Antique Christmas Music

Vintage Music Room CD reviews

2011-12-01T10:56:00.003-05:00

Do you like to have Christmas music playing in the background for the season? I especially like to play choral and instrumental music when I want to do other things but just want a Christmas feeling at the same time. Here are some of the CDs you can find on http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/ that would accomplish this mood for you.

Christmas In a Music Box
This CD consists of 41 tracks that are recorded straight from antique music boxes. They had such a charming tinkling sound and seem to me to be perfect for Christmas music. The tracks have been collected from several sources, including some old LPs and also recordings from personally owned music boxes. I really like that there are so many familiar tunes.

Christmas Greats - The Three Suns
The Three Suns were tremendously talented and each of the three members of the group played mulitple instruments. But most unique thing about them is the unusual blend of instruments. Once you hear them, you will know what I mean. They also have a very playful sound in their arrangements. For purely instrumental Christmas music, The Three Suns is my favorite group. I put songs that have this unique blend on this CD. Jump over to http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/ and listen to the clips. Bet you will agree that they are great!

Christmas Carols by Mount Holyoke Glee Club 1948
I found this 4 record album that was recorded in 1948 and fell in love with the choral music. Mostly these are NOT the common Christmas carols you hear everywhere. Because of the fact that most of us do not already know these songs, I have included an insert of the lyrics for all of the tracks. Choral directors and churches will really enjoy this CD which includes all 11 tracks from the 78 rpm records.

Hope to see you at www.VintageMusicRoom.com. Come on over.

Christmas CD Reviews

2011-11-30T17:13:00.007-05:00

Friends of old Christmas music:
I have a new website professionally designed by Amy Bianco Web Design at http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/. Just got it going October 2011 and it is so nice. I have all my music that was available on this blog there with tracks that I had not shared for free here, plus new music just added for the 2011 Christmas season. You will notice that they are all collected on CDs and the website is searchable too. If you are looking for a particular song or artist, now it will be easy to find it. Also most of my tracks have 30 second clips so you can hear part of the song right on the website. You can also listen to all of the clips in the Music Room. Great ways to find the songs you love, also.

I have not been able to keep the free downloads on this blog due to the cost of the server for storing the files. Instead I have invested that money into the new website with the hope of making a little Christmas shopping money while still giving my e-friends great old-time Christmas music fun. You will notice that for your $12.99 per CD, each CD is packed with music. Most of them have so many tracks that I could not put another track on it. Organizing the music into CDs was sometimes a challenge because I would have more tracks that would have gone on the CD but had to be put somewhere else because the CD was so full. Well, my point is that, even though you have to pay for the CDs, you sure get your money's worth.

Thought I would let you know about some of the newest Vintage Christmas Music CDs that I just released this year. I am really excited about them.

Brenda Lee 1950's Christmas
Everyone remembers Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Jingle Bell Rock". Got them both on this CD plus every other B.L. Christmas song that she did in the 50's, at least I think so. I really love "Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" and "Papa Noel".

Complete Christmas with Patti Page
Patti Page in the 1950's had such a lovely smooth voice and she was a big hit. All the Christmas songs that she did in the 1950's are on this CD. My favs are "Christmas Choir", "Pretty Snowflakes", "Little Donkey", and "Happy Birthday, Jesus". Also included, because they seem to fit in so well, are "The Mama Doll Song" and "I Wanna Go Skating with Willie". As a kid, my sisters and I had records with many of Patti Pages songs done just for children, so I remember her voice fondly.

Complete Peggy Lee Christmas
If you love Patti Page, you probably also love Peggy Lee. I wouldn't be able to choose which one has the greatest voice and both have such memorable music. From this CD, you can hear the very popular "I Like a Sleighride" and "Ring Those Christmas Bells". Also other premier tracks are "The Christmas Spell", "The Christmas Riddle", and "Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer". She also did radio performances on Bing Crosby's show. I found the track "Manana (Christmas version)" there. She sings it with Bing Crosby and it is so funny, you will be singing it all season, I'll bet. These tracks are hard to find elsewhere, so jump over to http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/ and listen to the clips right now. You will want to take the CD home with you.

Dinah Shore and Judy Garland Christmas
I love both of these ladies' music and they both were performing heavily in the 1940's. These tracks span into the 1960's with about half of them by Dinah and half by Judy. Dinah Shore sings "I'll Walk Alone (Through Every Christmas)" which was popular in WWII. Also another one I love is "You Meet the Nicest People". "The Merry Christmas Polka" is lots of fun, too. Now Judy, with her sultry voice, has "Merry Christmas" and "Star of the East" on this collection. Don't you just love them?

Gene Autry - The Complete Santa Claus Collection
I absolutely LOVE Gene Autry's Christmas songs. He wrote "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", you will remember. He also wrote many, many other children's songs. He was known as the "Singing Cowboy" and has a very good grasp of what children enjoy in Christmas music. Although he did other Christmas music, I chose only the Santa Claus songs for children because the CD is full with just them. Just to mention a few of my favorites: "Santa's Comin' in a Whirly Bird" (that is a helicopter for those not in the know), "Thirty-two Feet and Eight Little Tails", "I Wish My Mom Would Marry Santa Claus", "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas", and "The Night Before Christmas" with Rosemary Clooney. If you are an old kid or know one, or have a child, this is just the Christmas CD for you.

The Lennon Sisters 1950s - Thanks For Christmas
I took the title of the CD from one of the great tracks on the CD, "Thanks For Christmas". If you were alive in the 1950's, you probably saw "The Lawrence Welk Show" on TV. These 4 girls were one of the most popular performers the show had. They have such a smooth, close-harmony delivery and are a true pleasure to listen to. Many of these tracks were taken from recordings of the TV show and had unique noise that had to be removed because of that. But they turned out great! Just listen to "Christmas Island" and "Christmas Moon" to hear them at their best. And who could resist the littlest one, Janet? She sings "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" on this CD. You can also hear "Outer Space Santa" and "Peppy the Peppermint Bear" and I closed the CD with the beautiful "Merry Christmas From Our House to Your House". Think you will love it.

Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring "12 Songs of Christmas" (the entire LP album)
Boy did I look hard to find this LP. It was not ever reproduced on CD to my knowledge and did not sell well when it debuted. (Can't see any reason it didn't.) But it has some unique tracks. This LP was the only place where the track by Bing Crosby entitled "Christmas Candles" could be found (before now, of course). Also two duets with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra -- "Go Tell It On the Mountain" and "We Wish You the Merriest". Frank sings "An Old-Fashioned Christmas", "Little Drummer Boy", and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". Great for Bing and Frank collectors. Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians was a very popular chorus and its inclusion gives this album a good choral mix.

Everything Bing Crosby For Christmas
Do you have any idea how many Christmas songs Bing recorded? It was so many that this is a 4 CD set! I researched and think I found every one of them. We ALL know and love Bing's great crooning voice. How much better could Christmas music be than when he is singing it?! This set is unique with so many tracks that are difficult to find or totally not available elsewhere.
· Frank Sinatra and Bing singing “The Snowman” which, even though not of the best sound quality, is fun and great to have in your Bing collection.
· One of the most popular Christmas songs, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, is sung by three different female singers -- Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Gloria Wood. Each version is quite different from the others and lots of fun to listen to.
· Another rare track is taken from a skit done on Bing Crosby’s Chesterfield Show in 1949 featuring the great Jimmy Stewart. He was reputed to have been very shy. Bing and Jimmy have fun acting out and singing Jimmy’s engagement speech to his new bride Gloria Hatrick. They end by singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. This may be the first CD collection that has the entire radio skit and I think you will love it.
· A lively version of “Jingle Bells” as aired on Bing’s 1946 Chesterfield Christmas show will get you tapping your toes.
· Peggy Lee had one of her first hits with the song “Manana”. On her December 1949 visit to Bing’s Chesterfield Show, she made up new Christmas lyrics for it, and sang it with Bing. Again this may be the first collection that includes this track.
· We also have included “Here Comes Santa Claus” with Peggy Lee from the 1949 show.
· From the 1968 Christmas TV special, the song “Christmas Glow Worm”, sung with Dorothy Collins, is here.
· A song that does not appear in any list of Bing’s Christmas songs that we could find is included. It was attributed to Bing Crosby and Perry Como and titled “Santa Claus (Is Here to Pay a Call)”. It certainly sounds like Bing Crosby but I cannot be positive about the other voice being that of Perry Como. (Sounds more like Danny Kaye to me.) You can hear it for yourself here and judge. It is a fun song and fits in nicely in this set.
· “Christmas Candles” is a beautiful love song for the season and hard to find in other collections.

Taken from radio recordings, shellac and vinyl records, and television shows, this collection spans Bing’s entire career. If you are a Bing Crosby fan, or if you just want some lovely Christmas music to get you into the holiday mood, you will find this collection is something that you will want to play and keep for many years to come.

An American Christmas (from the Saturday Evening Post archives)

An American Christmas is a delightful collection of Americana that was originally a radio show and first aired in 1984. It was created on 33 rpm LP records to be used by the radio station. This set consisted of 12 LP records and would have aired over 12 or more hours. The last track of the series, containing the signoff and credits, was aired only once during the Christmas season and that was at 2:40 pm on Christmas day, according to a large hand-written note attached to the record set I own.

The writer of this huge project, Bob Shannon, wrote that he had to put this entire program together in four months and had difficulty deciding who he would interview for the personal recolletions. In the end, he picked the prefect subjects -- just plain folks that he found in malls, schools, even nursing homes.

“My goal was to capture voices of all ages. I met a woman who'd been in one of Bob Hope's overseas Christmas shows and a man from Australia, who told me about going to the beach on Christmas day. I heard the story of a soldier in the middle of the Mekong Delta whose most poignant memory was of a helicopter blaring "Jingle Bell Rock" through the fury of a Christmas Eve firefight. I collected memories.”

This set of 6 CDs contains almost 8 hours of music, personal interviews taken from the Saturday Evening Post archives, and other memorabilia such as presidential speeches and history of Christmas songs and traditions. It is narrated by Alex Burton.
Some of the artists include….
· The Beatles
· Elvis Presley
· John Denver
· Bing Crosby
· Frank Sinatra
· Dean Martin
· Wayne Newton
· Perry Como
· Andy Williams
· Johnny Mathis
· Robert Goulet
· Engelbert Humperdinck
· Will Greer (Grandpa Walton)
· Bill Cosby
· Lou Rawls
· The Carpenters
· Kenny Rogers
· Willie Nelson
· Glen Campbell
· The Beach Boys
· The Lettermen
· The Temptations
· Nat King Cole
· Barbra Streisand
· Roger Miller
· Bobby Vinton
· Merle Haggard
· Roger Whittaker
· Emmy Lou Harris
· Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
· Gladys Knight
· Nancy Wilson
· John Schneider
· Brenda Lee
· Henry Hadaway
· Ben E. King
· The Ronettes
· The Oak Ridge Boys
· The Glenn Miller Singers
· Bob B. Soxx and the Bluejeans
· The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
· The Do-Re-Mi Childrens Chorus
· Lorne Greene
· The Muppets
· Michael Jackson
· Jackson Five
· Burl Ives
· Elmo and Patsy
· The Eagles

The Saturday Evening Post, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1828, is a impressive source of the history of our American life. Even the CD cover artwork, by the popular artist Norman Rockwell, which was used as the cover for the December 21, 1935 edition of the Saturday Evening Post magazine has been incorporated into this wonderful snapshot of the American Christmas experience.

Hope you can visit me at http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/ this Christmas season.

Billy Vaughn "Have Yourself a Merry, Merry Christmas" album 1968

2010-11-28T12:35:00.007-05:00

Here is a lovely album of choral Christmas music titled "Billy Vaughn - Have Yourself a Merry, Merry Christmas". It was published in 1968 by Billy Vaughn and Bunny Robyn and has some very nice renditions of popular Christmas songs and also a few not-so-well-known Christmas songs.

I also love the album cover. It reminds me a lot of one that I posted under the title of Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra - Christmas Music LP. Do you think it was done by the same artist? They were recorded only 5 years apart, so it seems very possible.

Track Listings

Side 1

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Christmas Song
Christmas Story
Rags
Silver Bells

Side 2

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Nigh Bethlehem
Sleep Baby Mine (Carol of the Mother)
Deck the Halls
The First Noel
Silent Night

Click these links to download or listen:
Billy Vaughn - Have Yourself a Merry, Merry Christmas 1968 Side 1 FINAL.wav

Billy Vaughn - Have Yourself a Merry, Merry Christmas 1968 Side 2 FINAL.wav

Hope you enjoy this album.

To purchase my Christmas songs already on CDs, go to http://www.vintagemusicroom.com/. There are many songs that are not available on my Antique Christmas Music blog (here).

Noisy to Nice - How I Fix Up My Music Files

2010-01-29T18:21:00.020-05:00

Maybe you have reached my blog from clicking on a link in EBAY or my eStore at www.vintagemusicroom.com where I sell my CDs containing music from my personal collection of songs, many taken from 78 rpm records, 45 rpm records, cylinder recordings, a few LP 33 rpm records, and some cassette tape recordings. Most 78 rpm records, 45 rpms records, 33 rpm records and wax cylinder recordings have been used and therefore have developed deterioration of the sound. In many cases a great deal of noise, pops, crackle, and other problems significantly affect the quality of the music.

I have had many people ask me what I do to my music files to make them sound so nice. First let me say that I remove all of the noise that I possibly can, without distorting the spirit of the original recording, because I like to hear them that way. I know some folks like the "natural" noise that comes from listening to old records and cylinders, but I like to think that removing the noise makes them more like they would have been when they were new. I also listen to my Christmas music files all through the Christmas season, and listening to them over and over with the noise in them is just plain irritating to my ear. So that's the WHY of the question.

Many of my music files come from records, especially 78 rpm records, that I own. Since mostly these records were made during the 1920s through the 1950s (with some being made both before and after that time frame), that makes them 50 to 90 years old. And some of the records were played many times over the years and not taken the best care of, so they can be really full of pops, scratches, and other noise. I also get files from free downloads on the internet. I do a lot of searching to find the oldest and rarest recordings for my collection. And since many of the files that I download in this way are in their "noisy" form, I also do my noise reduction on them.

Here are some samples of files (just short clips) in the "noisy" stage. You will hear several types of noise and some are really bad, others less so.
PLAYING THESE FILES:

1. Click on the link by the title and a message will pop up asking if you want to navigate away from this site. Click YES.
2. A new window will open. You can choose to download or play the file.
3. After either playing or downloading the file, click your browser's BACK button to come back to this page.

FILE SAMPLES WITHOUT NOISE REDUCTION

Trinity Male Choir - Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn 1922 http://www.box.net/shared/oznxgida0j

Tascott - You Must Think I'm Santa Claus 1906 http://www.box.net/shared/og79gdx2bh

Prince's Orchestra - On a Christmas Morn 1911 http://www.box.net/shared/hle55sym8f

Dinah Shore - You Meet the Nicest People 1957 http://www.box.net/shared/75f0flgvs8

As you can tell when you play these clips, they could use a little TLC and noise reduction. So I put them through several steps of an audio application to remove impulse noises (pops and clicks) and then the other noises, including hum, buzz, SSSS, machine noise, and general hiss. Once that is complete, sometimes taking much longer than other times, I may do some enhancement to put back a little of the far ranges of sound that the first steps may have removed. I also clip the noise off of the start and end of the file. Then I make the sound level correct to match my other files.

FILE SAMPLES WITH NOISE REDUCTION

Here are the same songs as above, but AFTER all the necessary steps have been completed.

Trinity Male Choir - Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn 1922 FINAL (fixed)
http://www.box.net/shared/3ybv1b704q

Tascott - You Must Think I'm Santa Claus 1906 FINAL (fixed)
http://www.box.net/shared/oe2h4e639r

Prince's Orchestra - On a Christmas Morn 1911 FINAL (fixed) http://www.box.net/shared/218kp1bds0

Dinah Shore - You Meet the Nicest People 1957 FINAL (fixed) http://www.box.net/shared/ln38f0l8du

Did you notice that not all noise has been removed? Listen to "Trinity Male Choir - Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn 1922 FINAL (fixed)" to hear what I had to leave in order to keep the sound from getting distorted. Sometimes the noise and the music are so close together that one cannot be removed without affecting the other.

Also listen to "Tascott - You Must Think I'm Santa Claus 1906 FINAL (fixed)" and you will notice that there is still noise, but now you can tell what the music sounds like even so. In the original file, the noise was so bad that it hurt my ears to listen to it more than once. I think you will agree that the corrected file sounds much nicer and you could stand to listen to it over and over.

THE RESULTS
As you can see, I put a lot of work into each music file so that the result will be pleasant to hear, with the original sound kept true, and as homogenous as possible. It is a labor of love, as this is my hobby. I hope you enjoy my music also.

You can go to my web store to purchase CDs here: http://vintagemusicroom.com/

Legal Stuff

2010-01-01T11:32:00.002-05:00

For the purpose of my legal requirements regarding the origins of the music I post on this blog:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.) I swear or affirm that the following statements are true.

2.) All of the albums, records, or songs that I have reviewed and offered for free download at this blog since inception have been my own purchases, gifts given to me by friends or family, or have been downloaded online from free download locations. None have been obtained from paid online downloads.

3.) To the best of my knowledge, none of the offered downloads are under current copyright protection.

4.) If requested by a person or entity reasonably assumed to own a copyright of the said song or songs, I will remove a download from the website.

A Christmas Festival - University of Redlands Choir 1963

2009-12-29T17:36:00.007-05:00

I found this record on Christmas Eve at a local thrift store and, even though it is now after Christmas, I decided to go ahead and share it because it is very good. The choir is full and very well directed by J Williams Jones. The selections are some of the most interesting ones that I have found on my LP purchases lately. There are familiar songs and less-familiar songs, all of a religious nature. So if you are looking for beautiful choral Christmas music, you will want to download both sides 1 and 2. I have also included a CD insert that you can print on regular printer paper, cut out, and fold and put in the front of a CD case.

Christmas Festival_Univ of Redlands Choir 1963 CD Insert.doc

The list of songs are:

Side 1

Adeste Fideles

Noel

A Virgin Unspotted

Christ Came to Bethlehem

Dear Nightingale, Awake!

What Strangers Are These with soloist Wayne Dalton

Gloria

Univ of Redlands Choir_A Christmas Festival Side 1 FINAL.mp3

Side 2

Caroling, Caroling

When the Herds Were Watching

A Time for Singing with soloist Luz Albert

Manger Carol

Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head

New Prince, New Pomp

Mary's Lullaby

Star In the East

Torches

Univ of Redlands Choir_A Christmas Festival Side 2 FINAL.mp3

12/29/10 Update:

I have finally found a copy of the 1958 University of Redlands Choir - Choral Christmas album. It was not in very good condition, but I was glad to get it since it was very difficult to find. It contains the song that many of you have requested - "The Song of Mary". I have added it and 4 other very interesting tracks from the LP to my CD titled "Christ Is Born - Christmas 1940s-1950s" which you can find at my VintageMusicRoom.com webstore.

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click

here.

Calypso Christmas - The De Paur Chorus 1956

2009-11-29T13:42:00.006-05:00

I found this LP and really love the songs. I have, as usual, run it through my software to remove some of the noise so that it is more enjoyable to listen to. And as usual I have included a CD insert page. It has the original cover art but cleaned up (since my LP cover was a little dirty and dingy).

Instead of writing my own review, I have decided to include the review from the back cover of the LP. Here it is in its original version.

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here. (12/20/10 Calypso Christmas LP has been added to VintageMusicRoom.com so that it is now for sale for $12.99.)

If this is a fair sampling of the Yuletide spirit in Calypso territory, then it must be a fine time indeed. Christmas and merriment have long been associated in our part of the world, but when the fascinating beat of Calypso rhythm is put underneath it, something very special is the result – an innocent and joyous Christmas music that can even be danced to!

Leonard De Paur and his much applauded Chorus have grouped together here twelve Christmas songs that reflect this yearly Joy to the World in terms of the warmer regions of the globe. In doing so he has also compounded a moving revelation of the universal appeal of this holy day, the deeper meaning of which is clear, in warm weather or cold, all over the world.

Christmas In the Tropics -- Lyrics and music by Jester Hairston. Solo: Hamilton Grandison.

It’s always fun to make comparisons, though, and Christmas in the Tropics does just that. To us, a Christmas Eve when, instead of an evergreen, the whole house is decorated “with trinkets and tropical fruits” is amusing in itself as are fireworks in the afternoon and the idea of spending the day “in a panama hat and white linen suit”.

De Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy (Trinidad Calypso). From the Edric Connor Collection – by Max Saunders and Hal Evans. Solo: Herbert Stubbs

This is, of course, the story of the Nativity told in Calypso style, and if there is a more appropriate and pithy description of the essence of this tale than the line “He come from the Glory” it would be hard to find.

Sweet Little Jesus Boy – By Robert MacGimsey Arranged by Leonard De Paur. Solo: Luther Saxon.

This is surely one of the most affecting pieces of music of its kind, an apology, in effect, to the “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” for His troubles, with the simple and somehow very moving explanation: “We didn’t know who you was.”

Mary Had a Baby – Negro Spiritual arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw.

This is a question-and-answer type Spiritual: Mary had a baby; What did she name him? Where was he born? etc. A solo tenor helps give the answers. The music is marked with the instructions “Rhymically; Sweetly,” and that’s how it is.

La Virgen Lava Panales – Mexican traditional arranged by Leonard De Paur. Solo: Joseph Crawford.

An imitation of guitar strumming by the de Paur voices underlies this beautiful Mexican melody, sung in Spanish and English. It presents a simple picture of the Virgin washing the swaddling clothes of the holy infant near the manger to which the shepherds come to worship.

Christmas Present for Sallie (Calypso derived from Barbados Folk Lore) by Leonard De Paur. Solo: Hamilton Grandison.

This is the sad, comic story of a man made “a victim of hospitality”. Starting home on Christmas Eve with a present for his wife, Sallie, he is assailed by friends and relatives insisting he share their holiday spirits. In the course of drinking toasts to his wife and others, he loses the present, his wits, and his Christmas Eve with Sallie. When Sallie catches up with him she gives him twelve empty rum bottles around the head. But when he gets out of the hospital he will buy her a new present and make the best of “a very bad situation”.

Mary’s Little Holy Chile – Calypso by Jester Hairston, arranged by Leonard De Paur. Solo: Hamilton Grandison.

What a jumping-for-joy retelling of the Christmas story this is! There is even something wonderful about the slightly anachronistic idea that Christ was born “on Chris’-a-mus day”, as the song says. And at the end, it’s “Joy roun’ de worl’” indeed.

Oh Poor Little Jesus -- traditional, arranged by Leonard De Paur.

This is another touching expression of sympathy for the Christ Child, in anticipation of the trial that lay ahead. Who can help feeling that the words “Dis world gonna break your heart” speak for the humble all over the world as the Saviour?

Mary, Mary, Where Is Your Baby? (Spiritual) – by Jester Hairston. Arranged by Leonard de Paur.

This is again a question-and-answer tune, the questions being put to the Virgin as she tends her new-born on Christmas morning. To the question: “Mary, Mary, what you call your baby?” the answer comes: “I think I’ll call my little baby Jesus.”

Roun’ de Glory Manger – traditional arranged by Leonard de Paur.

“Dey turn ‘way Mary an’-a Joseph ‘way from de inn, an dat’s what made de Glory Manger!” says the song. Then it goes on to such playful details as: “An’ all His pretty little fingers played in de straw.”

What You Gonna Call Yo’ Pretty Little Baby? – Traditional Christmas Spiritual, arranged by Noah F. Ryder.

The naming of the Christ Child is again the subject. Then the suggestions come: “Some say one thing, I’ll say Emmanuel” and “I’ll call him Jesus.” But most of the piece is given over to the repetition of the question.

Ring de Christmas Bells – Lyrics and music by Jester Hairston. Solo: Grady Menefield.

A fitting climax to this Calypso Yule, a recounting of the three rich kings that brought gifts to the holy Child. First came Gaspar bringing Frankincense, then old Melchior with myrrh, finally Balthasar with a gift of gold . . . “and He shall be King of Kings!”
Notes by Charles Burr
Calypso Christmas CD Insert.doc
The De Paur Chorus - Calypso Christmas side 1 FINAL.mp3
The De Paur Chorus - Calypso Christmas side 2 FINAL.mp3

Patti Page Sings Christmas Favorites

2009-11-28T12:02:00.008-05:00

I picked up a double album called "The Family Christmas Package" that was listed on the cover as containing "Patti Page Sings Christmas Favorites" as one of the two albums. The same songs are on the album named "Christmas with Patti Page". So seems that either name for this album is correct.

Christmas With Patti Page was originally released in 1955, so it fits right in the time frame that I like for this blog.

This is one of my favorites Christmas LP finds for this year. I really love Patti Page's voice, but I also enjoy the mix of less-known songs with traditional songs. Christmas Choir, Christmas Bells, Pretty Snowflakes, and Where Did My Snowman Go are all included. Even the traditional Christmas songs are lovely. So I decided to put it here for all my internet friends to enjoy. Hope you do!

I also have included Boogie Woogie Santa Claus, one of my favorites by Patti Page. It was not on this LP album, but since it fits so well, it is included here. Enjoy!

Patti Page Sings Christmas Favorites CD Insert.doc

Patti Page Sings Christmas Favorites Side 1 FINAL.mp3
Patti Page Sings Christmas Favorites Side 2 FINAL.mp3
Patti Page - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus 1950 FINAL.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra - Christmas Music LP

2009-11-24T13:23:00.013-05:00

I picked up an LP of the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas recorded in 1970. It has the most beautiful album cover and back that I have ever seen. I don't think my pics really do them justice since they are a little faded out in the pics but not on the album itself. Also the file size is reduced here so also not as good as the album. But I think you can agree that the album cover and back are spectacular. If you were to buy the CD that was later made of the same music, you would not get the back cover of the album. So here are both for your pleasure.

I bought the record primary for the album cover, but when I played the records(2) I found that they are in pristine condition. And the music itself is exceptional. I really like all of the arrangements, even though I think that the songs that are not actually for Christmas could have been substituted for true Christmas songs. But the blend of them is good. If you like orchestral Christmas music, you will really enjoy these.

I have included a CD Insert page that can be printed on plain paper and then cut and folded to fit inside the front of a CD case.
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orch - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas.doc

I have recorded each side of the LPs as one file. Here they are:

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orch - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas Side 1 FINAL.mp3

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orch - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas Side 2 FINAL.mp3

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orch - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas Side 3 FINAL.mp3

Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orch - Great Orchestral Music of Christmas Side 4 FINAL.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Sweet Christmas Music

2009-11-03T09:02:00.016-05:00

It's time for the second CD of my 2009 Christmas So Long Ago music. This is the 6th or 7th year that I have been collecting old and mostly unknown Christmas music, with most years yielding 2-3 CD's-worth of songs. When I started this project, I was mostly getting music for my own listening (and sing-along) pleasure. But I also include some music that is not really the kind I really like but is interesting for its historic place in Christmas. I also like to mix up the music on each CD so that there are some songs that are cute, some are beautiful, some are religious, and some just something else that seems to fit the mix. The songs on this CD are no different. I hope you enjoy them! You will also notice that I include a CD insert page that can be printed on regular paper and then cut and folded. It has a list of all the songs with as many of the recording dates as I have been able to find. I also use pictures from vintage Christmas cards as the cover. You can use these inserts to give the CD's out to your friends if you wish.

The first song is one that is listed as Ernie Benedict and His Polkateers with the vocals by the Kendall Sisters, named "The Little Toy Village". It was recorded in either 1949 or 1950. I now own the 78 rpm and have taken the song from it. As I was researching the date of this recording, I found a blog (click to visit it) on which the writer mentions this song. She has pictures of a very cute toy village that she says her mother made for her. I hope she and her readers visit here and download this song. I will also be putting this song on You Tube later with some of the pictures she uses, as part of the video portion. So you can look for it there also. I am Jassnaround on You Tube, which you can find by doing a search. Or just search the song name.

Another 78 rpm record that I recently acquired is Fran Allison (of Kubla, Fran and Ollie I think) Sings Merry Xmas Songs Part2. The song is "Christmas In My Heart", one of the beautiful songs on this CD. It was recorded in 1950.

I am very excited to have found one of the last two of my missing records for Frank Luther and Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol 2. This record, again a 78 rpm, has been mislabeled. It is actually Part 3 and Part 4 but the labels are for Part 3 and Part 2. I found a brief listing on the internet of the songs on Part 4 and they match the songs that are on my record, but not what the label says. So I am happy to say that I am positive that this record is Part 3 and 4. I am still hoping to someday find the last missing record, which would be Parts 1 and 2 of Christmas in Song, Vol 2. Anyway, I am sure you will enjoy this record.

One of my very favorite songs here is by Gayla Peevey, "Are My Ears On Straight?" about a doll that gets broken right before Christmas. She goes to the shop to be repaired and worries whether her little girl will still love her when she is picked up from the shop on Christmas Day. (Guess they still had shops open on Christmas back then, or else the doll is confused.) I have also made a video of this one that can be found on You Tube, once I get it uploaded there. My mother left me her doll from her childhood and I used pictures of it and her doll's adopted brother doll on that video. So it will be especially interesting to my family members, I think. My mother was born in 1928, and I am not sure how old she was when she got the doll, but I would guess that dates the doll to the early 1930's. She certainly loved it and kept it all of her life. So I think it is very appropriate to the song. You are invited to check it out too.

The next song, by the Holy Trinity Male Quartette is "Christmas Eve at Grandma's". It was recorded in 1926 and is a lively, fun song. You can also find it on You Tube.

The Hoosier Hot Shots were a very comical group of musician from Indiana and the included song, "Jingle Bells" is definitely not the typical rendition of that song. Since I am/was a Hoosier, I especially enjoy this one. It was recorded in 1936 and you will dance to this one.

"If Everyday Were Christmas" by Jane Froman is a lovely song that you will want to hear. It was recorded in 1954.

In the "Cute" category is "Santa! Don't Pass Me By" by Jimmy Donley. I like to hear kid songs, especially at Christmas, and this one is a good one.

Ken Griffin made many recordings on his organ back in his day. I found this 78 rpm record of "Star of the East" by Ken Griffin. On You Tube I have the lyrics as part of the video. So if you want to sing along, look for it there.

"The St Nicholas Waltz" by Lita Roza was recorded in 1953. Then Lord Beginner's "Christmas Morning, the Rum Had Me Yawning" is next. It reflects the strange Christmas traditions in his native land of Jamaica, I think, recorded in 1939. Has a great Jamaican beat to it and adds to the CD mix very nicely. Then we are back to Cute with Lu Ann Simms' "I Just Can't Wait Til Christmas", which was recorded in 1954.

Vaugh DeLeath has been included on my blog before and here she is again with Jack Kaufman playing as two little children in a toy shop. It is very typical of the time, 1927, and is called "Jimmy and Mary's Christmas". It makes me feel like I am back in 1927 and can see what they are seeing in their time. Of course, children (including all of us) always have been and will be facinated by a toy store, so you have no problem knowing what they are feeling.

Want something to go along with "Santa Baby"? Well this is the original Cute-Sexy Christmas song, done by Mae Questal who was the voice for Betty Boop and other cartoon characters. This is "I Want You for Christmas". I have the same song by Russ Morgan and it is done in a lovely romantic style. But this version is my favorite, I think. It was recorded in 1937.

Back to Lu Ann Simms, the other side of the record, which is "Dance of the Candy Dolls", a great adaptation from the Nutcracker Suite. Recorded in 1954 of course. Next, Mark Warnow and Dick Todd recorded "All Around the Xmas Tree" in 1946 and you can hear it here.

Then we have Vaugh De Leath again as Gloria Geer, which she recorded under sometimes. This was recorded in 1925. Back then I guess Santa had Brownies instead of (or in addition to) Elves. You will hear them sing on this song. Then "Gloria" sings "Stand Under the Mistletoe" to Santa.

The next song is by an independent label, with no label name. I found the 78 rpm record and really like the song, but had to work some on making the vocal a little louder. It is still somewhat overpowered by the accompaniment, but better. It was recorded by Mary Berghoff, and due to the fact that there is no label name, I do not have any way to date it. But it was on a 78 record so that at least dates it to between the 1920's to the 1960's. If anyone has more information on this singer, record, or song, I would love to hear about it. The name of the song is simply "Merry Christmas". You will also be able to find it on You Tube (later). It is a lovely song.

Next, we have Mary Martin singing "Making Believe It's Christmas Eve" from 1954. Then a "lost" recording that is not particularly well made but still an interesting song is "Santa Claus Boogie Song" by the Ridge Riders. I also included Sammy Kaye's version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" from 1949. I know it is not unknown by most of us (which is one of my goals for my blog), but I always have liked the song and also like Sammy Kaye, so what's not to like about this song, after all? Another beloved Christmas song, here done by Stubby and the Buccaneers is "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas", recorded in 1949 - a better than usual rendition.

In the lovely and religious category we have the Frank Davino Chorus singing "Lonely Old Shepherd" from 1955. Really a great Christmas song.

The next group, The Korn Kobblers, were similar to the Hoosier Hot Shots in that they did comical music. This has got to be one of the funniest titles and the song is very entertaining! It is called "Don't Give Me No Goose For Christmas, Grandma". It was recorded in 1940. In it the singer suggests that Grandma could instead give "tickets for the Follies" or a polly or a duck. For all of you Grandmas out there, if you are planning to give a goose this year, maybe you should check with the recipient first?

The Minster Choir sings "Sweet Christmas Bells" next, which was recorded in 1917. Then to end the CD group, we have Vaugh De Leath once more with "The Spirit of Christmas", recorded in 1925. In 2009 we have grown even further away from the original Spirit of Christmas. Here Vaugh reminds us of what we should be celebrating at Christmas. I think it is a great way to finish this set of Antique Christmas Music songs.

XSLA_R CD Insert.doc

Ernie Benedict & His Polkateers v Kendall Sisters - The Little Toy Village 1949-50 FINAL.mp3

Fran Allison - Sings Merry Xmas Songs Part 2 (Christmas In My Heart) 1950 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song V2 Part 3 FINAL.mp3

Gayla Peevey - Are My Ears On Straight - 1953 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song V2 Part 4 FINAL.mp3

Holy Trinity Male Quartette - Christmas Eve at Grandma's 1926 FINAL.mp3

Hoosier Hot Shots - Jingle Bells 1936 FINAL.mp3

Jane Froman - If Every Day Were Christmas 1954 FINAL.mp3

Jimmy donley - Santa! Don't Pass Me By FINAL.mp3

Ken Griffin - Star of the East - FINAL.mp3

Lita Roza - St Nicholas Waltz 1953 FINAL.mp3

Lord Beginner - Christmas Morning, the Rum Had Me Yawning 1939 FINAL.mp3

Lu Ann Simms - I Just Can't Wait Til Christmas 54 FINAL.mp3

Vaughn De Leath & Jack Kaufman - Jimmy and Mary's Christmas 1927 FINAL.mp3

Mae Questal - I Want You For Christmas 1937 FINAL.mp3

Lu Ann Simms -Dance of the Candy Dolls 54 FINAL.mp3

11/27/2009 : Corrected copy of Lu Ann Simms - Dance of the Candy Dolls to remove some background noise. Above file is the corrected copy.

Mark Warnow & Dick Todd - All Around The Christmas Tree ca1946 FINAL.mp3

Vaughn DeLeath - Santa Claus at the Christmas Party 1925 FINAL.mp3

Mary Berghoff - Merry Christmas FINAL.mp3

Mary Martin - Making Believe It's Christmas Eve 1954 FINAL.mp3

Sammy Kaye - Here Comes Santa Claus 1949 FINAL.mp3

Stubby and the Buccaneers - Jolly Old St Nicholas - 1949 FINAL.mp3

The Frank Davino Chorus - Lonely Old Shepherd 1955 FINAL.mp3

The Korn Kobblers - Don't Give Me No Goose for Christmas 1940 FINAL.mp3

The Minster Choir - Sweet Christmas Bells 1917 FNAL.mp3

Vaughn DeLeath - The Spirit of Christmas 1925 FINAL.mp3

Bonus: Ridge Riders - Santa Claus Boogie Song FINAL.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Christmas Memories in Song

2009-10-18T12:23:00.021-04:00

It has been a little while since I added any new Christmas songs to this blog, but I have not been idle. I have been acquiring, editing and compiling Christmas songs all year and am now ready to start sharing them. This year I have several songs that I have not seen elsewhere on the internet. Those songs come from some 78 rpm records that I have picked up over the year. I also will be sharing some music from LPs that have come my way and, although they are not as old as 78's, LP are vintage so they will be interesting additions to the blog.

