TBT^65,536: O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting

4 December 20252 December 2025 The Portly Politico2 Comments

The Christmas season is upon us again, which means it’s time for yours portly to dust off some classic posts of yesteryuletide, including this timeless classic about a timeless carol.

My students have their big Christmas concert next Friday, 12 December 2025, and while we’re not playing this carol this year, I will surely be playing it at church soon. That said, this sweet, simple carol will always hold a special place in my heart.

With that, here is 5 December 2024’s “TBT^256: ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ and the Pressures of Songwriting“:

TBT^256: O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting

5 December 20242 December 2024 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III! Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp! Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.

My students’ Christmas concert is coming on Friday, 13 December 2024, and we’re playing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” this year a la Frank Sinatra. We’re starting in what I call the “Christmas-Eve-candlelight-service-at-your-grandmother’s-unheated-church” style, then shifting to a groovy swing.

I was thinking about the harrowing, last-minute nature of this song’s genesis while wrapping up Leftovers III, which I was getting done at the wire. Somehow, October got so busy that I let a lot of my composing fall by the wayside, but I managed to wrap up the album in time to release it on Black Friday.

The next week will be similarly busy. Tomorrow night is the school Christmas play, for which yours portly will be running sound. Saturday I’ll be playing Christmas music for a local festival. Sunday I’m rehearsing with my church for our Christmas cantata on the 22nd. Monday is Council Meeting—and on and on and on.

Let’s all take a moment to remember the subject of this beautiful carol, and to reflect on the wonder of Christ’s Birth.

With that, here is “TBT^16: O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting“:

SubscribeStar Saturday: Christmas Concert 2023 Review

16 December 202312 December 2023 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive. To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more. For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

Eight days ago (Friday, 8 December 2023), my students had their annual Christmas Concert. The Christmas Concert is one of the two marquee concert events of the school year, the other being the more amorphous Spring Concert, which can fall pretty much anywhere between March and April (and even early May). Of the two, the Christmas Concert is my favorite, and while it’s also one of the most stressful days of the year, it’s also one of my favorites.

Our Christmas Concert follows a predictable format, consisting of performances from our choir, our World Language classes, and finally from my Middle School and High School Music Ensembles. Historically, dance classes have performed pieces prior to the musical portion of the concert, but this year marked the first that dances were not included, as the dance class performed before the Christmas Musical, which was on Friday, 1 December 2023.

Honestly, excluding dances was a major improvement. I have nothing (well, not much) against dance as an art form, but it was never a comfortable fit in an already-overstuffed Christmas concert format. It also adds some minor additional headaches for yours portly, who in the past has had to move pianos in the middle of the concert to accommodate the dancers. At the risk of editorializing (but isn’t that the whole point of a blog?), I find most of these “dance” routines to be rather distasteful and a tad lurid, although I am to report that this year’s dance performance was really exceptional, tasteful, and beautiful.

But I digress. What of the music itself? Let’s dig in, like a Wisconsin dad shoveling snow.

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Open Mic Adventures XIV: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

29 November 202228 November 2022 The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

The title of this week’s piece is a bit of a misnomer: it’s not from an open mic night, but from a morning church service. There’s also no singing—at least, not from me! I’m just tickling the ivories. *Tickle, tickle!*

The piece here is one of my favorite Christmas carols, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” We did sing it for morning service this past Sunday, 27 November 2022 at my little country church, but I was warming up and having a bit of cheeky fun beforehand.

Flashback Friday^2: Christmas and its Symbols

24 December 202121 December 2021 The Portly Politico7 Comments

Okay, okay—it’s not Christmas. But, hey, close enough, right?

There will be an actual Christmas post tomorrow morning, though it’s going to be very short. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to turn “Flashback Friday” into “Flashback Friday^2,” angering mathematicians and calendar enthusiasts everywhere.

