Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part VII

Today's blog continues our discussion of Leroy Anderson, whose music will be featured by Orchestra Kentucky on Monday, January 10, 2011.

Leroy Anderson's musical style, heavily influenced by George Gershwin and folk music of various lands, employs creative instrumental effects and occasionally makes use of sound-generating items such as typewriters and sandpaper. (Krzysztof Penderecki also uses a typewriter in his orchestral music, in Fluorescences, but with a decidedly less humorous effect.)

Watch an animated film by Richard Haynes and Mikolaj Watt in which a low-level office worker get excited by the sight of a old-fashioned typewriter and imagines himself as being an assistant to the CEO as he bangs out a long report. The music for the film is Leroy Anderson's The Typewriter.

Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part VI

Mitchell Parish

Rodgers had Hammerstein. George had Ira. Loewe had Lerner. In the case of Leroy Anderson, he had Mitchell Parish.

Anderson's pieces and his recordings during the fifties conducting a studio orchestra were immense commercial successes. As mentioned in yesterday's blog, Blue Tango was the first instrumental recording ever to sell one million copies. His most famous pieces are probably Sleigh Ride and The Syncopated Clock, both of which are instantly recognizable to millions of people.  Mitchell Parish added words to tunes such as Syncopated Clock, Sleigh Ride and Blue Tango. Much of the success of these pieces, especially Sleigh Ride, may be credited to Parish's clever lyrics.

Mitchell Parish was born on July 10, 1900 to Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old. They settled first in Louisiana, where his paternal grandmother had relatives, but later moved to New York City.

By the late 1920s Parish was a well regarded Tin Pan Alley lyricist in New York City. Besides writing the lyrics to the aforementioned Anderson compositions, he also penned the lyrics to songs such as Star Dust, Sweet Lorraine, Deep Purple, Stars Fell on Alabama, Sophisticated Lady, Volare (English lyrics), Moonlight Serenade, One Morning in May, and Louisiana Fairy Tale, which was the first theme song used in the PBS production of This Old House.

Mitchell Parish died on March 31,1993 in Manhattan at the age of 92. He was buried in Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, New York.

Watch Leroy Anderson sing Mitchell Parish's lyrics to his composition, The Waltzing Cat (sung at Anderson's home in Woodbury, CT).

Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part V

Today's blog continues our discussion of Leroy Anderson, one of music history's greatest composers of light symphonic music.

Anderson was a reserve Army officer and was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. During the war, in 1951, Anderson wrote his first hit, Blue Tango. 

Although Mitchell Parish added lyrics, the instrumental version recorded by Anderson (Decca Records, with the flip side Belle of the Ball) reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1952. It first reached the Best Seller chart on December 21, 1951 and lasted 38 weeks on the chart. It was the first instrumental recording ever to sell one million copies.


Parish's lyrics:

Here I am with you, in a world of blue,
While we're dancing to the tan-go we loved when first we met.
While the music plays, I recall the days,
When our love was a turn that we couldn't soon forget.
As I kiss your cheek, we don't have to speak,
The vio-lins like a choir ex-press the de-sire,
We used to know, not long ago.
So just hold me tight, in your arms to-night,
And the blue tan-go will be our mem-o-ry of love.

Listen to Anderson's million-selling, number one hit!

Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part IV

Today's blog continues the bio of Leroy Anderson, whose music will be featured on the January 10, 2011 concert of Orchestra Kentucky.

In 1942 Leroy Anderson joined the U.S. Army, and was assigned to Iceland as a translator and interpreter. Later in 1945 he was assigned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence. But his duties did not prevent him from composing, and in 1945 he wrote The Syncopated Clock.

Anderson had been invited by Arthur Fiedler to guest-conduct the Boston Popular ("Pops") Orchestra during their annual Harvard Night. Anderson wanted to introduce a new work to Fiedler and composed a song about a clock with a syncopated rhythm. The idea of the title reportedly occurred to him before he wrote the music. In a few hours he wrote the music, scored it for orchestra and then mailed it to Symphony Hall in Boston. Fiedler had the orchestra parts copied from the score. Then, with a 3-day pass, Anderson traveled from his home in Arlington, Virginia to Boston where he conducted the premiere on May 28, 1945. Anderson recorded the work for Decca Records during 1950 with the best musicians selected from various New York orchestras. This was true for all of his recordings for Decca, collected as "Leroy Anderson and his Orchestra." Anderson's "orchestra" was an assemblage of musicians hired by Decca specially for Anderson's recordings.

The album entered the charts on March 23, 1951 and spent 14 weeks there, maximizing at number twelve, while a version credited to the Boston Popular Orchestra itself (released by RCA Victor Records) entered on June 1, 1951, spent 2 weeks on the charts, and maximized as number 28.

When The Syncopated Clock was recorded during 1950, it was noticed by the producers of a new WCBS-TV program called the Late Show, a nightly program with a format of old movies that was to be the station's first venture into late night television. The piece was chosen as the theme music for the Late Show and that helped publicize Anderson's music. The Syncopated Clock was used by the show for the next 25 years, and became a piece that many Americans could readily hum or whistle, even if few would have known the name of its composer.

http://www.wikipedia.com/

Watch the opening of the Late Show, featuring a short excertps of Anderson's The Syncopated Clock.

Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part III

This will be my last blog until Monday, when I will continue my series on Leroy Anderson.

Leroy Anderson's medley, A Christmas Festival, is one of the most beloved holiday arrangements played by orchestras. It includes some of the best sacred and secular Christmas tunes, ingeniously woven together by Anderson.

Enjoy this recording of Anderson's arrangement by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. 

Merry Christmas!

Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part II

Today's blog continues the bio of Leroy Anderson. Orchestra Kentucky will feature his music on its January 10th concert. Anderson continued studying at Harvard, working towards a PhD in German and Scandinavian languages. (Anderson spoke English and Swedish during his youth but he eventually became fluent in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.) During this time he was also working as organist and choir director at the East Milton Congregational Church, leading the Harvard University Band, and conducting and arranging for dance bands around Boston. His arranging work came to the attention of Arthur Fiedler in 1936 and Anderson was asked to show Fiedler any original compositions. Anderson's first work was Jazz Pizzicato in 1938. Fiedler suggested that a companion piece be written and thus Anderson wrote Jazz Legato in 1938.

Listen to Anderson's first work, Jazz Pizzicato.



Pop Goes the Orchestra-Part I

Leroy Anderson

On January 10, 2011, Orchestra Kentucky will present a concert of original compositions and arrangements by Leroy Anderson. Anderson is one of those people whose name you might not know, but whose music is very recognizable. With Christmas coming this week, you have probably heard Anderson's most popular tune, Sleigh Ride. But he is not a one-hit wonder. I will devote the next several blogs to the music and the man. Today, I discuss his early life and his biggest hit, Sleigh Ride.

Leroy Anderson (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as "one of the great American masters of light orchestral music."

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Swedish parents, Anderson was given his first piano lessons by his mother, who was a church organist. He continued studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1925 Anderson entered Harvard University, where he studied theory with Walter Spalding, counterpoint with Edward Ballantine, harmony with George Enescu, composition with Walter Piston and double bass with Gaston Dufresne. He also studied organ with Henry Gideon. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929 and Master of Arts in 1930.

Anderson's Biggest Hit

Anderson had the idea for Sleigh Ride during a heat wave in July 1946; he finished the work in February 1948. Lyrics, about a person who would like to ride in a sleigh on a winter's day with another person, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. The orchestral version was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra. The song was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal, and has become the equivalent of a signature song for the orchestra.

Leroy Anderson recorded his own version of "Sleigh Ride" in 1950 on Decca. This recording hit the Cashbox magazine best sellers chart when re-released in 1952.

Although Sleigh Ride is often associated with Christmas, and often appears on Christmas compilation albums, the song's lyrics never specifically mention any holiday or religion (apart from certain recordings, such as those by the Carpenters, Walter Schumann and Air Supply, that substitute "Christmas party" for "birthday party" in the song's bridge). In fact, the mention of "pumpkin pie" in the last verse might suggest an association with Thanksgiving rather than Christmas.

According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers [ASCAP] review of Christmas music, Sleigh Ride consistently ranks in the top 10 list of most performed songs written by ASCAP members during the Christmas season worldwide.

According to author Steve Metcalf in the book Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography [Praeger 2004], "'Sleigh Ride' ... has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music."

Watch John Williams conduct the Boston Pops in a performance of Sleigh Ride.

Christmas Madness-Part XV

Today is my last day for blogs regarding this weekend's Christmas Madness concert. If you don't have your tickets, call 846-2426. This is the last time for the concert for a while.

Step into Christmas is a Christmas song by Elton John (Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin) released in 1973. It was originally released as a stand-alone single in 1973 with the B-Side Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas), peaking at #23 in the UK. Due to Billboard magazine's editorial policy it was held off the Hot 100. It did, however, make #1 on a specially designated Christmas chart, and it appeared in the Cashbox Top 100 charts. It was later included as a bonus track on the 1995 remastered reissue of the album Caribou, even though it was released in the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road days. It also appears on the albums Elton John's Christmas Party, Rare Masters, To Be Continued, and The Best Christmas Album in the World...Ever! There are differences on the vocals between the promotional video and standalone song.

According to liner notes about the song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin (in Rare Masters and Elton John's Christmas Party), the track and its B-side, both produced by Gus Dudgeon, were recorded during a quickie session at Morgan Studios in London, owned by drummer Barry Morgan, who had played on several of Elton's early albums. Step Into Christmas was mixed to sound like one of producer Phil Spector's record, using lots of compression and imitating his trademark "wall of sound" technique. This was according to both Elton and Taupin intentional, an homage of sorts to Christmas songs by Spector-produced groups such as The Ronettes.

(http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Watch Elton John sing his Christmas hit.

Christmas Madness-Part XIV

He's grrrreat! Today's blog is about the man who voiced Tony the Tiger and sang a Christmas favorite.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch is a Christmas song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 cartoon special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. The lyrics were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the music was composed by Albert Hague, and the song was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft. The song's lyrics describe the Grinch as being foul, bad-mannered and sinister using increasingly creative metaphors and synonyms, beginning with the opening line "you're a mean one, Mister Grinch". The song has six verses.