Let's start by looking at some of the songs' interesting facts. The oldest song I am including was recorded in 1901 on cylinder by George P Watson and is entitled "Sleep, Baby, Sleep". While not really a Christmas song, it is an interesting lullaby and since we are celebrating the birth of a baby at Christmas, I think it fits. Also I will be adding it as a video to You Tube sometime before Christmas. So look for it there to see the vintage pictures I have attached to it.

Ambrose Haley and His Ozark Ramblers sing "Old-Timey Christmas" from 1948 and it is one of my favorites for this year. Has a great beat and it is one that I also will be putting on You Tube with vintage pictures, which are taken from old greeting cards and other pictures available on the net.

Augie Rios sings "Ol' Fatso" from 1958. I think it is cute. I always enjoy kids voices. Hope you do too.

The Billy Mayo Quintet sings "I Want a Dog (for Christmas)" 1948. I believe this is new to the internet and it comes from a 78 rpm record that I own. I really like it and will be putting this on You Tube also, with doggie pics of course.

Not your typical "Jingle Bells", this next song was recorded by Carson Robinson and the Pleasant Valley Boys in 1946. Do you like square dancing? You may want to jump up and try it out with this one.

Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell sing "Silver Bells". I particulary like this rendition. If you loved Bob Hope like I did, you will enjoy this humorous version of a Christmas standard. Recorded in 1951.

This next one is not well-known now-adays. It is an old Christmas hymn. This is done by Charles R Cronhan in 1946 on the organ and chimes. It's title "Come Ye Lofty, Come Ye Lowly" reminds me of O Come All Ye Faithful. Look for this one on You Tube also and it will have the lyrics included so you can sing along if you want.

Known as an Irish Tenor, Dennis Day sings "May Santa Fill Our Hearts with Christmas". It is a lovely song that you will want to download for sure.

"The Christmas Story" by Doris Day comes from my own record collection. It was recorded in 1950 and is very lovely.

Now, children, I know some of you are old grumps and do not believe in Santa Claus. But after listening to Ernest Hare, who "Proves There is a Santa Claus" in 1925, you will believe! I hope his cold is better by now, but he sounds pretty "bunged up" on this recording.

"Snowflakes" was recorded by Fontanna and His Orchestra and Chorus in 1958. It really is quite seasonal and if you want a "white Christmas", this may be just for you. Also Frances Langford's "Once Upon a Wintertime" will get you in the mood even if your Christmas is green (Or maybe more like brown, like it usually is here.)

Last year I included several records done by Frank Luther and Zora Layman, recorded in 1929. Those were from their second collection, Volume II. Now I have included the songs from Volume I. There are several short renditions with very short breaks between so that they can fit on a 78 rpm record. Each side was labeled Part so you can see that there are 5 records to the set. The set is called "Christmas in Song". I enjoy them for the unusual songs that they include. Hope you will enjoy them too.

"The Very First Christmas Trees" by Fred Astaire is a bonus song included here but not on my personal CDs that will be given out this year. It was recorded in 1981, so is a little too new for this blog, but it fits nicely and it is nice to hear from Fred Astaire.

Gene Cherry does "Mr. Snowman Polka" next. He was named Gene Wisniewski but changed his name to Cherry. He did lots of polka records.

Vernon Dalhart was a very popular country singer and songwriter early in the century. The four entertaining songs included here seem to be mostly written for children and were recorded in 1924 and 1928.

Here are the links for the downloads. Go Get 'Em!

Ambrose Haley & His Ozark Ramblers - Old Timey Christmas 1948 FINAL.mp3

Augie Rios - Ol' Fatso FINAL 1958.mp3

Billy Mayo Quintet - I Want a Dog (For Christmas) 1948 FINAL.mp3
11/26/2009 Updated: Billy Mayo Quintet - I Want a Dog for Christmas song was not as good as I wanted, so I redid it and uploaded a corrected copy. The link above will now give you a better copy than was available previous to today.
Bob Hope & Marilyn Maxwell Silverbells 1951 FINAL.mp3

Carson Robinson & Pleasant Valley Boys - Jingle Bells 1946 FINAL.mp3

Charles R Cronhan - Come Ye Lofty, Come Ye Lowly 1946 FINAL.mp3

Dennis Day - May Santa Fill Our Hearts 1959 FINAL.mp3

Doris Day - Christmas Story 1950 FINAL.mp3

Ernest Hare - Santa Claus Proves There IS a Santa 1925 FINAL.mp3

Fontanna_His Orchestra and Chorus - Snow Flakes 1958 FINAL.mp3

Frances Langford - Once Upon a Wintertime 1948 FINALWAV.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 1 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 2 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 3 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 4 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 5 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 6 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 7 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 8 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 9 FINAL.mp3

Frank Luther Christmas v1 pt 10 FINAL.mp3

Fred Astaire - The Very First Christmas Trees 1981 FINAL.mp3

Gene Cherry - Mr Snowman Polka FINAL.mp3

George P Watson - Sleep Baby Sleep - 1901 FINAL.mp3

Vernon Dalhart - Christ Was Once a Little Baby ca 1924 FINAL.mp3

Vernon Dalhart - Christmas (Merry, Merry Chiming Bells) ca 1924 FINAL.mp3

Vernon Dalhart - Hooray for St Nick 1928 FINAL.mp3

Vernon Dalhart - Santa Claus, That's Me! 1928 FINAL.mp3

Holy Trinity Male Quartette - Christmas Eve at Grandma's 1926 FINAL.mp3

Christmas Memories in Song CD Insert.doc

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Christmas Music on a Snowy Day

2009-03-02T11:35:00.007-05:00

Lots of snow today. Here in the South, we don't spend all of our money on snow tires and road crews to be able to drive in snow and ice. Since we get weather like this so seldom, we just stay off the roads. It makes a lot of monetary sense, but it also makes Snow Days every once in a while. So while I have a Snow Day and am off work today, this is a perfect time to catch up on this blog.

As this is a blog about Christmas music, I don't get it updated as often as I might otherwise. I spend about 10 months of the year collecting songs, putting them through software to take lots of the pops and other noise out, and searching out dates for them. But since I have started this blog a few months ago, I intend to update it occasionally during the year, then a big bunch of songs, if not already posted, in the month or two before Christmas. So today is one of those occasional times.

Now, I know that old Christmas music is not everyone's "cup of tea", but I put these songs here not only because I enjoy them myself, but also because I don't want all of this great music to be lost to the world. And I have found that many people share my feelings about this music. I get lots of responses to this blog, which tickles me "pink". I also have gotten a response from one of the musicians whose music showed up on my "Christmas At 78 RPMs" page of this blog. I got a very excited call stating that I have her songs on my website and could we talk. So I had a lovely conversation with one of the Romine Sisters. Shane, the youngest of the Romine Sisters who sang "Christmas Is Just Around the Corner" and "Christmas Time Is Here", said that she and her two older sisters, Angela and Carla, recorded these songs when Shane was just 5. Shane sang the melody while her sisters sang the other 2 parts.

Shane told me that they sang together until her oldest sister, Angela, left the family home to attend college. During that time, even though Shane was too young to participate, the two older sisters were on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour program on TV. Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour was a very popular show that started on radio in 1934. It lasted on radio until 1952 and until 1970 on television, where it ran on all four major networks, ending as a Sunday afternoon CBS staple. The Romine Sisters were also offered a 2-year contract with Walt Disney. Because Mom and Dad Romine felt that the life on the road was not a lifestyle that they wanted for their children, the contract was not accepted. But still, the offer was a great comment on the Romine Sisters' appeal.

Shane says that she and her sisters have recordings from their early career and listen to them when they get together. The recordings were originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape. Later they had them copied to cassette tape. They are now in the process of moving them to digital format. Wonder if we could be seeing a website or blog featuring the Romine Sisters' music in the near future? Wouldn't that be fun!

The sisters have another sister, Nancy, who appeared in the world too late to be included in their trio. The sisters live in different parts of the country now, with Shane living in the South. Shane says she now sings Blues music when she gets a chance. She and her sisters were so thrilled to know that their music was still around and enjoyed 50+ years later. At the time that we spoke, she was very happy to find out that her songs had been downloaded 70+ times. Let's kick that number up, for Shane, Angela, and Carla Romine. Here is a link to their songs again:

Romine Sisters - Christmas Is Just Around the Corner.mp3
Romine Sisters - Christmas Time Is Here.mp3

Next time, I promise, I will put some more of my songs on the blog. I have lots more that I have not posted, so check back later for more great Antique Christmas Music.

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

A Wax and Acetate Christmas

2008-12-07T14:07:00.037-05:00

Do you like old Christmas pictures? I know I do. I found a website that sells copies of Harper's Weekly and other old newspapers, which is where I found this lovely vintage picture. I put a link here to the website so you can get some of these pictures and maybe buy some of the antique publications.

Wow, Christmas is getting closer and I have done only a little of my Christmas shopping. Running out of ideas is my main problem. So I have a great idea to share with my blogger friends. Have you ever heard of Springle cookies? I hadn't until I met Ken Hamilton, who is a professional baker and makes these little pieces of edible art. They are beautiful! And they taste great! Check out the link on this page for ordering and other information.

