#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalHoliday Week 2 2024
By Ralph Graves
December is a time of traditions. And #ClassicsaDay posing the #ClassicalHoliday challenge is one of them. In December, post classical performances in your social media feeds. The performances should be works written for a December event (sacred or secular) or composed in December.
For my part, I’ll be posting works from the Middle Ages up to the present. We really don’t have to put up with novelty Christmas tunes.
Giuseppe Torelli: Christmas Concerto in G minor, Op. 8 No. 6
Torelli was renowned as a violinist and a violist. In 1709 he published a collection of concerto grossi specifically for use during Christmastide worship.
Three Latvian Carols
Ziemassvētki is a Latvian 3-day winter festival. It includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and December 26–Second Christmas. Eastern Orthodox followers celebrate Ziemassvētki January 6-8.
Ignacio de Jerusalem: Cherubes y Pastores
De Jerusalem was a major composer in New Spain (Mexico). He emigrated from Spain in 1742 and within a few years was chapel master of the Catedral de Mexico. This institution set the standards for sacred music in New World.
Libby Larsen: Jesus Rest Your Head
Larsen fell in love with this Appalachian tune after hearing a Library of Congress field recording. Her arrangement was composed for a publication, “World Carols for Choirs.”
Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine
Monteverdi published this work in 1610 in Venice. It was dedicated to Pope Paul V Borghese and was written for a large choir and orchestra.
