José White Lafitte (1836-1918)

Born in Cuba, violinist and composer José White Lafitte showed signs of musical talent from a young age. At 19 years old, White Lafitte performed the violin publicly for the first time with American pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk. The performance’s success led to White Lafitte’s enrollment at the Paris Conservatory, where he won the First Grand Prize for Violin within his first year of study.

White Lafitte went on to enjoy a fruitful career as a touring performer, composer, and educator. Fun fact: one of his students was George Enescu.

For over a decade, White Lafitte worked as the director of the Imperial Conservatory in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the court composer of Emperor Pedro II. As a composer, his works often feature the violin and elegantly straddle the traditions of the romantic era with musical features from his homeland.

Carlos Chávez (1899-1978)

The prolific career of Mexican composer and conductor Carlos Chávez spanned over 50 years. Appreciated as one of the most influential musical figures in Mexican history, Chávez created a distinct sound world that honored his home country. His emergence into adulthood coincided with the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1921, after which a new cultural nationalism emerged that made a significant impression on the young composer.

Chávez wrote over 200 works, from ballets and symphonies to pieces for piano and small ensemble. As a conductor, he led nearly every major orchestra in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. However, perhaps his most significant impact was his advocacy for increased access to the arts in Mexico. As founder and head of the Orquesta Sinfónica de México (OSM), Chávez organized concerts for workers and children. He even took the orchestra out to rural Mexican provinces, bringing classical music to many audiences for the first time.

José Pablo Moncayo (1912-1958)

Speaking of Carlos Chávez, the illustrious composer taught our next subject, José Pablo Moncayo, at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. Moncayo was a pianist and percussionist, though he is best remembered today as a conductor rather than a composer. His orchestral piece, Huapango, is a popular choice for the concert hall. Along with three other Mexican composers, Moncayo formed the “Group of Four” to foster a nationalist school of Mexican music, similar to France’s “Les Six” and Russia’s “The Five.” He championed idioms from Mexican folk music in his works and sought to incorporate these sounds into the Classical vernacular.

Fun fact: Moncayo was invited to study composition with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood during the summer of 1942.

Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000)

Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino showed talent for the piano from an early age. A self-proclaimed lover of melody and song, Guastavino would write hundreds of songs over the course of his career (many of which have not been published), leading admirers to claim him as “The Argentine Schubert.” He was devoted to tonal harmony and traditional musical forms amid the rise of experimental musical styles in the mid-20^th century, and he was inspired by the folk music of Argentina. Guastavino felt that simple, memorable melodies were the way to a listener’s heart.

Guastavino set words by León Benarós to music in over 60 songs and maintained a long, collaborative friendship with the poet. In addition to art song, Guastavino also wrote works for orchestra, piano, and guitar.

Violeta Parra (1917-1967)

Violeta Parra was a highly influential Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, and artist. Her father taught her and her siblings to sing and play the guitar from a young age. Unsurprisingly, Parra took to songwriting right away with passion. She was particularly inspired by Chilean folk music, which led her to co-create a new musical genre—Nueva canción chilena (“Chilean New Song”), merging native folk music with themes of social justice. Parra endeavored to keep the traditions of Chile, especially those from rural regions, alive for future generations.

Recognized as the “Mother of Latin American Folk,” Parra mastered the art of storytelling through her songs. Parra’s work as a folk musician also proved that the boundaries between classical and popular music are artificial, with recordings of her music by classical artists such as Elīna Garanča and Yo-Yo Ma.

José Elizondo (b. 1972)

Composer José Elizondo was born in Mexico and currently resides in the U.S. He holds degrees in Music and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he also studied music at Harvard University. Elizondo has built a dual career for himself as both a composer and an engineer—his engineering work focuses on speech-recognition technology, combining his interests in computer science, linguistics, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence.

As a composer, Elizondo has become best known for his compositions written for cello despite never learning how to play the string instrument. While studying music in college, Elizondo was introduced to the cello after hearing a performance by Carlos Prieto and becoming immensely inspired by the musician. Elizondo’s music is regularly performed by distinguished artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Allison Eldredge, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and many more. Elizondo prides himself on writing music that is joyful, heartfelt, and accessible to all audiences.

Discover More

Check out these posts from the Arts Blog to continue learning about Hispanic composers we love to play on air:

• Five Composers You Need to Know for National Hispanic Heritage Month (2024)
• Hispanic Composers in America (2021)

Teresa Carreño (1853-1917)

Known as the “valkyrie of the piano,” Teresa Carreño was a Venezuelan concert pianist, singer, and composer. Born in Caracas, Carreño and her family moved to New York when the musician was still a child in response to growing political instability. Spending time in both New York and Paris during her upbringing, Carreño was able to pursue an international musical career. She became one of the first female pianists to tour the United States, quickly becoming a role model for subsequent generations of American woman musicians. As a composer, Carreño wrote around 80 works, many of which were for the piano and performed herself in concert.

Fun fact: In 1863, when Carreño was still a child, she performed for Abraham Lincoln at the White House. Decades later, in 1916, she returned to the White House to perform for Woodrow Wilson.

Fernande Decruck (1896-1954)

French composer and organist Fernande Decruck made her gift for music known early on in life. Having won several prestigious accolades by her teens, Decruck entered the Paris Conservatory, where she excelled in composition and piano studies. As she began to make her mark as a working professional, Decruck spent a period of time touring throughout the United States, giving impressive concerts on the organ where she would improvise for the audience. This period in the U.S. also proved fruitful for composing, resulting in many new works for piano and organ, as well as her first works for saxophone—Decruck’s husband, Maurice, played the instrument and successfully earned a position playing with the New York Philharmonic.

After returning to France, Decruck continued to devote her life to music: composing, performing, and teaching. Despite her successful career, her legacy fell into obscurity following her death and has only recently begun gaining attention once more.

Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)

Grażyna Bacewicz was a Polish-Lithuanian violinist, pianist, and composer who created a unique path for herself (at least for a woman at the time) by pursuing performance and composition on relatively equal terms. Having studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, Bacewicz would go on to premiere many of her own works in concert. The bulk of her catalog consisted of chamber music works, particularly music written for strings. She became well-known and appreciated in her native Poland but had a harder time breaking down barriers on the international stage. Unfortunately, for the last 15 years of her life, Bacewicz was forced to retire from performing and focus exclusively on composition because of injuries suffered from a car accident.

Fun fact: In addition to writing music, Bacewicz also wrote novels and short stories.

Joan Tower (b. 1938)

Trailblazing American composer Joan Tower’s career has spanned more than sixty years, making a significant mark on the world of classical music in the States and beyond. When asked about her musical voice, Tower has responded, “My music is about rhythm, predominantly, the rhythm of ideas. And it’s also organic, and it has a large-scale narrative…  It’s also very important for me to be clear: I don’t think my music ever gets complicated enough that you don’t hear everything.”