Now on to music. This week I have a combination of songs I have gotten from my 78 rpm record collection and songs from cylinders that I have downloaded and then cleaned up some.

Frank Gallagher was very into polkas, so when he wanted to record a Christmas song, guess what kind of song it was? Right - a polka. "Merry Christmas (Polka)" is a lively song that you will enjoy.

Are you old enough to remember Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on the Saturday morning cowboy shows? If so, you will remember that they sang "Happy Trails to You" as their theme song. Included this week is from my record collection of Roy Rogers singing "Gabby the Gobbler". It is kinda corny, but bet you will like it anyway.

From The Blue Barron & His Orchestra I have "Christmastime". From Joni James, you can hear "Christmas and You" and "Nina Non". I have been singing "Nina Non" ever since I made this copy. It is really lovely and nostalgic - makes you remember the love you felt as a child at Christmas. Get this one even if you don't want the others.

Tony Martin's "Christmas Candle" and "Nazareth" are very pretty. Then we have Tom Glazer with "Little Bitty Baby". I remember this one from the past. It is one of those that add a new object to the list for every verse, then you have to go backwards through them all before the next verse. It is one that the kids will love to sing.

Not really novel but still lots of fun are Sid Peltyn & His Orchestra with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and also Vaughn Monroe with "Marshmallow World".

Two of my favorites are Vera Lynn with the Robert Farnon Orchestra in "Christmas Time" and Vaughn Monroe & Moon Maidens with " The Jolly Old Man in the Bright Red Suit". By the way, Vera Lynn's "Christmas Time" is not the same song as done by Blue Barron, mentioned above, even though the title is almost the same.

I found a very interesting Christmas song on the Library of Congress archives. This was recorded in 1939 as part of a program that was designed to make recordings from various localities in the United States of folk songs and other things in an effort to keep them from disappearing. The gentleman on the beginning of the recording is Leon Ponce, and it is obvious that he is an older gentleman. He is singing a cute song from his past. I found the same song, recorded many years later by a group named The Revelers. I don't know if they learned the song from the Library of Congress archive or by other means. Anyway, I put the two versions together into one song. Hope you enjoy it.

The cylinder songs included come from various sites, with a few from the London Phonograph and Gramophone Society. As before, I have removed much of the noise and pops that come from these old cylinders. But still they have quite a bit of noise that cannot be removed (at least by me) without losing too much of the original. I think you can enjoy them, as I do, for their historical value.

You will find several Winter songs in the download list, just because they were on cylinder and of course, winter in the northern hemisphere starts at approximately the same time as Christmas. So even though not strictly Christmas music, it seemed appropriate to put them in here.

Hope you enjoy "A Wax and Acetate Christmas".

XSLA_O CD insert.pdf

Vaughn Monroe - Marshmallow World.mp3

Vaughn Monroe and the Moon Maids - The Jolly Old Man In the Bright Red Suit 1949.mp3

Vera Lynn_Robert Farnon Orch. - Christmas Time 1940s.mp3

Tom Glazer - Little Bitty Baby 1950.mp3

Tony Martin - Christmas Candle 1941.mp3

Tony Martin - Nazareth 1941.mp3

Trinity Male Choir - Christians, Awake, Salute the Happy Morn 1922.mp3

Trinity Male Choir - Watchman, Tell Us of the Night 1922.mp3

Robert Hilliard - Christmas Day in the Workhouse 1913.mp3

Roy Rogers - Gabby the Gobbler 1950.mp3

Sid Peltyn and Orch - I'll Be Home for Christmas 1942-45.mp3

Steve Porter - Christmas at Clancy's 1908.mp3

Joni James - Christmas and You 1956.mp3
Joni James - Nina Non 1956.mp3
Leon Ponce 1939_The Revelers - Mrs. Fogarty's Christmas Cake.mp3

National Military Band and Male Quartet - Christmas at Sea 1913.mp3

Harry Anthony and James Harrison - Star, Beautiful Star 1905.mp3

Criterion Quartet - Winter Song 1916.mp3

Edison Symphony Orchestra - A Winter's Evening 1904.mp3

Frank Gallagher - Merry Christmas (Polka) 1949.mp3

Atlantic Dance Orch - If Winter Comes 1922.mp3

Bing Crosby -Boy At a Window.mp3

Blue Barron & Orch v. Bluenotes - Christmastime 1949.mp3
Bransby Williams - The Street Watchman's Christmas 1913.mp3

Westminster Glee Singers - Bethlehem, the Shepherd's Nativity Hymn 1929.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Christmas at 78 RPMs

2008-11-30T16:18:00.056-05:00

I finally have my Christmas 2008 songs ready for sharing. I got a Stanton T90 USB phonograph player so I can now put all my records on the internet. I have a nice collection of 78 rpm Christmas records. I know many of them are not available on other websites or CDs, so unless you have a record player and the record, you would not have been able to hear many of these since the days of 78 records.

Don't you think the chubby little cherub in this old Christmas Card looks like the Charmin babies? I used this pic for the front of the CD, which you will find with the download list.

To start off the Christmas sharing, I have part of a set of records made in 1939 on 78 rpm. I bought these as an incomplete set. I am missing the first 2 records, but have the last 3 records here. As you may remember (if you are approaching ancientness, like I am), 78s did not have many minutes available for recording. So this set of records has an unusual method of putting several Christmas songs on each side by making them short and with very short pauses between them. The singers are Frank Luther and Zora Layman. The set is called Christmas in Song and each side of a record is called "part". So you will be able to tell from my listing what was actually on each record. I found all of them entertaining and hope you do too.

Carmen Quinn has a lovely voice and I have included her recording of "Santa's Coming" and "Story of the Magi", both of which are very pretty and you will want to play them often this Christmas. Then Don Cornell, also with a lovely voice, sings "I've Got the Christmas Spirit" and "Let's Have an Old-Fashioned Christmas". Dennis Day is a well-known tenor who was on the Jack Benny show for many years. Listen to him with his fun version of "Christmas in Kilarney". It is a cute rendition that you will love.

Eddie Fisher was a heart-throb in his time. He also sings great. So you will really enjoy "Christmas Day" and "What Christmas Means to Me". I also have included Eddy Howard, who I was not familiar with until I got this record. He sings "Dearest Santa". Larry Green and his Orchestra plays "Our Christmas Waltz".

When I was young, my mother, who was a pianist and amateur singer, got her 4 girls together and taught us how to sing in parts. We had 4 girls, so she split us up into two parts. We were quite small when we started performing at church. I imagine that we sounded a lot like the Romine Sisters, whose "Christmas is Just Around the Corner" and "Christmas Time is Here" are included. The songs are cute, the singing only so-so, but I like them because of my singing experiences. Christmas season will have many children's groups and choirs singing for your entertainment, so it is very seasonal for that reason also.

John Jacob Niles went out into the mountains in the early 1900's and recorded many of the folk songs which he found there. He recorded many of them in his high-pitched, rather nasally voice and they were popular in the 1950's and 1960's. I have included four of them. I enjoy them especially for their historic value. So please listen to "Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head", "Sing We the Virgin Mary", "The Cherry Tree", and "Lulee Lulay".

Jose Ferrer's "March of the Christmas Toys" will tickle your fancy. From the flip side, you can hear "Let's Give a Christmas Present to Santa Claus" by Rosemary Clooney.

Ruby Wright was very popular in her time. The two songs from her that I have included here are lively and very Christmas-sy. I know you will like them --"Have a Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas" and "Let's Light the Christmas Tree".

I have been waiting for the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project to put a digital copy of Tascott's "You Must Think I'm Santa Claus" on their website. I finally have it for you. There was a very bad section in it but I managed to get much of the noise reduced so that you can enjoy listening to it more. It was recorded on cylinder in 1906 as a comedic song, and although our sense of what is funny and also socially acceptable has changed since then, the song still is interesting for itself and it's historic value. So please excuse any problems it has and enjoy it.

Phil Regan's record has a Christmas song on one side and on the other side is "Leprechaun's Lullaby". Even though it is not a Christmas song, it is adorable and a song about a child's world. Christmas is very much about children, so I think it fits in this collection very nicely.

Christmas So Long Ago-N CD insert.pdf

Dennis Day - Christmas in Killarney 1950.mp3

Carmel Quinn - Story of the Magi 1954.mp3

Don Cornell - I've Got the Christmas Spirit 1952.mp3

Don Cornell - Let's Have an Old-Fashioned Christmas 1952.mp3

Eddie Fisher- What Christmas Means to Me 1953.mp3

Eddy Howard - Dearest Santa 1947.mp3

Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 10_SANTA CLAUS TONIGHT 1939.mp3

Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 5_CHRISTMAS BELLS, GLAD TIDINGS 1939.mp3

Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 6_LONG JOYOUSLY SING 1939.mp3
Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 7_The Glad Bells All Say 1939.mp3
Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 8_MERRILY RING THE BELLS 1939.mp3
Frank Luther & Zora Layman - Christmas in Song Vol2 Part 9_OLD SANTA 1939.mp3
John Jacob Niles - Sing We the Virgin Mary.mp3
John Jacob Niles - Lulee Lulay.mp3
John Jacob Niles - The Cherry Tree.mp3
Jose Ferrer - March of the Christmas Toys 1954.mp3
Larry Green and his Orchestra - Our Christmas Waltz 1949.mp3
Phil Regan - Leprechaun Lullaby 1950.mp3
Phil Regan - The Christmas Story 1950.mp3
Romine Sisters - Christmas Is Just Around the Corner.mp3
Romine Sisters - Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
Rosemary Clooney - Let's Give a Christmas Present to Santa Claus 1954.mp3
Ruby Wright - Have a Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas 1957 .mp3
Ruby Wright - Let's Light the Christmas Tree 1957.mp3
John Jacob Niles - Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head.mp3
Eddie Fisher- Christmas Day 1953.mp3
Carmel Quinn - Santa's Coming 1954.mp3
Tascott - You Must Think I'm Santa Claus 1906.mp3

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Christmas 2007 Shared Songs

2008-07-13T17:45:00.014-04:00

As I have mentioned before in this page, I have been collecting and sharing vintage Christmas songs for several years now. During Christmas 2007 I got many of the songs from the cylinder sites on the internet, that I have written about in my previous blogs. The songs I am putting here today are mostly songs that I got from other bloggers' sites. Look to the side panel of the page to see a bunch of links to these sites. Some of these guys and gals put so many songs out on the internet that they must live in music heaven all the time! Still, if the songs were in their original versions when I downloaded them, I have removed pops and hiss, etc. The ones I have for you today are from my "Christmas So Long Ago - K" CD.

