Ruth L. Snyder's Blog, page 15

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Hallelujah Chorus by George Frideric Handel

Welcome to Day 9 in my musical countdown to Christmas. Only three more days until we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!

Who was George Frideric Handel?

Born February 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany, the son of a barber/surgeon
Wanted to take music lessons; Was opposed by his father, but encouraged by his mother
Played the organ for Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow at age 7 and was accepted as his pupil
Composed for organ, oboe, and violin by age 10
His father died when George was 11 years old
At age 18 accepted a position as violinist with Hamburg Opera’s Goosemarket Theater and also taught private music lessons
Attended Halle University
Produced his first opera, Almira, in 1704
Wrote and produced operas in Germany, Italy, and England
Moved to England in 1726 and became an English citizen
Started the New Royal Academy of Music and produced successful operas for the next 10 years
Began writing oratorios after the opera was no longer popular

The Story behind the Hallelujah Chorus

Handel wrote the Messiah (oratorio) in 1741 under the commission of Dublin’s Lord Lieutenant, based on a biblical libretto assembled by art patron Charles Jennens
The complete Messiah was written in a mere 23 days!
In April 1742, Messiah debuted at New Music Hall in Dublin


The Hallelujah Chorus occurs at the end of the 2nd part of the Messiah, which focuses on the Passion
The chorus presents both a single melody and then two or more melodies (polyphonic) at the same time
The chorus ends with the presentation of “And He shall reign” arranged in the style of a fugue, a popular form of music in the Baroque period
After Handel’s death, the Messiah was adapted for performance by a larger orchestra and choir

And just for fun – a flash mob version

Historical Context

A British fleet reached Cartagena de Indias (Colombia)
Captain Bering discovered Mount St. Elias in Alaska
Anders Celsius, an astronomer, introduced the Centigrade temperature scale

Looking for more details?

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/254169/George-Frideric-Handel
http://www.biography.com/people/george-handel-9327378
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_%28Handel%29
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1741

My Gift for today:

Leave a comment below for an opportunity to win a paperback copy of The San Francisco Wedding Planner Complete Series I, which I wrote with four other authors: Jen Cudmore, Mishael Austin Witty, Sheila Seiler Lagrand, and Patti J. Smith.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: We Three Kings by John H. Hopkins Jr.

Welcome to Day 8 in my musical countdown to Christmas. Today we take a look at We Three Kings by John H. Hopkins, Jr.

Who was John H. Hopkins Jr.?

Born October 28, 1820 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
His father was Bishop of Vermont
Graduated from the University of Vermont
Worked as a reporter, intending to go on to law school
Attended General Theological Seminary instead
Taught music at General Theological Seminary
Was a writer and poet, book illustrator, and stained glass window designer
Also worked as editor, deacon, priest, and rector

The Story behind We Three Kings

Originally titled The Quest of the Magi
Written in 1857 for a Christmas pageant at General Theological Seminary
Based on the biblical story of the Magi and their journey to worship the promised Messiah (Matthew 2:1,2)

Historical Context

Stephen Douglas founded a Baptist Seminary in Chicago
The United States Supreme Court ruled that Africans could not become citizens
Mark Twain began a two year apprenticeship to become a riverboat pilot
Joseph Gayetty invented commercial toilet paper
James Buchanan became the 15th President of the United States of America
The Ohio Life Insurance and Trust (New York Branch) failed, causing widespread financial panic
Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada

Looking for more details?

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/h/o/p/hopkins_jh.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-henry-hopkins-jr-mn0000812022/biography
http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Holidays/holiday-songs/we-three-kings-of-orient-are,-the-song-and-the-story.htm
http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/We%20Three%20Kings.htm
http://archive.archaeology.org/online/reviews/threekings/
http://worldhistoryproject.org/1857
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1857

My Gift for today:

Leave a comment below for your opportunity to win a CD with two Focus on the Family radio interviews with Mr. Tim Sisarich.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Go Tell it on the Mountain by John W. Work Jr.

Welcome to Day 7 of my Musical countdown to Christmas. Today we’re going to take a look at Go Tell it on the Mountain, shared with the world by John W. Work, Jr.

Who was John W. Work, Jr.?

