A Graycliff Christmas Carol
If you’ve been listening a few years, you may recall that I shared a Dickens’ A Christmas Carol three years ago (episode 008). That was the fuller version that I read for 20 years at First Baptist Church in Westfield, NJ, essentially the version that I grew up hearing my father perform as a special Christmas Eve service for the church congregations he served. The Rev. Gilbert J. Horn developed his adaptation (replete with rich vocal characterizations) in the 1960s, and I started doing it in 1996. Dad’s version was already quite condensed as compared with Dickens’ original text, but the one I’m doing here is only about half as long as that. (Photo: John Opera)
But that’s not the only difference! It may be sacrilege for a podcaster to urge you to watch instead of listen to an episode, but I’m going to make that case. This special performance was conceived as a benefit for Graycliff Conservancy here in Western New York, the organization charged with taking care of Graycliff, the magnificent summer home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Darwin and Isabelle Martin in the 1920s. Executive Director Anna Kaplan asked me if I’d be willing to do a videotaped performance as a holiday offering. As soon as I prevailed upon my oldest best friend, UB photo professor John Opera, to help me out, we started on a wild ride dreaming of how to do this in the coolest way possible. Graycliff provided for us to bring in Full Circle Studios (who filmed episode 029) to record sound and video, and we were fortunate that four members of Buffalo’s Vocalis Chamber Choir volunteered to serve as our Graycliff Carolers. You’ll hear Mike Alessi (bass), Claudia Brown (soprano), Maria Parker (alto), and Vocalis founder and director James Burritt (tenor) throughout the production.
From left, Maria Parker (alto), Mike Alessi (bass), James Burritt (tenor), and Claudia Brown (soprano), members of Vocalis Chamber Choir
Before and after each stave of the story, the carolers sing in the driveway just outside the garage door. If you’ve visited Graycliff, you may notice that the colors in this video pop a little brighter than you recall. Professor Opera, who did visual design for the project, wanted to warm up the exterior shots and cool down everything inside, so he processed all of Full Circle’s raw video digitally, using state-of-the-art techniques to achieve a distinct visual profile for every scene.
From Stave 2, Marley
The look of the section where Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old partner Marley recalls Louis Daguerre’s daguerreotypes from the 19th century. Dickens himself was photographed in daguerreotype at various points throughout his career.
From Stave 3, Christmas Past
Another form of photography growing popular in the time between Dickens and Frank Lloyd Wright was the cyanotype process developed by British polymath Sir John Herschel, with its characteristic blue tone. Compare the image at the top of the page to see how Opera’s treatment transforms the feel of the hall completely as we explore Scrooge’s past.
From Stave 5, Christmas Yet to Come
Here’s a scene shot within the garage (you’ll recognize the diamonds on the door from the caroler sequences) and made to look like Kodak’s gelatin silver black-and-white. Dominant throughout the 20th century, this photo process is still used today. To me the look is totally perfect for Scrooge’s terrifying trip to the graveyard.
Special Thanks
In addition to the singers from Vocalis, the film crew from Full Circle Studios, and especially John Opera, I must thank Roy Chambers, who designed the main title for the movie, and creative consultants Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Shayfer James, Kevin Johnson, and J. W. Gregg Meister. Thanks to Tom Makar and Michael Rosin, whose remixes of Shayfer James’ “Weight of the World” were used in the audio version of the episode. Thanks also to Anna Kaplan for inviting me to do this, and for taking as good care of all of us on set as she does Graycliff itself year round.
Point of Learning is now a member of Patreon, so if you’re interested in helping me share important ideas about what and how and why we learn—and the occasional Victorian ghost story!—please hit the button below. My great thanks to those who have already joined. Patrons include: Gilberto Belaval, Gretchen Meister & David E. Brand, Patty Cruice, David Davis, James Duggan, Dave Eisenberg, Errick L. Greene, Gregory Horn, Janice, John, Ava & Brooke Horn, Robyn Lee Horn, Greg Jackson, Tim Lear, Janet & Robert Lee, Kristen Lee, Tom Loughlin, Miriam Meister, Sarah & Peter Meister, John Opera, Gail & Frank Richeson, and Stacy Rodgers.
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