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Cool, cool carols
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Carols have endured and evolved down the ages to become synonymous with the spirit of Christmas, says K. SACHIDANAND MENON
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IF MUSIC be the food of life, Christmas is surely the time for feasts. The jingle of bells, carols, the soulful organ, even pop songs, make for an irresistible combination of sounds that strum heartstrings like few symphonies can.
With D-day around the corner, music bands and choirs are well and truly into all things that go do-re-mi... Heavenly in their tunes, yet earthy in their appeal, carols have always been clear favourites for the season. "Music is verily the soul of Christmas. It reaffirms faith and stirs noble feelings in your heart," says Jinu George, a mass communications student. "It doesn't matter if you can sing them or not. The best thing about carols is that they come straight from the heart and fall gently on the ear, never mind a few weak notes," she adds.
Practice makes perfect
The purists might not nod in approval to that statement. Carols call for committed hearts and fine voices that can flow from the base to the soprano, and back, with silken ease. They also call for umpteen rehearsals and quite a few searches on the Net. "Delivering a harmony - with base, alto, tenor and soprano - is much more complicated and enriching than working on a melody, which is more simple," explains Commodore T. M. J. Champion, the organist at St John's Church in Secunderabad. "Choir members are picked when they are about eight years old. They attend Sunday schools to hone their voices and get into regular singing when they step into their teens. Choir members report for practice usually on Sundays and sometimes on weekdays," adds Champion.
Instrumental back-up for the renditions involve the organ, the piano, cello, violin, viola and the ubiquitous personal computer. A veritable treasure trove for carol lyrics, most composers invariably end up browsing the Web to add to their repertoire, with most picks coming from the West.
Off-track
As with all things classy in life, carol singers get better with age. At 70, retired railway superintendent H.W.A. Hartwig still finds he's up to singing top-notch tunes in his church. "I have been singing since the age of 10." And how long does he think he can keep the show going? "As long as I live. We are there to sing and we do that," he believes.
Most carol sessions have close to 10 singers and an organist. For Kenneth Gibson, however, the more the merrier is how he likes it. Conductor of The Tabernacles singing group, Kenneth has an ear for chamber music. "Tabernacles is a Biblical term that means `mobile worship unit'. We have a chamber orchestra and practise for over three months before the season. In fact, there's a concert we hold annually at the Hari Hara Kala Bhavan," he reveals. In an off-beat approach, The Tabernacles sing compositions that not only dwell on the essence of Christmas, but also feel-good numbers that capture the mood of the season. "We sing songs like It's winter now... apart from other foot-tapping melodies."
Not to be left behind in the music show, the youths too are ganging up for the carol rounds. Going door-to-door to spread Christmas cheer, the chill is but a minor discomfort when there are friends for company. Says Samson, a call centre executive from Trimulgherry, "We move around our colony with our friends and sing carols for acquaintances and even strangers. The money we are offered is pooled up and given away as charity. You feel really good at the end of it all."
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