Join us this Christmas and don’t come alone, bring your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. This presentation is a treat for everyone young and old! Get your tickets early so the spirit of Christmas will be with you all season long!The sixty-seven foot “tree” is constructed every year at the Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon as the Mona Shores Sailors choral group performs their annual Christmas show while perched from all sides of the structure.
It was the brainchild of David Anderson with the cooperation of Skip Frizzell, the choir director of Mona Shores at the time. Dave narrated the tree up until 7 years ago, about the time the lights were upgraded to LED.While there are several other Singing Christmas Trees around the world, Muskegon’s claims to be the tallest of them at 67 feet. It also features over 25,000 colored lights and over 5000 feet of Holiday greenery.
This year’s performance, which takes place annually around late November and early December, was the 37th annual. Since its inception back in 1985, over 3000 singers have performed in the Singing Christmas Tree, and every year about 10,000 attend the four days of performances, which sell out almost every year.
What is the oldest Singing Christmas Tree?
Belhaven’s Singing Christmas Tree is a rich Belhaven tradition, enjoyed by more than a thousand people each year. This annual event, started in 1933, is considered to be the world’s oldest outdoor singing Christmas tree tradition.
And it doesn’t just play at the Frauenthal, the group takes the tree on the road every year and have been to far off places like Brazil and Greece as well as throughout the United States. ‘He was a supporter of the exiled Stuart royal family,’ says Hutton. ‘And a lot of people have thought there’s a subversive, hidden message in the lyrics, rallying support for Bonnie Prince Charlie and his family. There’s no absolute proof. It’s there if you want to see it. It’s a conspiracy theory – and sometimes those are correct.’ If you’ve ever wondered when Christmas carols first came about, the answer lies in the 14th century – although their evolution dates back even further. Even before Christianity, it is thought that midwinter songs existed to keep up people’s spirits, along with dances, plays and feasts.Whatever the true meaning of the words, Hutton maintains that the song remains so well-liked because the lyrics and the tune we know today ‘are just so jolly’. It’s also the song that carol services normally end with ‘because you go out with a bang with “O Come All Ye Faithful”. It’s been translated into lots of languages. It is so compellingly convivial that it can reach all parts of the human race and all denominations.’
Professor Ronald Hutton believes that the dances associated with early carols died out as ‘people just got bored with it’. For a period, carols could be attached to any season, so there were May carols and harvest carols. But Hutton says that, as Christmas is the time for festivity, Christmas carols survived where carols linked to other parts of the year died out.
‘The most exciting is the musical king of Portugal in the mid-17th century, John IV. But there’s also a whole range of Cistercian monks and English composers who might have been the authors. We just don’t know.’ Further complicating matters is that the standard version we now use was put together by John Francis Wade (1711–86), a Jacobite.‘The original first two lines are, “Hark how all the welkin rings, Glorious the king of kings.” And quite obviously, this is pretty obscure,’ says Hutton. ‘Even in the early 18th century, “welkin” was a rather old-fashioned way of saying heaven or sky. And so quietly and tactfully, the Methodist preacher George Whitefield tidied the thing up and, in 1754, [added] the two opening lines that have remained ever since.’
We’ve come over all festive as we take a break from the studio to reveal the history of carolling with English Heritage Trustee Ronald Hutton and bring you an exclusive carol concert from Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire in time for the big day! Get in the Christmas spirit with The Chesterfield Philharmonic Choir as they sing a selection of festive favourites and discover the story behind each of them.
And that perhaps explains the enduring popularity of carols. Whether they were created by Franciscan friars in the 14th century or a mysterious American in the late 19th century, they are so inextricably festive that they still capture our collective imagination today – a heartening, seasonal link between past and present.‘The anonymous donor credited it to Martin Luther (pictured), the great German reformer,’ he says. ‘Experts in Luther are convinced this cannot be possible. So it’s almost certainly a fake in that sense, written by clearly quite a brilliant American in the late 19th century who chose to conceal her or his identity. It is the tenderest of all our carols. And it was called “Luther’s Cradle Song” for decades, when people were still believing in the original story.’It wouldn’t be Christmas without carols – the traditional festive songs that, in some cases, can be traced back hundreds of years. We speak to Professor Ronald Hutton, the leading historian of the ritual year in Britain, to find out who wrote the first carols, why ‘Away in a Manger’ was credited to Martin Luther despite originating from 19th-century America, and how ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ may have a hidden message in support of Bonnie Prince CharlieBut the carol with the most complicated history is ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’. It can be traced back to a Latin version, ‘Adeste Fideles’, which is known to have existed as far back as 1640 – and may go back even further. According to Hutton, there are a whole range of candidates to whom the lyrics could be attributed.
