21 Dec 2019

Brian Kay's Secular Christmas

From Appointment, 7:00 pm on 21 December 2019

Conductor, broadcaster and ex-King's Singer Brian Kay, considers the secular side of Christmas in a Santa’s goodie bag full of musical all-sorts.

Snowy Holly

Snowy Holly Photo: Muffet, Public Domain

The idea of a secular Christmas is of course a contradiction in terms. The Birth of Christ is central to everything that is held most sacred. But in an increasingly secular world, the commercial side of Christmas replaces for many that central theme.

There are those that believe that Charles Dickens invented the Spirit of Christmas, that Prince Albert’s introduction of the German Christmas tree marked a turning point and that Bing Crosby’s singing of Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ confirmed in people’s minds the commercialisation and secularisation of the season of good will.

And after all there’s nothing that captures the spirit of the season better than the sound of Jingle Bells….

Music Details:

Anderson                     Sleigh Ride

Trad arr Langford        Deck the Hall

Mozart                          Sleigh Ride

Lane                             Sleighbell Serenade

Adams                         The Star of Bethlehem

Coots/Gillespie             Santa Claus is coming to town

Lane                             The Night Before Christmas

Torme                           The Christmas Song

Chadwick                      Noël

Anderson                      Sleigh Ride

Holloway                       Sam’s Christmas Pudding

Richards                       A Very Merry Christmas

Berlin                            White Christmas

Elms                             Festive Frolic