“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – Pentatonix

December 25, 2022256 views0

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – Pentatonix

2022-12-25T10:32:40+01:00

By Church News

The eccentric stylings of Pentatonix are a holiday staple these days. Here, the group adds a modern twist to this traditional tune, which is also known as “Tidings of Comfort and Joy.”Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American Acappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee.Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, basslines, riffing, percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material.Pentatonix formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC’s The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music.Pentatonix released their eponymous album, their first consisting mostly of original material, which debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart for the first time in their career, followed by a third Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas, in 2016, and a new EP, PTX, Vol. IV – Classics, the year after.Pentatonix began with Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying who grew up together and were schoolmates at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas.Through a mutual friend, Hoying met Avi Kaplan, a highly recognized vocal bass in the Acappella community.Then, the trio found Kevin Olusola on YouTube, where one of his videos in which he was simultaneously beatboxing and playing the cello (called “celloboxing”) had gone viral.Pentatonix was also featured on the Chinese version of The Sing-Off as guests where Kevin showcased his fluency in Mandarin. Pentatonix also embarked on its first national headlining tour in the fall of 2012. The tour was sold-out and spanned 30 cities.Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays is the group’s sixth Yuletide release.The title is a bit of a misnomer as the repertoire performed is not “holiday music,” reflecting the multiplicity of international winter festivals, which includes (but is not limited to) Hanukkah and Kwanzaa — but Christmas songs exclusively.ALSO READ Christmas Hymn: O Holy Night by Placide Cappeau