"Hear the bells..."

I love Christmas music... carols from long ago and songs from yesterday... traditional music as well as  jazzy, country, silly, instrumental, crooners. One of our traditions, starting when our children were in band and orchestra,  is the annual Christmas concert(s). We've been to many through the years- but this year's concert was, by far, the most notable.

Saturday afternoon we went to Washington National Cathedral for their Joy of Christmas concert. We arrived early to explore the grounds and cathedral before the concert. Okay... and because we drove into Washington DC and wanted to allow plenty of time to get lost- but we didn't!

The idea of a national cathedral dates back to the late 1700's when Pierre L'Enfant (commissioned by George Washington to create a plan for the nation's capital) first envisioned "a great church for national purposes." 

Construction began in 1907 when the cornerstone was laid- a stone from a field near Jerusalem laid into an American granite stone inscribed with "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."  (John 1:14)  The Bethlehem Chapel, the first part of the cathedral completed, opened in 1912 and soon became a place of services of national focus. The state funerals of four American presidents- Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford- and a memorial service for the victims of the 9/11 attacks are but a few of the services held at Washington National Cathedral. The completion of the west towers in 1990 marked the end of construction- an 83 year-old work in progress!

The Gothic architecture style is evident in the pointed arches, flying buttresses, gargoyles (not visible in this photo- but there are 112 of them!), vaulted ceilings and stained glass.

When viewed from above, the cathedral is in the shape of a cross with a long nave (a tenth of a mile long!) and two shorter transepts. As we walked through the building, we noticed works in wrought iron, stone, stained glass, wood and fabric decorating the building. These icons teach Christian beliefs (Creation, redemption through faith) and pay tribute to our country's history and values (a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln with a stained glass window depicting the agony of Civil War). There are many beautiful works of art and we saw only a few of them.

There are 231 stained glass windows in the Cathedral. As the sun streams through them, colors are projected on the opposite walls creating a rainbow of color. Majestic!

Now back to the music. The high tower in the photo above the stained glass photo is the only place in America to house both peal and carillon bells. We had the privilege of hearing the carillon bells playing Christmas music- absolutely heavenly! You can hear them in the video below. The Great Organ is immense- and sounds just as heavenly- with over 10,000 pipes! I could have listened to it all day but the conductor had other plans. An ensemble from Washington Symphonic Brass regaled us with several familiar carols as well as some old European Christmas songs. The two trumpeters walked down the aisles as they played- it was the ultimate stereo performance! Teen-agers from a local school performed an African Christmas song- the words told the story of Christ's birth and the music was very upbeat and joyful. And, finally, one of the Cathedral's choirs sang a selection of Christmas music- the ones in Latin were particularly lyrical and beautiful. The audience was invited to sing along with two familiar Christmas carols ending with Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!  

So what made this concert notable? The building is certainly historic and memorable. And the music was varied, performed well and a sweet dessert to my ears. But mostly it was sitting in a cathedral that so beautifully depicts Christ, listening to music that celebrates His birth and praising God for a little over an hour that made this concert so memorable. What an inspiring way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas!