How city choirs elevate the spirit of Xmas

Chennaiites have already embraced the Christmas season by putting up Christmas decorations and are now all set to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Apart from the celebrations, the one thing that’s close to many is the Christmas carols sung during the season. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music. Fortunately, the city is blessed with centuries-old choir groups that carry a rich tradition.

To name a few, Madras Musical Association (MMA), St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral Choir, Madras Christian College (MCC) choir and Minstrel choir are the prominent choirs in the city. We take a look at the significant changes that happened in carol concerts — from the kind of songs to the reception of carols by Chennaiites.

Jacob George, Master of Choirs of the MCC choir, says, “Since it’s a college choir, every year the students keep changing and hence, the tone and presentation also change automatically. Every year we compose carols around a particular theme. Our theme for this year was ‘prince of peace’. One of the major changes that has happened in carol singing is the selection of songs. Before, we stuck only to traditional songs but now have included songs of new composers like Lloyd Larson. We also sing a smaller version of Nine Lessons and Carol.”

For this Christmas season, MCC choir has sung three songs composed and arranged by the students themselves. “There are 70 members in our choir and students from every part of the country (who study at MCC) are part of it. Sometimes, a few recent pass-outs join the carol singing at Bishop Heber chapel inside the MCC campus during Christmas. There isn’t any dress code as such. But mostly we wear formals and it also depends on the venue,” he adds.

Madras Musical Association, the longest surviving Western music organisation in the city, was founded at St Andrews Church (the Kirk) in 1893. Sangita Santhosham, a member of the administrative committee, has been associated with MMA for the past 20 years. “I am lucky enough to be part of MMA and witness some noteworthy moments. 

I have been singing for MMA since childhood. MMA and its members have played a major role in shaping my life and career. When I joined, there were only 15-20 members in the choir. Now, the choir strength is almost close to 100. Unlike earlier times, now people are formally trained in music, piano and various instruments. Moreover, the exposure to Western music through YouTube has pulled in a lot of singers. 

Earlier, there was a demarcation between Western musicians and Indian musicians. But now people who learn Indian music play Western instruments or sing Western music and vice versa.

There has been an amalgamation of cultures and therefore the strength of choir ensemble and orchestra has increased. Many choirs in the city have introduced rock and Tamil songs written in carol format,” Sangita tells us.  Members in MMA are scattered across age groups.

The youngest is 10 and the oldest is in the late 70s. When asked about the reception of Christmas carols in the city, she says, “Earlier, people who enjoyed carols and those who are associated with churches only used to listen to carol concerts that happened during Christmas. Now, because of social media, the popularity of carols has been growing and people from different communities come forward to hear the choirs perform.”

Since 1957, MMA Carols by Candlelight has become a much-loved and highly anticipated Christmas tradition. The city’s top choirs will perform a mix of contemporary and traditional Christmas carols. The highlight of which is the audience singing along in candlelight.

This year, the 61st Carols by Candlelight was held at St. Christopher’s College of Education, Vepery. “We designed this event to bring people together, outdoors, to sing carols. Many people look forward to this because it is the perfect Christmas programme as everyone gets an opportunity to get into the spirit of Christmas, and hear some of the best singers in the city,” shares Sangita.

Seventy-three-year-old Jaya is an active participant of St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral Choir, founded in 1969. The choir specialises in singing Malayalam (classical and semi-classical songs) and English songs. “Our worship is rich in music and we preserve the Eastern traditions. We have even rendered carols in Carnatic style. One major change that happened in carol concerts is the kind of songs choirs picking up,” she says.

Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place on December 22. The word carol means dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived. The earliest carol was written in 1410. Sadly, only a small fragment of it still exists.