Because Ravenscroft was not credited in the closing credits of the special, it is often mistakenly attributed to Boris Karloff, who served as narrator and the voice of the Grinch in the special but who himself could not sing. After becoming aware of the oversight, Seuss himself called Ravenscroft and apologized profusely, and later wrote letters to columnists nationwide telling them that it was Ravenscroft who provided the song.

Ravenscroft recorded two versions of the selection, one version for the television special and the other version for the soundtrack. The two versions differ in the order of the verses; the instrumentation—the soundtrack version's accompaniment is more straight-forward, and features fewer instruments and "sound effect" musical events, than the version heard during the special; the nature of singing (Ravenscroft uses more sprechgesang--half singing, half talking style--in the version heard on TV than the soundtrack version, which is mostly sung straight and in rhythm) and the transitions between verses—the soundtrack's transitions are shorter and less abrupt.

Born in 1914, raised in Norfolk, Nebraska, Ravenscroft served as a navigator in the WWII Air Transport Command before settling in Hollywood. An accomplished singer, he performed with the Sportsmen, the Mellomen, the Johnny Mann Singers, and many major stars, including Jim Nabors and Elvis Presley. He was best known, however, for his mellifluous voiceovers, and he voiced Tony the Tiger in countless advertisements for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes in both English and Spanish. In 1996, he and his wife June retired to southern California, although he still did occasional work as Tony. He died in 2005 of prostate cancer.

(http://www.wikipedia.com/ and http://www.imdb.com/)

Come to this weekend's Christmas Madness concert and see WBKO-TV news anchor Gene Birk sing this holiday classic.

Watch You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Christmas Madness-Part XIII

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the British singles chart. The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish. Although ostensibly a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas albums.


The lyric is based on a campaign in late 1969 by Lennon and Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko". The cities included New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Helsinki. At the time of the song's release, the US was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over, if you want it, war is over, now!", as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.

The record starts with a barely-audible whisper of Christmas greetings to their children: Yoko whispers "Happy Christmas, Kyoko", then John whispers "Happy Christmas, Julian". The lyric sheet from the 1982 release The John Lennon Collection erroneously gives this introduction as "Happy Christmas, Yoko. Happy Christmas, John".

It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. It features heavily echoed vocals, and a sing-along chorus. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir and are credited on the song's single. The lyrics were written by Lennon and Ono, while the melody and chord structure were taken from the folk standard known as Stewball. The single was released in the US in December of 1971, but the UK release was delayed until the following November due to a publishing dispute. The song was re-released in the UK on December 20, 1980, shortly after John Lennon's assassination on December 8, peaking at #2.

Notable cover versions


Andy Williams recorded the song for his 1990 album I Still Believe in Santa Claus

David Cook sung it at the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in 2008.

Sarah Brightman recorded her own version as a bonus track for her album A Winter Symphony.

Melissa Etheridge recorded a live version.

Maroon 5 recorded a cover version in 2007 as part of Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. This version also appears on Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4.

Jessica Simpson covered the song on her 2010 album Happy Christmas.

Céline Dion covered the song on her 1998 album These Are Special Times.

Jimmy Buffett covered the song on his 1996 album Christmas Island.

The Moody Blues performed the song on their Christmas album December.

'N Sync recorded a cover version for one of their albums.

REO Speedwagon covered the song for their 2009 release Not So Silent Night...Christmas with REO Speedwagon. All royalties from the song benefit the John Lennon Foundation.

Neil Diamond recorded a version of this song on The Christmas Album.

Diana Ross recorded the song for her 1994 album A Very Special Season.

(http://www.wikipedia.com/)
 
Watch the music video, featuring the children of the Harlem Community Choir.

Christmas Madness-Part XII

Please Come Home for Christmas is a Christmas song, released in 1960, by the American blues singer and pianist Charles Brown. Hitting Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in December 1961, the tune Brown co-wrote with Gene Redd peaked at position #76. It appeared on the Christmas Singles chart for nine seasons, hitting #1 in 1972. It includes a number of characteristics of Christmas music, such as multiple references in the lyrics to the Christmas season and Christmas traditions, and the use of a Church bell type sound, created using a piano, at the start of the song. It is sometimes referred to as Bells Will Be Ringing.


In 1978, the rock band Eagles covered and released the song as a single. Their version of the song peaked at #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. The lineup features Don Henley (drums/vocals), Glenn Frey (piano, backing vocals), Joe Walsh (guitar, backing vocals), Timothy B. Schmidt (bass/backing vocals), and Don Felder (lead guitar). Originally released as a vinyl 7" single, it was re-released in the nineties as a CD-single.

Other artists who have recorded the song:

Gary Allan
Keith Anderson
Fiona Apple
Pat Benatar
Jon Bon Jovi
James Brown
Anita Cochran
Holly Cole
Harry Connick, Jr.
Eagles
Dion DiMucci
Josh Gracin
Andy Griggs
Taylor Horn
Etta James
Bob Kames
Toby Keith
Sammy Kershaw
B. B. King
Dave Koz & Kimberley Locke
Unwritten Law
Lonestar
Southside Johnny Lyon
Jesse McCartney
Willie Nelson
Aaron Neville
Lee Roy Parnell
Randy Rogers Band
Sawyer Brown
Vonda Shepard
Sister Hazel
The Uniques
Luther Vandross
Clay Walker
Johnny Winter

Listen to the Eagles version of this classic hit.

