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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