Born on June 15, 1901 in Tullahoma, Tennessee
Son of a church choir director
Grew up in Nashville
Earned his Master’s degree in Latin
Taught Latin and Greek
A professor at Fisk University
A professional musician who published more than 50 compositions
Decided to collect songs sung by American slaves

The Story Behind Go Tell it on the Mountain

The song was sung by American slaves as far back as 1865
In 1960 John W. Work III published Folk Songs of the American Negro, which included the song called, Go Tell it on the Mountain (author unknown)
Peter, Paul & Mary changed the lyrics and renamed the song, Tell it on the Mountain
Paul Schlossal rewrote the lyrics for children and named the song, Go Tell it on the Swingset
The song has been recorded by over 20 popular artists through the years

Historical Context

1955 – Winston Churchill was defeated
1955 – First transistor radio was produced by Sony
1956 – Elvis Presley released his first song
1957 – Soviet Union launched the Sputnik
1958 – NASA was founded
1959 – Xerox produced the first commercial photocopier
1960 – Students protested segregation in Greensboro, North Carolina

Looking for more details?

http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/hymns-the-songs-and-the-stories/go-tell-it-on-the-mountain,-the-song-and-the-story.html
http://gaither.com/news/%E2%9Cgo-tell-it-mountain%E2%9D-story-behind-song
http://johnworkfoundation.org/About_John_W.html
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/worldevents_01.html

My Gift for today:

A paperback copy of the Kathi Macias’ 12 Days of Christmas, which contains 12 stories by 12 different authors. My story, Cecile’s Christmas Miracle, is number seven in this series.

Musical Countdown to Christmas – The Birthday of a King by William H. Neidlinger

Welcome to Day 6 of my Musical Countdown to Christmas. I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as I am. Today we take a look at The Birthday of a King by William H. Neidlinger.

Who was William H. Neidlinger?

Born in 1863
Studied in Brooklyn, London, and Paris
A Composer of two operas, a mass, a cantata, and many songs
Put his own poems and the work of others (Whitman, Tennyson, Longfellow, etc.) to music
An organist and conductor in New York City
Founded a school for children who were underachievers in New Jersey
Developed music pedagogy and music therapy, which he tried at his school

The Story behind The Birthday of a King

Written in 1890
Originally published in 1912
The words and music were written by William H. Neidlinger

Historical Context

The first playable recording (1877)
Carnegie Hall opened in New York
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes
Emily Dickensen (poet)
Recording of the Hallelujah Chorus by the Battery Band in New York
A decline in the New York Stock Exchange started an economic depression in 1893

Looking for more details?

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/william_harold_neidlinger.htm
http://www.songofamerica.net/composer/neidlinger-william-harold
http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1890m.html
http://history1800s.about.com/od/timelines/a/1890-1900timeline.htm

My gift for today

Enter a comment below for your chance to win Every Child Can Succeed: Making the Most of Your Child’s Learning Style by Cynthia Tobias.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Joy to the World by Isaac Watts

Welcome to my musical countdown to Christmas, Day 5. You may also want to read about the carols and composers from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4. Don’t forget to leave a comment for an opportunity to win my gift of the day.

Who was Isaac Watts?

Born on July 17, 1674 in Southampton, England
He complained to his father that the songs of the church were hard to sing; his father told him to write something better
Learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin
1696 became a tutor
1702 became a pastor
Struggled with poor health
Wrote books on geography, astronomy, grammar, and philosophy, but he’s most famous for the more than 700 hymns/poems which he wrote both for adults and children. Most of his poetry and hymns were based on Scripture passages.
Considered the “Father of English hymnody”
Awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree by the University of Edinburg

The story behind Joy to the World

Written in 1719 under a tree on the Abney Estate near London, England
Based on Psalm 98
Original theme of the song was the second coming of Jesus
Watt’s poem was set to music over 100 years later by Lowell Mason

Historical context (1719)

Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe
First recorded sighting of the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in New England

Looking for more details?

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/637744/Isaac-Watts
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/a/t/watts_i.htm
http://agodlyheritage.org/story-behind-the-song-joy-to-the-world
https://bethanytoronto.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/story-behind-the-song-joy-to-the-world/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1719

My gift for today

Leave a comment below to be entered in a draw for the devotional book, Rise. This book has 32 weeks of devotionals for students in their first year of college, written by ninety-two different authors.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Who was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?

