We’ve approaching the midway point between Halloween and Christmas.
It’s an odd time of year. It doesn’t feel like fall or winter; just a dreary grey area, a chilly no-man’s land between pumpkins and presents.
When I was a kid, this time of year seemed to stretch on forever. But now that I’m a parent, I can see how this inter-holiday lull is actually kind of nice. For a few weeks, there’s no social pressure to decorate my house or my child. The grocery store has stopped playing the Ghostbusters theme on repeat, but hasn’t yet begun its exhaustive exploration of Mariah Carey’s soul-destroying Christmas repertoire.
So I hope you enjoyed the lull, because as of this week, the madness begins. But if you’re not quite ready to get into holiday music head-on, start easy with this one.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. It’s got elements of traditional Christmas music, but also a certain spookiness. So depending on your mood, it could help you imagine that it’s Christmas morning, or midnight on Halloween.
2. At various points, like 0.48, it switches from a homophonic chant to a lovely polyphonic lullaby.
3. Tavener was just generally an awesome dude. I see him as the Bjork of choral music: They were both child prodigies, both fairly experimental, forward-looking composers. They both sported long flowing hair. And to top it off, the two have actually collaborated. Tavener wrote a piece of music for Bjork, and when asked why, he responded, “I don’t see why not. She’s far more intelligent than most classical singers.”
Recommended listening activity:
Standing by the entrance to a mall without actually going inside.