** STOP PRESS** We’re into the final festive countdown and I thought it might be a nice present to give you a soundtrack to the big occasion, so all 25 (or possibly more!!??) tracks will be built into a media player for your enjoyment on the big day. Whether you’re cooking, chilling or taking part in some ritual behaviour of your choosing, check back for the musical backdrop to whatever you’re up to. Tell the world! Get them tuned into the grooviest, alternative, seasonal tunes going. **STOP PRESS**
More commonly known by its first line than actual title, A Visit From St. Nicholas, this poem, written for his children by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822 and subsequently published at first anonymously, has much of our current Christmas iconography nailed. There are a few twists, however, with Santa being described as an Elf, smoking a pipe and then there are the miniature reindeer. The recitation was recorded for the Midwinter Box set released by Free Reed that comes packed with fascinating song and information contained in the expansive book. It’s read here by Mike Hockenhull, who had a hand in the recording of new material for and the realization of the set. Our current Santa was famously created for Coca-Cola, owing his widespread recognition to the adoption of the new medium of television to deliver the advertising message. The whole Santa thing is very curious, however, combining Saint Nicholas, renowned for giving gifts anonymously to the poor with older, European elements possibly relating to Odin, notably the long flowing beard and flying animal transport. I note however that the goat, pictured here, wasn’t retained. Saint Nicholas was apparently concerned with anonymously gifting money to be used as a dowry for young women to avoid them being driven to prostitution. In one case he is said to have thrown coins down a chimney to avoid detection. But given that he’s also venerated for reviving three people killed and turned into meat pies, it’s all a bit moot!! Significantly, the church objected to the way the secular Santa (or Father Christmas) brought undue attention to whole commercial business of giving gifts as early as the C16th. Anyway, you can’t fool me there ain’t no sanity clause…
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Thanks to both of you for the correction. I blame the tinytype on the CD although ‘Should have gone to Specsavers’ may apply!!
Reinhard says it’s Mike HOCKENHULL, and I’ve never know Reinhard to be wrong….
I hadn’t realized how good this poem sounds when it’s sung to the tune of “Sweet Betsy from Pike.” You can hear a recording at the Website of the late Erik Darling, http://www.erikdarling.com/
Mudcat has a number of threads on this work. Try here:
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=123766
And follow the crosslinks at the top of the page.
-Joe Offer, The Mudcat Cafe-