Angels We Have Heard On High
Honestly, how much is there to say about a 48-second song which contains no words and one instrument repeating a single chord progression? Turns out, with Mr. Stevens, a surprising amount. While short, this version of “Angels We Have Heard On High” is indicative of a sonic palette influenced by Minimalism, specifically titans of the genre Philip Glass and Steve Reich, and illustrative of traditional church music.
Songs for Christmas, Vol. II (titled "Hark") was recorded in December 2002, a year after Sufjan's electronic Enjoy Your Rabbit and only half a year before his breakthrough album Michigan. While it's not surprising for Sufjan to pivot sonically like this, the transition he made from a song cycle about the Chinese Zodiac with elements of glitch and IDM to ornamented indie folk is surprising.
Nearly a minute into Enjoy Your Rabbit centerpiece "Year of the Dragon," the bell-sounding synth shifts into an arpeggiated pattern like that of “Angels We Have Heard On High,” sonically comparable to the handbells ding-donging their way through the piece. However, a more specific touchpoint that references Minimalism is Philip Glass's Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack (compare the song “Resource” to the melodic movement a minute into "Year of the Dragon"). Even a 2004 article from the Harvard Crimson references Sufjan studying "the complexities of Philip Glass."
The year following AWHHOH, Stevens released Michigan, whose song "Alanson, Crooked River” uses a fluid bell pattern to represent the rushing waters of Crooked River. Naturally, anytime anyone uses bells in this repetitive manner, the obvious touchpoint is Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, a masterpiece of modern classical and the seminal example of Minimalism. In fact, Asthmatic Kitty's press release for Michigan included a quote–– "…a transgressive, majestic album conjuring an academic jam session of Stereolab and Luke Vibert conducted by Steve Reich."
The Steve Reich comparisons grew exponentially ("steve reich" + "sufjan stevens" + "illinois" searched on Google yields over 3000 results) with 2005's Illinois album closer "Out of Egypt…" referencing Reich's push-pull harmonic technique from Music for 18 Musicians, both of which feature the liberal use of handbells. Generally, though, more overt references to Minimalist works ended after Illinois.
However, while Stevens' interest in bells as an instrument may lie with his incorporation of Minimalist techniques, his use of the bells is in keeping with religious tradition. Bells have been a part of Christian religious services for hundreds of years. One author says, "During Mass, bells are rung at the consecration…partly to echo the hosannas of the heavenly choirs." Angels we have heard on high indeed. In a 2006 interview, Sufjan stated, "On an aesthetic level, faith and art are a dangerous match. Today, they can quickly lead to devotional artifice or didactic crap." The brevity of “Angels We Have Heard On High” and the restless tinkering with Minimalism prevent this piece from becoming either devotional artifice or didactic crap.
That said, will “Angels We Have Heard On High” be on a Christmas party playlist? Unlikely. But it works as a piece of music and a moment in Sufjan's oeuvre that helps you understand his artistic interests and musical restlessness, which elevate him above being a traditional folkie.
Alex Hotovy is currently living and working in Washington D.C. DM him on Twitter @ahotovy if you have opinions of Bob Dylan or the Seattle Mariners.