On Sunday afternoon, December 10, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., the community will celebrate the holidays with popular singer, songwriter, and Victorian history interpreter Diane Taraz at the Benjamin Caryl House, 107 Dedham Street, Dover. Ms. Taraz will perform and lead a sing-a-long in traditional, though not necessarily religious, holiday music from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Period refreshments will also be served. Admission is free.
By the mid-19th century, English and European changing traditions regarding Christmas and the holidays in general became increasingly popular all across America. Although Benjamin Caryl, the Town’s first minister and original owner of the home he built in 1774, would definitely not have celebrated Christmas in any way, by the time his descendants lived in the house in the mid to late 1800s, surely some recognition of the joy that can be found in the holiday season would have crept into this house, as well as throughout the town and the entire country.
Diane Taraz offers selections including “The One-Horse Open Sleigh,” popularly known as “Jingle Bells,” written in 1850 by James Pierpont of Medford. The song describes a time when one could hitch a fast horse to a sleigh and dash through open fields, which are now completely filled with buildings and roads. Pierpont’s original melody was quite a bit more athletic than the one used now.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” a song from the 1770s, was mentioned in Charles Dickens’ classic tale of redemption, “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens gave readers a vivid picture of life in England at a time when poverty was rampant and many were dependent on private charity, such as that promoted by the gentlemen who visit old Mr. Scrooge seeking donations.
“O, Christmas Tree” began as a German folk song that evolved into a carol after Queen Victoria’s German-born husband, Prince Albert, introduced the first decorated evergreen tree to England. The custom soon spread to American, which still drew many of its social traditions from Great Britain.
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is a poignant poem penned in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at the height of the Civil War, when “peace on earth” seemed a distant dream. Diane includes two verses about the war that are nearly always left out when this carol appears in hymnals or songbooks.
These are only a few of the songs and stories she will present in this special Victorian Christmas at the Caryl House. The Historical Society is looking forward to launching the holiday season for children and adults alike.
