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.