Christmas music

[resonant]

The new car has an iPod-capable stereo, something I've never had in my life. So I can put all 309 of my four- and five-star Christmas songs on it. I'm having a lovely time.

So I thought I'd share some stuff with you. Come inside.

First, two pieces from the older part of the collection, to make a point:

The spouse pointed out to me that the Christmas music they bombard us with on the radio this time of year really only has two moods: cheerful (from "Jingle Bell Rock" on back) and conspicuously pious ("O Holy Night" comes to mind). "When it's Christmas and you're sad, or sick, or worried about someone far away, that really grates on you," he says.

So I'm providing these two to add to the emotional range:

Bittersweet homesickness: Ella Fitzgerald, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." (Don't get me started on the rewritten version of this song that takes away the bittersweet so that "Next year all our troubles will be out of sight" becomes "From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.")

Pity: Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band, "Poor Little Jesus"

Now here's some stuff that's new to me this year that I'm particularly enjoying.

Mary Chapin Carpenter, "Hot Buttered Rum." Not strictly speaking Christmas music, but just a wintry love song.
Joglaresa, "Down In Yon Forest." I know I've given y'all other versions of this before. I love them all and can't bear to part with any of them. Creepy Arthurian imagery.
The King's Singers, "El Nino Querido." A pretty lullabye.
The King's Singers, "Morgen Kinder wird's was geben." I don't understand German, but it sounds like a barnyard in there.
The Festival Consort, "The Holly She Bears a Berry." Another one that I have multiple beloved versions of.
The Festival Consort, "Apple Tree Wassail." Every time I think I've heard all the wassail songs there are, I find a new one.
Grupo Canto Coral, "Ay Andar" and "A Este Sol Peregrino." I don't know much about this, but it sounds to me like Mexican baroque, which I particularly like; it's more like early music (short pieces, quite danceable), and more rhythmically interesting, than most baroque. (No, don't ask me why they're introduced in German, because I don't know.)
Kerfuffle, "Nowell, Nowell" and "Sussex Carol." Sussex is "On Christmas night all Christians sing to hear the news the angels bring." "Nowell Nowell" was unfamiliar to me.

Enjoy!

[edited to correct the Morgen Kinder link]

Comments

[florahart]

It's true, Christmas-specific music has some really clear themes and not a ton that's outside of particular range. It's like contemporary country music in this way (I observe that country has a high proportion of story songs where there's a whole story, and then a lot of songs about getting drunk and bein' boys (well, okay, and also a lot about gender normativity and how a good woman made this ol' boy a man) and a lot about cancer). Heh.

In closing: http://xkcd.com/988/

[krait]

Aww, Christmas music! Awesome! *downloads several*

I can't get the German song, though -- link goes to Three Spanish Carols/The Beloved Child.

[tingler]

The spouse pointed out to me that the Christmas music they bombard us with on the radio this time of year really only has two moods: cheerful (from "Jingle Bell Rock" on back) and conspicuously pious ("O Holy Night" comes to mind).

Oh, he put his finger on it! Usually I either barely notice or actually enjoy Chistmas music, but it just seems so damn *aggressive* this year! -- It's Christmas It's Christmas IT'S CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS!!! BE HAPPY AND BUY STUFF!!!NOW BUY MORE STUFF!!!MORE! MORE! etc.

And then I get "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Freakin' Williams stuck in my head, gorram it!

[tingler]

But thank you for the lovely music! I'm dl'ing all of it.

[nomelon]

Ooh, thank you. I'm very much enjoying my Christmas music this year, so it'll be nice to find some new songs.

[miss_pryss]

Yay! Thank you!

[some_stars]

More Down In Yon Forest! I will never say no to more of that song. Or the rest of these. Thank you!

[montanaharper]

"Traditional" Christmas music in my house has become (thanks to Offspring v2.0) the soundtrack from Nightmare Before Christmas and the bonus album featuring songs from the movie covered by various popular artists. It's pretty much the only holiday music I hear from late October until mid-January. :-)

[myalexandria]

as usual: rock on! I fell off the mix-making bandwagon again this year (I had a whole lot of songs in a file ready to work on and just never found the time) but NEXT YEAR.

[riverlight]

Belated thank you for these, especially the Ella!