Christmas Madness-Part XI

I remember with fondness the annual television airing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. One of my favorite characters was Sam the Snowman, voiced by folk singer Burl Ives.

The movie, produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass, first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour.

The special is based on the song by Johnny Marks, which was in turn taken from the 1939 poem of the same title written by Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired over CBS, which unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version in 2005. As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph no longer airs just once annually, but several times during the ChristmasA Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman). And again, as with the Charlie Brown special, Rudolph has now been shown more than thirty-one times on CBS, although in this case, CBS was not Rudolph 's original network.

As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. He was born in 1909 in Jasper County, Illinois and died at the age of 85 in Anacortes, Washington in 1995.

Watch Sam the Snowman sing Holly Jolly Christmas.

A Magical Nutcracker

As many of you know, I had the privilege of conducting selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker a few weeks ago. The concert primarily featured the Divertissement (in ballet, that's a suite of short dances) from Act II. The dancers were members of the Louisville Ballet. Unfortunately, I had the worst seat in the house. I conducted on stage, with my back to the dancers.

After the concert, I heard many fabulous comments about the high quality of the dancing (and the orchestra, too!).  With my curiosity piqued, I had to see what all the fuss was about. The answer came yesterday afternoon.

My family, Darrell Edwards (Orchestra Kentucky's executive director) and I attended the full production of the ballet at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville. The only way to describe it is, it was magical: both figuratively and literally!

I have always been a sucker for magic, but I never expected to encounter it in a Nutcracker production. In yesterday's performance, the audience was treated to, amongst other things, a levitating dancer in the Arabian Dance; regular-sized Nutcrackers transformed into life-sized equivalents; and a special effect at the very end of the ballet (I won't divulge it, lest I ruin it for everyone). One of the most "magical" moments was at the end of Act I, where Marie and the Nutcracker begin their journey to the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the midst of a snowstorm (known as the Journey through the Land of the Snow in Tchaikovsky's score). As the snow on stage fell harder, snow began to fall on the audience. Imagine the delight of the audience--especially the children! It wasn't just a cheap special effect. It brought the audience into the action on stage. In fact, it brought tears to my eyes. Not only because of the magic, but also because of the beautiful choreography (courtesy of the famous Val Caniparoli). As the snow fell, the dancers (representing Snowflakes) gradually "fell" to the stage in one of many breathtaking moments that afternoon.

Reading the program, I learned that the Louisville Ballet's Artistic Director, Bruce Simpson, believes that The Nutcracker has been popular in the US for so long because it is magical.  I couldn't agree more. Tchaikovsky's score is magical. It's full of great tunes and gorgeous orchestrations that work together for maximum emotional impact.  In fact, it's the reason I first began to love orchestral music. The story is magical: a little girl's journey to other make-believe lands. As alluded to, the choreography was magical. The sets and costumes were magical (courtesy of famous designer, Peter Cazalet). And, the illusions I've discussed were magically awe inspiring. None of this, however, would have come to life without the Louisville Ballet. the quality of dancing would rival that of much larger cities.

Congratulations to Bruce Simpson and everyone associated with the Louisville Ballet. Bravo! If you have a chance, do yourself a favor and see this production. It will bring a new sense of magic to your holiday season.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that today's Nutcracker will be the last in which the music is performed live by the Louisville Orchestra. Filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month, the musicians will not be paid after this week. What a travesty. Not only will the ballet be affected, but also the Kentucky Opera, and so many other arts groups in the region.

Someone asked me how this could happen. There are a lot of reasons, but one thing I've noticed is a certain complacency with the arts in some parts of America. People take their artists for granted. "Someone else will sponsor the concert. Someone else will buy tickets to the ballet. Someone else will make a donation." I just hope that Louisvillians and Kentuckians wake up before it's too late. Will your Nutcracker be the same without a live, professional orchestra? How about your Carmen? Will your church services at Easter be as special without the professional musicians of the Louisville Orchestra participating in them? I can tell you the answer: No, no, no! Great musicians don't do it part time. It is their livelihood. If the orchestra fails, the musicians we have all come to rely on will move on to take jobs elsewhere. In the process, Louisville will become just another mid-sized city. And, part of what makes the city magical will be lost, too. It will be a sad day. But it's not too late. Support the arts. Make them a priority in your life.

Christmas Madness-Part X

The song, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, started as an idea for a coloring book. Yep, you heard it right. Read on.


Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as an assignment for Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas every year and it was decided that creating their own book would save money. In its first year of publication, 2.4 million copies of Rudolph's story were distributed by Montgomery Ward. The story is written as a poem in the meter of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. Marks (1909–1985), was a radio producer and wrote several popular Christmas songs. He was born in a New York City suburb and graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., before going off to Paris to study music. He had a heroic World War II combat record, winning the Bronze Star and four battle stars.

It was first sung commercially by crooner Harry Brannon on New York city radio in the latter part of 1948 before Gene Autry recorded it formally in 1949, and has since filtered into the popular consciousness.

