Music for the Christmas
Holidays
by: Tony Wiseman
In our multi-cultural societies today the run up to Christmas is
experienced in many different ways. The commercial version pioneered by
Coca Cola's magazine advertisements which established the red suited Santa
Claus image, washes over us all through the TV advertisements and the
decorations in the High Streets and shopping Malls. They built on and
reinforced the Victorian version of Christmas celebrations which was
dramatised by Charles Dickens in 'A Christmas Carol' which established
many of the associated food and garland rituals in the public imagination
- and helped Coca Cola promote their winter beverage sales. Much of this
is accompanied by 'seasonal' music in the form of carols and hymns - often
coral arrangements but sometimes instrumental - especially brass bands and
the dreaded sentimental Christmas pop songs.
Music is often a subtle way of getting under the radar and evoking
emotional responses from our subconscious. The commercial focus on
Christmas seeks to convert these feelings into purchases - sometimes in
crude direct appeals to consume but often in a more indirect atmospheric
ways. While the committed Christians concentrate on re-telling the
Christmas story through as many media as possible, including music - using
the Advent season to recharge their spiritual batteries and encourage
others to join them. Their tunes and some times even the words are often
hijacked by those who wish to evoke a warm hearted relaxed atmosphere for
the sale of their particular goods.
Much of this activity assumes a common Christian heritage and must
strike those who do not share that background very oddly, not to mention
the truly seasonal issues for those in the Southern Hemisphere who
celebrate Christmas in mid summer rather than the deep mid winter. There
is also the rival celebration of New Year which is a predominantly secular
affair with a very limited musical repertoire - mostly of Scottish origin
for some reason and this eclipses Christmas in many countries. Christians
adopted the pagan Winter Solstice celebrations as part of their missionary
progress but those ties were loosened by the reformation and the French,
American and Russian Revolutions amongst others.
The seasonal hit at
Download2MP3.com is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite with its Sugar Plum
Fairy which fits neatly into the Victorian Christmas story telling
context. While Debussy's Children's Corner with it's 'The Snow is Dancing'
(Northern Hemisphere Christmas/Mid Winter associations) is another
favourite and forms the backbone of our Children's Classics Collection
which includes several of our shorter and lower priced recordings. Other
beneficaiaries include our instrumental versions of the Hallelujah Chorus
from Handel's Messiah and Gounod's Ave Maria
Recordings like these are an ideal way to personalize those iPod or MP3
player gifts for a few dollars more - perhaps introducing children to the
classics in an accessible, amusing and memorable way.
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