Black Music Sunday: Christmas a capella and more!

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The sound of unaccompanied voices with pitch-perfect harmonies weaving Christmas standards together is magical. Whether they are sung by small groups or larger choirs, this music is something that you don’t have to be religious, or even Christian, to appreciate. For those of you who will be gathering together with family and friends, or perhaps just staying quietly at home, I’m pleased to share some of my favorite songs of the holiday season sung a capella, along with one large choral production that was a star-studded moment in music history.

RELATED STORY: Enjoy an a capella Christmas

Kings Return is an a capella vocal group founded in 2016 by J. E. McKissic, Gabe Kunda, Vaughn Faison, and Jamall Williams in Texas. They became known for videos they posted to social media of the group “singing in stairwells,” which provided exquisite acoustics. In an interview with The Lively Times, they said:

“We joke around that the stairwell is our fifth member,” says Williams. “People love to see it, and we really like the sound.”

They all started singing in church and went on to study music. “We’re all from music education programs, and we pull in different genres – some jazz, R&B, a little bit of classical and gospel,” he says. “We sing a little bit of everything.”

Just as their music career was taking off in January 2021, members of the group got COVID-19, which Jeremy Hallock reported for The Dallas Morning News:

James Emory McKissic, the group’s founding member known simply as “JE,” tested positive on Dec. 3. The 40-year-old has six children and says the virus spread throughout his family. … “It was going to be our biggest year,” says McKissic, who formed Kings Return in 2016 to perform at churches and special events. He attended Arlington’s Martin High School, like members of the superstar vocal group Pentatonix.

“We were busy before, but this was a whole other level. We were getting calls from record companies. Dan Rather followed us on Twitter, and we were reposted by Wanda Sykes, Anita Baker and Viola Davis.”

The group rehearses and shoots its videos at Cornerstone Baptist Church, which was initially started by McKissic’s father, William McKissic, in the garage of his family home in Arlington back in 1983. JE thinks he may have caught the virus when Kings Return rehearsed with a friend who tested positive days later. A month later, McKissic had recovered and his voice was unaffected. But plans for a rehearsal were scrapped when another member, Vaughn Faison, revealed that he was waiting on test results after having symptoms. He tested positive for COVID-19 later that day, on Jan. 5, after visiting family in New York for the holidays.

Thankfully they all recovered. In November 2021 they released A Merry Little Christmas. They just released Rove in September 2022.

Here’s their live stairwell performance of “Carol of the Bells” from their Christmas album.

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Rosie Pentreath at Classic FM reports that “Carol of the Bells” origins are in Ukraine.

‘Carol of the Bells’ is a Ukrainian-American carol. The melody is taken from a Ukrainian folk chant, known since the 20th century as ‘Shchedryk’. And the lyrics are by American composer Peter Wilhousky.

‘Shchedryk’ translates as ‘The Little Swallow’ and before the Christmas lyrics were set, it was originally sung for the new year. It was arranged to tell the story of this little swallow by Ukrainian composer and teacher Mykola Leontovych in 1914.

RELATED STORY: The Ukrainian folk song that became a symbol of freedom and a popular U.S. Christmas carol

A song that I have sung in choirs over the years for Christmas Eve is “O Holy Night.” I was surprised when I learned about its origins, at Galaxy Music Notes:

“O Holy Night” has a controversial, albeit intriguing history. The dissensions attached to it can be connected with two distinct facts - Placide Cappeau, the lyricist being an atheist, and Adolphe Adams, the composer being a Jew. Neither were so-called “church regulars,” which created a furor among the conservative Church authorities. Although “O Holy Night” was initially incorporated and accepted into Christmas services, its Atheist-Jewish origin was soon discovered.

The carol was subsequently declared unsuitable for Christmas services and received an immense amount of flak for a “lack of musical flavor” and the stark absence of religious spirit. The lyrics focused on humanity and championed humility. The fact that all men and women can have “souls” was considered to be highly radical at that time. The Catholic Church tried its best to bury the song, and somewhat succeeded. However, the English translation by John Sullivan Dwight revived it, focusing on the universality of the “human spirit.” Dwight’s version quickly became famous in the United States of America due to the ongoing Civil War.

Catholic attitudes seem to have shifted, for Sarah Robsdottir, in the Catholic newsletter Aleteia wrote:

Aleteia reached out to the band to ask why they chose to feature this particular Christmas carol in such a special way, especially when their new album A Merry Little Christmas offers so many lovely selections. Gabe Kunda, the group’s bass, explained the choice had to do with his late mother, who was from the Democratic Republic of Congo:

“She used to sing this song in French and it stuck with me every time Christmas came around — to the point where I couldn’t even sing it without getting choked up. The message of the song coupled with those sentiments are what make ‘O Holy Night’ so near and dear to my heart.”

