After so many months without much singing being allowed in the world, I have been surprised that suddenly business is picking up. Some brave choir directors are ordering music again. The winner from my catalogue has been "Jingle Bells" for 2-part Children's Chorus.
In a normal year, concert music is picked out and ordered well in advance of the performance season. That's why I have been so surprised that any choral music for Christmas has been ordered at all this year, especially in mid-November.
I am not complaining. It actually gives me hope that choral singing at all levels will make a come-back soon! Besides, "Jingle Bells" is technically NOT a Christmas song, though most people think it is.
In a normal year, concert music is picked out and ordered well in advance of the performance season. That's why I have been so surprised that any choral music for Christmas has been ordered at all this year, especially in mid-November.
I am not complaining. It actually gives me hope that choral singing at all levels will make a come-back soon! Besides, "Jingle Bells" is technically NOT a Christmas song, though most people think it is.
Valerie Strauss in an article in the Washington Post reports:
“Jingle Bells” is a classic song sung at Christmas time, but it didn’t start out that way.
First published in 1857, it was written by James Lord Pierpont, to be sung on Thanksgiving — not Christmas. There is some question as to where it was written — Massachusetts and Georgia both are plausible. Medford, Mass., where sleigh races were popular in the 1800s, claims itself as the birthplace of the song. There is a plaque at 19 High Street, the site of the former Simpson Tavern, where Pierpont was said to have penned the ditty in 1850.
The original title of the song was “One Horse Open Sleigh,” but that was changed to “Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh” when it was reprinted in 1859.
“Jingle Bells” is a classic song sung at Christmas time, but it didn’t start out that way.
First published in 1857, it was written by James Lord Pierpont, to be sung on Thanksgiving — not Christmas. There is some question as to where it was written — Massachusetts and Georgia both are plausible. Medford, Mass., where sleigh races were popular in the 1800s, claims itself as the birthplace of the song. There is a plaque at 19 High Street, the site of the former Simpson Tavern, where Pierpont was said to have penned the ditty in 1850.
The original title of the song was “One Horse Open Sleigh,” but that was changed to “Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh” when it was reprinted in 1859.
All I know is that when I wrote this arrangement for one of my elementary school chorus shows, the kids loved it. We divided into two parts - boys against the girls. The boys loved the idea of singing a Bass part, which is really what the alto part in the chorus is. Then, when I told them that the verses were to be done like a chase, they were all in. THEN, when I stood up at the piano to accompany them, they thought I was a rock star. We had a lot of fun! "Jingle Bells" was the favorite song in our rehearsals leading up to our concert from October through December. And yes, we enjoyed it for Thanksgiving, too!
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