What is the world's tallest Singing Christmas Tree?
While there are several other Singing Christmas Trees around the world, Muskegon’s claims to be the tallest of them at 67 feet.
England’s oldest surviving carol, says Hutton, depends on how you define it. ‘If you go for the component parts, I think it’s “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night”, which has a 16th-century tune and 17th-century words. On the other hand, they’re not put together securely until the 19th century. So if you’re going for the oldest carol that’s still popular, which is complete, it’s probably “O Come All Ye Faithful”, both the tune and the words of which seem to be securely put together by the end of the 18th century.’ Not every well-known carol has English roots. In particular, ‘Away in a Manger’ first appeared in a number of American magazines in the 1880s. Intriguingly, the anonymous donor who sent it to them claimed it was a 16th-century German lullaby – but Hutton is not convinced. Another carol that has gone through various iterations over the years is ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’. The lyric was originally written by Charles Wesley (1707–88) who, with his brother John, founded the Christian denomination of Methodism.Christianity spread across Europe from the fourth to the 14th centuries, and the first carols were produced by Franciscan friars (pictured here in the 1940s), who were followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. These took the form of a dance in a circle with linked hands and everybody singing the song. Huge numbers of Christmas carols survive from the 15th century, making it the best-preserved aspect of English medieval music.
How long is the Singing Christmas Tree Tacoma?
At 28 feet tall with 100 singers, the tree’s design has remained the same for 60 years. Since 1963, The Singing Christmas Tree at Life Center has been an annual holiday tradition for families in Tacoma and throughout western Washington.
However, the carol didn’t get the tune we know today until the composer Felix Mendelssohn (pictured) wrote it in 1840. More recently, a descant (an independent treble melody sung above the main tune) was added in the 1960s.Completed in 2006, the Tree was designed by award-winning architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu as part of a project created by the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network to build a series of landmarks over the countryside. The site at Burnley was once that of Rediffusion’s transmission station, complete with a run-down brick building and unused telegraph lines. The station was dismantled and the lines cut down to be recycled, to make way for the Tree that was to stand out against the stark, rolling landscape of the Pennine mountain range. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The Singing Ringing Tree is aptly named. A three-meter-tall, wind-powered musical sculpture made of galvanized steel pipes, it stands high above the English town of Burnley. The pipes swirl to form the shape of a tree bent and blown by the wind, and produce an eerie, melodious hum as the constant wind on Crown Point drifts through them.
The Tree is one of four “panopticons” scattered throughout Lancashire. The chosen panopticons (a term coined by late 19th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham meaning “a space or device providing a panoramic view”) include the Tree; The Atom of Pendle, designed by Peter Meacock and Katarina Novomestska; the Colourfields in Blackburn, designed by Jo Rippon Architecture and artist Sophie Smallhorn; and the Haslingden Halo, designed by LandLab architect John Kennedy.
Originally a feature film, it was divided and aired as a 3-part television mini-series which was voted in 2004 by a Radio Times poll as the “20th spookiest TV show ever.”
How does the singing tree work?
The Singing Ringing Tree is an imaginative art installation constructed of varying thicknesses of metal pipe. The 54,000 pound sculpture uses wind energy which passes through the precision-fabricated pipes with special holes in specific pipes to create musical notes.
Described as one of the world’s weirdest and creepiest shows for children, the Singing Ringing Tree was an East German import program that followed a princess, her prince, a six-foot-tall dwarf, and myriad talking, magical creatures. Done in a Brother’s Grimm style, it became a cult classic that both terrified and obsessed a generation of British children.In addition to the name describing exactly what it is, its nomenclature is also a nod to the 1960s/early-1970s BBC television series of the same name. The rather uncanny noises extracted from the pipes seem to match the mood of the TV series.The Singing Ringing Tree’s pipes are used for both aesthetic qualities as well as for tuning, with their sound varied according to length and added narrow slits on the underside of specific pipes. The sound produced by these twisted metal trees covers several octaves and is said to be simultaneously discordant and melancholy, and intensely beautiful.