In 2020, Tower was chosen as “Composer of the Year” by Musical America, and in 2019, the League of American Orchestras awarded her its highest honor, the Gold Baton. She currently serves as the Asher B. Edelman Professor in the Arts at Bard College, where she has taught since 1972. All Classical Radio listeners likely know Tower best for Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, which is dedicated to women who take risks and who are adventurous.

Victoria Yagling (1946-2011)

Born into a family of artists and intellectuals, Victoria Yagling was a Russian cellist and composer who made a name for herself as a major force in the USSR. Unfortunately, she would have to wait until 1990 to break beyond her native barriers when she was able to emigrate to Finland. While continuing to compose, Yagling also taught cello at the Jean Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Unsurprisingly, her works for the string instrument have become the most prominent part of Yagling’s compositional legacy. Stylistically, her music embodies a Romantic essence unmistakably born out of the influence of her fellow Russian predecessors, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

Errollyn Wallen (b. 1958)

Errollyn Wallen CBE is a Belize-born British composer who recently became the first Black woman to be appointed Master of the King’s Music, an honor that endorses her exceptional musical contributions. Wallen’s works have also been performed at the BBC Proms, the 2012 Paralympic Games, and the late Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees. As an emerging composer in the 1980s, Wallen struggled with breaking down barriers for women in the field, especially women of color. Consequently, she co-founded, along with other female composers, musicians, and administrators, the organization Women in Music, promoting works by underrepresented voices in the field.

As a composer, Wallen has written over 20 operas in addition to a large catalog of works for orchestra and chamber ensemble.

Reena Esmail (b. 1983)

Based in Los Angeles, Indian-American composer Reena Esmail connects the worlds of Indian and Western classical soundscapes in her music. With a focus on works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and choir, Esmail uses her music to address humanity in art and create a sense of belonging and inclusivity among its listeners. After earning degrees from both The Julliard School and Yale School of Music, she subsequently sought a return to her cultural roots and attained a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study Hindustani music in India.

Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2025 Swan Family Artist in Residence. She also currently serves as Artistic Director of Shastra, an organization that fosters cross-cultural dialogue between Western music and the music of India. In 2022, Esmail’s life and career were featured on an episode of the PBS Great Performances series, “Now Hear This.”

Naomi LaViolette

Naomi LaViolette is an American composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter whose music is influenced not only by her classical education but also by her study of jazz, folk songs, soul, pop, and gospel. As a singer, Naomi attributes songwriting in her early 20s as a way to process strong emotions and experiences. With four albums of original music under her belt and many more singles, Naomi writes songs filled “with the stories, emotions, celebrations, and struggles of what it means to be human.”

LaViolette is based in Portland, OR, and has collaborated with several local organizations. Since 2004, she has been the pianist for the Oregon Repertory Singers, in addition to working with the Oregon Symphony as a songwriter and arranger for The Lullaby Project. Her work with Saving His Music, a project preserving the music of a talented pianist suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, received prominent coverage both locally and across the country.

Keep Learning

If you enjoyed this post, check out a few more from the Arts Blog celebrating the lives of women composers:

• Women We Love to Play On Air: 2024 Edition
• Women We Love to Play On Air: 2023 Edition
• María García’s Five “Must Hear” Women Composers

Past composers can sometimes feel distant, trapped in the pages of old history books. Yet, they felt immense passion and love not only for composing but also for certain special people. From the nearly 40-year romance between Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears to the mysterious “Immortal Beloved” of Beethoven, let’s explore some of the great love stories from classical music.

Robert Schumann & Clara Wieck

Robert and Clara first met 13 years before their marriage. When Clara was just 8 years old—and already a virtuoso on the piano herself—the teenaged Robert began taking piano lessons with Clara’s father. Over the next several years, the two musicians grew to know each other well. In time, friendship turned into love. Robert and Clara’s courtship was long and not without challenges. Clara’s father vehemently opposed the match, and only after suing him were they finally able to make things official.

As a wedding gift, Robert compiled 26 songs into a collection called “Myrtles,” named after the herb associated with the Ancient Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Myrtle was also traditionally included in German bridal bouquets.

Ludwig van Beethoven & his “Immortal Beloved”

During the summer of 1812, Ludwig van Beethoven penned a letter that would unleash decades, if not centuries, of debate. The letter’s recipient was notably referred to as “Immortal Beloved,” though no actual name was ever used. The document was never sent and only discovered after the composer’s death. We may never know who Beethoven intended to bestow such sweet words, but the mystery around this romantic gesture is tantalizing…

Gustav Mahler & Alma Schindler

Did you know that Gustav Mahler was not only a composer of massive symphonic works but also a hopeless romantic? The courtship of Mahler and the promising young composer and socialite, Alma Schindler, was quick and passionate. The two met at a dinner party, and Mahler was immediately infatuated with “the most beautiful woman in Vienna.” Within weeks of meeting, the couple was married in an intimate private ceremony.

Around the same time of the couple’s marriage, Mahler was working on his fifth symphony. The fourth movement, called “Adagietto,” may be one of the most romantic pieces of orchestral music ever written. No text accompanies this piece, yet it still contains an exquisite level of poetic expression. Gustav even sent Alma the score to this movement as a love letter, for what communicates affection more completely than music, especially for a composer?

Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears

The relationship between Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears is one for the ages. The two met through a mutual friend and remained together for nearly 40 years, until Britten’s death. While they could never publicly acknowledge their romantic relationship – they managed to build a rich and fulfilling life together. Letter writing was a regular form of communication. Britten and Pears left behind hundreds of handwritten documents as part of their romantic legacy. As a professional singer, Pears also became something of a muse for Britten and inspired many of the composer’s best-known works.

Leoš Janáček & Kamila Stösslová

Leoš Janáček was 63 years old when we first met a 25-year-old woman named Kamila Stösslová. Janáček quickly became enamored with Kamila, obsessively writing to her on a regular basis and incorporating visions of her into his music. She was reportedly flattered by the composer’s affection. The problem, however, was that both Janáček and Stösslová were already married… to other people!

Kamila remained loyal to her husband, while remaining in touch with Leoš. He, on the other hand, would use his yearning for his unattainable love interest to fuel his writing. Over the next decade, Stösslová inspired some of his most famous pieces of music.

This blog post was written in collaboration with All Classical’s Winter/Spring 2025 intern, Andrew Jenks.

Robert Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943)

Robert Nathaniel Dett was born in Drummondville, Ontario, a community founded by freedom-seekers who escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Dett received a substantial musical education, first from Oberlin Conservatory where he was the first person of African descent to graduate with a double major in piano and composition, followed by a master’s degree from Eastman School of Music many years later. A significant part of Dett’s legacy lies in his work as a choral conductor at the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), where he led the program to a new level of artistic achievement and excellence. As a composer, he published around 100 works, many of which were arrangements of folksongs and spirituals written for the Hampton choir.   

