Ah Holy Jesus
Herzliebster Jesu. Ah, Holy Jesus. Brought to you by Johann Heermann. A Christian hymn which showcases deep anguish and sorrow, yet a cadence of joy. Or is it simply realization?
He’s done it all for us.
I wish to think Sufjan Stevens has more than just three versions of this song tucked away in his dark Michigan basement, sharing a shelf with his collections of crucifixes and rainbow flags. Alas, we are left with three available to our ears. These three songs have had and will continue to have a rooted connection with me, and I assume many others. Although I have no fascinating backstory tied to this series, I feel my relationship with them is something I will strongly value throughout my life.
Christmas is joyful. You know it — red and green and lights and children and bells and snow. Perhaps the latter is not entirely relevant here in Queensland, Australia, but I can dream. So why oh, why did Sufjan include this song about Jesus Christ’s horrific death on the cross in his Christmas album? If anything, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus – His death is for Easter.
But tell me this – why was He born if not to die. His death (and resurrection) is for all seasons. And I believe Sufjan made the conscious decision to include such a piece three times to drive that specific message home.
It is the dull piano beginning that gets me. I can hear it in my mind even when the song is so far away from me. Proceeded by the happiest tune of all (“We Wish You A Merry Christmas”), “Ah Holy Jesus” turns down the seasonal festivities and turns up the reality. This starkness of these two pieces, tracks eight and nine on I Am Santa's Helper, works to bring people back. It makes me want to cry. I think. It’s horribly beautiful. My heart pounds with sadness and passion every time those dark, piano keys are pressed, even when listening through the medium of technology. The choir. Sufjan’s vocals are so prevalent yet do not take away from the velvet chorale. Each verse, Sufjan gets sucked in by more voices. Added voices. The choir isn’t perfect, but there is visible passion within their vibrations. The voices move through the air in haunting harmonies, and I just wish I was in that space.
The second version, “Ah, Holy Jesus (with reed organ),” comes a few tracks later. It’s faster, quicker, and more desperate. It’s almost as if Sufjan huddled the choir together and said, “we are going to take this to the next level. Be passionate and be real.” If the original “Ah, Holy Jesus” holds my heart close, then “(with reed organ)” crushes it magnificently. I do not only wish I was in this space; I wish I was in them. In the singers’ hearts, just to sit and look around. I give a nod of acknowledgment to whoever created music. How is it so effective for those who present it as well as those who listen?
We finish our journey of “ah” then “AH” with a lyricless rendition a few tracks after that. A cappella is such a dear thing to me. I am coming up on my fourth year in my current a cappella choir, which amounts to seven years total of a cappella singing and thirteen years of choir singing. It’s obviously quite a large part of my life, and I wish to integrate Sufjan’s songs into our repertoire wherever possible. So, upon viewing the track “Ah, Holy Jesus (a cappella)” I immediately fell in love. As if this series could get any better. Subtle “ooo”s fill my ears and I am grateful for Sufjan and Jesus. Returning from the desperation of ‘(with reed organ)’, listeners are now welcome to participate in a somber yet joyful mood. Quite oxymoronic, not unlike Sufjan Stevens.
Perhaps these clashing, harmonious feelings are to do with the slight cadence or Picardy third at the very end. It’s hard to tell, however, if this is a true Picardy third, as it seems the third is missing from the chord. The third is important because it determines the tonality, that being major or minor. In the other two versions of “Ah, Holy Jesus,” it’s clearly telegraphed that they end with minor chords, tying the song back to its minor tonality. However, I can’t help but question this a cappella version, as there seems to be no third in the last chord. If there is, it is either extraordinarily subtle, or I am losing my hearing or my sanity. If the third is sharpened, it will result in a Picardy third, meaning the song will end, for lack of a better word, happy. Given the final lyrics of the song “For my salvation” one wonder if perhaps this was a choice. If no third is present, the tune ends with a 5th chord (just the first and fifth are played), which leaves the series open-ended.
But enough of this analyzing. I think I just need to set myself down onto the floor and cry for a moment or two.
Jemima Moore is a freshly-no-longer-a-teen student from Brisbane, Australia who fears the future and is passionate about all dogs. She’s not good at many things but likes to stick her fingers in many cold, art pies. Find such art pies on her website.