Where is the oldest Christmas tree in the world?
Paul Parker (UK) owns an artificial Christmas tree that has been in his family since 1886. It stands 30 cm (1 ft) tall in an ornate pot and was originally bought for his great-great Aunt Lou, possibly from Woolworths. It was bequeathed to Paul by his mother, Janet, in 2008, continuing the tradition.
Certain traditions have become expected elements to the tree. An auditioned soloist is positioned under the star located at the very top of the tree. This honored soloist performs “O Holy Night” near the Tree’s conclusion. Other traditions include artificial snowfall during “White Christmas” and humorous “insider jokes” interposed into the lyrics of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and other secular carols.
The Singing Christmas Tree tradition continues serving the Jackson community by providing a spiritually edifying, fun-filled event of visual and musical splendor.
If you can attend the December 1st dress rehearsal and presentations – and are committed to regularly listening to all the musical selections – you are welcome to join us as long as there is space on the tree.
Singing on the tree is not about being a great singer, it’s about being part of Belhaven’s best and best-known tradition that continues to distinguish our university throughout our community, state, and beyond. Thanks for your partnership toward making this year the best Singing Tree possible.Belhaven’s oldest and most famous tradition -the Singing Christmas Tree -is highlighted in the December 2008 edition of Southern Living magazine: “If heaven had a school choir, this would be it,” begins the article by Farrah Austin. Everyone familiar with the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree knows that it is a special event for the entire community. As Austin notes, “Families gather to witness what most call the start of the holiday season in Jackson, Mississippi.”
When did the Singing Christmas Tree start?
The first Singing Christmas Tree likely took place in 1933 when a music professor at Belhaven College, a Christian liberal arts college in Jackson, Miss., teamed up with an engineer to craft a small wooden tree frame for the school’s all-female choir to stand in as it performed a series of Christmas carols.
I believe this is our best opportunity for the three areas of our university – athletics, academics, and the arts – to partner together in a way that will benefit us all personally, and maximize the momentum for Belhaven possible through this unique, annual tradition.
Tree singers fill the tree from top to bottom and sing to pre-recorded instrumental tracks as LED lights programmed to the music light up the tree in hundreds of different colors and combinations!The Singing Christmas tree began as an informal gathering for faculty and students to come watch Belhaven music professor Mignonne Caldwell’s all female choir sing in the formation of a Christmas tree. Realizing that members of the community would enjoy witnessing this event, Caldwell moved the concert outside, between Preston and Fitzhugh Halls. The first wooden tree frame for the choir was constructed by Mr. C. V. McLain, a College engineer. Thus, the outdoor Belhaven College (now Belhaven University) Singing Christmas Tree tradition was born.
The second half of the Singing Christmas Tree celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ through Scripture and sacred carols. The great sacred music of Christmas offers a great opportunity for Belhaven University to testify of the lordship and saving grace of Jesus Christ to the large numbers of attendees.
Click the bullet on the right margin of each song title to listen. Select from the listening options that will display an available list for each individual song. Belhaven’s Singing Christmas Tree is a rich Belhaven tradition, enjoyed by more than a thousand people each year. This annual event, started in 1933, is considered to be the world’s oldest outdoor singing Christmas tree tradition. The Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree is an outdoor choral performance of the holiday season’s favorite carols. This year, the concert will feature the collaboration of members of the greater Jackson community and college musicians under the direction of Mrs. Carolyn Sachs, adjunct music professor.
“What a wonderful honor given to such a timeless southern tradition,” said Dr. Roger Parrott, president, Belhaven College. “We are thankful for the privilege to present the Singing Christmas Tree on our campus as a gift to Mississippi, now for more than seven decades. And, we are pleased the replicas of the Singing Christmas Tree have carried forward in thousands of churches all around the world during the Christmas season.”We want you to participate, and understand attending the rehearsals offered on campus throughout November aren’t an option for you. This is one of the benefits to this year’s repertoire being available online for you to learn and rehearse!
For over 75 years, families, students, and neighbors have flocked to the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree, and large crowds are expected once again this year, with an estimated number in the thousands. Roberta Sachs, junior voice major, will be at the tree’s pinnacle as the chosen soloist. Eighty students will don their robes and hold their lights, forming the yearly glow that fills the campus with joyful sounds.
