Figure 1.--This is Lloyd Dewall's costume in a Christmas cantata during the early 20th century.

There were a range of other theatricals besides actual theatrical plays. There were a range of presentations that communities used to put on for special occasions. Some of the most popular inn America were July 4 (Independence Day) and Christmas. We believe that such theatricals were also common in Europe. These were often put on by community groups. Our understanding of these events is still limited, but we hope to gradually collect information.

Christmas Cantata

The AZO postcard photo here could have been made any time during 1904-18 era, using the AZO stamp box. The boy in the picture was Lloyd Dewall. He wrote on the back, "This is how I looked in our Xmas cantata. Lloyd Dewall". All we know about the card is that it was American. We are not precisely sure just what a Christmas canata was. A cantata in English means a choral composition, both religious and secular. A religious cantata which would normally be done as a short oratorio. A more secular cantata might be dione as a lyric drama. We think what the boy here is terferring to here is some kind of Christmas play which may have been set to music. Presumably it would have been sponsored by his church, but it may have been a community project. What conduses us is that his costume does not look much like a Christmas costume. A HBC reader writes, "A cantata is an old latin word derived from “cantare”, i.e., “singing”, “Kantate” in German? We have the very famous six Weihnachtskantaten (Christmas cantata) by the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. And there are other cantata by other composers from Germany and other countries world-wide. In European churches (catholic and protestant) there is singing in the Xmas service. I know from our church that the youngsters present the Christmas history as written in the Bible as a “Weihnachtsspiel” or “Krippenspiel” by singing more popular cantata (than the Bach cantata, which are relatively too difficult for laychild singers). The clothing of Lloyd may be for a role as the story presenter. Or, as one of the kings from the Orient with a paper crown?"

Created: 6:53 AM 11/14/2004
Last updated: 1:29 AM 11/18/2004