10 Items Listed by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol

In the third stave of A Christmas Carol Dickens has three lists ofitems seen at Christmas, some more seasonal than others.

1. Turkeys
2. geese
3. game (also poultry)
4. brawn (which is pig;s brain)
5. great joints of meat
6. sucking-pigs (a suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk (ie a piglet which is still a "suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in various cuisines.)
7. long wreaths of sausages
8. mince-pies
9. plum-puddings
10. barrels of oysters (oysters started to become associated with Christmas, because they were most readily available to be consumed during December. Another influence was Irish immigration. These Catholics wished not to eat meat at Christmas and oysters were a ready alternative)

Dramatic Murder

I have finished reading this now and it was okay. It takes place over Christmas but is not particularly Christmassy whatever that is. I found the solution a little unsatisfying, although I'm sure a re-read would confirm its appropriateness. At the beginning I found it hard to distinguish who was who in the large cast. One or two have the same name. So not amazing but okay.

Classic FM Smooth Classics A Classical Christmas Vol 2 2007

1 O Come, All Ye Faithful (J F Wade) The Bach Choir (cond David Willcocks) Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble, Fanfare Trumpeters Of The Royal Military School Of Music, Organ – John Scott 4:12

2 Concerto Grosso In G Minor, Op.6, No.8 'Fatto Per la Notte di Natale' (Corelli) Cologne Chamber Orchestra (cond Helmut Müller-Brühl) 13:36

3 Messiah, Hwv 56 For Unto Us A Son Is Born (Handel)  The Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, The King's College Choir Of Cambridge (cond David Willcocks) 4:15

4 Christmas Cantata Pastorale; Tocco la Prima Sorte A Vol, Pastori (Scarlatti) LonDOn Baroque Ensemble (cond Charles Medlam) Soprano Emma Kirkby 7:07

5 Cradle Song (Byrd) RLPO Choir, The Children's Choir Of St. Ambrose RPO (cond Edmund Walters) 4:09

6 Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen (A Spotless Rose Is Growing) (Praetorius) The King's Singers 2:39

7 Remember O Thou Man (Ravenscroft) The SIxteen (cond Harry Christophers) 3:25

8 O Magnum Mysterium (Byrd) New York Polyphony 4:49

9 This Have I Done For My True Love (Holst) The King's College Choir Of Cambridge (cond David Hill) 5:28

10 Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Gruber) Vasari Singers (Chorus Master Jeremy Backhouse 3:51

11 Angels' Carol (Rutter) The Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfoni (cond John Rutter) 3:16

12 The Nutcracker, Op.71 Divertissements (Tchaikovsky) Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (cond Ondrej Lenárd) 11:33

13 Les Saisons (The Seasons), Op.37 No.12 December: Noël (Tchaikovsky) Piano – Eteri Andjaparidze 3:39

14 Messiah, HWV 56 Hallelujah Chorus (Handel) Tenebrae LSO (cond Sir Colin Davis)  3:44

Dawn of Grace Two Extra Tracks

This year Sixpence None The Richer have issued a deluxe version of their album Dawn of Grace with two extra tracks at the beginning - "I Believe in Father Christmas" 3:19 and "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" 3:47. Good stuff.

Classic FM Smooth Classics A Classical Christmas Vol 1 2007

Here's another classical one I enjoy at this time of the year. After 10 tracks of mostly carols (the second track is Berlioz) six acapella we get pieces from Handel's Messiah, Vivaldi, the Nutcracker and Bach's Mass in B Minor.

1 Once In Royal David's City (Gauntlett)
Worcester Cathedral Choir (cond Donald Hunt) Organ Raymond Johnston; Treble Vocals Robert Stringer 3:19
2 L'Enfant Du Christ (The Childhood Of Christ), Op.25 The Shepherd's Farewell (Berlioz)
Tenebrae (cond Sir Colin Davis) LSO 4:34
3 Ding Dong, Merrily On High (Trad)
Gloucester Cathedral Choir (chorus master Andrew Nethsingha) 2:00
4 In Dulci Jubilo (Trad)
Worcester Cathedral Choir (choirmaster Donald Hunt) 3:43
5 The Coventry Carol (Trad)
The Sixteen (cond Harry Christophers) 3:23
6 As With Glasness Men Of Old (Conrad Kocher)
Tewkesbury Abbey Choir (cond Andrew Sackett) 2:50
7 O Little One Sweet (Trad)
The King's Singers 2:09
8 A Foxton Ferguson The Shepherds' Cradle Song (Trad)
 The King's College Choir Of Cambridge (chorus master David Willcocks) RPO 3:38
9 Away In A Manger (Trad)
New York Polyphony 2:22
10 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn)
The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra (cond Carmen Dragon) 2:41
11 Messiah, HWV 56 Pastoral Symphony (Handel)
Munich Radio Orchestra (cond John Georgiadis) Flute James Galway 3:18

