Thu, Nov 19, 2026, 6:00PM

Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol

A part of the Juilliard Extension program
Rosen House Music Room
Tickets: $85

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Overview

Long before becoming synonymous with Christmas, carols originated in medieval Europe as lively folk dances structured around alternating stanzas and refrains. Over centuries, this versatile genre moved from communal revelry into sacred traditions, giving rise to some of the world’s most cherished anthems. This lecture explores that rich evolution through the surprising backstories of several iconic carols, including "Veni Emmanuel," which originated as a funeral chant; “O Tannenbaum," a tribute to nature that doubled as a Civil War anthem; and "Stille Nacht," written in a quiet Austrian village before famously echoing across a World War I battlefield. Together, these vignettes reveal how local folk customs and monastic devotion intersected to forge a global holiday tradition.

This class, taught by Juilliard Extension Music Theory and Analysis Chair Patrick Kreeger, is a great primer for the Christmas With Cantus performance on Sunday, December 6, 2026.

Featured concert repertoire to be explored:

• Spencer: The Lamb
• Harrison: Tiny Child
• Whitacre: Lux Aurumque
• Izumi: "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o"
• Ramírez: "Los Pastores"
• Quartel: Sing, My Child
• Traditional Slovenian: Ta Stara Božična Pejsen” (arr. Janez Močnik)
• Biebl: Ave Maria
• Gruber: “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) (arr. Christopher Harris)
• Traditional English: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (arr. Christine Donkin)
• Arnesen: Even When He Is Silent
• Camm: Alleluia! Into the Light
• Uusberg: Mis on inimene
• Vergara: Mensaje de Paz (arr. Alberto de la Paz)
• Robles: Kujichagulia
• Rachmaninoff: "Bogoroditse Devo” (arr. Thomas Beveridge)"
• Traditional Scottish: “Auld Lang Syne” (arr. Jo Goldsmith-Eteson)

About the Series

Caramoor is teaming up with Juilliard to offer a series of six Extension courses, open to all, that give audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the themes presented on stage throughout the Rosen House Concert Series. Participants will learn from some of the most acclaimed professors and lecturers and engage in thoughtful discussion with fellow music lovers. Classes can be taken individually or as an Classes can be taken individually or as an entire series.

Also in the Series: Oct 22 / From Beethoven to Bartók: The Expanding World of Chamber Music; Feb 24 / Mendelssohn's Grand Tour: Travel, Discovery, & the Sound of Europe; Mar 24 / The String Quartet Across Three Centuries; Apr 7 / Music, Faith, & Power in the Baroque World; Apr 14 / Night, Memory, & Imagination: Romantic Piano Tradition

Know Before You Go

Music Room

At the heart of the historic Rosen House, the Music Room is a soaring yet intimate space used for chamber music, recitals, American roots music and jazz performances, as well as lectures and Caramoor's popular Afternoon Teas. You’ll find yourself surrounded with Renaissance furniture, stained glass windows and architectural elements the Rosens collected and installed in this unique space. Only covered beverages are permitted inside during performances.

Click to view all upcoming Music Room concerts.

Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas CarolThu, Nov 19, 2026, 6:00PMloading...loading...

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Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol

Overview

About the Series

Know Before You Go

Music Room

Visit Us

Make a Gift

Overview

About the Series

Visit Us

Make a Gift