Autry's version of the song also holds the distinction of being the only number one hit to fall completely off the chart after hitting #1 the week of Christmas 1949. Nonetheless, it sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s.

Other recordings of the song:

In 1953, Billy May recorded Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo with vocals by Alvin Stoller.

In 1965, The Supremes recorded the song for their holiday album, Merry Christmas.

In 1970, The Jackson 5 recorded the song for their holiday album, The Jackson 5 Christmas Album.

In 1996, The Wiggles recorded this song for their album, Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas. A year later, they sang it on their video, Wiggly Wiggly Christmas.

(http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Listen to Gene Autry and The Pinafores sing Rudolph.

Christmas Madness-Part IX

Some say it's just a reworking of Little Deuce Coupe. Nevertheless, Little Saint Nick has sold a million copies. Not a bad day's work.

Little Saint Nick was written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love and originally performed by their group The Beach Boys. It was first released as a single in December 1963, reaching number three on the Billboard Christmas charts and peaking at #69 on the regular weekly sales chart surveyed by Cash Box. Despite a media-hushed Christmas in mourning for recently--assassinated President John F. Kennedy, the single went into the Top Tens of Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Vancouver and Washington DC, and the Top Twenties of San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Houston, Miami, and Springfield MA. Eventually, over several more Christmases, it was credited as an unofficial (non-RIAA audited) million-seller.


Little Saint Nick reappeared on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album in 1964, minus the overdubbed sleigh bells from the original single mix. The song borrows its rhythm and structure from the group's 1963 hit Little Deuce Coupe. (An alternate version, utilizing the melody from Drive-In, was recorded for the album but remained unreleased until a 1991 CD reissue.)

The song is sometimes mistakenly called Run Run Reindeer because of the lyrics in the bridge. In 2005, the song was re-recorded by Brian Wilson for his solo Christmas collection, What I Really Want for Christmas.

The song has been covered several times, including versions by John Denver and the Muppets (1979), Hanson (1997), Sugar Ray (2001), McFly (2004) and Overboard (2008). The song is also used in a Coca-Cola holiday commercial featuring a family of polar bears who stumble upon a festive penguin gathering. Some versions of the song use a xylophone.

(http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Watch the Beach Boys sing Little Saint Nick and two other songs on the TV show Shindig! in 1964.

Christmas Madness-Part VIII

Andy Williams

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. However, the song was not released as a promotional single by Williams's record label (Columbia Records) that year, as they instead opted to promote his cover of White Christmas as the official promo single from the album.

The original version of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams has since become a radio airplay standard, attaining more and more popularity with each passing holiday season since the song's original release. It was also selected as the theme song for Christmas Seals in both 1968 and 1976.

In 1986, another popular version was released by Johnny Mathis on his fourth holiday album, Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis.


In 1999, country singer Garth Brooks became the first artist to chart a version of the song in North America, as his country remake reached #56 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Garth's version was taken from his second holiday album, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas. Also in 1999, Kathy Troccoli recorded the song as a duet with Williams.


Most recently, a 2008 recording of the song by Harry Connick, Jr. (from his third Christmas album, What a Night! A Christmas Album) hit #9 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (the highest charting version of the song to date in the United States).


The cast of the Fox TV series Glee has also recorded a version of this song. It can be heard on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album.


For years, the song was used in a humorous fashion in the Staples office supply retail chain's annual back to school advertising campaign. In the commercials, the parents joyously shop for school supplies to this song in anticipation of the upcoming school year while their children sullenly follow.


Watch the Staples commercial for a little Christmastime levity.

Christmas Madness-Part VII

José Montserrate Feliciano García was born on September 10, 1945 in Lares, Puerto Rico. One of twelve children, Feliciano is blind because of congenital glaucoma. He was first exposed to music at age three. When he was five, his family moved to Spanish Harlem, New York City and, at age nine, he played on the Teatro Puerto Rico. He started his musical life playing accordion until his grandfather gave him a guitar. He reportedly sat by himself in his room for up to 14 hours a day to listen to 1950s rock albums, classical guitarists such as Andrés Segovia, and jazz players such as Wes Montgomery. He later had classical lessons with Harold Morris who earlier had been a student with Segovia.

At 17, he quit school to play in clubs, having his first professional, contracted performance in Detroit.

In 1970, he wrote and released an album of Christmas music, Feliz Navidad, which may be deemed to be his most famous recording. The title song has been covered by many artists and is now a traditional part of the musical landscape in the U.S, Canada and Latin America around Christmas time. Each year during the Christmas season, Feliz Navidad returns to US airwaves, one of the most-played and most-downloaded radio songs and downloaded songs of the season. Feliz Navidad is also recognized by ASCAP as one of the 25 all-time most-played Christmas songs in the world.

http://www.wikipedia.com/

Local favorite Tyrone Dunn will sing the song at this season's Christmas Madness concert on Friday and Saturday, December 17th and 18th.


Watch Feliciano sing his Christmas hit.

Christmas Madness-Part VI

I remember certain Christmas albums from my childhood. One is the Harry Simeone Chorale's The Little Drummer Boy. I can still see the painting of the drummer boy on the album cover.

