure the Bible never mentions, but whose bold gift leads us straight to the heart of Christmas. This is the story of “The Little Drummer Boy.” First, Lisa Graham, the director of the choral program and a senior lecturer in music at Wellesley College, narrates how Wellesley alumna Katherine Kennicott Davis composed her “Carol of the Drum” in 1941 and how the college bid $11,000 in a battle to win the rights to the original manuscript. Research historian Christian McWhirter, then unpacks the much-romanticized symbol of the drummer boy on the battlefield during the American Civil War. Finally, host Maggi Van Dorn, takes a music lesson with the incomparable liturgical composer, Christopher Walker, also the author of 12 books of stories and songs for children. We are most grateful to our real-life drummer boy, Garrin Knapp, for interpreting and demoing the percussion elements of the carol, and for sharing what the song means to him. The soul-stirring solo of “The Little Drummer Boy" heard on this episode was specially recorded for “Hark!” by Frank Tuson, our very own sound engineer and composer of our theme score. The show wraps with a performance by The King’s Singers from their Christmas album, courtesy of Signum Records. Midway through production on this episode, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina, where Maggi has called home for four years. This episode is dedicated to the ongoing relief efforts in the affected areas. Please consider making a donation to these reputable organizations: BeLoved Asheville: a non-profit organization that has been boots on the ground since long before the hurricane and which will serve those on the margins long after. ReString Appalachia: a movement dedicated to getting quality instruments back in the hands of those who lost them in the hurricane. Support Hark! by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine at: americamagazine.org/subscribe Please donate for Giving Tuesday! From all of us at America Media, thank you! This season of Hark! is sponsored by Saints for Sinners, offering divine saint medals imported from Italy and meticulously hand-painted in New Orleans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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53:20
We Three Kings
To kick off the fourth season of “Hark! The stories behind our favorite Christmas carols” we’re embarking on an adventure to learn about an American-born carol that features some classic nativity characters—figures that, though very familiar to us, we know little about. It’s a Christmas song that begins on a plodding, somber note and erupts into a thrilling epiphany. We’re exploring “We Three Kings.” To help us understand who the magi were—at least from the perspective of Matthew’s Gospel— host Maggi Van Dorn invites Eric Vanden Eykel, author of The Magi: Who They Are, How They’ve Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Ferrum College. The magi’s gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh have long been viewed as symbolic of Jesus’ kingship, divinity and humanity, but how were these two herbs used in antiquity? Maggi learns about their earliest uses from Emiliana Patrick, a fourth year doctoral student in Classical Chinese Medicine at Daoist Traditions College in Asheville, North Carolina. To trace the star the magi followed, Maggi turns to the director of the Vatican’s observatory, Guy Consolmagno, S.J., a Jesuit brother. Finally, to better appreciate the musical genius of the carol’s composition, she speaks with ContraForce, a folk metal band known for their eclectic range of musical styles at contra dances, who specially created an instrumental rendition of “We Three Kings,”specially for “Hark!,” that is woven throughout the episode. The music featured in this episode is courtesy of ContraForce, Michael Logozar, Cynthia Boener, Dante Bucci, the Lee siblings of the Seasons band, Jeff Black and Lotos Nile Music. Special thanks to Jim Bilodeau, our sound engineer, and Jonathan Reid Gealt for lending their vocal talent. Support Hark! by becoming a digital subscriber to America Magazine at: americamagazine.org/subscribe Please donate for Giving Tuesday! From all of us at America Media, thank you! This season of Hark! is sponsored by Saints for Sinners, offering divine saint medals imported from Italy and meticulously hand-painted in New Orleans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:00:13
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Our final episode of Hark! this season departs from the usual nativity of Christ in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and angels on high. Instead, our carol centers on the singular icon of a rose. “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” is a German Christmas song, first published in a Lutheran hymnbook in 1599. Although its believed to be much older, originating in a Catholic monastery with an uncertain date and writer. And not only do we not know who wrote the text for our carol. The person behind the basic melody is also a mystery. The music is often credited to Michael Praetorius, a German composer, organist and music theorist from the 16th and 17th Centuries. But, Praetorius didn't compose the main melody; he only added the harmonies that have made this “the rose of all carols” among choristers and music maestros. Adding further to the mystery of this carol, the symbol of the rose is ambiguous. Depending on the translation and verse, the rose could represent Jesus or his mother Mary, who in Catholic mysticism is adorned with roses. Our heartfelt thanks extends to every musician, choir and soloist who gifted their music so generously to Hark! this season. On this episode we are especially grateful to: The Choir of King’s College Cambridge, The Ignatian Schola, Cynthia Boener, Katie Green and Karen Hefford, Barbara Rowe for sharing the music of her husband, the late Bryan Rowe, Gary Cope and the Encomium Ensemble, the music department of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, Stephen Lynerd, Winter Harp and The Notre Dame Folk Choir, under the direction of JJ Wright, who walked us through the music of “Lo How A Rose” on this episode. Special thanks to the Benedictine monks of Saint John's Abbey Schola in Collegeville, Minnesota. In particular to Father Nick Kleespie who coordinated the performance of Father Anthony Ruff's arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose,” featured in this episode. To learn more about the monks of Saint John’s Abbey, please visit saintjohnsabbey.org. Support “Hark!” become a digital subscriber of America Magazine at: https://link.chtbl.com/04Jrg99F Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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48:44