That touched me, because one of the fondest memories I have of my mom was her singing “O Holy Night” in French every Christmas Eve.

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Though “Ave Maria” is not a Christmas carol, Franz Schubert’s classic is often played during the season. The Kings Return version is exquisite.

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Shifting gears and ears to another a capella group whose musical roots are jazzy, meet Afro Blue, who are the pride and joy of HBCU Howard University.

Afro Blue was formed by Connaitre Miller in the spring of 2002. Now in their 18th year of existence, Afro Blue, the dynamic vocal jazz ensemble from Howard University, has performed to wide critical acclaim. Singing music similar to the styles of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, while adding their own unique sound, Afro Blue continues to maintain a standard of excellence from year to year. Their repertoire is an eclectic mix of musical styles from traditional and contemporary jazz favorites to modern jazz and R & B influenced original songs.

RELATED STORY: Can the human voice replace an instrument? Inside the magic of vocalese jazz

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Their We Shall Overcome album features a lovely version of “We Three Kings.”

‘We Three Kings’ (or ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’) is an Aeolian mode Christmas carol dating from 1857. The carol was composed by American clergyman and hymnodist, John Henry Hopkins Jr. and appeared in his Carols, Hymns and Songs collection in 1872. Its original use was for an elaborate Nativity drama Hopkins was staging.

It’s intended as an Epiphany carol, meaning it’s technically meant to be sung towards the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Epiphany is 6 January in 2020). But with its great tune and message of hope, the popular carol – which was originally published as ‘Three Kings of Orient’ – is still one of the most frequently performed throughout the entire Christmas season, including before Christmas Day.

RELATED STORY: Celebrating Three Kings Day, or Día de los Reyes Magos

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They’re closing out today’s acapella section with their rendition of “Christmas Time Is Here,” which has an interesting genesis, described at SongFacts:

This piano-based piece has become a Christmas favorite thanks to its use on the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, where the Peanuts characters sing the song. The vocal version runs 2:47, while an instrumental version goes 6:07. Vince Guaraldi, who composed the tune, also wrote the score for the special, which is the famous Peanuts theme music (the song is actually called "Linus and Lucy"). Using jazz in a children's special was very unusual, but it was a brilliant choice, helping the special appeal to both kids and adults.

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Now for the “and more,” I was delighted to revisit the winner of the 1992 Grammy for “Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album” from the 1991 Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration Hallelujah!, which was produced by Mervyn Warren, who was an original member of the a cappella group Take 6.

Jonathan Kandell shared some Messiah history for Smithsonian Magazine:

George Frideric Handel's Messiah was originally an Easter offering. It burst onto the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The audience swelled to a record 700, as ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses "without Hoops" in order to make "Room for more company." Handel's superstar status was not the only draw; many also came to glimpse the contralto, Susannah Cibber, then embroiled in a scandalous divorce.

Now, of course, Messiah is a fixture of the Christmas season. Woe to the concert hall in the United States or Britain that fails to schedule the piece around the holiday, when, as well, CD sales and Web downloads of the oratorio soar. For many amateur choirs, the work is the heart of their repertoire and the high point of the year. In most of Handel's oratorios, the soloists dominate and the choir sings only brief choruses. But in Messiah, says Laurence Cummings, director of the London Handel Orchestra, "the chorus propels the work forward with great emotional impact and uplifting messages."

I can remember belting out segments of the Messiah on the New York City subway traveling to chorus rehearsals, and the appreciation of the riders. I enjoy revisiting this particular performance because there are some well-loved musicians involved, and their transcendent joy performing together is visible (and audible).

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You will recognize some of the faces—this is a star-packed chorus!

Featured artists (video): Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Patti Austin, Bernie K., Daryl Coley, Commissioned, Andraé Crouch, Sandra Crouch, Clifton Davis, Mike E., Kim Fields, Larnelle Harris, Edwin Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Linda Hopkins, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Lizz Lee, Dawnn Lewis, Babbie Mason, Johnny Mathis, Marilyn McCoo, Stephanie Mills, Jeffrey Osborne, David Pack, Phylicia Rashad, Joe Sample, Richard Smallwood, Sounds of Blackness, Take 6, Darryl Tookes, Mervyn Warren, Thomas Whitfield, Vanessa A. Williams, & Chris Willis.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. Please join me in continuing to celebrate in the comments section below!