Recommended recording: The piano suite, In the Bottoms, performed by pianist Luke Welch on the album, Northern Magnolias: Robert Nathaniel Dett Piano Works.

Dorothy Rudd Moore (1940-2022)

American composer Dorothy Rudd Moore knew from a young age that she wanted to compose, a dream that was lovingly supported by her family. Following this dream with persistence, Moore became one of her generation’s leading female composers of color. As a composer, she wrote works for chamber ensemble, piano, and orchestra, in addition to art songs and an opera. Moore also played an essential role in uplifting Black artists by co-founding the Society of Black Composers in 1968 alongside her husband, cellist Kermit Moore. Her work as an educator at several New York-based institutions inspired a new generation of up-and-coming musicians.

Recommended recording: 3 Pieces for Violin & Piano performed by Dawn Wohn (violin) and Emely Phelps (piano) on the album, Unbounded: Music by American Women.

Shirley J. Thompson (b. 1958)

East London native Shirley J. Thompson is a pioneering composer whose music has been claimed as “the present and future of British classical music.” Despite a string of successes early on in her career, Thompson was shut out of the classical music world for many years, during which time she worked in television and composed on the side. However, by the early 2000s, Thompson began establishing herself once more as a compositional force and welcomed a long list of prestigious commissions, including a symphony for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. In 2019, Thompson received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for her contributions to music. Her works for orchestra, stage, chamber ensemble, TV, and film are performed all over the world.

Recommended recording: “Marshes, Hamlets and Roaming Cows,” the first movement of Thompson’s innovative symphony, New Nation Rising, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on the album, New Nation Rising: A 21st Century Symphony.

Stewart Goodyear (b. 1978)

Stewart Goodyear is a Canadian pianist and composer whose prestige on the keyboard instrument has long garnered attention, including his infamous “sonathons” where he performs all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas in one day. Goodyear’s work writing music, on the other hand, is a more recent development in his career trajectory. However, in doing so, Goodyear joins a long lineage of concert pianist-composers in classical music, such as W. A. Mozart, Clara Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninov. Goodyear channels his virtuosic piano playing into many of his own works and regularly programs them in concerts alongside well-known classical music standards, proving the genre’s timeless influence and merit.

Recommended recording: The Kapok for Cello and Piano performed by Inbal Segev (cello) and Stewart Goodyear (piano) on the album, 20 for 2020 Volume IV.

Derrick Skye (b. 1982)

Los Angeles-based composer Derrick Skye has made a name for himself integrating musical practices and connections across cultures from around the world into his work. A student of West African drumming and dance, Persian classical music, Hindustani classical music, Balkan music theory, and more, Skye layers outwardly disparate traditions into groundbreaking works for the concert hall. He uses rhythm, and the embodiment of rhythm through movement, as a unifying feature for much of his music, often collaborating with choreographers and even synchronized swimmers. Skye’s compositional oeuvre includes works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, choir, and film.

Recommended recording: The orchestra work, Prisms, Cycles, Leaps, performed by Bridge to Everywhere on the album, Prisms, Cycles, Leaps.

Jon Batiste (b. 1986)

Jon Batiste is a musical artist of many trades – singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and TV personality. Batiste rose to prominence as the musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015-2022, though he has been releasing recordings of his works since 2005 (several of which have won Grammy Awards). Batiste grew up in Louisiana, the son of a jazz musician and professional singer, and was consequently exposed to a wide variety of musical influences throughout his upbringing. Since emerging on the professional scene, Batiste has redefined what it means to be a modern-day musician and is consistently breaking down barriers. In 2020, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the Disney/Pixar film, Soul. The film also earned Batiste a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, an NAACP Image Award, and a Critic’s Choice Award.

Recommended recording: Chopinesque performed by Jon Batiste on the album, Hollywood Africans.

Keep Learning

If you enjoyed this post, check out a few more from the Arts Blog celebrating the lives of Black musical artists:

• Seven Black Contemporary Composers You Need to Know
• Celebrate Black History Month with All Classical Radio
• Nine Black Women Who Changed Opera Forever

Today, All Classical Radio is exploring lesser-known works by legendary composers. We are highlighting pieces that are not particularly popular in the concert hall, were written earlier on in the composer’s career, or were written outside of the composer’s typical instrumentation or genre. If you enjoy these composers, we think you will enjoy some of their more overlooked music as well.

Ludwig van Beethoven – 6 Bagatelles, Op. 126

Beethoven is often regarded as the greatest composer to have ever lived. Most famous for his nine symphonies, including the Eroica Symphony or the Pastoral Symphony, as well as his concerti and piano sonatas, it is inevitable that some of his compositional output has gone unnoticed to some extent. While it can be difficult to categorize any of Beethoven’s works as a “hidden gem,” his Bagatelles, Op. 126 were composed as a complete set of six light and short works for piano and were some of his last works for piano. Upon getting this work published, Beethoven stated that these bagatelles were “the best pieces of this kind I have written.”

W. A. Mozart – Divertimento for 3 Basset Horns No. 5 in B-flat Major

Mozart composed over 600 works in his 35 years of life. Given his immense popularity, it can be difficult to see any of his works go unnoticed; however, one notable hidden gem for Mozart is his Divertimento for 3 Basset Horns No. 5. A basset horn is an instrument within the clarinet family. While most clarinet players are familiar with Mozart’s quintet and concerto, not many know of his five divertimenti for basset horn (a divertimento is an 18th-century genre of music that is usually light-hearted and written for small ensembles). This work sets itself apart from the already unique instrumentation by beginning with a slow Adagio movement and ending with a Polonaise, a Polish dance.

Johannes Brahms – Geistliches Lied

Considered one of the “Three B’s” of classical music, along with Bach and Beethoven, Brahms was a leading figure in the Romantic period. A few exemplary pieces include his First and Third Symphonies, Piano Concerto No. 1, Hungarian Dances, Wiegenlied (also known as “Lullaby”), and many chamber music works that capture the composer’s tender and warm sound. Perhaps a lesser-known work that encapsulates the gentle and romantic Brahmsian voice is his choral work, Geistliches Lied. This piece was originally part of a series of contrapuntal exercises (counterpoint in music is the relationship between two or more simultaneous musical lines) that were traded back and forth between Brahms and violinist Joseph Joachim. Regardless of its origins, the work’s mournful character is full of complexity.

