Hark! Season 3 debuts with a crowd favorite- “O Holy Night.” Born as a French poem in 1843, and set to music a few years later, this carol was banned for two decades from the Catholic Mass. It resurfaced in the hands of a Unitarian minister in the U.S. and became an anthem for abolitionists before the Civil War. It is also the song that you, our listeners, have overwhelmingly asked us to feature on Hark!

Conductor Colin Britt returns to the show to unwrap the soaring verses and repeating leaps and skips in the music. Daniel Williams, professor of American religion and politics and author of several books on related subjects, narrates how “O Holy Night” has helped to shape Christmas culture in 19th-century America. Finally, Greg Boyle, S.J. of Homeboy Industries, shares with host Maggi Van Dorn the profound meaning this beloved carol has for him. 

The episode features a brand new recording of “O Holy Night” performed by the renowned choir of King’s College, Cambridge, under the direction of Daniel Hyde, and arranged by John Rutter, featuring the Britten Sinfonia.

The story of Reginald Fessenden broadcasting “O Holy Night” was a theatrical production designed by our engineer, Jim Bilodeau. It incorporated a reenactment of the event available on Walts Welt Soundcloud channel. 

Special thanks to Molly Cahill, Malukah de los Santos and Alexander Knutsen, Firjii, Salt of the Sound and Echoes Blue Music, and Chad Rehmann and Cremaine Booker of Grey Duck Records for providing music for this episode.

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At the end of this episode, we’ve left a clue about next week’s carol. Guess the carol in an Instagram post, tag three friends, and follow @americamedia, and you will be entered to win a one-year digital subscription to America.

No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only 18 and older. Prize value is $49.99 each. Promotion period November 26 to December 22, 2023. Twenty winners will be randomly selected and notified by D.M. by January 10, 2023. Instagram does not endorse this giveaway.

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