Pentatonix and The First Noel

Christian music is becoming more popular in the worlds of classical and alternative rock and roll, especially with the easy access to music on youtube, mp3 players, and vimeo. Pentatonix is a rather new band that is up and coming, and I found that their style and mix of rhythms are well performed, giving audiences a new experience in listening to music that they’ve heard in the past. Some of their songs include “Little Drummer Boy,” “Hallelujah,” and “The First Noel,” which is one of my favorite religious pieces.

The song is also performed well by Carrie Underwood, a star who has continued to rise for years doing concerts in some of the biggest cities around the country. It is usually a song that is performed by church groups and choirs but it was also sung by the famous Elvis Presley, who chose to use his voice for Christian songs. Elvis had invented rock and roll with his dance moves and attire, just as Pentatonix appears in a unique outfit to sing this song in a new way. As a new band who experiments with different genres of music, their most likely to play you country music, but the Christmas album may have been seasonal for them to record.

Their voices can go from a lower baritone base to a tenor sound of notes, as vocalization is their main instrument for most of their songs. And with their talent, they may influence other bands in the music industry to play Christian contemporary songs that people never thought could be performed using sequences of solo vocalizing. They began their first album in 2012 and released their new album called Image in 2015. By using 5 talented vocalists to play a solo in different sequences, they then sing together toward the beginning and end of each song. When they sing the lyrics to The First Noel, it is clear to what the song is meaning — that a savior is born.  It tells the story of Jesus’s birthplace in Israel, where he will one day become king over the Roman and Middle Eastern Empires, as well as the rest of the world’s kings. Since the song explains that a king is born, some people may feel that the rest of his life is being left out, but that is how we know he is God and king of another world. If he is king before he is grown up, then there must be something to his mystery.

You can elaborate on the song to clarify it, telling how Jesus is not just an ordinary man who was born; but that he is  the son of man being born — the God who sent himself. Israel is the nation of the Jews, and as he is called the king of the Jews, they did not understand what he meant when the Jews put him to death at Calvary. At that time, the Jews and the Romans thought he was overthrown for claiming to be the messiah, but since he is the only way to salvation, it is the foundation of Judaism that is overthrown for not believing him. Being born a king means he is a sacrifice for the world, so if they place a crown of thorns on his head, what kind of king is that besides one who is being mocked? That does not mean they prevented him from becoming one officially, but it means that he allowed them to murder him to carry out his task for the benefit of humanity. Therefore, he is still king because he is not of this world.