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Piano Quintet in c minor

British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was a key figure in influencing the style of 20th-century British classical music. An avid collector of English folk songs, Vaughan Williams used these traditional melodies to craft his unique folk sound, which can be heard in works like Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, The Lark Ascending, and English Folk Song Suite. However, many of his earlier works, such as the Piano Quintet in c minor, were hidden from the public once he had developed his “mature” style. While this quintet contains hints of who the composer was soon to become, it was shelved for over 80 years after its premiere. You will find that this hidden gem with violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piano has the romantic elements of Brahms and Dvorák.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky – String Quartet No. 3 in e-flat minor

Many listeners are familiar with Tchaikovsky’s ballets, such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake, or perhaps his symphonic works such as Symphony No. 5 and the 1812 Overture (the one with the cannons). While his large-scale works are frequently performed all over the world, Tchaikovsky’s handful of chamber or small ensemble compositions don’t receive the same level of attention. Only eight pieces in his catalog of 169 works are chamber music, and only three of those chamber pieces are string quartets, with his first string quartet being the most popular. To shed light on the composer’s small and often overshadowed chamber music output, we’re highlighting String Quartet No. 3. This work may not be as lively or grand as some of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic works, but it is just as expressive, dramatic, and powerful. Dedicated to violinist and teacher, Ferdinand Laub, a friend of Tchaikovsky, the opening movement is full of melancholic expression, and the third movement, Andante funebre e doloroso, is an emotional funeral march filled with grief as it commemorates Laub’s death.

Giacomo Puccini – Crisantemi

Known as one of the greatest Italian composers, Giacomo Puccini’s operas are among the most recorded and performed works in the genre. Arias such as “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh my dear Papa”) from Gianni Schicchi and “Nessun dorma” (“Let no one sleep”) from Turandot are recognizable even in popular culture, from movies, TV, commercials, and more. Puccini himself recognized his operatic talent when he said, “Almighty God touched me with his little finger and said: ‘Write for the theatre – mind, only for the theater!’ And I have obeyed the supreme command.” While his operas are immensely popular, many may not know Puccini’s instrumental and chamber music. Let’s listen to his prelude for string quartet, Crisantemi. Produced in a single night, Crisantemi is an elegy written for Puccini’s friend, Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta. Although this piece stands on its own, Puccini ended up using themes from this string quartet in his opera, Manon Lescaut.

Do you recognize any of these hidden gems we explored today? Perhaps you have a favorite lesser-known work that we didn’t mention? Get in touch to let us know your favorite composer’s hidden gem!

Since 2019, we’ve explored holiday classics on the Arts Blog, such as “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” “O Tannenbaum,” and “Silent Night.” Each year, we’ve expanded our exploration of carols to cover several centuries, origins, languages, and even holidays beyond Christmas. This year, we’re thrilled to continue in this tradition and cover a mix of dear favorites and lesser-known jewels.

Be sure to tune in to our Festival of Carols on All Classical Radio from December 22-25, and check out the rest of our holiday programming!

Hodie Christus Natus Est

The words of the carol Hodie Christus Natus Est (Today Christ is born) originate from a 6th-century Gregorian chant that was traditionally sung at Christmas. One of the text sources comes from the Gospel of Luke: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…” Another comes from Psalm 32, which begins, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice…” In the time since its Medieval origins, the chant has emerged as a popular Christmas carol and has been interpreted by many composers throughout the subsequent centuries, including Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, William Byrd, and Giovanni Palestrina.

Let’s listen to Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s interpretation of the chant published in 1619. Sweelinck’s music straddles the Renaissance and Baroque eras and is a shining example of the power of polyphony (the combination of several melodies sung together to create a rich vocal tapestry). You can follow along with the English translation of the Latin text here.

What Sweeter Music

Renowned English composer and choral director John Rutter is no stranger to holiday music and has written many beloved Christmas carols. One such work, What Sweeter Music, was composed in 1988 for the choir of King’s College for their Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. (And in case you didn’t know, All Classical broadcasts this Christmas Eve tradition every year. Be sure to tune in at 7:00 AM PT on Tuesday, December 24, 2024). For What Sweeter Music, Rutter chose to set words by 17th-century English poet Robert Herrick which celebrate the birth of Jesus through joyful song.

Jesu, bleibet meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring) from Cantata 147

J. S. Bach originally composed Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and mouth and deed and life) for the Advent season in 1716, rewriting it a few years later while serving in his new position as music director at St. Thomas School in Leipzig. Bach wrote this well-known cantata for the Feast of the Visitation to the Virgin Mary, which is closely associated with the anticipation of the birth of Jesus. For text, Bach looked to the Gospel of Luke for inspiration. The most famous movement from the work, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” appears twice in Cantata 147: once in the middle, and once as a reprise at the end with new text. As you listen to this holiday anthem, read along with an English translation of the German text here.

Gabriel’s Message

Gabriel’s Message (“The angel Gabriel from heaven came…”) originated as an anonymous Medieval Basque hymn that has since been arranged by several choral composers, including Edgar Pettman, John Rutter, and Stephen Paulus. The text tells the story of the Annunciation as it relates to the celebration of Christmas and relays an intimate interaction between Gabriel and Mary. Not long after it was written, the carol became popular across regional boundaries and even crossed the English Channel.

Fun fact: Chaucer quoted the carol as part of The Miller’s Tale in his Canterbury Tales.

El Noi de la Mare

The gentle Catalan Christmas carol, El Noi de la Mare (The Son of the Virgin), could easily double as a lullaby. Written in three variations, the carol’s three verses ask, “What shall we give the son of the Mary?” The narrative refers to figs in all three verses, and in the final stanza, the figs that are “still green” are a reference to Jesus as an innocent child, and the fig’s “ripening” is his coming work of redemption. Read an English translation of the text here. Given its Spanish origins, this carol is frequently arranged for guitar, as seen below. In fact, guitarist Andrés Segovia is largely responsible for the work’s popularity outside of Spain.

A Cornish Christmas Carol

English composer Peter Warlock (born Philip Arnold Heseltine) contributed several beloved carols and choral works to the seasonal repertory, including his striking Cornish Christmas Carol. If you feel like this carol gives you a bit of aural whiplash, Warlock wrote the following note in his score: “To be sung fairly fast, with sudden alternations of hardness and sweetness, of rude heartiness and tenderness touched with awe.” Be sure to listen for the fleeting musical reference to another carol we’ve discussed already featured on the Arts Blog.

Gesu Bambino

Composed in 1917 by Pietro Yon, this Italian Christmas carol quickly became a seasonal staple across many nations. Born in Italy, Yon emigrated to the US at age 21 and wrote his famous carol while serving as organist of St. Francis Xavier Church in Manhattan. You might notice that the melody and text for the chorus are extracted from Adeste Fideles (Oh Come All Ye Faithful). Since its publication, Gesu Bambino has been performed both in Italian and English and recorded by such notable singers as Luciano Pavarotti and Kathleen Battle. You will find the English translation of the original Italian lyrics here.

