4 ms·

‘Everyone Wants to Hear’ This One Chord in a Christmas Carol

10 points by benbreen 4y ago

dwringer 4y ago
The devil's interval (a half-diminished chord is built on the "forbidden" tritone)
- mrblampo 4y ago
  Most prominent European composers from the last 500 years must be suffering for eternity I guess?
joegahona 4y ago
https://archive.vn/E3aXH https://archive.vn/E3aXH
wildrhythms 4y ago
tl;dr hear 'the chord' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkS57yCIk7E&t=216s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkS57yCIk7E&t=216s
muglug 4y ago
The article does a poor job of linking to the chord, or to the verse in question. It comes after the 6th verse (featuring a descant, where the highest voices sing above the tune). The 7th verse is all in unison, which makes the chord stand out more. David Willcocks (whose arrangement this article discusses) used to conduct a big christmas concert every year at the Royal Albert Hall, sung a choir he conducted called the Bach Choir. For that concert he added a brass fanfare & accompaniment on top of everything else, which brings everything to another level. I went a few years in a row when I was a young boy, and it gave me some incredibly happy memories (including meeting Willcocks). Here’s the whole seventh verse with brass, sung by that choir and conducted by Willcocks: https://youtu.be/YG2woiVsJrc?t=199 https://youtu.be/YG2woiVsJrc?t=199. The current conductor of that choir (David Hill) is quoted in the article.
- jannyfer 4y ago
  I appreciate your link but I thought the article did a decent job. It says the chord comes halfway through the final verse, and then has an embedded youtube video of the whole song.
  - muglug 4y ago
    Yeah, I suppose, but it's a little like linking to a JPEG by saying "it's two thirds of the way down this HTML page". They could have easily updated the embed to start at the 7th verse.
    - samdunham 4y ago
      The link in the first paragraph basically takes you right to it. There's a second or so of lead time, but coupled with the text, it's pretty easy to get.
canadianfella 4y ago
[dead]
hprotagonist 4y ago
Many Episcopalians are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony, a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person’s rib cage. It’s natural for Episcopalians to sing in harmony. We are too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison. When you’re singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you, it’s an emotionally fulfilling moment. By our joining in harmony, we somehow promise that we will not forsake each other. garrison keillor
- mrblampo 4y ago
  Huh. This page makes it sound like that quote was actually describing Lutherans: https://choralnet.org/archives/592923 https://choralnet.org/archives/592923 Apparently he has attended both Lutheran and Episcopal churches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor Where did you find the Episcopalian version of the quote?
  - hprotagonist 4y ago
    blog copypasta, so it’s hard to source. here’s one example, but i’ve found versions as old as early 2006. http://episcopalprincess.blogspot.com/2008/06/garrison-keillor-on-episcopalians.html http://episcopalprincess.blogspot.com/2008/06/garrison-keill... worth noting that lutherans and episcopalians are in full communion now, so the line blurring is somewhat officially sanctioned https://blogs.elca.org/eirr/called-to-common-mission-the-lutheran-episcopal-full-communion-partnership-at-20/ https://blogs.elca.org/eirr/called-to-common-mission-the-lut...

10 points by benbreen 4y ago

dwringer 4y ago

The devil's interval (a half-diminished chord is built on the "forbidden" tritone)

mrblampo 4y ago
Most prominent European composers from the last 500 years must be suffering for eternity I guess?

joegahona 4y ago

https://archive.vn/E3aXH https://archive.vn/E3aXH

wildrhythms 4y ago

tl;dr hear 'the chord' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkS57yCIk7E&t=216s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkS57yCIk7E&t=216s

muglug 4y ago

The article does a poor job of linking to the chord, or to the verse in question. It comes after the 6th verse (featuring a descant, where the highest voices sing above the tune). The 7th verse is all in unison, which makes the chord stand out more. David Willcocks (whose arrangement this article discusses) used to conduct a big christmas concert every year at the Royal Albert Hall, sung a choir he conducted called the Bach Choir. For that concert he added a brass fanfare & accompaniment on top of everything else, which brings everything to another level. I went a few years in a row when I was a young boy, and it gave me some incredibly happy memories (including meeting Willcocks). Here’s the whole seventh verse with brass, sung by that choir and conducted by Willcocks: https://youtu.be/YG2woiVsJrc?t=199 https://youtu.be/YG2woiVsJrc?t=199. The current conductor of that choir (David Hill) is quoted in the article.

jannyfer 4y ago
I appreciate your link but I thought the article did a decent job. It says the chord comes halfway through the final verse, and then has an embedded youtube video of the whole song.
- muglug 4y ago
  Yeah, I suppose, but it's a little like linking to a JPEG by saying "it's two thirds of the way down this HTML page". They could have easily updated the embed to start at the 7th verse.
  - samdunham 4y ago
    The link in the first paragraph basically takes you right to it. There's a second or so of lead time, but coupled with the text, it's pretty easy to get.

canadianfella 4y ago

[dead]

hprotagonist 4y ago

Many Episcopalians are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony, a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person’s rib cage. It’s natural for Episcopalians to sing in harmony. We are too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison. When you’re singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you, it’s an emotionally fulfilling moment. By our joining in harmony, we somehow promise that we will not forsake each other. garrison keillor

mrblampo 4y ago
Huh. This page makes it sound like that quote was actually describing Lutherans: https://choralnet.org/archives/592923 https://choralnet.org/archives/592923 Apparently he has attended both Lutheran and Episcopal churches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor Where did you find the Episcopalian version of the quote?
- hprotagonist 4y ago
  blog copypasta, so it’s hard to source. here’s one example, but i’ve found versions as old as early 2006. http://episcopalprincess.blogspot.com/2008/06/garrison-keillor-on-episcopalians.html http://episcopalprincess.blogspot.com/2008/06/garrison-keill... worth noting that lutherans and episcopalians are in full communion now, so the line blurring is somewhat officially sanctioned https://blogs.elca.org/eirr/called-to-common-mission-the-lutheran-episcopal-full-communion-partnership-at-20/ https://blogs.elca.org/eirr/called-to-common-mission-the-lut...