For the first time ever, all music is online once singers complete and return their commitment card (audio demo and printed music as desired), downloaded from a free APP for easy listening and prep.
How big is Kylie Jenner's Christmas tree?
18-foot With the youngest Jenner known for having some of the best celebrity Christmas trees, this year she has stepped up her Christmas decor ideas once again with a grand 18-foot Christmas tree taking pride of place in the entry of her $16 million L.A. Hidden Hills Mansion.
Note: It is required that all singers fill out this form. Tree singers do not have access to online audio demos or printed music until BU’s Music Office receives the signed commitment card and enters the participant’s email into Belhaven’s Planning Center account.As the new director of Belhaven’s Singing Christmas Tree, I personally invite you to participate in this year’s tree as a committed singer. As a new faculty member, I was amazed to realize this annual event has been Belhaven’s gift to the community for 90 consecutive years, and is America’s original singing tree! Online it is celebrated as one of the South’s best Christmas traditions.In person rehearsals for adults participating in the Singing Christmas Tree will be held in the Concert Hall of the Center for the Arts at Belhaven. The date and times are as follows:
Where did singing Christmas carols originate?
Christianity spread across Europe from the fourth to the 14th centuries, and the first carols were produced by Franciscan friars (pictured here in the 1940s), who were followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. These took the form of a dance in a circle with linked hands and everybody singing the song.
To reserve your spot, complete the Commitment Card. Be sure to indicate you are an out-of-town participant, planning to join us for the dress rehearsal Thursday evening, December 1, at 6:00 pm.All music sung this year is available to hear online through a free App downloadable to your phone, IPad, or computer. Printed music and rehearsal audio demos teaching the soprano/alto/tenor/bass parts on applicable songs are also available on this downloadable APP. This is a convenient way to listed to the music as you commute to work, exercise and go about your daily activities.
Belhaven College will host its 73rd Annual presentation of the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree on December 2-3. A Belhaven tradition since 1933, the event was recently name one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, an organization dedicated to the marketing and promotion of travel to and within the great Southeastern States.Caldwell directed the outdoor Singing Christmas Tree event until her retirement in 1962. At that time, Henry Thomas Ford, Director of the Concert Choir, began directing the Tree. Belhaven had since become a co-educational institution so Ford added men to the chorus. A new, taller tree frame was constructed to accommodate the new male voices.
Today, members of the Belhaven Concert Choir, along with alumni, faculty and staff, typically perform the outdoor Singing Christmas Tree concert on the first weekend in December. A large new 35 foot tall wooden and metal tree structure accommodates up to 100 singers. Performers wear white robes with reflective collars and tiaras to heighten the visual impact of the tree.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.Every Christmas, we celebrate by decking the halls, decorating a gingerbread house, playing in the snow, drinking a cup of hot cocoa, and singing a Christmas carol (or two).Reportedly, one of the first known Christmas hymns is “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” (“Jesus, Light of All the Nations”), written by St. Hilary of Poitier in the fourth century. The second is “Corde natus ex Parentis” (“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”) which was composed by Roman Christian poet Prudentius, also in the fourth century.
Although more Christmas-themed music was written and produced in the fourth century, these songs weren’t observed during religious services until much later in the 12th century. In 1816, ‘Silent Night,’ one of the most well-known Christmas carols, was written as a poem by a young priest Joseph Mohr.
Most of the Christmas songs we’ve come to enjoy from traveling carolers are less than 200 years old. Not only that, but the earliest songs celebrating the season weren’t Christmas carols at all—they were hymns. To usher in the arrival of the Winter Solstice, people danced around stone circles and recited pre-Christian or pagan songs, which evolved into Christian songs about the birth of Jesus—we celebrate Christmas around the same time as Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, usually December 22.
Step inside a shopping mall, church, or occasionally your front doorstep during the holiday season and hear the joyous sounds of Christmas music permeating the air. You’re bound to listen to the joyful sounds generating cheerful, festive feelings wherever you are. While you may know songs such as “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by heart, what you probably don’t know is that these classics aren’t the oldest Christmas carols. Here’s a history of the oldest Christmas carols.So as you’re playing music around the house to get in the holiday spirit this season, remember that there were two timeless tunes sung long before “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing” or “The First Noel.”