Born in Maine in 1807
The second child of eight
Enjoyed writing and planned many writing projects with his friend William Browne
Published his first poem at age 13
Attended Bowdoin College along with Nathaniel Hawthorne
Learned seven different languages and taught French, Spanish, and Italian at Bowdoin
First book (travelogue) was Outre Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea (1835)
Married Mary Potter, who died of a complicated miscarriage
Suffered from depression
Fell in love with Fanny Appleton (but Fanny didn’t reciprocate for seven long years)
Started teaching at Harvard University in 1836
Became popular worldwide as a poet and writer
Resigned from Harvard in 1857, a self-sustaining author
In 1861 Henry sustained burns trying to rescue Fanny from a house fire; Fanny died on their 18th wedding anniversary
In 1863 Henry’s son, Charles, ran off and joined the civil war against his father’s wishes
Has been described as a traveller, a linguist, and a romantic

The Story behind I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Henry’s son, Charles, was a soldier in the Union Army
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words in December 1863 as he sat at the bedside of his son Charles, who was injured in the war
Original Title: Christmas Bells
You can find the full text of the poem on Hymns and Carols of Christmas
Watch the video below to hear more of the story and a stirring rendition of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

Historical Context of the Song

Written in the middle of the American Civil War (1861-1865)
Over 600,000 soldiers lost their lives in this war due to either battle or disease
Harriet Tubman freed slaves
“Missa Solemnis,” by Franz Schubert was performed in Leipzig
“Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” by George Bizet premiered in France

Looking for more details?

http://www.hwlongfellow.org
The Christmas Carol Soldier tells about Henry’s son, Charles (the inspiration for the poem)
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1863
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1863/october/mobile-bread-riots.htm

My Gift for today

Enter your comment below for a chance to win a copy of a dramatized version of Oliver Twist (written in 1838 by Charles Dickens).

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Away in a Manger by John T. McFarland

Welcome to day 3 in my musical countdown to Christmas. You may also be interested in reading the posts for Day 1 and Day 2. Don’t forget to leave a comment below for your chance to win!

Who was John T. McFarland?

Born January 2, 1851
Methodist Minister who served in Iowa, Illinois, Rhode Island, New York, and Kansas
Edited Sunday School Programs for the Methodist Episcopal Church

The Story behind Away in a Manger

First published in 1885 in a Lutheran Sunday School book compiled by James R. Murray
Most people say the author of the first two stanzas is unknown.
Another collection published in 1887 by James R. Murray (Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses) claimed the song was written by Martin Luther. “Luther’s Cradle Hymn, Composed by Martin Luther for his children and still sung by German mothers to their little ones.”
The carol became known in Germany AFTER it was widely known in the United States, which discounts the theory that Martin Luther wrote the first two stanzas
Third stanza was written by John T. McFarland in 1908 for use in a children’s church day program

Historical Context of the Song

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn was published
First issue of Good Housekeeping was published
Louis Pasteur developed a successful vaccine against rabies
The first bottle of Coca-cola was sold in 1886
Nikola Tesla began experimenting with x-rays

Looking for more details?

http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Holidays/holiday-songs/away-in-a-manger,-the-song-and-the-story.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3674114/The-story-behind-the-carol-Away-in-a-manger.html
http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/Away%20in%20a%20Manger.htm
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/Away_in_a_Manger.aspx
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/m/c/mcfarland_jt.htm
http://worldhistoryproject.org/1887

My Gift for today

Enter a comment below for your chance to win “Welcome to Whit’s End” a CD with two Adventures in Odyssey stories and a bonus mini-drama.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Angels We Have Heard on High

Thanks for following along with this musical countdown to Christmas. If you missed Day 1, you can find it here.

Who was James Chadwick?

