‘Joy to the World’ may be one of the most famous hymns, but the Yuletide season isn’t always cheery.
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Songs of the season – sacred and secular music alike – sometimes acknowledge that Christmas isn’t all joy.
King David playing the lyre in a scene from a 15th-century manuscript of the Book of Psalms.
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Gratitude and praise are not only some of the most common themes in Christian music, but also some of the oldest.
The Catholic hymn, “Te Deum” – which says, “You, God, we praise” – has been used for centuries in Catholic worship for thanksgiving.
Iconotheca Valvasoriana Author Jean Marot via Wikimedia Commons.
The Pilgrims who started the first Thanksgiving tradition after they landed in Plymouth were following the customs they had grown up with, originating in medieval times.
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In the great reformer’s eyes, if you didn’t love a rousing tune you deserved only “the music of the pigs”.
Swedish organist Anna von Hausswolff.
Anders Nydam
Other than church, the pipe organ is often perceived as belonging in horror movies. But there’s more to the instrument that spans most musical genres.