A Boy Was Born

Using text of German origin from the 16^th century, English composer Benjamin Britten created his Christmas cantata, A Boy Was Born, while still a student at the Royal College of Music. This soaring a cappella piece marked Britten’s first major composition for voice and his first significant religious contribution. It’s important to note that the title, A Boy Was Born, is both the title of the cantata and the name of the work’s first movement. This first movement serves as the main theme upon which the subsequent six variations are built. When performed by itself, the first movement is hymn-like and sincere, evoking musical traditions of both centuries past and present.

Patapan

Originating from the Burgundy region of France, the traditional Christmas carol Patapan was written around 1700 by Bernard de la Monnoye. In addition to his work as a lawyer, La Monnoye wrote a well-known collection of thirteen Burgundian Christmas carols under the pseudonym “Gui Barozai,” with Patapan being the most popular today. Telling a story of two boys and their musical lessons in celebration, the original title of the carol was “Willie, Take Your Little Drum” and can be interpreted as a predecessor to The Little Drummer Boy. The carol’s title is meant to mimic the drummer’s sound while celebrating the baby Jesus’s birth. As you listen, follow along with an English translation of the text here.

A Christmas Carol

American composer Charles Ives’s A Christmas Carol was written with a calm, sweet, and lilting melody that offers a soft air of devotion. Composed in 1894, Ives wrote both the text and music for this carol himself and published it in a collection of 114 Songs in 1922. While the title might call to mind a certain Dickensian novella, Ives titled his carol in literal reference to the holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Ave Maria

German composer and arranger Franz Biebl’s interpretation of the Marian antiphon is a sublime choral masterpiece. Written for double-male chorus (and later arranged for mixed voices), Biebl wove elements of Medieval chant into a resolutely 20th-century piece. Originally composed in the 1950s, Biebl’s Ave Maria became widely popular in the U.S. after being recorded by the famed vocal ensemble Chanticleer. Interestingly, Biebl actually wrote the piece for a firemen’s choir in Bavaria. As for the text, while not directly connected to Christmas, the ancient prayer to Mary has become a consistent literary counterpart to other nativity texts.

Gloucestershire Wassail

Gloucestershire Wassail (“Wassail, Wassail, All Over the Town”) is a joyful traditional English carol dating from the 18^th century and commemorates the Christmastime wassailing tradition known throughout parts of England. Wassailing involves going from house to house and singing of good health while carrying a large, decorated bowl filled with mulled wine to offer townsfolk. The verses of text refer to many food items the carolers wish for in the new year, such as a good crop of corn and a good Christmas pie, as well as acknowledge many of the local livestock.

Keep the Celebration Going

Read about more favorites from the Festival of Carols in previous years’ editions of “The Stories of Twelve Carols”:

• 2023 Stories of Twelve Carols (including Still, still, still and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks)
• 2022 Stories of Twelve Carols (including O Holy Night and In the Bleak Mid-Winter)
• 2021 Stories of Twelve Carols (including The Carol of the Bells and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)
• 2020 Stories of Twelve Carols (including The Holly and the Ivy and The Coventry Carol)
• 2019 Stories of Twelve Carols (including Joy to the World and Silent Night)

Be sure to tune in starting December 22^nd, 2024 to hear your favorites played on air. Learn more about All Classical Radio’s 2024 Holiday Programming.

At All Classical Radio, we celebrate the musical contributions of Hispanic and Latino composers—both living in the U.S. and outside—every day on air. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we’d love to highlight a few extraordinary composers who have recently joined our daily playlist.

Ricardo Castro Herrera (1864-1907)

Mexican composer, pianist, and educator Ricardo Castro Herrera exploded onto the musical scene at a young age. At 19 years old, he graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City in half the typical amount of time, having already launched a professional career as a composer and pianist. Despite his relatively short life (he died in his early 40s from pneumonia), Castro Herrera left behind a sturdy oeuvre of works and traveled extensively to teach, from the US to the European continent.

As a composer, Castro Herrera was influenced by European composers of the Romantic era, particularly by German composers. Fun fact: Castro Herrera is credited with writing the first cello concerto and piano concerto by a Mexican composer.

Juan Bautista Plaza (1898-1965)

Juan Bautista Plaza was a Venezuelan composer, educator, and musicologist who played a significant role in forming the national musical identity of his home country. In his early 20s, he earned a scholarship to study sacred composition in Rome, which would make a lasting impact on his musical output going forward. Plaza’s works include (mostly sacred) choral music, as well as music for orchestra and other instrumental ensembles.

Upon returning to Venezuela, Plaza became choirmaster of Caracas Cathedral and a music professor at the Escuela Nacional de Música. Eventually, he was appointed Director of Culture in the Ministry of Education where he was better able to facilitate increased access to the arts across the country and promote music education.

Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994)

Brazilian composer and songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim is best known for his soft and sophisticated style which ultimately manifested in the formation of bossa nova. As a young, developing musician, Jobim was influenced by the music of fellow Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos. Despite showing substantial promise at the piano as a teenager, Jobim initially chose to pursue a career in architecture. It didn’t take long for him to become disenchanted with his choice, ultimately returning to music. He started off working in clubs performing both his own compositions and arrangements of existing songs. Jobim made his way into the recording industry and began a series of important musical collaborations. Hits such as “Desafinado” and “The Girl from Ipanema” made Jobim a household name around the world.     

Sonia Ivette Morales-Matos (b. 1961)

Originally from Puerto Rico, Sonia Morales-Matos is a composer, performer, and educator currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The recipient of many impressive accolades, Morales-Matos has already been identified as one of the most promising contemporary composers from Latin America. Having received degrees in both jazz studies and composition, her music spans multiple genres and styles, including Latin-tropical, jazz, pop, sacred, choral, and classical.

Growing up, Morales-Matos and her five siblings all played instruments—she continues to collaborate with several of her siblings on new musical works. Fun fact: Her brother, Jesús Morales, is the cellist for the Dalí Quartet, a performing ensemble that has commissioned works by Morales-Matos.

J. P. Jofre (b. 1983)

Grammy-nominated Argentinian composer and bandoneonist Juan Pablo (J. P.) Jofre grew up immersed in music. His exposure to a wide variety of musical styles, from heavy metal to opera, helped shape his own unique musical language. However, no composer influenced the young musician more than Astor Piazzolla, whose music swayed Jofre to learn the bandoneon. As a recipient of the National Prize of the Arts grant in Argentina, Jofre has collaborated with well-known musicians from various musical styles, including classical, jazz, and Latin. His music for the concert hall is breaking down barriers by introducing unusual ensembles and pairings, such as his two (!) double concerti for violin and bandoneon.

To keep learning about Hispanic and Latino composers, check out these posts from the arts blog:

• National Hispanic Heritage Month (2019)
• Hispanic Composers in America (2021)

Keep reading to learn about six groundbreaking artists we’re featuring on air in celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month.

