Langley Community Chorus - Silent Night Kum Ba Ya

Topic: Holiday Versions
The important holidays in the Christian church are times for choral music: Handel’s Messiah at Christmas and Bach’s passions and masses at Easter.  Christmas coincides with the end of the first semester in many schools, and music groups give concerts that often end with carols or other seasonal songs.

For some reason “Kumbaya” has become one of the songs associated with Christmas.  The first report [1] I have is a television special in 1965 featuring Judy Collins and Chad Mitchell. [2]  The next is a community choir recording released in 1967 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. [3]  A school in Beverly Hills is the first school in 1971. [4]

After Joan Baez began using “Kumbaya” in anti-war demonstrations, I think the link between the song and Christmas became the word “peace.”  In Luke’s description of an angel announcing the birth of Christ to some shepherds, “a multitude of the heavenly host” [5] appeared to proclaim “on earth peace, good will toward men.” [6]

Donna Phillips made the connection explicit in her arrangement of “Kumbaya” for the 2016 Christmas concert of the Langley Community Chorus in British Columbia.  The women began singing “kumbaya” in unison, then in harmony with a descant.  The men entered singing the first verse of “Silent Night.”  That carol ends with an image of the “Holy infant, so tender and mild” and a wish that He “sleep in heavenly peace.”

Once the lullaby image [7] was introduced, the group sang “someone’s crying” to calm the babe.  Then, they finished with the third verse of “Silent Night” which ends “Jesus, Lord, at thy birth!”

The transition between the two songs was easy.  Both originally were written with no sharps or flats.  “Kumbaya” was in 3/4 time and “Silent Night” in 6/8.  No matter the key or tempo adopted by Phillips, the two parts had been written within the same musical context.  Phillips piano accompaniment had no need to create a bridge between two independent entities; it only needed to provide a beat and a short rest for the singers between verses.

More subtle connections existed between the two songs that probably were not known to the Langley group or its audience.  The original text was written by Josef Mohr in 1816.  The area around Mariapfarr, Austria, had not yet recovered from the ravages of Napoléon’s troops when crops failed in 1816.  Two years later, Mohr asked Franz Xaver Gruber to add a melody.  They sang it with Mohr playing guitar at a Christmas eve mass. [8]

The English translation was made in 1859 by Freeman Young. [9]  Sarah Eyerly says he made a number of changes in the first verse, which originally described a “lovely boy with curly hair.” [10]  The peace refrain was in the original.

Not much is known about Young.  He was raised in a Methodist home but became an Episcopal priest.  His first assignments were in the South.  He moved to Trinity Church in New York City in June of 1855.  It was there he published his version of “Silent Night.”  [11]

The associations of “Kumbaya” with peace movements have made it the strawman for cynics who believe war is inevitable.  The phrase from Saint Luke has been reinterpreted by Biblical scholars to read “peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [12]  The change comes from better interpretations of the original Greek, [13] which resurrect the tribal nature of The Bible.  One can find any number of sermons that use this as a pretext to deny the possibility of peace [14] or interpret it to mean inner peace that comes from accepting Christ as a personal savior. [15]

The original English translation by men working for James I of England perhaps understood the need for a text that brought people together.  When it was published in 1611, [16] the country was divided between Roman Catholics like James’ mother, Mary I of Scotland, and Protestants like his great-great-uncle, Henry VIII. [17]  The island descended into Civil War in 1642, just as this country did soon after Young published his version of “Silent Night.”

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: 46 women, 14 men
Vocal Director: Anita Comba
Instrumental Accompaniment: Donna Phillips, grand piano
Rhythm Accompaniment: none

Credits
Arranged by Donna Phillips in 2016 [18]

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: kum by ya with equal stress on all syllables

Verses: kumbaya, “Silent Night” verse 1, someone’s crying, “Silent Night” verse 3

Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord

Basic Form: alternate verses of “Kumbaya” and “Silent Night”
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: repeat “kumbaya” twice
Unique Features: Medley with “Silent Night”

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5 introduced by CRS
Tempo: moderate

Basic Structure: each verse begins with one group singing the first line, then harmonies are added; none are repeated

Singing Style: melisma in “Silent Night” and “crying” verse of “Kumbaya”

Vocal-Accompaniment Dynamics: Piano is subdued.  It provides a beat and small respite for singers between verses.

Notes on Performance
Occasion: Silver Jubilee Christmas Concert, 25 November 2017 [19]

Location: Willoughby Church, Langley, British Columbia. [20]  Three risers are set up in the altar area.  The Christian Reformed Church has a plain interior, with brown carpeting on the floor; the altar furniture is removable.  Musical instruments are stored at the left where Phillips plays piano.

Microphones: none

Clothing: Women wear black dresses with white collars or scarves.  The men wear black suits and white ties.  Their music binders are black.

Notes on Movement
A few older members are seated in front of the group.  The rest stand in place and do not move.  The sopranos are stage right, the altos to the left, and the men in the center. The director has her back to the audience.  She uses both hands, usually symmetrically.

Notes on Audience
They are seated in pews, and applaud at the end.

