God’s greatness inspires carol
FOR many, the work of social anthropologist Professor Barry Chevannes focused on themes such as Rastafari and ideas of masculinity. But for those in the know, the academic was also a patron of the arts.
Chevannes, who died in November 2010, contributed to the field of music as a composer and was acclaimed as an excellent baritone. It is his work as a composer of Fi Wi God Great, also know of Early Christmas morning and the Ghetto Carol, which earns him a place in Jamaica’s Christmas archives.
At the time of his death, the then executive director of the Institute of Jamaica, Vivian Crawford noted: “Christmas will not be the same this year knowing he is not around when we sing his carol Early Christmas morning”.
Early Christmas morning, when de stars dem gettin’ t’in
From a squatter’s window, a woman start fi sing
Holy, Holy, Holy him name
Fi mi God great fi true
Fi mi God great.
Chevannes’ widow, Pauletta, recalls that the now popular carol was written around 1965.
“He was a Jesuit stationed at Campion College and he had concerns about the relationship between the church and certain communities. In true fashion, he, along with another priest, an American Jim Skeecher went to live in Trench Town to better understand and assist in forging a relationship with the community. They rented a room in a tenement yard. He came out one morning and say a woman just staring out of her window and he was inspired to pen the carol,” she told the Sunday Observer.
Chevannes notes that, while the carol may not be popular among the general population, it is well known within the church community.
“Many churches are now singing Fi Wi God Great as part of their Christmas music. Last Christmas, I was invited by Father Blackwood to the Church of the Ascension in Mona. They performed a pan version and I found it extremely uplifting and I felt good”, she said.
During his lifetime, the Chevannes family would attend midnight mass at the St Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church in Gordon Town, St Andrew, on Christmas Eve. Each year Chevannes, Christmas Carol would be sung. That memory of her late husband’s work stands out for her.
“We would look forward to it at and he would perform with the congregation. We loved the sense of community and how the people would just sing. Since his passing I have not been back, but I’m feeling courageous this year and will be attending,” she said.