Go Tell It on the Mountain
We’re looking at a song that is indisputably a Christmas carol but with a reach that extends to every season – “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” It belongs to a collection of historic Negro Spirituals, which likely started on the slave plantations in the American South and were later picked up in the Civil Rights Movement by activists like Fannie Lou Hamer and later, The Freedom Singers. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” has been performed by a multitude of heavenly singers and we were lucky enough to speak to one such star- Vanessa Williams- about why she chose to feature the carol on her 1996 Christmas album, Star Bright. Maggi Van Dorn, Hark’s host, also garnishes rich cultural and theological insight from Catholic liturgical heavyweight, Eric Styles, along with expert music and history lessons from the wildly talented Emorja Roberson, Assistant Professor of Music and African-American Studies at the Oxford College of Emory University. The music featured in this episode is thanks to The OK Factor, Caleb Noeldner, Kendra Logozar, Kim and Reggie Harris, Vanessa Williams, and Universal Music Enterprises. Special thanks to Pauline Books and Media for the recording of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A. We're grateful to Emorja Roberson for providing commentary and his singing voice throughout, and to Frank Tuson for his audio wizardry as the engineer on this episode. Frank also composed the Hark! theme music and successfully convinced members of his family to record “Down to the River,” heard on this episode. Support “Hark!” become a digital subscriber of America Magazine at: https://link.chtbl.com/04Jrg99F Or you can play a little reindeer game with us and win a subscription to America! At the end of this episode, we’ve left a clue about next week’s carol. Guess the carol in an Instagram post, tag three friends, and follow @americamedia, and you will be entered to win a one-year digital subscription to America. No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only 18 and older. Prize value is $49.99 each. Promotion period November 26 to December 22, 2023. Twenty winners will be randomly selected and notified by D.M. by January 10, 2023. Instagram does not endorse this giveaway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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49:42
The Wexford Carol
“The Wexford Carol” is heralded as Ireland’s oldest recorded Christmas carol. It’s been performed by world class cellist Yo-Yo Ma and American country music star Allison Krauss. Yet, the history of this carol is difficult to trace. We know that it was passed down in the oral tradition for hundreds of years. Some scholars claim it originated in the 16th century, while others believe it has even older roots in the 12th century. However, it was not until the 1920s that a certain music scholar and organist by the name of W.H. Grattan Flood plucked this jewel of a carol from the obscurities of history and preserved it for posterity. But where did Grattan Flood first hear this carol? And how did he manage to transform the song from folk legend to international sensation? Host Maggi Van Dorn travels to Enniscorthy, a small hillside town in County Wexford, Ireland, where Flood first put the carol to paper. She speaks with Flood’s grand-daughter, Margaret Franklin, along with famed novelist and Enniscorthy native, Colm Tóibín. And Hark! welcomes back the illustrious liturgical music composer, Christopher Walker, to unwrap the beauty of “The Wexford Carol” and its likely roots. Semibreve Duo, Brad Prevodoros of Manzanita Productions, Heather Dale, Avaendil, Rosalind band, Jennifer Theby-Quinn, Étáin and Máire of An Chéad Ghlúin Eile, and to Richard Jeffrey-Gray and Hoxa Recordings who gave us permission to play the 1997 performance of the Wexford Carol as arranged by John Rutter and performed in 1997 by the Choir of Clifton Cathedral in Bristol, England under the direction of David Ogden. Support “Hark!” become a digital subscriber of America Magazine. Or you can play a little reindeer game with us and win a subscription to America! At the end of this episode, we’ve left a clue about next week’s carol. Guess the carol in an Instagram post, tag three friends, and follow @americamedia, and you will be entered to win a one-year digital subscription to America. No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only 18 and older. Prize value is $49.99 each. Promotion period November 26 to December 22, 2023. Twenty winners will be randomly selected and notified by D.M. by January 10, 2023. Instagram does not endorse this giveaway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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45:42

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The cookies, the mistletoe, the lights...oh, and the music! For Christians, Christmas carols mark a season of hope and the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Even in popular culture, these iconic jingles capture a warmth, a cheer and a nostalgia that transcends religious belonging. But where do these beloved yuletide songs come from? What inspired the people who composed them? How did they become popular and even mainstream? And what impact do their ancient Christian messages have on an increasingly post-Christian culture? America Media presents “Hark!” a podcast on the meaning and the making of our most beloved Christmas carols and their time-honored traditions.

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