We Need to Dance
by John Hoffacker
"My Dancing Day" was performed on December 7 & 8, 2002

It’s no wonder that in the holiday season we feel like dancing. In the winter we celebrate humankind’s oldest holiday, a festival of days of increasing sunlight. In the fourth century, the Christian church began to celebrate Christmas on December 25, adapting a Roman holiday that in turn was built on ancient traditions of celebrating the Solstice.

In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi began the practice of worshipping at a manger scene, and the holiday became a celebration of hope and tenderness, symbolized by the birth of a baby and a family’s love.

We need the warmth of these feelings to sustain us in the winter, but we also need to dance – at least in spirit! The word we use for Christmas songs, carols, comes from an old French word meaning “to sing and dance in a ring.” And the history of music is full of Christmas music meant for dancing.

The program Cantemus sings this December draws from the dancing spirit – the spirit of breaking loose from gravity and enjoying time with our friends. The title of our concert is “My Dancing Day,” which comes from an old Cornish carol we will sing in three different settings.

We will begin with a medieval processional carol accompanied by drums and an exquisite Renaissance motet by Peter Phillips, “O beatum et sacrosanctum diem” (O blessed and most holy day).

The middle of our program features contemplative music by Jean Berger, Herbert Howells, Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff that creates a musical manger scene, followed by Morten Lauridsen’s reflective “O nata lux” and John Tavener’s “Hymn to the Mother of God.”

The women of our chorus sing Dancing Day by John Rutter, a setting of six carols I have wanted to do for a long time. This is one of two sets with harp accompaniment in our concert.

In the second half of our concert, we’ll kick off our shoes (metaphorically speaking) and sing some of the merriest music you’ve ever heard, inspired by the dance. You will hear all fourteen verses of “Tomorrow shall be my dancing day” in an original and wonderful setting by Gustav Holst, as well as “Lord of the Dance,” and Sidney Carter’s arrangement of “Simple Gifts.”

You will hear an exciting, offbeat setting of “Deck the Halls” and “Wassail!” – a collection of dance-carols by John Owen Edwards – and several more carols, including the lovely Norwegian song “Jeg er saa glad.” We’ll close our program with a virtuoso arrangement of “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

I think this is one of our most glorious programs ever, and I hope to see you there!