Greatest Christmas Carols during the Covid-19 pandemic

This research project examines the experiences of church musicians from the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on the Greatest Christmas Carols -events.

Introduction

The study is limited to two Finnish-speaking dioceses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (Helsinki and Oulu), where restrictions due to pandemic were partly different. Research materials have been collected from church musicians within the parishes of the aforementioned dioceses through questionnaires and group discussions.

Before the corona pandemic started in spring 2020, the Greatest Christmas Carols were the most popular music event in Lutheran congregations. The pandemic changed the activities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in a decisive way since it was not possible to organize gatherings in parishes in a customary way due to various restrictions and safety instructions. The content and working role of church musicians also changed significantly, especially because of the streaming of the events: the accompanist and live musician became a soloist, whose work was watched on screens at home. This change was particularly evident in the Greatest Christmas Carols -events, which traditionally have had a strong emphasis on singing together.

The contact information for the project

    • Samuli Korkalainen

    • Specialist, Research services, University of the Arts Helsinki
      Part-time teacher, DocMus Doctoral School, Sibelius Academy
      Part-time teacher, Church music and organ (Helsinki), Sibelius Academy
      Visiting researcher, MuTri Doctoral School, Sibelius Academy
    • +358504060649

Project name

Greatest Christmas Carols during the Covid-19 pandemic

Time

12/2020