Tunes o' Christmas

Each year, it seems like the holiday shopping season starts earlier than the year before. Happy Hallothanksmas, y'all! I have a strict rule about not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, though, so now I can indulge myself. Here are a few favorites.

The best Christmas album in our house is Christmas through the Ages. It consists almost entirely of choral pieces by some of the best ensembles in the world. There are a few classic carols, like "Hark, the herald angels sing" and a fine version of "O come, O come Emmanuel." But most of the other pieces are more obscure. One song we heard performed live by the Boston Camerata and have come to love is the Spanish tune, "Riu, riu chiu." Turn up the volume for that one, and try to follow the rhythm (I can't).

But my two favorites on this record are Poulenc's "O magnum mysterium" and Britten's "In the bleak mid-winter." Both are by twentieth century composers, and while Watoosa and I tend not to care much for modern stuff, I find myself getting into a lot of modern sacred choral music. Poulenc's piece actually sounds much older, though, and there are parts of it that show an influence from the Russian Orthodox choral tradition (which I really like, too). The piece flows from quiet and ethereal to loud and powerful and back again. Britten's setting of "In the bleak mid-winter" sounds nothing like the familiar version. The traditional setting is fine, but Britten gives the poem music that is rather eerie in its use of odd, slightly dischordant harmonies. The text is sung slowly and faintly--I have to turn the volume way up to be able to hear it well. Then some of the choristers superimpose over it an old English folk song,"The falcon hath borne my make away." I know the phrase "hauntingly beautiful" gets bandied about too much, but this piece just is hauntingly beautiful. I've never heard anything like it.

Another favorite in our house is the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. I can't say whether I'd enjoy this album as much if I hadn't grown up watching (and loving) the TV special. But there's some good stuff here. I especially like Guaraldi's originals; "Christmastime is here" is wonderfully melancholy. Sometimes Christmas isn't a joyous season at all, and this song captures that. (Fun facts: Arrested Development used it in one episode, and I once saw Stone Temple Pilots perform it on TV; snaps to AD and STP for that).

I also drag out a vinyl recording of one of Bing Crosby's Christmas radio broadcasts. I uncovered it in a Chicago record store and bought it for a dollar. Yes I know, Der Bingle did a lot of schmaltzy stuff in his day. But the man could sing. This record is full of corny skits, holiday songs, and occasional commercials for Kraft products (the show's sponsor). I like this record partly for its kitsch value. But it's also interesting because the show aired in 1942, the first full year of WWII for Americans, so the show has a few somber moments that temper the holiday cheer. The fact that I'm listening to it on vinyl makes it all the more sentimental--perfect for Christmas, especially when I’m stone drunk with egg nog it’s nice and cold outside. I also like it because it features a dramatic reading of "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" that is so over-the-top histrionic that it drives Watoosa into a fit of rage. Good times.

For another combination of kitsch value and genuine talent, check out Elvis's Christmas Album. When Elvis was "on," he was fantastic. He wasn't just a white kid who could imitate a bluesman--he was the real deal. But as his career progressed, his choice of songs often became as corny as his taste in couture. Sadly (or comically, if you prefer), most of the tracks on this album show the "E-Z Listening" Elvis. But the first track, "Santa Claus is Back in Town," absolutely cooks! It reminds you of what he was capable of doing as a singer. My version came out in the seventies, and features a different set of tunes than the one I've linked to here. Gone is the laughable, "Mama loved the roses," with its tear-jerker (from laughter, that is) spoken-word bridge. I first came across this album on an ill-fated road trip with blakbuzzrd and Jim; guffawing over that record was about the only thing that kept us going. On the other hand, this new version has a few gospel numbers, and Elvis always knew how to treat that material.