Here are links to the songs. Hope you enjoy them.

Christmas So Long Ago - K

Art Mooney & Orch - Christmas Choo Choo Train 1950.mp3
Barry Gordon - I Like Christmas 1954.mp3
Billie Holiday - Wherever You Are 1942.mp3
Barry Gordon - Santa Claus Looks Just Like Daddy 1954.mp3
Cary Grant - Christmas Lullaby 1967.mp3
Cecil Gant - It's Christmas Time Once Again 1950.mp3
Black Ace - Christmas Time (Beggin' Santa Claus) 1937.mp3
Desi Arnaz - Holiday In Havana 1949.mp3
Dinah Shore - You Meet the Nicest People 1957.mp3
Freddy Martin Orch - Merry Christmas Polka.mp3
Galli Sisters - Because! Because! Because! He's Santa Claus.mp3
Johnny Mathis - Have Reindeer, Will Travel.mp3
Gisele MacKenzie - He's Too Fat For the Chimney 1957.mp3
Giselle MacKenzie - Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (vocal) 1957.mp3
Jan Garber Orch - Jumpin' Jiminy Christmas.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

More Cylinder Christmas Music

2008-05-23T17:42:00.014-04:00

This week I am putting out my last of the cylinder Christmas music from my 2007 Christmas So Long Ago collection. But already I have found several more old Christmas songs with lapsed copyrights for the upcoming Christmas season. These will be put through my music editing software and then I will put them on this blog for download.

I also have lots of music from previous Christmases to put out here. I still need to sort through them to see which ones I bought, which would have current copyrights, and which ones were found elsewhere. Keep watching for these to add to your collection.

Then I will have my copies of Christmas music from my old 78's and other formats. I am in the process of making digital copies of these. When they are done, I will put them here also. So I anticipate lots of Christmas music here at least by Christmas 2008!

This week, we will hear from Vaugh De Leath, Vesta Pallis, Jimmy Rosen, and H. Knoll in "Santa Claus Land 1 & 2" 1927. The start was very noisy so there is some loss of the data, but you can still tell what is said. This was originally recorded on two cylinders, and I put them together into one file so you can hear it all together. It is interesting that Brownies lived with Santa Claus in this story, rather than elves. Then we get to hear the vibraphone, which comes across well on the recording.

Vaughn De Leath (pictured)

We also have "Santa Claus Song with yodel" sung by George P Watson. It is a lively melody. It has some home-made animal sounds in it, to give it pizzazz. And of course there is the yodel. I have recently tried my luck at learning to yodel. You don't want to know how that is going at this point.

One of my favorites is in French, which I do not know at all. Mme. Edouard Bolduc sings Le Bas de Noel. She does what was called puirt a beul or mouth music. This is a section of the lyrics where nonsense syllables are used. Here is a section from Wikipedia about it:

Mouth Music in the Americas
When they came across the ocean the ancestors of modern Scottish Americans brought their music with them, including mouth music, which was often incorporated into the lyrics of songs. It became an integral part of Appalachian music, roots music, and bluegrass, from whence it spread into many forms of American music. Its lasting influence can be seen in scat singing , a jazz technique where vocalists "play" melodies without words, and in modern beatboxing, a form of vocal percussion that is associated with modern hip hop music.

Mme. Edouard Bolduc always performed under her married name. She was also known as Mary Travers and La Bolduc. "During the peak of her popularity in the 1930s, she was known as the Queen of Canadian Folksingers. Bolduc is often considered to be Quebec's first singer/songwriter. Her style combined the traditional folk music of Ireland and Quebec, usually in upbeat, comedic songs." (quoted from Wikipedia again.)

La Bolduc with fellow band members 1928.

Included in the lineup this week are also several Christmas carols. Hope you enjoy them all.
Vaughn De Leath, Vesta Pallis, Jimmy Rosen,H Knoll - Santa Claus Land 1 & 2 1927.mp3
Thomas Chalmers - Birthday of a King 1914.mp3
Steve Porter - The Sleigh Ride Party 1898.mp3
Robert Price - Christ, The New Born King 1904.mp3
Robert Gayler - Christmas Bells 1919.mp3
Petit Septuor de la Bonne - Whence O Shepherd Maiden 1937.mp3
Olive Kline - Merry Christmas_Sleighing Song 1914.mp3
Mme. Edouard Bolduc - Le Bas de Noel (The Christmas Stocking)1931.mp3
Metropolitan Quartette - Song of Ages 1918.mp3
Metropolitan Quartet - Christmas, Christmas, Blessed, Blessed Day 1917.mp3
Louis Chartier - Oh, Cradle 1929.mp3
George P. Watson - Santa Claus Song 1906.mp3
Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Christmas Has Changed Since the Early 1900's

2008-05-10T15:31:00.011-04:00

Christmas is so commercial nowadays and we also get bombarded by the media starting around Halloween about what to buy, buy, buy for Christmas. But I can remember when Christmas advertisement, shopping, singing, etc. all started around the first of December, not even as soon as Thanksgiving. Guess I'm just an oldie (but Goodie?), but I am not in the Christmas shopping mood until December. By then it is difficult to work all the hustle and bustle into my schedule. So my Christmas shopping has gotten more and more internet-connected in the last few years. I love not having to get hit in the parking lot, wait in long check-out lines, maneuver around shopping carts and shoppers. But I do miss the Christmas decorations that dominate at the malls. So I still do a little of my shopping in "real" stores and malls.

We all know that Christmas has not always been like this. At the beginning of the 1900's, Christmas was much more family- and religion-oriented. You can take a nostalgic trip, or fantasy trip if you are not old enough for nostalgia, back to that time with the Antique Christmas Music links below.

In "Old Jim's Christmas Hymn" from 1910, the hymn that Old Jim traditionally sings, when he is not too sauced to sing apparently, is not a Christmas song at all. It is a hymn, "Rock of Ages", that is still popular. This is supposed to be a tear-jerker, I think. So get your hankies out.

In "Christmas Morning at Flannagan's", you will hear what a typical Irish Christmas (supposedly) sounded like. You might have to listen closely, as this is from a cylinder that was very noisy when I downloaded it. It cleaned up well, but is still a little fuzzy, as many of the cylinder recordings are that I am offering.

One of my favorites of the old-time Christmas spirit genre is "Flanagan's New Year's Call" from 1909. The woman he calls on, Mrs. Riley, is a TRIP! Of course, he is not much better. His son is out of jail now because he got a year off for good behavior. "Oh, it must be a great comfort to have such a well-behaved boy," says Mrs. Riley. And Mrs. Riley forgot to offer a drop to drink to Mr. Flanagan before he left. So naturally she decides she will drink it for him! Lots of other comical lines in this recording! In its original form from my download, I could hardly understand anything that was spoken. This one cleaned up well. Enjoy it!

You know, Santa Claus wasn't always quite the way we think of him nowadays. He has evolved from a much less important figure in past Christmases. But he has always been the most beloved of children. In Gilbert Girard's "Santa Claus Talks About His Toy Shop", you get to hear the funniest sound effects. You could do all of these yourself, for free! I guess they didn't expect to make much money from the sales to pay for even slightly expensive sound effects. I love the pig sounds. I have heard a few pigs in my lifetime, and I am pretty sure that none of them sounded like that!

In the companion song, "Santa Claus Gives Away His Toys", you will notice that the way that the recording simulates Santa approaching is by making "Hello" louder and louder as if he were getting nearer. It works, since I understood that was what was happening. You will also hear what types of gifts children recieved for Christmas back in 1918. Not the big expensive, and expansive, list of toys of today.

As I was cleaning up the sound on these recordings, the hardest thing to correct was taking noise out of a section that had jingle bells playing. I would remove noise and the jingle bells would either disappear or distort. It took a lot of finagling to get the correct sound. But they came out very well, on these particularly.

From the Canadian Historical Sound Recordings - The Virtual Gramophone, I got "The Sleep of the Baby Jesus". I don't understand even a word of French, but the little girl singing this one, Jean D'Arc Charlebois, is just so charming that I don't need to understand the words to enjoy it. Maybe someone can tell me what she is saying. That would be interesting.

