For the first time in Franciscan TV history, the Franciscan Friars of the Order of Friars Minor have curated two Christmas playlists: Cherished Christmas Songs – Friars’ Favorites! and Beloved Christmas Hymns – Friars’ Favorites!
In all, thirty-four friars picked their favorite hymns and songs and, without consulting each other or sharing Christmas tune intel, four picked “Little Drummer Boy,” making it the most popular song on its playlist, and thirteen picked “O Holy Night” as their favorite hymn.
A popular hymn is hardly newsworthy, but did you know that “O Holy Night” is a song that made history before being chosen by 38.2% of our 34 friars?
“O Holy Night” was the first piece of music in history to be broadcast on the radio. On December 24, 1906, inventor Reginald Fessenden played the hymn on his violin from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, for an audience of ship radio operators along the Atlantic coast.
The broadcast included Fessenden’s rendition of “O Holy Night” and a reading of the Nativity story from the Book of Luke.
It was the first time music and voice were transmitted over the airwaves—an event many listeners deemed a miracle!
This history-making hymn is also renowned for its dramatic build of anticipation, its emotional message of hope and redemption, its challenging vocal passages, and its powerful climax. It’s no wonder that “O Holy Night” is a multi-friar favorite!
“In a season when all of life seems to be on double-time and focused on consumerism, I find that the hymn “O Holy Night” calls me to calm down, slow down, and to remember the reason for the season—the birth of Jesus into the world and my life.”
-Bro. Michael W. Hill, OFM
“Besides the fact that O Holy Night is lyrical and memorable, for me it is more than that. I do not have a degree in music, but I have composed, sung, and learned to play an instrument. Our high school music teacher, Fr. Aubert Greiser, O.F.M., of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province, was working on his master’s in music at the University of Cincinnati while teaching us. We were all required to learn what he was learning. One aspect of that was an appreciation for the quality of a composition, not just its popular appeal.
O Holy Night has a very broad range musically, making singing it difficult for most people who normally have about an octave range vocally. O Holy Night has a range of about an octave and a half, which means the one who sings it must be more than a casual singer.
They must be someone who sings regularly and keeps their vocal range broad enough to handle the range required, even without the gloss that is often added at the end to demonstrate the singer’s mastery. Adam, who composed it, certainly knew this when he put pen to paper.
Secondly, the music can be performed either chorally or instrumentally, or by both a chorus and a symphony. A master musician can perform it solo as a vocal or as an instrumentalist no matter the instrument’s range. It can be performed by an orchestra, an ensemble, a trio or quartet, etc. It can be performed by a full chorus or by a small group. It is that versatile.”
-Bro. Ron Walters, OFM
“Besides the fact that O Holy Night is lyrical and memorable, for me it is more than that. I do not have a degree in music, but I have composed, sung, and learned to play an instrument. Our high school music teacher, Fr. Aubert Greiser, O.F.M., of the legacy St. John the Baptist Province, was working on his master’s in music at the University of Cincinnati while teaching us. We were all required to learn what he was learning. One aspect of that was an appreciation for the quality of a composition, not just its popular appeal.
O Holy Night has a very broad range musically, making singing it difficult for most people who normally have about an octave range vocally. O Holy Night has a range of about an octave and a half, which means the one who sings it must be more than a casual singer.
“I moonlighted at an Italian restaurant with singing servers from 2003 to 2013. Servers would hop up next to the piano between table services and sing a song or an aria. The best time of the year was Christmas when we sang our Christmas medley. One singer would start the beginning of “O Holy Night” and then the rest of us would come in on the Refrain, “Fall on your knees…” It was beautiful and I get goose bumps thinking of it.”
-Bro. Matt Ryan, OFM
“I first recall hearing the song “O Holy Night” in the feature film Home Alone (1990). In Home Alone, Kevin seeks out the safety of the local church on Christmas Eve. He first joins the depiction of the Holy Family in front of the church. As Christians, we are an extension of the Holy Family. For Kevin, it is an act of desperation. Once he feels safer, but still in the midst of loneliness and fear, he enters the church, and this haven provides him with a much-needed respite. The music, the architecture, and the peaceful environment envelop him. Little did he realize that he would experience a conversion when the neighbor he feared approached him with a friendly gesture and would ultimately become his savior and protector later in the film, almost like a guardian angel.
Ever since then, this hymn has had a special place in my heart. I enjoy it in multiple variations and languages – opera, pop, gospel, etc.
The hymn encapsulates the significance of Jesus’ birth – in lyrics, melody, and composition. It brings me to tears every time I listen to it:
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
In the midst of fear and suffering, God manifests His presence to us in the form of Jesus. By accepting such a powerful and loving reality, all we can do is “fall on our knees” and submit as the angels announce the birth of the Savior. Currently, it sometimes feels like we are enduring crisis after crisis globally, nationally, and locally. We may ask “Where is God?” This hymn answers the question. God is present to us even in those moments in which all hope feels lost and we may even doubt His existence.”
-Bro. George Camacho, OFM
Our “O Holy Night” Merry 13:
Bro. Kevin Mullen, Bro. Raymond Bucher, Bro. Barry Langley, Bro. Michael Hill, Bro. George Camacho, Bro. Jim Bernard, Bro. John Neuffer, Bro. Gregory Plata, Bro. Michael Perry, Bro. Roger Lopez, Bro. Joe Rozansky, Bro. Matt Ryan, Bro. Ron Walters.
Franciscan TV would like to thank all of our friar Christmas playlist curators for making kindness and service to God’s poor a ‘habit’ in all seasons, and for sharing their favorite Christmas hymns and songs.
Beloved Christmas Hymns – Friars’ Favorites! and Cherished Christmas Songs – Friars’ Favorites! are currently spreading Christmas joy at Franciscan TV, Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music. Have a Merry Christmas!