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Welcome to Intermezzo from Interlochen Public Radio, where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
This week on Intermezzo, Christy L'Esperance and her co-host Daphne dive into the stories behind some popular Christmas tunes. Today, we'll end the week with a high note — literally — with "O Holy Night," one of the most beloved of all sacred Christmas songs.
"O Holy Night" began in France in 1843, when a priest asked local poet and wine merchant Placide Cappeau — who personally was not religious — to write a Christmas poem to commemorate the newly renovated church organ. Cappeau agreed and consulted the Gospel of Luke to pen a stirring poem, titling it "Midnight, Christians."
Four years later, a local opera singer wanted to sing it for Christmas, so she asked her friend, the ballet composer Adolphe Adam, to set it to music. He changed the title to "Cantique de Noël," which the soprano sung at midnight Mass.
The song was a hit, but when Cappeau became an outspoken advocate for the socialist movement, the French Church leaders banned the song from services. Yet, people kept singing it, and it spread from town to town until the ban became impossible to enforce. Because of its popularity, the song is now played in churches every year!
This week's Mystery Melody
Congratulations to this week's Golden Ears who guessed the Mystery Melody correctly! Listen for the song title revealed at the end of today's podcast episode.