Kōsaku Yamada (1886-1965)

Japanese composer and conductor Kōsaku Yamada pioneered modern Japanese music influenced by European tradition. After attending the Tokyo Music School, Yamada studied composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Following his education in Germany, Yamada sometimes used the name “Kósçak,” as a variation of his Japanese name, Kōsaku.

As a composer, Yamada was exceptionally prolific and wrote more than 1600 works, including opera, orchestral works, chamber music, and songs. Unfortunately, many of Yamada’s manuscripts were destroyed as a result of an air raid targeting Tokyo in May 1945. Listeners will hear the clear influence of German Romanticism in Yamada’s music; yet, he never lost touch with his Japanese identity. 

Li Huanzhi (1919-2000)

Li Huanzhi has remained a significant figure among Chinese classical composers. Having grown up exposed to a wide variety of music, Li eagerly pursued a career in the art form from his teens. Despite interruptions to his studies due to war and family obligations, Li never strayed far from his desired path. Much of Li’s music was inspired by regional folk songs and nationalist sentiment. Perhaps most notably, following the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Li’s “The March of the Volunteers” was chosen as the new National Anthem.

Li wrote hundreds of compositions, from symphonic works and opera to songs and choral pieces. His Spring Festival Overture remains one of the most frequently performed Chinese works for orchestra.

Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996)

Tōru Takemitsu was a largely self-taught Japanese composer whose music blends modernist Western styles with Japanese traditions and instruments. Takemitsu’s first encounter with Western music came about while serving in the Japanese military during WWII (Western music had been banned in Japan during the war). An officer played the French chanson “Parlez-moi d’amour,” which made a deep impression on Takemitsu and kicked off a lifelong love of music by French composers such as Debussy and Messiaen.

By the late 1950s, Takemitsu’s music began gaining international attention, including one famous incident where Stravinsky heard his Requiem for Strings and subsequently declared it a masterpiece. Also in the 1950s, Takemitsu co-founded the “Experimental Workshop” whose mission was to explore avant-garde multimedia projects.

Chen Gang (b. 1935) & He Zhanhao (b. 1933)

Chen Gang and He Zhanhao are both musicians from China best known for co-composing the Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto. Born in Shanghai, Chen was the son of songwriter Chen Gexin and grew up learning piano and composition from his father. In 1955, Chen began studying composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he would eventually meet fellow student He Zhanhao.

He was born in Zhuji and began learning violin at 17 years old. His studies at the Shanghai Conservatory fortuitously overlapped with that of Chen, and the two would soon embark on a life-changing collaboration. In an experiment to adapt Chinese tunes for violin, Chen and He created the Butterfly Lovers’s Concerto, based on a centuries-old Chinese folk tale.

Chen Qigang (b. 1951)

Born in Shanghai, Chen Qigang was introduced to music at an early age. Despite being imprisoned as a young teen amid the Cultural Revolution and undergoing “ideological reeducation,” Chen never lost his passion for creating music. The composer moved to Paris for graduate studies and shortly thereafter began working with Olivier Messiaen. Chen was Messiaen’s last student and studied with the French composer from 1984-88. Messiaen became a committed supporter of Chen’s music and praised Chen’s harmonious union of Asian and Western musical ideas. After receiving a doctorate in musicology from the Sorbonne in 1989, Chen remained in Paris and became a French citizen in 1992.

Chen’s music is performed all over the world, earning the composer countless honors and awards. Fun fact: Chen composed the official theme song of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing called “You and Me.”

Karen Tanaka (b. 1961)

Japanese composer and pianist Karen Tanaka began formal compositional studies at 10 years old. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the Tōhō Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Tanaka moved to Paris with the help of a scholarship from the French government to study with Tristan Murail and work at IRCAM. The recipient of several prestigious awards, Tanaka’s beautifully crafted works have been performed by distinguished orchestras all over the world, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Outside the concert hall, Tanaka has also written scores for films and documentaries–her score for Sister was nominated for the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film.

In addition to being a freelance composer, Tanaka currently teaches composition and experimental sound practices at the California Institute of the Arts.

Learn More

To keep learning about AANHPI musical artists we love to play on air, check out these posts from the Arts Blog:

• AANHPI Composers We’re Celebrating On Air (2023)
• The Songs of Lili’uokalani, Queen of Hawai’i (2021)

Lastly, you can now listen to All Classical’s recent album release as part of our Recording Inclusivity Project (RII), ELEVATE. This brand-new album featured works by pioneering Japanese composers Nobu Kōda and Yuko Uébayashi.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)

Recognized as a musical genius from a young age, German composer Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel received rigorous musical training in piano and counterpoint (along with her younger brother, Felix). When she was just 13, Hensel could play the entirety of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier from memory. Unfortunately, unlike her brother, Hensel’s family discouraged Fanny from pursuing a career in music, given her status as an upper-class young woman. Despite these challenges to her artistic pursuits, Hensel subtly rebelled against social expectations by continuing to compose throughout her adult life. Hensel also promoted a weekly concert series called the “Sunday Concerts,” which became one of Berlin’s most sought-after musical events. Defying objections from her family, Hensel finally published her works shortly before her sudden death at 41 years old. Together with compositions published posthumously and those still unpublished, Hensel’s oeuvre comprises nearly 500 pieces, including Lieder and works for piano and chamber ensemble.

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

German composer and pianist Clara Schumann (born Wieck) enjoyed an unprecedented, lengthy career in music. As a child prodigy, Schumann grew up in a highly disciplined (some might even say tyrannical) household. She made her professional debut as a concert pianist at just 11 years old, and at 14, she premiered her Piano Concerto in a minor, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. In 1840, Schumann married one of her father’s former music students, Robert Schumann, who himself was a composer and pianist. While she continued to compose until Robert died in 1856, Clara primarily supported her family as an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, all the while promoting her husband’s works. Her performing career went on for several decades while simultaneously caring for her eight children, advising emerging musicians of the day, and editing Robert’s works. An essential part of Schumann’s legacy is that she set new standards for piano performance, including playing concerts from memory.   

Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)

Parisian composer and pianist Cécile Chaminade displayed a curiosity for music composition from an early age. By age 18, Chaminade began giving concerts, eventually leading to international tours and performances at some of the world’s most renowned concert venues. In the U.S., in particular, Chaminade’s performances led to the founding of many musical societies called “Chaminade Clubs” in celebration of her music. As a composer, Chaminade wrote over 400 works throughout her life, nearly all of which have been published. While most of Chaminade’s compositions are songs or piano pieces, she also composed larger orchestral pieces. For historical context, smaller-scale pieces were more marketable for a woman composer at the time, which likely influenced Chaminade’s compositional efforts. Fun fact: Chaminade was the first female composer awarded the Légion d’Honneur.

Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)

Dame Ethel Smyth was an English composer who became a significant voice not only in music but also as an active participant in promoting women’s suffrage. At 19, Smyth moved to Leipzig to study at the famous Conservatory, where she subsequently became involved in the musical circle of Brahms and Clara Schumann. After remaining in Europe for over a decade and producing several works for voice, piano, and chamber ensemble, Smyth returned to England. In the following years, she embraced larger works for orchestra as well as opera. It would take years, even decades, for the composer to earn recognition for her contribution to British music, including being made a DBE in 1922. As a politically active voice, Smyth was most influential through music as well, writing Songs for Sunrise for the women’s suffrage campaign. The final movement of the work, “The March of the Women,” became the widely used anthem for the movement throughout the U.K. Smyth challenged social norms of the time, preferring to live an independent life and making known her attraction to women despite Victorian ideals. For that, she is embraced by many not only as a remarkable composer but also as a feminist icon.

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

New England native Amy Beach (born Cheney) was a child prodigy who displayed an unusual talent for memorization, not to mention perfect pitch, within the first couple of years of her life. Beach began performing piano recitals at age seven, including some of her own compositions. While still a teenager, Beach debuted with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, playing Chopin’s Concerto in f minor. Following her marriage in 1885, Beach was asked to reduce her public performances, which quickly led to an increase in compositional output. Beach would become the first American woman to achieve international acclaim for large-scale orchestral works due to the massive success of her Symphony in e minor, “Gaelic.” In addition to being a revered composer and performer, Beach worked toward advancing the prominence of American women composers. In fact, she was a founding member of the Society of American Women Composers.

To learn more about Amy Beach and her work, check out Amy Beach: Poetry at the Piano from the Arts Blog archive.

Alma Mahler (1879-1964)

Alma Mahler (born Schindler) was a Viennese “it-girl” who quickly became a muse for the period’s most active artistic voices. While in her teens, Mahler became interested in composition and subsequently wrote several pieces for voice and piano. Three sets were published during her lifetime, along with a handful of Lieder published posthumously. Following her marriage to Gustav at 22, Alma agreed to forgo her own interest in composing and focus her efforts on promoting her husband’s works. Unfortunately, the marriage was famously fraught with challenges, not the least of which was Gustav’s disapproval of his wife’s musical aspirations. In the decades following Gustav’s death, Mahler would go on to marry twice more, the latter of which brought the couple to the U.S. in the wake of WWII. In 1946, Mahler became a U.S. citizen and moved to New York City, where she would remain a cultural icon until her death.

Florence Price (1887-1953)

American composer Florence Price received her formal musical education at New England Conservatory in Boston, where she simultaneously studied composition privately with George Whitefield Chadwick. Price moved back to her native Arkansas to teach after graduating from the institution in 1906. After 20 years of building a life in the southern state, and due to increasing racial oppression, Price and her family relocated to Chicago in 1927, a move quickly followed by a burst of compositional creativity. In the 1930s, Price found her stride as a composer. In 1932, Price’s Symphony No. 1 in e minor won the Rodman Wanamaker Symphony Competition. In 1933, the work premiered with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making Price the first Black woman to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. Despite her relatively late start to a career in composition, Price would go on to gain widespread recognition as a symphonic composer. Her songs are equally well-known and have been performed by renowned singers such as Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price.

If you’d like to take a deeper dive into the life of Florence Price, check out this post from the Arts Blog archive: Women’s History Month: Florence Price.

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)

Germaine Tailleferre was a French composer and piano prodigy who became famous for her association with “Les Six”—a group of six 20th-century composers whose music rebelled against 19th-century Romanticism. Tailleferre entered the Paris Conservatory as a young teen, where she won numerous prizes. Composer Erik Satie was so impressed by the young musician’s talent that he claimed Tailleferre as his “musical daughter” and actively promoted her burgeoning career. Tailleferre’s success as a composer declined following the 1930s, partially due to financial difficulties and partly because her inherent modesty and insecurity inhibited her ability to promote her work properly. Nonetheless, she continued to compose until her death. Her diverse works include orchestral and chamber music, songs, incidental music, film and radio scores, opera, and works for children.

Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)

Like many of the musicians mentioned in this post, French composer Lili Boulanger received a musical education from early childhood after her music-loving family recognized her natural abilities in the art form. Tragically, Boulanger suffered from chronic ill health her entire life and died at just 24 years old. That didn’t stop the determined composer from producing a substantial number of highly revered works during her short life, including the cantata Faust et Hélène, which earned the composer the prestigious Prix de Rome prize (the first woman to win the award for music). Boulanger was deeply affected by the First World War, and many of her works deal with themes of war or prayers for peace. Lili’s older sister, Nadia, who would become one of the 20^th century’s most influential teachers of composition, redirected her own compositional efforts following her sister’s death and instead promoted her sister’s music, whom she felt had been more talented than herself.

Doreen Carwithen (1922-2003)

Doreen Carwithen (also known by her married name, Mary Alwyn) was an English musician who would become the world’s first full-time female film composer. Given how few women composers have won Oscars in 2024, you can only imagine how big of a feat this was in the mid-20^th century! Carwithen entered the Royal Academy of Music in her late teens. A few years later, the premiere of her first orchestral work, ODTAA (inspired by the novel), launched the young composer’s career. During the 1940s and 50s, Carwithen wrote the scores for over 30 films, in addition to being tasked with writing the score for the official film of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. In 1961, she became her former professor and current romantic partner William Alwyn’s amanuensis. The two married in 1975. Following Alwyn’s death, Carwithen began composing again until her final years.

In 2019, we explored holiday classics like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O Tannenbaum, while 2020’s post delved into international favorites such as Riu, riu, chiu and Noël nouvelet. In 2021’s list of carols, we traversed centuries with Medieval pieces such as In dulci jubilo and Veni, veni Emmanuel, and in 2022, we featured some Hanukkah classics as well as the operatic favorite, O Holy Night.

This year, we’re expanding our celebration of the season to include a wide range of languages, origins, time periods, and more, from the 12th-century Wexford Carol to Pink Martini’s contemporary rendition of Vamos, pastores, vamos.

Be sure to tune in to our Festival of Carols on All Classical Radio from December 22-25, and check out the rest of our holiday programming!

Il est né le divin enfant

The buoyant traditional French carol, Il est né le divin enfant (He is born, the Divine Child), is thought to be from the 18^th century. Adding to the carol’s mysterious origins, both the composer and poet are unknown. The mood of the piece is joyful and celebratory in appreciation of the birth of the baby Jesus. The text and music of the carol were first published separately in the 19^th century, about a decade apart—At some point thereafter, the two were joined into what is now a staple of French Christmas music tradition. Follow along with an English translation of Il est né le divin enfant here.

