CHRISTMAS MUSIC, HANDEL, The Messiah SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

The Messiah is beloved music and increasingly popular as a Christmas sing along. It appeals to people of all religions - even atheists and those of the "happy holidays" persuasion. Every Christmas we play it a few times and it never tires. In 1973 while commuting, I listened to a cassette tape of it daily from just before Christmas until the fourth of July.

A good way to introduce small children to classical music is to find a free performance of the Messiah and enter just before it starts and sit in the back row. When the kids get restless, immediately leave. Next year repeat. The novelty of the church atmosphere should keep most children sitting quietly for a while. After a few years staying longer and longer they will make it through the whole thing and your children will have acquired the ability to sit through two hours of classical music. There are many excellent recording of this but the one we play at Christmas is Columbia's Ormandy recording with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir now a Sony CD.

Handel wrote this very quickly because he badly needed the money, which should be a good example of something. Ormandy's version with the Mormon Choir of 1959 is probably the best version and was issued in a couple of cover variations.