Notes on Performers
Langley was originally a fort on the Fraser River built by the Hudson’s Bay Company.  Since 1967, the township has been part of Metro Vancouver. [21]

The community chorus was organized in 1992 by Stan and June McCreary.  He then was part of a men’s vocal group in Lynden, Washington. They hired a director and accompanist, and began rehearsals with fifteen people. [22]  The group now as about eighty members, all vaccinated against the Coronavirus. [23]

Anita Comba began directing the group in 2012.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Victoria, and spent summers at the Banff Centre for Performing Arts. [24]

Donna Phillips came from a musical family where she began playing piano as a child.  She must have had some training, but little biographical information exists on the web.  She plays organ for the Deer Lake United Church in Burnaby, and has worked with the Coquitlam Chorale and British Columbia  Girls’ Choir. [25]

Her musical skills indicate someone who spent many years in family or ensemble music settings.  She created an arrangement that would be fun to sing and nice to hear because no part is dominant.  Although Phillips rarely repeats her harmonic ideas, the interplay of voices is so subtle that it does not call attention to its virtuosity.

Availability
Video: Langley Community Chorus.  “Silent Night Kum Ba Ya.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Langley Community Chorus on 21 December 2020.

End Notes
1.  I have been looking for references to “Kumbaya” in various sites on the web.  Information before the year 2000 is sparse simply because the internet was less used then than now.  Any references to first reports must be treated with caution, since they only represent what someone has posted, not what existed.

2.  Tell It on the Mountain was a Christmas special produced by the National Council of Catholic Men in 1965.  The press releases just list Collins and Mitchell as the lead performers and mention the songs that were presented.  It was filmed “in and around the Chapel of the Holy Cross” near Sedona, Arizona, [26] and was aired on Christmas eve by CBS. [27]

3.  The Fort William Male Choir.  “Kum Ba Yah.”  Christmas Songs For 100 Years.  Private recording, released 1967.  [Discogs entry].

4.  Hawthorne School, Beverly Hills, California.  “Non Nobis, Domine/Come, Let Us Start A Joyful Song/Kum Ba Yah.”  Music of the Holidays 1971.  Private recording, released 1972.  The elementary school then included grades kindergarten through eight. [28]  No songs on the album are strongly religious; one is “Hanukkah Pancakes.”  No doubt other schools also were singing “Kumbaya” in December concerts by then, but few had parents with the financial resources and show business acumen as those living in Beverly Hills.

5.  Luke 2:13.  King James translation.
6.  Luke 2:14.  King James translation.

7.  The most popular arrangement that combines a lullaby motif with the nativity is Jay Althouse’s “Christmas Kum Ba Ya.”  It is discussed in the post for 18 July 2018, along with some performances by public schools.

8.  Sarah Eyerly.  “The humble origins of ‘Silent Night’.”  The Conversation website, 19 December 2018.

9.  “John Freeman Young.”  Hymns and Carols of Christmas website founded by Douglas D. Anderson and maintained since 2014 by Richard Jordan.  It reproduces the original cover and its version of “Silent Night.  The 1859 Carols for Christmas Tide was edited by J. Freeman Young and published by Daniel Dana, Jr., in New York City.

10.  Sarah Eyerly.  Quoted by Michael E. Ruane.  “Silent Night: How a Beloved Christmas Carol Was Born of War and Disaster 200 Years Ago.”  The Washington Post, 23 December 2018.

11.  Hymns and Carols of Christmas.

12.  Luke 2:14.  The Holy Bible New International Version, prepared by New York International Bible Society.  Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1978.

13.  “Annunciation to the Shepherds.”  Wikipedia website.

14.  John, son of Melanie Newton.  “Often the message of the angels in Luke 2 is taken as a call for men and women to all be at peace with one another.  But the angel did not call for world peace, nor peace between neighbors. . .The angels said peace will be among men with whom God is pleased.  With whom is God pleased?   Those who have placed their faith in His Son.  We know. . .that God is not pleased with all men, in fact, all of mankind is in open rebellion against God.  Only those who have placed faith in Jesus have found His peace.”  Quoted by Melanie Newton.  “Peace on Earth to Those with Whom God Is Pleased.”  Bible website. [29]  Emphasis added.

15.  “Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth?”  Got Questions website, Colorado Springs, Colorado, last updated 26 April 2021.  “Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to provide the way for sinful people to have peace with God.  He gives believers the resources to experience inner peace and helps them to become the kind of people who can live in peace with others.”  Emphasis added.

16.  “King James Version.”  Wikipedia website.
17.  “James VI and I” and “Mary, Queen of Scots.”  Wikipedia website.
18.  “Donna Phillips, Accompanist.”  Langley Community Chorus website.

19.  Kurt Langmann.  “Langley Chorus Celebrates 25th year with Concerts.”  Aldergrove Star, Aldergrove, British Columbia, 16 November 2017.

20.  Willoughby Church website, Langley, British Columbia.  It has photographs of the interior that match the video.

21.  “Langley, British Columbia (District Municipality).”  Wikipedia website.
22.  Langmann.
23.  “Fall 2021 Season.” Langley Community Chorus website.
24.  “Anita Comba.”  Langley Community Chorus website.
25.  “Donna Phillips.”
26.  Item.  Syracuse Herald-Journal, Syracuse, New York, 19 December 1965.  118.

27.  “The Christus and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona AZ.”  Episcopal Net website.

28.  “Beverly Hills Unified School District.”  Wikipedia website.

29.  Because her son may share the name of the composer of “Amazing Grace” her reference to his Advent, A Daily Devotional could not be verified.