Another album from my childhood, that is perhaps my favorite of the season, is the Carpenter's Christmas Portrait.
It is the first Christmas album recorded by the Carpenters (and the only one issued during Karen Carpenter's lifetime), originally released on October 13, 1978.


The album sold one million copies and included a revised version of the group's signature Christmas song, Merry Christmas Darling, which was originally recorded in 1970. The single went to number one on Billboard's Christmas singles chart in 1970, and did again in 1971 and 1973. Interestingly, the words were written by the Carpenter's college choral director, Frank Pooler, when he was 18 years old. Richard Carpenter supplied the music.

The CD version of Christmas Portrait, issued in 1984, is a compendium of selected tracks from the Carpenters' two Christmas albums into one 74-minute program, with tracks from each interspersed in the running order. In 1998, a 2-CD set titled Christmas Collection was issued, containing Christmas Portrait and An Old-Fashioned Christmas together in their original respective track lists. Richard Carpenter remixed some of the album tracks for both CD collections, most notably Ave Maria.

Here are Richard Carpenter's comments on how the album came about, from http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/:

"Karen and I had always been fond of Christmas music and in interviews, as early as 1971, were stating that we would soon be working on one. In hindsight, of course, we can see that it wasn’t about to happen. With the schedule that presented itself following the success of Close To You and We’ve Only Just Begun, we were fortunate to complete a regular album each year. (As previously mentioned, in 1974, even that did not happen.)


"On December 8, 1976, ABC aired our first television special: The Carpenters’ Very First Television Special, which placed No.6 in the Nielson Ratings for that week. This led to our being offered more specials, the second of which was The Carpenters at Christmas, airing December 9, 1977. It was while selecting and recording music for this special that Karen and I decided the time had come to finally record a Christmas album. To a degree, our project was patterned after a favorite of ours: Spike Jones’s 1956 Xmas Spectacular, in that it features more than the average album's number of songs, both sacred and secular, along with some top-notch choral singing. Selecting Christmas music is, indeed, dealing with an embarrassment of riches and I ultimately chose, and we recorded, more than enough for even Christmas Portrait, which stretched the limit of how much music could fit on a LP.

"What was saddening to me then, and even more so now, is that I was at my nadir dealing with the sleeping pill problem. If I were at my best, I could have and would have contributed a lot more in both creativity and spirit to Hush, Passage, and the first four television specials. By the time Karen and I began recording on the Christmas album, I was not interested in more than production work, and an occasional lead and some minor piano work. Arranging (something I truly enjoy doing, especially with Christmas songs) was turned over, by me, to veterans Peter Knight and Billy May. With Karen’s marvelous leads, combined with an oversize studio orchestra and chorus, terrific arrangements and timeless music, Christmas Portrait was, and is, an almost incomparable Christmas album. It was a hit in 1978 and every year succeeding; I receive compliments on it every holiday season. What I should have realized then, although I don’t know if A&M would have gone for it, is that Christmas Portrait is Karen’s album, and should have been titled accordingly, not Carpenters. (I did oversee the mixes, of course, but that falls under production.)

"Many a listener will notice that this album is not as originally released. Ave Maria was arranged from the start for chorus, as well as orchestra. With so much music, not to mention people, around the studio while the album was being made, the choral parts were misplaced, only to be discovered after the album was “in the can”. The multi-track was retrieved, and the chorus recorded, in 1984, during the An Old Fashioned Christmas sessions. To all of us involved, it was a great addition. The song was later remixed (and an editing error in the lead vocal fixed) in 1990. Some others were remixed at the same time for inclusion in From The Top, and ultimately all except Merry Christmas Darling, were remixed for the Carpenters Christmas Collection two CD set for Japan."

Watch Karen Carpenter sing Merry Christmas Darling.

As an added bonus, watch Karen Carpenter sing the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria. Hands down the best recording by a pop singer. Notice the long phrases sung in one breath and the impeccable diction.

Christmas Madness-Part V

Elvis Presley

Most people think Elvis was the first one to record Blue Christmas. Not so. Read on.

Blue Christmas is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1948. In 1957, Elvis Presley effectively made Blue Christmas a steadfast rock-and-roll holiday classic by recording it in his signature style. The song has since been recorded by a host of rock and country artists alike, as well as those of other genres. Blue Christmas was a 1960 Hot 100 entry by the Browns (Jim Ed, Bonnie and Maxine). The song was also featured in the children's Christmas special, The Year Without a Santa Claus. More recently, the song has been covered by Céline Dion, indie band Bright Eyes and Billy Idol in his 2006 Christmas album Happy Holidays, as well as Andrea Bocelli, for his 2009 holiday album My Christmas, in a duet with Reba McEntire. To date, there have been more than 65 significant recorded versions.


Elvis Presley's famous recording of the song appeared on his 1957 LP Elvis' Christmas Album. It was also released as a single. Ernest Tubb's version of the song included an extra verse not used by Elvis' later version.

In 2009, Elvis' version was used in a TV commercial for Verizon Wireless.

The song was covered by the American rock band The Beach Boys. The song was released as the B-side of the The Man with All the Toys single on November 16, 1964; it charted at #3 in the U.S. Christmas charts but did not chart in the U.K. The song was also released on the bands 1964 album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album on the same day. The song featured Brian Wilson on lead vocals.

