Easter Music
by Silvia Francesca Maglione
Easter was originally a pagan festival celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons, in honor of Eastre, the Goddess of Spring. Eventually the Catholic missionaries will combine with this Festival Christ’s resurrection. Furthermore, the Jewish Passover is usually celebrated during this period. As we can see, Spring's arrival is among one of the favorite periods in the year, that people, communities, and institutions enjoy celebrating.
Music is the essence of every celebration, and when it comes to religious celebrations, Music can really make the difference. Catholic church promotes the Gregorian Chants, and a wide range of very simple (musically speaking) hymns. These hymns are inspired to Ancient Easter songs, and the most famous is praeconium paschale, usually attributed to St. Jerome or Saint Augustine. Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory of Nazianz, and Venantius Fortunatus also wrote various hymns (i.e. Salve festa dies, Claro paschali gaudi, Ad regias Agni dapes). To celebrate Easter, the Protestant church, plays a vast quantity of Greek hymns, with the most famous being Anastaseos Hemera (The Day of Resurrection). In Germany, Churches have adopted various tunes of Ancient hymns, and used them as worshipping hymns, such as, Christus ist erstanden (Christ has Risen), or Wir wollen alle frohlich sein (let us All be Glad). These German chorales are sung both in the Lutheran and Protestant Churches.
Passover's Seder songs, commemorate the freedom and exodus of the Israelitis from Egypt. There is a large amount of hymns, with most of them being cheerful tunes. During this 8 day period, Jews follow many special observances, accompanied by their traditional songs, which all express the happiness of liberation.
In every festival, commemoration, and ceremony, Music is the only Art able to communicate, in one hymn/song, the whole essence of the ceremony.
...Happy holidays!
The views and opinions in this blog post are those of its author.
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