Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas Day History Music and More

December 6 is the Feast of Saint Nicholas.

The historical and legendary Nicholas, fourth century Bishop of Myra, is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, travelers, brewers, prisoners, prostitutes, Russia, and of course children. THAT Nicholas is celebrated for his secret acts of charity, even if he could be rather short-tempered and a bit severe. Nicholas is said to have punched a few heretics, on occasion.

One famous episode tells of Nicholas saving three daughters of a poor man from a life of prostitution by tossing bags of gold down their chimney, thereby providing them with proper dowries. The episode is reflected in the familiar pawnbrokers’ symbol of three gold spheres suspended from a bar (and also the practice of hanging stockings by the chimney with care).

In another legend, three boys are slain by a butcher, chopped up and pickled in brine, with the goal of passing them off as ham. Nicholas restores the youths, and the butcher repents. The episode forms the basis of “Nicolas and the Pickled Boys,” from the cantata “Saint Nicolas,” by Benjamin Britten. I’ll be playing it this afternoon, sometime after our noon concert.

We’ll also hear the musical equivalent of Clement Moore’s conception of St. Nick in the “Santa Claus Symphony,” by 19th century Philadelphia composer William Henry Fry.

Today’s edition of “The Classical Network in Concert” will feature the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, in a program titled “Noel: Christmas in France.” It was recorded live last December at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste, East 76th Street and Lexington Avenue, in New York City. The ensemble’s next set of concerts, “A Russian Christmas,” will take place on December 9, at 8 p.m., and December 11, at 3 p.m., at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church, 288 East 10th Street, also in NYC. You can find out more at the choir’s website, http://www.mce.nyc.

I hope you’ll join me for Christmas and more (or Moore, as the case may be), from 12 to 4:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

IMAGES: The original “Bad Santa” (left); with Thomas Nast’s reinvention, after Clement Moore

December 6, 2016
Grumpy Saint Nick Hidden History

ADVENT CALENDAR – DAY 7

December 6. Saint Nicholas Day. Yay! Jolly old Saint Nick, right? Wrong!

While it would be impossible to deny Saint Nicholas having done a lot of good in the world, with a reputation for miracles and outstanding generosity, his modesty was so extreme as to sometimes verge on the sociopathic. In fact, he suffered fools grudgingly and became cantankerous if thanked.

Nicholas is one of those rare all-purpose saints, who seems to watch over everyone – sailors, merchants, archers, prostitutes, women seeking husbands, repentant thieves, wrongly condemned prisoners, travelers, pawnbrokers, students, and of course children. Is it any wonder he’s grouchy?

The historic Nicholas served as Bishop of Myra (part of modern day Turkey) in the 4th century. When his parents died, he gave away his inheritance to the poor.

To avoid uncomfortable scenes, he developed a reputation for secret gift-giving. In one famous incident, he rescued three daughters of an unfortunate man who could not afford a proper dowry. In that time and place, it would have made them unmarriageable, and with no opportunity for honest employment, they would have had no alternative but to enter into a life of prostitution.

Nicholas learned of their plight and under the cloak of darkness passed their house three times, each time tossing a purse of gold through a window. Some traditions say he dropped the purses down the chimney; others claim he left coins in stockings left out to dry. When the elated father tried to thank him, Nicholas responded gruffly that it is God he should thank.

The next time you pass a pawnbroker’s shop, take a look at the symbol with the three spheres. Its significance is attributed to Nicholas’ gift of three bags of gold.

On another occasion, during a sea voyage, Nicholas’ ears were assailed by a cacophony of oaths and blasphemies lustily exchanged by the crew. When he tried to get them to mind their language, the sailors laughed and mocked him, and took to swearing with renewed vigor. Nicholas responded by praying for stormy seas, until the sailors dropped to their knees in repentance, effectively scared straight.

He was also wholly intolerant of pagans and heretics. He sent Arius, the father of Arianism, sprawling with a box on the ears, for his assertion that Jesus Christ is subordinate to the entity of God.

The creepiest Nicholas tale concerns the murder of three boys by a butcher during a time of famine. The butcher placed their remains in a barrel to cure, hoping to pass them off as ham(!). Not surprisingly, this didn’t go down well with Nicholas, who resurrected the three children. The episode is captured most eerily by Benjamin Britten in his cantata, “Saint Nicholas.”

While he’s not a “Bad Santa,” exactly, he’s also not the jolly old elf Clement Moore, Thomas Nast and Coca Cola would have us believe.

That said, more in that vein, here’s the “Santa Claus Symphony,” really an ambitious symphonic poem, by the Philadelphia composer William Henry Fry (1813-1864):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz8UzYe6SRk

December 6, 2014
Krampusnacht is Coming! Meet the Christmas Demon

ADVENT CALENDAR – DAY 6

Okay, I warn you right up front, if you’re devout, this one is really going to push your limits. Where do I start with Krampus?

From deep within the recesses of the Alpine psyche emerges this egregiously-horned, whiplash-tongued Christmas demon, who travels from door to door as Saint Nicholas’ barely-restrained disciplinarian sidekick. In the ultimate good cop/bad cop ploy, Saint Nicholas makes nice with children if they’ve been good. If they haven’t, they are turned over to Krampus, who beats them with a switch, slaps them in chains, and then hauls them off in his basket to be drowned in a stream or thrown into hellfire.

Oh yeah, and there are always cowbells, lots of cowbells.

Don’t shoot the messenger, folks, I’m just telling it like it is. Google him, if you don’t believe me.

The heartwarming domestic tradition was captured in this YouTube video for all to share:

For me, the acquaintance of Krampus was essentially love at first sight, and I still feel a degree of ownership when it comes to Krampus lore. Perhaps there are still some who don’t know about this twisted Christmas tradition, but every year, Krampus seems to be gaining traction – which means it is only a matter of time before he is robbed of his teeth. There are now Krampuslaufen in the United States – there’s even one in Philadelphia, for crying out loud – but they are tame affairs alongside the hardcore observances thrown by the Austrians, which often begin as parades but devolve into alcohol fueled free-for-alls.

You could spend hours on YouTube watching footage, but be forewarned that much of it has been put to unlistenable heavy metal soundtracks. In some of them, you’ll witness costumed hooligans dragging bystanders out of the crowd for a good flogging. Hey, you’ve got to know what to expect when you show up for a Krampuslauf.

Here’s a Krampus parade in Graz, with Prokofiev and Carl Orff on the soundtrack:

After hours, Krampus is as Krampus does:

In a bizarre side development, perhaps due to Krampus’ inherently salacious vibe, he has also become part of the Valentine’s Day tradition in German-speaking countries. Hence, you will find vintage postcards of Krampus casting amorous glances, terrorizing lovers, and chasing women (or running away from them).

Tonight, December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day, is Krampusnacht. If you’ve been especially naughty this year, you only have a few hours to get down on your knees and do some fast repenting.

More about Krampus (with a nice gallery of postcards) at http://www.krampus.com.

http://www.krampus.com/who-is-krampus.php

http://www.krampus.com/krampus-gallery.php

Krampus celebrated in song (and a catchy one, at that):

December 5, 2014

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