Tommy and Molly were awoken on Christmas Eve by Santa's visit. Tommy accidentally hollered when he saw that it was Santy Claus there. But Santy was nice about it, and granted them their wishes for their favorite toys. This is one of the recordings that had the worst noise over the jingle bells. I had to delete that section and copy in another jingle bell snippet. It worked pretty well, I think.

Hope you enjoy all of today's Antique Christmas Songs downloads. Here are the links for Revitalized Antique Christmas Songs #3.

ernest hare - Santa Claus Greetings 1924.mp3
Gilbert Girard - Santa Claus Gives Away His Toys 1918.mp3
Gilbert Girard - Santa Claus Talks About His Toy Shop 1918.mp3
Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison - Old Jim's Christmas Hymn 1910.mp3
Harry Macdonough - Winter - 1916.mp3
Henry Burr - The Star Of Bethlehem - 1904.mp3
Jeanne D'Arc Charlesbois - The Sleep of the Baby Jesus 1929.mp3
Manuel Romain - Christmas Time Seems Years And Years Away - 1909.mp3
Prince's Band - Auld Lang Syne 1914.mp3
Steve Porter - Christmas Morning At Flannigan's 1906.mp3
Steve Porter - Flanagan's New Year's Call 1909.mp3
Walt Bingham And His Orchestra - Im Going Home For Christmas.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

A Little Cylinder Info

2008-05-04T14:49:00.017-04:00

Cylinders were the first type of commercially used recording media. If you are interested in learning more about how cylinders were recorded, the history of cylinders, and gramaphones, the links on my page will give you some places to start looking for information.

Here is a picture of one of the earlier types of cylinders. I think it is interesting that they came with pieces of paper tucked in them that listed the name of the song and performers. I am not surprised that many cylinders that are still around today do not have the original sheets with them. I suppose it is more surprising that any DO have them. Instead of slips of paper, the very earliest recordings had an announcer declaiming the title and performers' name at the beginning of the recording. Of course that took up precious time on the cylinders, which were limited to 2 minutes. I think the 4 minute cylinders came along a little later, but still not much time to record anything. Maybe that is why the paper slips were used later, so that the time on the recording could be used for recording the main subject.

This is a Standard gramophone.

Now on to my link to some more revitalized Antique Christmas Music. These are more of the music from my Christmas 2007 collection.

There are several Christmas carols included in this week's download. I suppose that most folks know that "Silent Night" was originally written in German. So how did we get the English lyrics that we all know? A direct translation would not yield the correct rhymes and beat to match the music. So it had to be translated, then English lyrics that matched a general translation were written. As you can guess, there was more than one version in earlier times. For this reason, the version included in the download today has different lyrics than the version everyone sings today. How would you have written them?

Santa didn't always say "Ho, Ho, Ho". In Ernest Hare's "Santa Hides in the Phonograph" from 1926, he said more like "ha, ha, ha, ha." Interesting. Where is that voice of Santa coming from? The new phonograph? How did his voice get in there? Is Santa in the phonograph? Well, apparently, yes he is. Probably makes sense to every 4 or 5 year-old.

Just for something different, I have included Fiddlin' John Carson - "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over". The fiddling is fun, but I really don't understand the lyrics. Why does Christmas time have to be over before we can join the band? And what is he saying, "Come on Gals, let's go xxxx"? Any ideas?

These blues come fallin' like drops of rain when you have to spend Christmas locked up in jail. Ain't that a pain! Leroy Carr claims it is. This is a good example of some early blues, actually a little more melodic than some.

This is folder #2 containing 10 songs.

Edison Concert Band - Christ is Come 1908.mp3
Edison Concert Band - Ring Out The Bells For Christmas 1916.mp3
Edison Concert Quartette - Silent Night (Sung in English)1910.mp3
Edison Mixed Quartet - Hail, Hail, Day of Days 1913.mp3
Edison Quartette - Hail Smiling Morn 1904.mp3
Elsie Baker - Around the Christmas Tree_Little Christmas Shoes 1914.mp3
Ernest Hare - santa hides in the phonograph 1926.mp3
Fiddlin' John Carson - Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over 1928.mp3
German Kinderchoir - Christkind Kommt 1913.mp3
Leroy Carr - Christmas In Jail (Ain't That A Pain) 1929.mp3

Old Christmas 78's Purchased

2008-05-03T14:46:00.007-04:00

I just bought three 78's on ebay of Christmas music. I hope that Economic Stimulus check is in the mail soon so I can get a turn-table with a recording setup. I don't have either a turn table or the connection equipment to my computer but I have been window-shopping. So I know what I want to get. Then I will be able to listen to the new old records I have now. I am trying to find records of songs I can't find on the web or for purchase. Then I can offer them to my Antique Christmas Music friends so that you can hear them too. Looking forward to this new development in my hobby.

For today I am putting a few more links to my revitalized Christmas mp3's. Hope you enjoy them.

Byron Harlan - Why Don't Santa Claus Go Next Door original recording in 1909. Another poverty heart-strings song, but I like it.

Byron Harlan - Why Don't Santa Claus Go Next Door 1909.mp3

I posted a similar duo by Brunswick Concert Band in my last post. This one is by the Columbia Orchestra - The Kiddie's Christmas Frolic_ Evening.

Columbia Orchestra - The Kiddie's Christmas Frolic_Evening.mp3

Here is the second of the duo from Columbia Orchestra - The Kiddie's Christmas Frolic_Morning

Columbia Orchestra - The Kiddie's Christmas Frolic_Morning.mp3

Here is a reading of a poem. I think it says a lot about the Christmas spirit.

Edward Sterling Wright - A Christmas Basket 1913.mp3

Of course bells have always been popular in Christmas music, but I think they were particularly well-suited for the cylinder recording method. Making a cylinder recording was always "live" and the proximity of the musical instrument to the recording horn determined the sound volume. Bells were able to come through loud and clear on this type of recording.

Edison Concert Band - Bells of Christmas 1913.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Day 2 of Antique Christmas Music

2008-05-01T18:12:00.005-04:00

Today was a tough day at work so I am going to be brief here today. I want to get some more of my revitalized Christmas music available to you all (I haven't lived in the South long enough to write "y'all" yet). So here we go.

Kiddie's Patrol (Christmas Eve) - Brunswick Concert Band.
Brunswick Concert Band - Kiddie's Patrol (Christmas Eve) 1920.mp3

Kiddie's Dance (Christmas Morning) - Brunswick Concert Band recorded in 1920. This type of Christmas music seemed to be popular, adding sound effects to the performance. Really kinda cute.
Brunswick Concert Band - Kiddie's Dance (Christmas Morning) 1920.mp3

Down on the Farm - Ada Jones and Len Spencer recorded in 1906. They had hard times back then, too.
Ada Jones and Len Spencer - Down on the Farm 1906.mp3

Oh You Silv'ry Bells by Ada Jones and Billy Murray. Recorded in 1913
Ada Jones & Billy Murray - Oh You Silv'ry Bells 1913.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.

Antique Christmas Music First Day

2008-04-27T13:00:00.009-04:00

For several years now I have been collecting old Christmas songs, looking for those songs that I did not know or had not heard often. They also had to be recorded before the 1960s (except for a few that I couldn't live without that were a little more recent). At first, I had to search very diligently and could only find a few songs that met these criteria. But as I learned more about the artists who were recording in that time frame, and the types of music, etc., I was more successful in my searches. Consequently, my collection has grown much larger than I had originally anticipated.

After I realized that other people, namely my family and friends, would also enjoy hearing these songs, I started making CDs every year that had my newest finds on them. That has worked well until I have recently had new friends that are requesting copies of previous years' collections. It is getting to be rather much to make CDs for all of these songs, for all of these folks, every year, as you can imagine.

For Christmas 2007, I found the fascinating website that the University of California, Santa Barbara has started which has digital recordings of cylinder music. I am amazed at the amount of time, ingenuity, and dedication that the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project has given to the world in order to give us a chance to hear these antique recordings. If you listen to any of these recordings, you will hear them exactly as they sound TODAY on the cylinder, including all the noise, hiss, pops, and sometimes even missing parts. Although I found them interesting as they are recorded, I did not find them particularly pleasant sounding. For the ones that I wanted to include in my Christmas So Long Ago collection, I wanted to remove most of the noise, pops, and other problems so that I could enjoy listening to them over and over. Therefore, I purchased some software that did a good job of restoring the music to a better listening level. Of course, the changes I made using the software were determined by my own preferences, which could very well be different from others' ideas of what is the best sound. I do think that I did a pretty good job on them, though, and invite you to listen to my revitalized recordings.

As I get going on this blog, I will add more songs. Right now I am going to put a few of my favorites here for download. Hope you enjoy them! Al Campbell and Henry Burr - "I'd Rather Be Kissed Neath the Mistletoe Bough" was recorded in 1913. In it the girl says she would rather be kissed beneath a mistletoe bough than spoon under any old tree. I have the feeling that the boy would be willing to "spoon" just about anywhere, though. Give it a listen.

Al Campbell & Henry Burr - I'd Rather Be Kissed Neath the Mistletoe Bough 1913 .mp3

Albert Allard - Papa Noel's Reel 1939.mp3

Billy Williams - Why Don't Santa Claus Bring Something to Me 1913.mp3

Buy my Christmas CDs at VintageMusicRoom.com. Click here.