Interview with Ron Clancy
It all started in the 1950 Christmas season. That was quite an exhilarating time for a six-year-old boy raised at St. John’s Orphans Asylum in West Philadelphia. The next four weeks of that holiday season brought one festive party after another. Hosted by local companies and colleges, we were filled with excitement leading up to Santa’s big day. On top of that, Villanova University students treated us to a day of shopping for Christmas gifts at the Quaker City’s premium department stores, including John Wanamaker, Strawbridge & Clothier, Lit Brothers, and Gimbels. It was a thrill just strolling along, or milling about, with the bustling crowds of shoppers, most neatly groomed and dressed, and pausing to behold the magical winter wonderlands on display in the large storefront windows. Our merriment was untold, almost mystical, and the popular holiday songs and carols that filled the air added to our festive mood. That was my first fond memory of the joys of Christmas music.
After shopping for presents, the Villanova students treated us to a grand lunch at Horn & Hardart, a glass-and-chrome cafeteria-style coin-operated automat and a Philadelphia institution since 1902. And to top the day, we were treated to a matinee double-header – a Laurel & Hardy short and the comedy Fancy Pants with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball that left us in stitches. All in all, it was a fantastic day for us orphan boys.
Finally, on a snow-dusted Christmas Eve, Sister Carmine roused us from our comfy beds for our first Midnight Mass. To this day, I have never forgotten the feeling of awe before entering the chapel. The magnificent crèche on the side of the altar quickly caught my eye. The Baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and surrounded by Joseph and Mary, shepherds, ox, ass, and sheep, and overhead was an angel bearing the good tidings. “Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.” (Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to men of goodwill.)
The ceremonial burning of frankincense only added to the drowsy and sweet intoxication caused by the lush fragrance of Christmas firs tethered to the pillars throughout the intimate chapel. But what mostly enhanced my wonderment and made the occasion truly memorable was the singing of Christmas carols. Sung beautifully by a small choir of nuns, the enchanting notes of the mystic O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, the reverential Silent Night, the Latin hymn Adeste Fideles, and other carol gems seemed to spiral heavenward as though on the wings of angels.
After Midnight Mass, Sister Carmine led us in procession across the vast concrete yard to our dormitory. A steady night wind whipped through the bare trees that only hours before had been dusted with snow, and soon Sister Marie Carmine had us all snugly tucked into bed. When the wee morning hours began weaving a final spell, I remember barely lifting my head from my pillow to catch any sighting of a foreign and ancient star. Then I fell back into a pre-warmed nestle with carols ringing in my ears and dreamed of Christmas and Santa all night.
For a six-year-old boy, the experience of attending Midnight Mass and that holiday season sparked a lifelong love for Christmas and its music.
The Christmas Song, sung by Nat King Cole, is my favorite Christmas song. I have always been a massive fan of Nat King Cole. O Little Town of Bethlehem is another favorite. It accentuates peace and calm, and the imagery is just fantastic.
I began collecting Christmas music in the late 1970s and eventually owned a sizeable library. It included many classical pieces, such as motets, Christmas concertos (Baroque), oratorios, hymns, etc., that are not usually part of mass-marketed Christmas music collections. Friends of mine suggested I write on the subject.
THE MILLENNIA COLLECTION is a planned ten-part series, the first three already published. I put it together because I felt the marketing of Christmas music had become somewhat stale. The giants of direct marketing in this genre have sold it using the same formula for the past 25 years. Instead of creating a me-too product line, I opted to develop exquisite Christmas music packages that would provide enjoyment on not one but three levels: art, fascinating stories (history), and the music itself. Songbooks come in two collections.
Before I wrote a single word, I planned to develop a series of collections, initially titled “A Christmas Festival of Great Music, Songs, and Carols.” Most of my early research was conducted in the Music Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and I eventually spent hundreds of additional hours in its Art, Religion, and Prints & Photograph departments. Other research venues included the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the fine art, music, and research libraries of the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Moore School of Art and Design, the University of the Arts, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, St. Joseph’s University, the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, Westminster College of Music, and several small branch libraries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Before purchasing a computer, I also corresponded with other seminaries and libraries via snail mail.
The research was done without regard for the late hours. At times, there were issues with accuracy, as some sources differed from others in their facts. I made an effort to account for these discrepancies.
I also consulted with Prof. William E. Studwell. One of America’s leading authorities on Christmas carols, he was the editor of the first three manuscripts.
Yes, I had to obtain hundreds of permissions from copyright owners before a book went to print. It was sometimes difficult, especially concerning some images from the late 1940s – early 1950s. For organizational purposes, I developed databases for one thousand plus copyright-protected images, song lyrics, and recordings. In some cases, I had to inform image owners that the copyrights surprisingly belonged to them. American Christmas Classics required 172 clearances before the book went to print.
I am proud to say that I was able to obtain permission for every single song I requested. It wasn’t easy, as Sony Music, the manufacturer of the music CDs and the legal negotiator of song arrangements, was denied permission on three occasions for the recording rights to Bing Crosby’s White Christmas and Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song. It was quite an adventure, not to mention my persistence, to get the rights to these two valuable American holiday songs.
A certain amount of subjectivity was involved. Still, aside from my preferences, I tried to include carols and holiday classics from a two-hundred-year period that would appeal to most customers. Most carols come from the 20th century, thus making American Christmas Classics one of the most copyright-protected collections of American Christmas music. I did not make allowances for what was copyrighted or in the public domain. You tell the history and let the chips fall where they may. As a result, the collection was quite costly to produce, making it a difficult sell despite its great appeal. Consumers would have to buy six or seven CDs to replicate American Christmas Classics, and they wouldn’t get to enjoy a lavishly illustrated book with one of the most significant collections of American Christmas art.
The author of the lyrics eventually became a socialist and denounced his Catholic faith. To boot, the music composer, Adolphe Adam, was Jewish. This combination may have played a significant role in the clergy’s aversion to the carol. But parishioners loved the carol, and eventually, conservative higher-ups relented in their criticism.
Most women highly regard this volume, but it is still too early to determine if it will succeed in the marketplace. The thought behind Children’s Christmas Classics uses a similar logic to Walt Disney’s film Fantasia. Disney wanted children (and adults) to appreciate classical music through the lens of animation. He achieved his goal, although it took many more years and multiple theater re-releases than he had envisioned. I, too, wanted to provide children with an opportunity to enjoy classical music besides their favorite holiday songs and carols. For parents, the book’s inclusion of passages supporting the Nativity gospels comes as a bonus for teaching children Bible stories.
It is the only one I have found that attempts to describe the history of Christmas music over two thousand years, and fuses it with time-honored Christmas art and music. The massive nature of the collection and insistence on creating something truly unique and beautiful sets THE MILLENNIA COLLECTION apart from most collections produced since 1980. To achieve this effort, I received the immeasurable support of a wonderful spouse, and personally followed through on a vision to do what past marketers of Christmas music said could not be done.
I hope they will come to appreciate Christmas music as an integral part of celebrating the festive time of year with family and friends. Still, most importantly, it will inspire them to celebrate the seminal event in Western History, namely the birth of Jesus Christ.
Volume Four, titled Sacred Christmas Music, is extraordinary. It begins with the history of Christmas music from the early centuries of Christianity. The artwork features many manuscript illuminations from the great libraries of England, France, and the Vatican, and famous religious paintings and other art forms highlighting the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
I wanted to create exquisite collections for those who appreciate Christmas music. Perhaps, they might consider them as family heirlooms.
Interview with Olivia Wilson
TheAuthorConnection.com
September 13, 2005