'Tis the season to be jolly. Or merry. or goodwilly, or something. Apparently. Heh. We said willy.

For approximately one month a year - or four if the decorations in some supermarkets are to be believed - we're called upon to eat like there's no tomorrow, drink like there's no liver disease, and buy like there's likely to be a shortage of bath gel.

Sisters Meg and Anna (not in the nun sense of the word) (they're actually related) (and aren't nuns) and Brothers Cliff and Bobbie (Not related, just franciscan monks) (possibly) are here to relieve your Crimblennui (tm) and make your December just a little more spangly.

Think of it as our little gift to you. You may not have asked for it, you may not want it, but then, you could say the same for whatever Uncle Billy's going to give you this year.

Happy Advent, from us, to you. 'Tis the season, after all...

We've been doing this for a few years now. You can catch up on everything you missed in the full archive. There's loads there. Honestly, it's a wonder we had time for shopping, really, with all that content.

Link to this site using this handy button, if you can be keffed (you'll need to copy it to your server space):

'Tis the Season is a Pickard Production by Meg and Anna

Syndicate this site (XML)

Powered byMovable Type 2.64

17 December 2003

I don't go to church, but I love singing carols. If I go to a carol service, is it appropriate for me to hop in on the descant, even though I'm clearly an aetheist standing in the back pew?

Meg says:

One of the best things about Christmas is undoubtedly the music. I mean, once you overlook the religion thing (and many people do, since that's not everyone's particular bag) what's not to like about carols? All those great tunes and catchy lyrics?

"Ding dong merrily on high...."

"Gloo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oooo-ooo-ooo-o-o-ria"

"Lickle doo-oooo-ooonkey, lickle dooooooooo-ooooooooooo-ooonkey, on a dusty road..."

Carols are great. Everyone can sing them, even children; they're not written to be especially complicated, and they've usually got a whole bunch of verses, so by the fourth or fifth time the chorus comes around, anyone should be able to join in with gusto and in some cases, with harmony.

School choirs across the land infest the nation with generation after generation of singers who over EMphasise certain SYLLables in SONGS like we WISH you a merry CRISSSmas, and who know bits of the harmony - but have a tendancy to wander between alto and descant at will. Because that's what being in a choir's all about, you know - the opportunity to make well-established galumphing festive tunes sound a bit more interesting.

Descants are brilliant. The descant part doesn't exist at any other time of year except Christmas, and exists purely to make the verse of a carol reserved specifically for Christmas day itself sound just that little bit more special. Usually sung by two or three special and senior female members of the choir, and three enthusiastic amateurs or atheists dotted about the pews. The choir ladies can reach the high notes; others cannot. This is what makes the choir ladies so smug.

The descant swoops high over the soprano part, the main line of the song, and screeches into the most agonisingly high reaches of the human vocal register. Dogs enjoy the descant part more than humans.

The best descant part ever is found in Hark the Herald Angels Sing, where the highest note known to exist in music history appears in the top line. Stained glass windows have shattered during many a carol concert when the note has been sung without undue care and attention. Amateurs beware.

« 16 | Main | 18 »

::> Want more? Here's the rest.