(www.wikipedia.com)

Watch a 1965 film of Elvis singing the classic, Christmas hit.

Christmas Madness-Part IV

Brenda Lee

Christmas is the best thing that ever happened to Brenda Lee. She had two hit Christmas songs, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and a cover of Jingle Bell Rock.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958 on the Decca record label.

Although Decca released it in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960; that Christmas season, it hit #14 on the Billboard pop chart and turned into a perennial holiday favorite. It continued to sell well during the holiday season, hitting #5 on the Christmas chart as late as 1984. Brenda Lee's recording still receives a great deal of airplay. Despite the song's title, its instrumentation also fits the Country genre which Brenda Lee more fully embraced as her career evolved. Despite her mature-sounding voice, she recorded this song when she was only 14 years old. The recording featured Hank Garland's ringing guitar. For decades, Brenda Lee's recording was the only notable version of the song. Radio stations ranging from Top 40 to Adult Contemporary to Country Music to Oldies to even Adult Standards played this version.

An instrumental version of the song appears as background music in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which exclusively featured music written by Marks. It can be heard in the scene where Rudolph first arrives at the "Reindeer Games" and meets another reindeer named Fireball.


Watch a video montage of Brenda Lee, accompanied by her singing Jingle Bell Rock. For a video of Brenda Lee singing Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, see part one of this series.

Christmas Madness-Part III

Ask someone their favorite Christmas song, and there's a chance it will be White Christmas. Written by Irving Berlin (who wrote over 1,000 songs), Bing Crosby's recording has sold more than 50 million copies. In fact, one source ranks the song as the number one Christmas hit of all time. It was ranked number two on the Songs of the Century list (second to Over the Rainbow).

Although possibly an apocryphal story, Berlin supposedly wrote the song in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing. One morning, after writing all night long, he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"

The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall, Christmas Day, 1941. He recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers for Decca Records in just 18 minutes on May 29, 1942, and it was released on July 30 as part of an album of six 78-rpm songs from the film Holiday Inn. At first, Crosby did not see anything special about the song. He just said "I don't think we have any problems with that one, Irving."

The song initially performed poorly and was overshadowed by the film's first hit song, Be Careful, It's My Heart. By the end of October 1942, however, White Christmas topped the Your Hit Parade chart. It remained in that position until well into the new year. Its popularity may be attributable to the mix of melancholy — "just like the ones I used to know" — with comforting images of home — "where the treetops glisten." These words must have resonated strongly with listeners during World War II. The Armed Forces Network was flooded with requests for the song.

In 1942 alone, Crosby's recording spent eleven weeks on top of the Billboard charts. Re-released by Decca, the single returned to the #1 spot during the holiday seasons of 1945 and 1946, becoming the only single with three separate runs at the top of the U.S. charts. The recording became a chart perennial, reappearing annually on the pop chart twenty separate times before Billboard Magazine created a distinct Christmas chart for seasonal releases.

Following its prominence in the musical Holiday Inn, the composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In the film, Bing Crosby sings White Christmas as a duet with actress Marjorie Reynolds, though her voice was dubbed by Martha Mears. This now-familiar scene was not the moviemakers' initial plan; in the script as originally conceived, Reynolds, not Crosby, was to sing the song.

The familiar version of White Christmas most often heard today is not the one Crosby recorded in 1942. He was called to Decca studios on March 18, 1947, to re-record the track; the 1942 master had become damaged due to its frequent use. Efforts were made to exactly reproduce the original recording session, and Crosby was again backed by the Trotter Orchestra and the Darby Singers. Even so, there are subtle differences in the orchestration, most notably the addition of a celesta and flutes to brighten up the introduction.

Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success, saying later that "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully." But Crosby was associated with it for the rest of his career. Another Crosby vehicle — the 1954 musical White Christmas — was the highest-grossing film of 1954.

Crosby's White Christmas single has been credited with selling 50 million copies, the most by any release and therefore it is the biggest-selling single worldwide of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 Edition lists the song as a 100-million seller, encompassing all versions of the song, including albums. Crosby's holiday collection Merry Christmas was first released as an LP in 1949, and has never been out-of-print since.

Some say Elton John's recording of Candle in the Wind outsold White Christmas. However, after careful research, Guinness World Records in 2007 concluded that, worldwide, Crosby's recording of White Christmas has, in their estimation, sold at least 50 million copies, and that Elton John's recording of Candle in the Wind 1997 has sold 33 million, making Crosby's recording the best-selling single of all time.

Watch Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds in the classic scene from Holiday Inn.

Christmas Madness-Part II

Nat King Cole

My favorite secular Christmas song is The Christmas Song, subtitled Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. It is one of the songs featured at Orchestra Kentucky's Christmas Madness on Friday and Saturday, December 17th and 18th. Tyrone Dunn will sing.

Originally subtitled, Merry Christmas to You, The Christmas Song is a classic written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born.

“I saw a spiral pad on his piano with four lines written in pencil,” Tormé recalled. “They started, ‘Chestnuts roasting ... Jack Frost nipping ... Yuletide carols ... Folks dressed up like Eskimos.’ Bob (Wells, co-writer) didn’t think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics.”