The original post in this “series,” “Christmas and its Symbols,” contains some excellent Christmas wisdom. So often we hear Christmas denounced as a secretly “pagan” holiday because we hang wreaths, put up trees, and dangle mistletoe. But as one meme I’ve seen recently put it (to paraphrase), “Yes, I love to display the trophies of my vanquished foes.”

Christianity sure did kick—and continues to kick—some butt. We could probably do with some more warrior-monks running around with maces and clubs.

For this weekend and beyond, though, Jesus—as He always does—will do.

With that, here is “Flashback Friday: Christmas and its Symbols“:

Lazy Sunday CXLIV: More Christmas Carols

19 December 202118 December 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

Christmas is just six days away! It’s hard to believe, but here we are yet again.

It’s been a great season for Christmas carols, which I’ve enjoyed playing—with gusto. I’ve gotten “Joy to the World” down to a science, it seems. I’ve also been whipping out some of the more obscure gems.

“O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting” (and “TBT: O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting” & “TBT^2: O Little Town of Bethlehem and the Pressures of Songwriting“) – The story of how “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was written—swiftly, and at the last possible minute—is an interesting illustration of how time constraints can result in some frantic genius.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (and “TBT: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing“) – “Hark!” is one of my favorite Christmas carols. It’s rousing, powerful, and theologically beautiful. I like to imagine it is a demonstration on a small-scale of the song sung by the Heavenly Host the night Christ was born.
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” – Another rousing, rollicking tune, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a Christmas carol that I’ve always enjoyed, but it’s really grown on me this year. It’s fun to play and fun to sing, and the chorus practically begs to be sung lustily.

Merry Christmas!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

O Come, All Ye Faithful

14 December 202113 December 2021 The Portly Politico5 Comments

In going through my Cokesbury Hymnal this Christmas season, I’ve enjoyed playing some of my favorite carols. I’m struck by how rousing and jubilant they are, like “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

A third could be added to that list of upbeat, glorious carols: “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

TBT: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

9 December 20218 December 2021 The Portly Politico2 Comments

My school’s big Christmas concert is tomorrow—the first once since December 2019, the infamous “Corporate Christmas” concert—and my Middle School Music class is playing and singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” It’s one of my favorite carols, and is apparently my pastor’s favorite.

We’re doing the iconic first verse, as well as the third verse, which echoes the themes of the first. There’s a great line—“ris’n with healing in His wings”—that just sounds epic. It’s such a regal tune, perfect for The King of Kings arriving on Earth to save His fallen Creation.

Fortunately, my Middle School students seem to agree, and I am proud of their rendition.

With that, here is 8 December 2020’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing“:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

7 December 20217 December 2021 The Portly Politico11 Comments

This past Sunday was the first of December, and my first time back at my little church since Thanksgiving. That meant it was time—finally!—to play some Christmas carols.

We started the service with a rousing congregational singing of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” which is apparently my pastor’s favorite carol. Our second congregational singing was “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” a beautiful little hymn with some interesting harmonies and leaping melodies—typical of carols.

TBT: Singing Christmas Carols with Kids

2 December 202130 November 2021 The Portly Politico4 Comments

December is here, and that means it’s time for Christmas music! My students and I are prepping for our annual Christmas concert—back after The Age of The Virus—and have been playing and singing quite a bit of Christmas music.

Indeed, my Music Club—a club designed to get students involved in playing and performing music who, for whatever reason, could not get a music class fit into their schedules—met Tuesday to sing some carols, with the idea being that we will spend lunch and break periods next week caroling for the student body.

As their voices came together in sparkling purity, it reminded me of this post from last year. We started our short rehearsal with “Silent Night,” one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, and the sweetness and fullness of it with eight or so singers really swelled my heart. We also sang “Joy to the World,” “Away in a Manger,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and one or two others that escape me.

I once heard that singing is good for you, both physically and mentally. Christmas carols—songs about the Birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ—surely are good for you spiritually, too. Sing some today.

With that, here is 4 December 2020’s “Singing Christmas Carols with Kids“:

The Portly Politico

One Southerner's unique, erudite, conservative perspective in a hectic world

Tag: carols