The Philadelphia Church of the Holy Trinity is an Episcopal church on Rittenhouse Square that was built in 1857.
It may surprise some of this blog’s readers to find out that I’ve attended services there a few times.
Not church services. Oh, god no. I’ve been there for music concerts. The interior has fine acoustics, and chamber music concerts of one sort or another are held there often.
From 1862 to 1869 the church’s rector was Phillips Brooks, who in 1865 visited the so-called Holy Land and paid a visit to Bethlehem, which was under Ottoman rule at that time.
Based on that visit, he wrote a poem that he intended for part of the Christmas church service in Philadelphia. His organist, Lewis Redner, wrote the tune for it, although the tune was separately christened “St. Louis”, perhaps because his first name was Lewis?
That tune is the way “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is most often heard and performed in the United States and Canada these days.
But the words were published and made their way to the United Kingdom, and you know the old saying about that country and ours. Two nations divided by a common music. Or something like that.
In any case Ralph Vaughan Williams got a look at Brooks’s poem and decided to set it to music. Williams was an Englishman, so naturally his first name was pronounced “Rayff”, not the good old-fashioned American way.
But as I was saying, Williams found an English hymn tune called “Forest Green” and made an arrangement of the poem using that melody, and that’s the way the British perform the song to this very day.
So I now present not one, but two different versions of this Christmas Carol.
First up, is the Ralph Vaughan Williams arrangement performed on an organ by James Williams (I wonder if he is related to old Rayff?) and the Temple Consort.
This is followed by an a cappella video of the American version, you know, the way we here on this side of the Atlantic are used to hearing it. The arrangement is a bit unusual, but quite lovely, I think.
Sharp-eyed readers will note that there is an “I” at the end of the title of this post. And yes, that means there will be a part II in the near future.
Wanted to say hello, very interesting piece. Music is something that has been dear to me since I was very young, inspired by a passionate and dedicated music teacher who also ran our choir. Taught me everything I know about singing, wish I had stuck with it like he insisted but life takes you down so many paths it’s pointless to dwell on the infinite many you could have taken. I try to show my love for music with my daughter to pay homage to those who taught me I know I probably won’t do them justice but maybe I can spread their passion. I hope you continue your writing I’m sure someone is reading right now inspired by what you do. Your friend Sean
Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Glad you found your way to the blog. Maybe you’ll find your way back to singing some day, you never know. The piece on today’s “emergency” is written and will be published tomorrow morning.
–JT