Luna, mit silbernem Schein

Today’s the 75^th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, so I thought I might give you something Japanese and Christmasy. Well, I couldn’t find anything that fit that bill—yeah, a whole lotta schlock out there, but nothing I could sort through.

Then I thought I’d give you a Japanese soprano singing something Western for Christmas. But even that proved to be thin on the ground.

So then I thought, “Well, Sumi Jo is a Korean soprano. But in 1941, Korea had been occupied by the Japanese for more than 30 years, so let’s try her.”

Okay—did not find anything specifically Christmas by her (yeah, “White Christmas”; yeah, “O Holy Night”…I have her Christmas CD. I just didn’t think any of it suitable for my goals here). So I’m going to conflate a lot of cultures and present Jo singing one of the many Wiegenlieder (lullabies) that frequently get co-opted for Christmas purposes. (In this case, one whose melody for a long time was attributed to Mozart, but now is believed to have been the work of one of his contemporaries.)

And she’s obviously singing at a Christmas concert. With a kid in pajamas playing a triangle.

Works for me. You got a problem with that, send a letter to the editor.

(Last year you got “Suo Gân”, which is a Welsh lullaby, so there’s precedent.)

The lyrics are lulling a little prince to sleep. This of course could refer to the Prince of Peace. But every mother thinks her baby is a prince. The mother here coos at her little one to sleep in the moon’s silvery glow, which is an image certainly in line with the birth in Bethlehem.

And Jo’s voice also has a silvery quality to it. Something to consider if you’re watching coverage of the Pearl Harbor anniversary.