Hold back from Christmas songs during Advent

“It’s not yet Christmas…. Hold back from Christmas songs.”

A reminder from the Music Team of the Liturgical Commission with members Fr Kwesi Alleyne, Alana Seepersad and Fiona Bereaux, the Commission’s Head of Music, emphasising the importance of respecting the Advent music season.

Advent is a time of joyful anticipation, and the music that is used during Advent should reflect the sense of expectant waiting and spiritual preparation.

The Music Team told The Catholic News that the musician is challenged to situate him/herself in the season, to discern what elements the Church is highlighting at the point on the journey we find ourselves, and choose music to support the movement of the liturgy.

Advent hymns should be in harmony with the scriptural and liturgical texts of the season, and should evoke the themes of longing, expectation and hope for the deep transformation of the world that the Messiah brings: liberation, justice, peace, love, unity.

Advent has some well-known local hymns. The Music Team identified a few: ‘There is Joy in the Heavens’ and ‘Come Lord Jesus’ by Fr Garfield Rochard; ‘He Sent to Say’, Norbert Farrell; ‘Annunciation Song’ and ‘Come Lord’ by Bro Paschal Jordan OSB.

Commenting on the local compositions, the Music Team observed Br Paschal’s ‘Come Lord’ isn’t a very popular refrain, but it is “very powerful in the way it touches the reality of darkness, violence and injustice in the world while at the same time expressing a deep longing and confidence that Lord’s love shall transform.”

The Team added it is “hard” to squarely place the ‘Annunciation Song’ in Advent even as the name might suggest.

“Its use and harmony with the movement of the season has to discerned,” they said.

However, the Music Team asserts, “you can’t beat this song” for the way in which it incarnates the story of the Annunciation to Mary of the Coming Messiah in “full Caribbean vitality and flare”.

‘Annunciation Song’ engages the Caribbean imagination and soul, allowing faithful to enter ithis element of the Incarnation story like none other.

Questioned on whether there are specific musical elements or styles that the Music Team finds particularly effective in conveying the themes of hope, anticipation and preparation during Advent, they responded in the affirmative.

The Music Team stressed reducing the sound of drums (not eliminating) during the singing of hymns and psalms to lend to a quietness and reflective approach to the music of Advent.

They also highlighted singing some hymns and psalms “acapella” and with polyphony, and the use of the Gospel Acclamation ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’ instead of the usual ‘Alleluia’.

The Team underscored while singing of ‘Alleluia’ is acceptable in Advent as the Gospel Acclamation, some music ministers prefer the use of the traditional ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’ as a way of engaging the congregation in expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.

Responding to if there are specific hymns that embody the intersection of Advent and Christmas, the Music Team pinpointed the only local hymn is Fr Rochard’s ‘Joy in the Heavens’.

The team included the lyrics: ‘there is Joy in the heavens there is joy everywhere for the season of Christmas will soon be here’ (Chorus)

Verse 2: ‘and angels will proclaim a Saviour’s born’

Verse 3: ‘and all the trees at Christmas will shout out.’

The Catholic News also spoke to one local Catholic composer on his Advent hymns. Br Jordan shared ‘Come Lord’ was composed as an “urgent plea” for God’s help in the face of our human brokenness, so many nations at war, and such unhappiness among peoples.

“It is almost as if we were back to the beginnings, when Cain killed Abel. In fact, I pray it these days with greater poignancy: I tell Jesus to do something, as He Himself is from the land of Palestine,” Br Paschal said.

The ‘Annunciation Song’ is the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent in Year B- which will be celebrated liturgically Sunday, December 24 this year. The song, Br Paschal said, was his way of transporting the events of the Annunciation and of Mary’s inner thoughts and feelings into a Caribbean dance-song.

“In fact, the words and music came to me while asleep, and I jumped out of my bed and wrote the whole thing down in one sitting. Only afterwards did I tweak the lyrics here and there,” Br Paschal said.

Referring to the creative process in crafting the Advent lyrics, Br Paschal highlighted that Bible and liturgy profoundly mark the monastic life.

“And it is because our lives as monastics are immersed in the Word of God and the celebration of the liturgical season, that, one might say ‘it is in our blood’.”

He continued, “this is true for the Season of Advent as for any other liturgical season. And, as the late Fr Michel de Verteuil has written so powerfully, the spirituality of waiting on God is the warp and woof of our life, the ‘air’ we breathe.”

Br Paschal told The Catholic News he intentionally employs Caribbean folkdance rhythms since he is a Caribbean man and he approaches God with the cultural tools and through the cultural lenses with which He has graced us in the Caribbean, particularly rhythm and folkdance.

‘Come Lord’ uses the Tango rhythm, which is a Latin American ballroom dance whereas ‘Annunciation Song’ uses the Shanto rhythm which comes from Guyana.

Br Paschal flat out said he doesn’t consciously think of his hymns as “contributions” to the overall worship experience of the Advent season.

“If worshippers resonate with my songs, use them and are helped by them, so much to the good. To God be the glory,” Br Paschal said.

He recognised the “extremely good music” of Fr Rochard and particularly his Advent songs ‘Come Lord Jesus, come, Lord, come’ and ‘There is Joy in the Heavens.’

Br Paschal said although Fr Rochard is not a monastic, they both imbibed the same biblical and liturgical atmosphere and had “drunk from the same source.”

Br Paschal and Fr Rochard were classmates in Philosophy and Theology when the Benedictines ran the Seminary. They served together on the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, the Music Sub-Committee and, on the Liturgical Commission of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, in the early days before membership was restricted to the Bishops only.

“In this sense, we are liturgical and music twins: B flat major and G minor; Bim and Bam; Tweedledum and Tweedledee! And he, if truth be told, far more prolific than I….”

Story by Kaelanne Jordan