The holidays are upon us and that means Christmas music. Love it or hate it, one thing is certain; you cannot avoid it.
But because of this, you might miss what makes Christmas music so unique and special. Three things in particular: First, this music is international. Take, for example, one of the classics of the season, the German carol “Stille Nacht,” which was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr. It has been translated, published, and sung in over 300 languages, providing a kind of Rosetta Stone that can turn anyone into a veritable polyglot.
Second, there are thousands of recorded versions in circulation. “The Christmas Song,” written by Robert Wells and Mel Torme in 1945, boasts no less than 80,000 cover versions. And these materialize in just about every musical genre and style. The song “Jingle Bells,” originally written in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont, allegedly as a drinking song, has been arranged for and recorded by big bands, klezmer orchestras, samba ensembles, and every variation of metal…heavy, death, speed, and black. So with just one carol, you can get a crash course in music appreciation.
Finally, Christmas music is perishable and comes with a built-in expiration date. Whether you like it or not, the music will come to an end, giving us 10 to 11 months to recover and then offering the opportunity to rediscover it all over again. Like migratory birds, this music comes, and it goes. But it always comes and goes.
