The Commonwealth Chorale of Virginia will present “To Hear the Angels Sing,” a collection of Christmas music spanning seasons of holiday style, on Dec. 7 at Crenshaw United Methodist Church, 200 Church Street, Blackstone. A second performance will be held at Farmville United Methodist Church, 212 High Street, on Dec. 8. Both concerts begin at 4 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

The program begins with a lively Moravian rendition of “What Good News the Angels Brin”’ and moves on to the delightfully happy Mass of Saint Nicholas written by Joseph Haydn first performed with chamber ensemble on Dec. 6, 1772, St. Nicholas Day.

“Children celebrate St. Nicholas Day in various ways throughout Europe,” Chorale Artistic Director Carol J. Henderson noted. “Many of our Christmas Day traditions arose from this festival.”

A major portion of this year’s concert will focus on carols — both old and new.

“Popularity of the carol in the 15th century was proven by the fact the nearly 500 lyrics in that form survive,” Henderson explained. “The middle 1600s brought a return to Puritanism, and carol singing nearly became an endangered tradition. It wasn’t until 1822 that collections of traditional carols began to be published. By the mid-1800s both new and old carols were explored and revived.”

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.

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