Born at Drogheda, Ireland on April 24, 1813
Third son of of John Chadwick and Francis Dromgoole
Ordained as Priest on December 17, 1836
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle

The Story of Angels We Have Heard on High

Originally a French carol known as the Angel’s Hymn (author unknown)
The lyrics depict the story of Christ’s birth as told in the Gospel of Luke
In A.D. 129, a Bishop of Rome proclaimed that everyone should sing this “Angel’s Hymn”
People believe this is the first ever Christmas hymn of the church
James Chadwick translated the Angel’s Hymn into English in 1862

Historical Context of the Song

The first petroleum shipment from the United States arrived in England
Julia Howe published the Battle Hymn of the Republic
Civil War in the United States

Looking for more details?

http://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_mmf_music_library_songbook/angels-we-have-heard-on-high-history-and-lyrics-of-a-christmas-favorite.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_We_Have_Heard_on_High
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/a/n/g/angelswe.htm

My Gift for today:

Leave a comment below for your chance to win a PDF copy of my Christmas novella, Cecile’s Christmas Miracle.

Yesterday’s Winner:

Congratulations to Pat Earl! You will be receiving the Irreplaceable DVD.

Musical Countdown to Christmas: Silent Night by Joseph Mohr

Welcome to my musical countdown to Christmas for 2014! In these posts I will share some “behind the scenes” information about the Christmas Carol and composer for the day, as well as a link to a performance of the song. Enjoy!

Who was Joseph Mohr?

Born in Salzburg on December 11, 1792
His soldier father deserted the family when he discovered Joseph’s mother was pregnant
Considered a social outcast because he was born out of wedlock
His mother raised him, earning money by spinning and knitting
Johann Hiernle, a church choir master, recognized Joseph’s musical ability and made sure he received a proper education
Played guitar, violin, and organ
Ordained as a priest in 1812

The story behind Silent Night

Written in 1816 while Joseph Mohr was serving as an assistant priest in Mariapfarr in Lungau
In 1818, Joseph Mohr approached his organist friend, Franz Xaver Gruber, asking him to compose a melody which fit the text and could be performed by a choir accompanied by guitar
On December 24, 1818 Franz Gruber brought his composition to Joseph Mohr
The carol was first performed at Christmas Mass on December 24, 1818 with Joseph Mohr singing tenor while playing guitar and Gruber singing bass to an audience consisting of mostly shipping labourers and boat builders
An original autographed copy of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) was discovered in 1995!

Historical Context of the Song

Written just after the Napoleonic wars of 1792-1815
Salzburg had just lost its status as an independent country
Oberndorf was separated from Laufen (across the new official border of the Salzach River)
The local economy, which had been dependent on salt trade, was depressed by the war
Many of the boat builders and labourers faced uncertainty and possible unemployment

Looking for more details?

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joseph-mohr-mn0000227163/biography
http://www.plantea.com/silent-night.htm
http://www.stillenacht.at/en/mohr.asp
Images of Joseph Mohr

My Gift for today:

Leave a comment below for your chance to win a free copy of the new DVD from Focus on the Family  – Irreplaceable: What is Family?

 

 

Five Minute Friday: Prepare

Five Minute Friday is a weekly challenge for bloggers where we are given a prompt and write for five minutes. Then we share the results with the Five Minute Friday community on Kate’s blog. Come join us!

When we think of Christmas, we think of preparing:

Preparing food – like special cookies, fruitcake, pecan pie (a tradition when I was growing up), turkey and all the trimmings
Preparing with decorations – like Christmas ornaments, stockings, Christmas trees, red & green, mistletoe
Preparing for guests – cleaning our houses, making beds
Preparing special programs at church – angels with halos slightly askew, shepherds who get lost on their way down the aisle, Christmas carols, choirs
Preparing for time off – no school, time off work, family time

When I read the prompt this morning, the first thing that popped into my head was, “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.” – the words of John the Baptist whose job it was to get people ready for Jesus. As we prepare for the Christmas season this year, let’s not forget to prepare our hearts – to be still and know that He is God, to revel in wonder at how much the King of Kings loves us, to ponder the amazing gift Jesus gave us in His coming to earth and dying for our sins.

Are you prepared for Christmas? Are you doing anything different this year to help yourself “get in the spirit” of Christmas? Share with us

Starting on December 14th, I’m giving myself a challenge to help prepare my heart for Christmas. Each day I will share the story behind a Christmas carol and the person who wrote it. I’ll also be giving away some books and other resources. Enter your e-mail on the left so you won’t miss any of the posts.