The Christmas carol evolution continued as bands of local leaders started singing on Christmas Eve and were referred to as ‘Waits.’ They received this name because singing on Christmas Eve, known as ‘watchnight’ or ‘waitnight,’ similar to the Christain teaching that angels appeared to shepherds as they watched their sheep, announcing the birth of Jesus. This group performed in public spaces during the 19th century, becoming some of the first “carolers.” They would eventually go door-to-door, singing and acting in a way much closer to the current caroling tradition.
Since its beginning in 1963, hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed the magic of Christmas. This seasonal extravaganza features festive Christmas carols, dancers, singers, thousands of twinkling lights, elaborate sets, a full orchestra, original music, and a dramatic storyline. Though the Singing Christmas Tree has come to a conclusion, we are dreaming and planning for future Christmas presentations and look forward to what is to come next year! Stay tuned to this website for more details to come.The stunning Hidden Hills mansion is a favorite of the stars, who bought the home when she was only 19. With eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, the Cape-Cod style home is thought to be where the star and her family spend most of their time – although this is perhaps understandable when we consider the home comes with a gourmet kitchen, home theatre, game room, and spa amongst other luxury amenities.
Handcrafted in age-old tradition with techniques that originated in the 1800s, molten glass is mouth-blown into finely carved molds to create these whimsical ornaments
The Kardashian-Jenner family is infamous for never cutting corners when it comes to celebrations, and it seems like Christmas is no different this year.
This small hand-crafted train ornament is a close match to the one seen on Kylie Jenner’s impeccable 2022 Christmas tree and is bound to add a touch of classic charm to any decorations.
With the youngest Jenner known for having some of the best celebrity Christmas trees, this year she has stepped up her Christmas decor ideas once again with a grand 18-foot Christmas tree taking pride of place in the entry of her $16 million L.A. Hidden Hills Mansion.
Kylie Jenner’s immense Christmas tree is one of the most impressive Christmas displays we have seen so far this year – here is how to achieve the look yourselfChiana has been at Homes & Gardens for a year, having started her journey in interior journalism as part of the graduate program. She spends most of her time producing content for the Solved section of the website, helping readers get the most out of their homes through clever decluttering, cleaning, and tidying tips – many of which she tests and reviews herself in her home in Lancaster to ensure they will consistently deliver for her readers and dabbles in the latest design trends. She also has a first-class degree in Literature from Lancaster University.
What is the oldest Christmas song in America?
History of Christmas Carols Reportedly, one of the first known Christmas hymns is “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” (“Jesus, Light of All the Nations”), written by St.
The 160 year old principle of creating ‘Art for Art’s sake’ is relevant to all the interior design projects I take on. This is how I apply it to my workChristopher Radko’s Fine European Glass Collection is a showcase for the vibrant colors, exceptional quality, and matchless details that have been the hallmarks of Christopher Radko ornaments since 1985. This ornament is hand-crafted, mouth-blown, and hand-painted.
The impressive tree was not the only focus of the celebrities reel, however, with Kylie showing off her equally impressive collection of whimsical, red-themed Christmas ornament ideas too.
While the most noticeable was the vast array of Santa Clauses, many food-themes ornaments made the cut too with a kitsch gingerbread house and coffee cup visible on some of the higher branches, as well as traditionally-inspired toy ornaments such as a sparkling red fire truck and stack of faux golden coins.
Chiana has been at Homes & Gardens for a year, having started her journey in interior journalism as part of the graduate program. She spends most of her time producing content for the Solved section of the website, helping readers get the most out of their homes through clever decluttering, cleaning, and tidying tips \u2013 many of which she tests and reviews herself in her home in Lancaster to ensure they will consistently deliver for her readers and dabbles in the latest design trends. She also has a first-class degree in Literature from Lancaster University.
In the past, experts have estimated that the Kardashian-Jenner family’s Christmas trees could cost several thousands of dollars even without the hundreds of lights and ornaments that adorn them.
This Old World Christmas Santa in Sleigh ornament will add a beautiful, elegant touch to any Christmas tree or to accent the decorations within your home.Although the approximately 18ft tree is new for the star, the simple decorations have remained a staple in her home over the last few years with relatively plain warm-toned string lights used for the Christmas light ideas throughout and last year’s baubles making a repeat appearance. The overall look of the stunning statement tree seems to play into some of the outstanding Christmas trends for this year with traditional design replacing some of the more modern looks of the last few years (including Kylies previous bright white and gold tree of 2019).
