Day 18: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker had its premiere in St. Petersburg on this day in 1892. It got mixed reviews, though …
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Day 17: “Harpsichord At The Holidays: Christmas Carols Past And Present,” performed by Elaine Funaro I’m a big-time public radio nerd; Commercial radio makes me …
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Day 16: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” English carol Have you heard of Postmodern Jukebox? If you haven’t, you should know about them, because they …
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Day 15: Katherine Kennicott Davis, “Little Drummer Boy” UPDATE: See parody of the Bowie/Crosby version below! There is a dark side to Christmas, music nerds …
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Day 14: Leroy Anderson, “Sleigh Ride” When I first arrived in Pittsburgh 18 months ago, I was eager to find ways to get involved in …
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Day 13: Joni Mitchell, “River” Okay, my dear music nerds, I have something to say that might make many of you mad. Don’t be mad, …
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Day 12: “Ríu Ríu Chíu,” 16th-century Spanish Carol When McDoc and I lived in Boston, we sang with a wonderful choral group, Masterworks Chorale. The …
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Day 11: “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella,” 16th-century French Carol The first year I lived in Boston, I noticed the custom of people placing a …
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Day 10: Kim Gannon, Walter Kent and Buck Ram, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Shortly after our wedding, McDoc and I loaded my car with …
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Day 9: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence” Confession: I sorta have a thing for eerie, somber music. I’m not an eerie or somber person, …
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