Hodie Christus natus est -Santa Claus is flying to Tokyo!

Composer: Hideki Chihara

Notes from the composer:

NORAD Announcement: SANTA left Finland, crossed the Arctic Circle, and the Bering Sea, and now, is currently flying over Kamchatka toward Tokyo!

   There is a genre called “Parody mass.” It is a mass using melodies from folksongs or popular songs in the Renaissance era. When the solemn words of God are sung in the boastful familiar melodies of themselves or the popular songs, they must have felt that God is of the same mind as they are, that He sings, dances, laughs, and cries with us, that He is with us in our joys and sorrows, and that we feel a sense of closeness. I am a Japanese composer. Then I would like to write a motet featuring a melody from my own country.

   ”Hodie Christus natus est” is a song about angels and wise old men rejoicing over Christmas. I wanted to add Santa Claus to it. Santa Claus, on a sleigh filled with gifts for children, will pass over the frozen islands of Canada, Alaska, and the Bering Strait on his way to Japan, cutting his course south over Kamchatka. Finally, Hokkaido comes into view. Hokkaido is the place of the “Sōran-bushi” (traditional Japanese folk song). I composed this song to express Santa Claus’ joy at having come all the way to Hokkaido.