Wexford Carol

The Wexford Carol, a traditional piece from Ireland, dates from as early as the 12^th century and is among the oldest surviving European seasonal carols. Commonly sung as part of a traditional Irish Christmas celebration, the Wexford Carol tells the story of the Nativity in rhyming verse. The title of the carol refers to County Wexford on the east coast of Ireland. After centuries of aural passage, it was first written down by William Grattan Flood (1857-1928), music director of St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy. Versions of the lyrics exist in both English and Gaelic, though historians have yet to confirm which version came first. This carol is written in Mixolydian mode, so be sure to listen for its distinctive minor seventh.

Personent Hodie

Personent Hodie (On this day Earth shall ring) is a triumphant Medieval Christmas carol with anonymous origins that, along with other seasonal carols such as In dulci jubilo, Good King Wenceslas, and Gaudete!, was discovered in a 16^th-century Finnish songbook called Piae Cantiones. Over the past century or so, the carol has been arranged several times—the version arranged by Gustav Holst has remained particularly popular. Interestingly, the text is based on a Medieval song referring to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and the historical prototype for Santa Claus. You can find an English translation of the text celebrating the Nativity here.

Candlelight Carol

English composer and conductor John Rutter (b. 1945) is one of the most influential musical voices in 20^th and 21^st-century choral repertoire. Both his arrangements of known pieces and original works are familiar and beloved by choirs all over the world. Rutter’s original Christmas carol, Candlelight Carol, was written in 1984 and inspired by Geertgen tot Sint Jans’s 15th-century painting, “Nativity at Night.” Geertgen’s imagery shows Mary and a gathering of angels gazing down at the infant Jesus lying in a manger. Rutter’s carol beautifully captures the intimacy and serenity represented by the subjects of the painting.

A Spotless Rose

Similar to John Rutter’s Candlelight Carol, A Spotless Rose by English composer and organist Herbert Howells (1892-1983) has become a staple of the season, particularly in the U.K. The carol was included in a set of three early works composed by Howells called Three Carol Anthems and uses poetry by an anonymous 15^th or 16^th-century poet. A Spotless Rose comes across as both simple in its a cappella setting and highly expressive in its text setting. The poetry contains metaphors for Jesus’s birth and the purity of Mary, the “spotless rose” being Jesus and the “tender root” being Mary. The original poem was written in German, “Es ist ein Rose entsprungen” (Lo, how a rose e’er blooming), which may conjure up another popular Christmastime carol.

Cherry Tree Carol

Like many centuries-old songs, the traditional English carol referred to as the Cherry Tree Carol has anonymous origins and likely dates from the 15^th century. Over the years, the piece has evolved into an extensive assembly of variations in text and music. One possible origin story for the carol is that it was first used in one of the Coventry Plays, a cycle of mystery plays performed in Coventry, England, in the late Middle Ages (and perhaps also the source of the famous Coventry Carol). To add to the fogginess around this piece, the versions sung today may be a composite of three separate but thematically related carols.

The lyrics for the Cherry Tree Carol relate to an apocryphal story in which a pregnant Mary and Joseph are traveling to Bethlehem and pass by a cherry orchard. Mary asks Joseph to pick cherries from one of the trees, but Joseph refuses, citing skepticism over their child’s paternity. Jesus then commands the tree to lower its branches from the womb, causing Joseph to repent.

Still, still, still

Still, still, still, a peaceful Austrian Wiegenlied (lullaby) originating from Salzburg in the early 1800s, is commonly performed today in both German and English. The melody comes from a traditional Austrian folk song, and the text comprises two to five verses (depending on what version you are singing) portraying Mary soothing the infant Jesus to sleep. The gentle, straightforward tune allows for numerous creative arrangements and makes it an accessible piece for larger groups of singers. Read an English translation of this seasonal Wiegenlied here.

The Seven Joys of Mary

While not exclusively a Christmastime carol, The Seven Joys of Mary has become closely associated with the season in recent years. The devotion to the seven joys of Mary has been a tradition since the Medieval era and has produced no shortage of musical material ever since. Historically, the subjects of the seven Joys have varied; in versions sung today, those Joys typically constitute the following: 1. Mary sees her infant son; 2. Jesus heals the infirm; 3. Jesus restores sight to the blind; 4. Jesus “reads the bible o’er;” 5. Jesus raises the dead; 6. Jesus bears the crucifix; and 7. Jesus ascends to Heaven.

Below is the most frequently performed version of the carol, composed by Sir Richard Terry (1864-1938):

Quem pastores laudavere

Like many of the carols featured in this article, the gentle Nativity carol, Quem pastores laudavere (He whom the shepherds praised), has Medieval origins. The anonymous source of the text is from 15th-century Germany, and variations of Michael Praetorius’s (1571-1621) arrangement from the early 1600s remains popular even today. The carol’s Latin text portrays an outside perspective of the Nativity—the worship of the shepherds and the wise men at Jesus’s birth. Sing along with an English translation of the Latin verses here.

Verbum caro factum est

Verbum caro factum est (The Word was made flesh), an oft-quoted passage from the Gospel of John referring to the Nativity, has been a facet of Christmas Day mass for centuries. Many composers have taken the liturgical text and set it to music, making it a harmonious fixture of the season. Among the most frequently performed versions of the hymn is Hans Leo Hassler’s (1564-1612) polyphonic motet from the late 16^th century. In this style of musical writing, the singers are split into two groups and pass the melody back and forth, culminating in a satisfying tutti finish. Read an English translation of the Latin text here.

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks is an English carol written by Irish-born poet Nahum Tate (1652-1715). Tate’s lyrics summarize the Nativity story in the Gospel of Luke 2:8-14. Fun fact: Tate’s hymn was possibly the first Christmas hymn authorized for worship by the Anglican Church. As for the accompanying music, two versions have remained popular. If you’re in the U.K., the standard version sung is “Winchester Old,” an anonymous tune from the 16^th century. In the U.S., carolers typically use a melody from an aria from G. F. Handel’s opera, Cyrus, King of Persia.

The video below is a performance of the “Winchester Old” version of the carol. Click here to listen to the G. F. Handel melody.

Vamos, pastores, vamos

Vamos, pastores, vamos (Let’s go, Shepherds, Let’s go) is a popular Christmas villancico (Spanish carol) that evokes the excitement and celebratory mood of the shepherds hastening to Bethlehem to welcome the Baby Jesus. The Flor y Canto, a massive Spanish-language hymnal for Catholic worship, credits Spanish priest and musician Evaristo Ciria Sanz (1802-1875) with the authorship of the carol, while other sources assign credit to prolific Colombian songwriter Jeremías Quintero Gutiérrez (1884-1964).

Keep the Celebration Going

Read about more favorites from the Festival of Carols in previous years’ editions of The Stories of Twelve Carols: 2022 Stories, 2021 Stories, 2020 Stories, and 2019 Stories. And be sure to tune in starting December 22, 2023 to hear your favorites played on air.