[78-L] Christmas Music

[Michael Biel]

dnjchi at aol.com wrote:
> Jack (and I) were talking about purely secular Christmas songs, ie. e. "Santa Clause Is Coming to Town".

Then why his statement  "I was denied a traditional Christmas 
raising."??  When the two of you were young, this WAS a "traditional" 
type of celebration. 

> "Jingle Bells" is secular, of course, but we were thinking
> of pop songs that hit the Xmas hit parade. Don Chichester


Jingle Bells is not a Christmas song.  It is a Winter song.  When these 
songs like "White Christmas" "Rudolph" "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" 
etc. started to hit the hit parade they were NON-TRADITIONAL.  Those who 
were brought up with these other songs as they were written were being 
brought up in a non-traditional way which by now has become a new 
tradition.  In both cases I fail to see where having or not having a 
phonograph makes a difference.  Jack already said his family had a 
radio, and the new songs were added to the holiday music mix all over 
radio.  Surviving broadcasts prove it.  "White Christmas" was even 
introduced by Bing on radio the year prior to it becoming a hit record.  
As each of the earlier songs was written they also were added to the 
changing tradition.  There is the often told tale about how Silent Night 
was written and became part of the German / Austrian tradition, and it 
happens on and on and on.  When the poem "Twas the night before 
Christmas" was written it changed tradition, but it was once new.  When 
Dickens wrote his Scrooge story it also was new but it became 
tradition.  All of these newer traditions were available on records by 
the time of your childhood, but they  happened before there was the 
phonograph and it happened in spite of the phonograph.  I really think 
that radio and live performance had more influence than the phonograph.  
The tradition of the Christmas radio programs began before more than a 
very few people could record them, and the tradition of Christmas tv 
shows began before the VCR and DVD.  If anything, having Christmas 
records had very little effect beyond being able to hear them throughout 
the rest of the year when nobody was performing or broadcasting 
Christmas music.  But how many people play them the rest of the year??

Mike  Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 
>
>
> From: Jack Palmer <vdalhart at earthlink.net>
>   
>>     So far I stand by my statement.  No one has listed any true Christmas 
>> Songs like we hear at Christmas today that came out before I was 9 or 10 
>> years old.  Nothing for my early years even if we had a record player.  I 
>> was denied a traditional Christmas raising.    Jack
>>
>>   
>>     

From: Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com>

> I don't know what you are talking about.  The 1916 Victor catalog lists 
> over 30 Christmas sides in a special section.  Four versions of Adeste 
> Fideles, two each of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, It Came Upon A 
> Midnight Clear, Silent Night,  Star of Bethleham, and other titles 
> include the First Nowell, Birthday of a King, Joy to the World, While 
> Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night, Behold Christmas Lights,  
> several Christmas medleys, one of which includes God Rest Ye Merry 
> Gentlemen and Little Town of Bethleham, and, of course there's Christmas 
> Morning at Clancy's.  Two versions of Der Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas Tree) 
> are listed under German Records.  There are a couple of readings of 
> Scrooge.  Harry Humphrey read from Luke 2 with the Victor Orch playing  
> It Came Upon A Midnight Clear on the other side.  Jingle Bells is listed 
> under Oh You Silv'ry Bells by the Peerless Quar.  Hayden Quar does a 
> song Winter backed with Silver Bell.   Oh Holy Night was mentioned in 
> another post as Cantique de Noel and even Caruso recorded it.  Santa 
> Claus Hides in the Phonograph was from 1922 or 23.  There must be 
> recordings of A Visit From St. Nick from this era as well. 
>
> WHAT MUCH MORE DO YOU WANT?????????????????????
>
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
>