The Symphony and Tradition

With Christmas coming up tomorrow, I was recently reminded of the importance of traditions.  About a week ago, my wife and I attended a performance of the Atlanta Symphony at Kennesaw State University.  As usual, their holiday selections were a pleasure to hear.

But as I sat watching these talented musicians play, I became aware of how remarkable the concert was.  Here were dozens of separate individuals collaborating on creating musical magic.

Most of the time, we take orchestras for granted.  Even if we do not attend their performances, we know they exist.  We have heard them on the radio, on movie soundtracks, and from our i-pads.  Their music is, as it were, the wallpaper of our lives.

Nonetheless, orchestras are made up of dedicated performers, who spend years honing their craft.  Had they not cared, they would not have made the effort.  Nor would they take pride in attaining skills most of us never approach.

How then can these folks, who must have strong egos, submerge themselves in a group endeavor?  All of those involved take bows at the end of the performance, but during it, they are often regarded as cogs in a well-oiled machine.

What I realized, in listening to their joint effort, was how minutely it was orchestrated.  Different instruments contributed distinctive sounds that were exquisitely coordinated.  If only one came in at the wrong time, the impact might have been jarring.

Next I wondered how this combination came to be.  The compositions played, the instruments used, and the way these were synchronized had obviously evolved over many centuries.  They were not the product of an identifiable individual who dreamed them up in a modern living room.

What I was listening to owed to a continuously developing tradition.  Many people contributed to refining the instruments and compositions I was enjoying.  These were so complex that no single person could have ever have put all of the pieces together.

These musicians were part of a much larger tapestry.  They could not have learned their parts nor mastered their instruments had these not preceded them into existence.

Then I realized that the same applies to Christmas.  It too is a remarkably intricate tradition.  It too has many pieces we inherited from our ancestors.  They bequeathed us the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, Christmas carols, turkey dinners and streets decked out in colored lights.

Many people denigrate the holiday because they feel it imposes a particular religious system upon us.  They believe that erecting crèches in our town squares is a violation of the First Amendment.   As for me, despite my Jewish heritage, I consider this nonsense.

Christmas is both a religious and a secular holiday.  Nowadays, in addition to celebrating the birth of Christ, it celebrates the family and love.  What is wrong with that?  What is wrong in marking the winter solstice with an evocation of the new life that will erupt once spring returns?

Nowadays music is all too often a solitary event.  People are plugged in to performances that only they hear.  Even when they go to hip-hop concerts, they jump up and down in private ecstasy.  Our sense of community has long since eroded.  Why then not retain a holiday dedicated to renewing it?

Many Americans are also consumed with the new.  Novelty for its own sake has become a modern icon.  But this does not mean that what is up-to-date is always best.  The melodies of old are frequently more satisfying than the jarring rhythms of screaming super-stars.

Traditions can be comforting.  They can also lay a foundation upon which we add improvements.  Indeed, without tradition we would be adrift.  We would be thrown into the world without a compass and deprived of fellow travelers engaged in understandable activities.

So as for me, I will continue to say Merry Christmas.  What is more, my wife and I erect a Christmas tree and light a Hanukah menorah.  Here’s hoping you also have nourishing traditions.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University