The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song early in 1946. At Cole’s behest — and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records — a second recording was made the same year utilizing a small string section. This version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole re-recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael. The latter recording is generally regarded as definitive and continues to receive considerable radio airplay each holiday season, while Cole’s original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974. Mel Tormé recorded the song himself in 1954, and again in 1965 and 1992.

Watch Nat King Cole sing this classic hit.

Christmas Madness-Part I

Next week, I will begin a series of blogs on the music to be performed at Orchestra Kentucky's next Retro Series concert, Christmas Madness. The concert will feature a thirty-five piece orchestra, the Rewinders (rock band) and the Retro Singers, performing classic, secular Christmas hits. Included will be songs from Brenda Lee, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, Jose Feliciano, Bruce Springsteen, Andy Williams, The Eagles, and many more!

To order your tickets, click here or call (855) 232-1452 (toll free) or (270) 846-2426 (locally).

In the meantime, enjoy Brenda Lee singing her hit, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Finale

Today's blog concludes our discussion of Tchaikovsky with a link to an article about The Nutcracker, courtesy of http://www.wikipedia/.

I have warm feelings about The Nutcracker. I remember falling in love with the music as a child. There was something about the lovely melodies and lush orchestration that made a deep impact on me. So much so, it furthered my desire to learn an instrument. In fact, Tchaikovsky is known for both his memorable melodies and inventive orchestration.

To conclude this series, watch the final waltz and apotheosis from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part XI

Tchaikovsky's death mask

Today's blog explores the mysteries surrounding Tchaikovsky's death. Was it cholera or suicide?

Tchaikovsky died in Saint Petersburg on November 6, 1893, nine days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique. Though only 53 years old, he lived a long life compared to many Russian 19th century composers. He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, near the graves of fellow-composers Alexander Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Mily Balakirev and Modest Mussorgsky. Because of the Pathétique's formal innovation and the overwhelming emotional content of its outer movements, the work was received by the public with silent incomprehension at its first performance. The second performance, led by Nápravník, took place 20 days later at a memorial concert and was much more favorably received. The Pathétique has since become one of Tchaikovsky's best known works.

Tchaikovsky's death has traditionally been attributed to cholera, most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier. However, some, including English musicologist and Tchaikovsky authority David Brown and biographer Anthony Holden, have theorized that his death was a suicide. According to one variation of the theory, a sentence of suicide was imposed in a "court of honor" by Tchaikovsky's fellow alumni of the St. Petersburg Imperial School of Jurisprudence, as a censure of the composer's homosexuality. This unproven theory was first broached publicly by Russian musicologist Alexandra Orlova in 1979, when she emigrated to the West. Wiley writes in the New Grove (2001), "The polemics over [Tchaikovsky's] death have reached an impasse ... Rumor attached to the famous die hard ... As for illness, problems of evidence offer little hope of satisfactory resolution: the state of diagnosis; the confusion of witnesses; disregard of long-term effects of smoking and alcohol. We do not know how Tchaikovsky died. We may never find out ....." (http://www.wikipedia.com/)

Watch the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker-Part X

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Today's blog continues the bio of Tchaikovsky. Find out why the line "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" had special meaning for Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky returned to Moscow Conservatory in the autumn of 1879, having been away from Russia for a year after the disintegration of his marriage. However, he quickly resigned, settling in Kamenka yet traveling incessantly. During these years, assured of a regular income from Nadezhda von Meck, he wandered around Europe and rural Russia, never staying long in any one place and living mainly alone, avoiding social contact whenever possible. This may have been due in part to troubles with Antonina, who alternately agreed to, then refused, divorce, at one point exacerbating matters by moving into an apartment directly above her husband's.Tchaikovsky listed Antonina's accusations to him in detail to Modest: "I am a deceiver who married her in order to hide my true nature ... I insulted her every day, her sufferings at my hands were great ... she is appalled by my shameful vice, etc., etc." It is possible that he lived the rest of his life in dread of Antonina's power to expose publicly his sexual leanings. These factors may explain why, except for the piano trio which he wrote upon the death of Nikolai Rubinstein, his best work from this period is found in genres which did not depend heavily on personal expression.


In 1880 the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, commissioned by Tsar Alexander I to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, was nearing completion in Moscow; the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II in 1881 was imminent; and the 1882 Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition was in the planning stage. Nikolai Rubinstein suggested a grand commemorative piece for use in related festivities. Tchaikovsky began the project in October 1880, finishing it within six weeks. He wrote to Nadezhda von Meck that the resulting work, the 1812 Overture, would be "very loud and noisy, but I wrote it with no warm feeling of love, and therefore there will probably be no artistic merits in it." He also warned conductor Eduard Nápravník that "I shan't be at all surprised and offended if you find that it is in a style unsuitable for symphony concerts." Nevertheless, this work has become for many, as Tchaikovsky authority Professor David Brown phrased it, "the piece by Tchaikovsky they know best."

Watch the Grand Pas-de-deux from The Nutcracker. A pas-de-deux, or dance for two, is a duet for dancers.