12 Concerto In E Major, Rv279, 'Il Riposo, Per Il Santissimo Natale' Allegro; Adagio; Allegro (Vivaldi)
Il Giardino Armonico (cond Giovanni Antonini) 7:39
13 The Nutcracker, Op.71 Waltz Of The Snowflakes (Tchaikovsky)
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (cond Ondrej Lenárd) 6:38

14 Mass In B Minor, BWV 232 Gloria In Excelsis; Et In Terra Pax (Bach)
Bach Collegium Japan (cond Masaaki Suzuki)

The Classical Collection - Christmas Music for the Festive Season 1994

I always enjoy this collection at Christmas time. It starts with three traditional carols, the first two acapella, Then come two Viennese Strauss pieces and two other orchestral offerings and the Hallelujah Chorus before closing with a series of eight selections from Mozart's choral masterpiece, his requiem. This takes up over 20 minutes of the hour adn six minutes. So not all Christmas music strictly speaking but all ideal for putting you in the mood.

1 I Saw Three Ships Trad arr Willcocks OUP 2:01

2 The Holly And The Ivy Traf arr Walford Davies Choir Of Trinity College, Cambridge (Dir Richard Marlow) 2:00

3 O Little Town Of Bethlehem

Overtone Voice (Cond Marlow) 2:29

4 Champagne Polka, Op. 211 Strauss II Rundfunkorchester Des Südwestfunks (cond Klaus Orp) 2:44

5 Viennese Bonbons, Op. 307 Strauss II Orchestra Der Wuener Volksoper (cond Alfred Scholz) 9:36

6 Overture From The Merry Wives Of Windsor Otto Nicolai Rundfunkorchester Des Südwestfunks (cond Klaus Orp) 8:32

7 Overture From Poet And Peasant von Suppe New Philharmonic Orchestra  (cond Alfred Scholz) 9:35

8 Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah Handel

Sinfonie Orchester Der Leningrade (cond Alexandr Dmitriev) 3:34

Requiem (Extracts) Mozart

Budapest Concert Orchestra (cond Tamás Gál) with Academic Choir Budapest (cond Gábor Hollerung) 

9 Introit 4:52

10 Kyrie 2:27

11 Dies Irae 1:41

12 Confutatis 2:28

13 Lacrimosa 3:22

14 Sanctus 1:30

15 Agnus Dei 3:10

16 Lux Aeterna 5:23

Orbis (Aurophon)

Christmas Catechism 01 (1-12)

In recent years I have come up with a Christmas Catechism that takes you through the Christmas story in a series of 84 questions and answers. Here are the first twelve.

CHRISTMAS CATECHISM

1. Who was the prophet immediately before Messiah? John the Baptist

2. What were his parents called and where did they live? Zechariah and Elizabeth; they lived in Hebron

3. How did they learn that John was going to be born to them? The angel Gabriel told Zechariah when he was doing his priestly duties at the Temple in Jerusalem

4. Why was this surprising news? Because Zechariah and Elizabeth were old and had never been able to have children

5. What was Zechariah's reaction to the news that he would have a son? It was a bad one. He did not believe it.

6. What was his later better reaction after John was born? He wrote a song praising God. It is in Luke 1.

7. How did John react when, still in the womb, he was near Messiah in his mother's womb? His mother Elizabeth felt him leap for joy

8. In his Gospel Matthew begins with a family tree of Messiah going all the way back to who? Matthew goes all the way back to Abraham

9. In his Gospel Luke has a family tree of Messiah that goes all the way back as far as who? Luke goes all the way back to Adam

10. What are the names of some of those who appear in both family trees? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David

11. What are the names of the four women who are included in Matthew's family tree? Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and the wife of Uriah

12. How does Matthew divide his family tree? 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile and 14 from the exile to Messiah