Christmas music: popular songs, interesting facts and holiday history

Christmas music: popular songs, interesting facts and holiday history

The New Year is a celebration of magic, which not only children, but also adults are waiting with impatience. These days, everyone is really starting to believe in miracles, dream of good things and wait for something amazing. Suddenly a beautiful fairy will fly in, wave her magic wand and paint everything with multi-colored paints, from which the world will become better and kinder. Well, what a holiday without music, it helps to feed a good festive mood and real magic begins with its sounds. Even a simple chime of merry bells sends us to a good fairy tale, and we look forward with pleasure to the appearance of the main wizard - the kind Santa Claus. During the history of the New Year, the melodies that give the celebration a special cheerful tonality are not created enough. In our country, too, there is such music, which, having sounded even in summer, makes us remember the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and the smell of tangerines ... This is a golden music collection that surely sounds on every children's Christmas party or adult corporate party, gives the holiday a sincere mood and a feeling of absolutely magical New of the year.

Popular New Year's music

The Nutcracker Ballet. This musical overture to the New Year's holiday, which from the first notes makes us anticipate extraordinary festive magic and believe in fabulous changes is the world-famous work of the wonderful Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. His music for the ballet "The Nutcracker" is a real masterpiece, which in musical culture is recognized as one of the most precious pages of the composer's creative heritage.

This performance has become a favorite New Year's performance for several generations of people in our country. The amazing story, inspired by the composer with the works of Hoffmann, in which good triumphs over evil, and the ugly enchanted doll becomes an excellent prince, gives us hope and makes us believe in a better future. There are a lot of musical numbers in ballet that we associate with the New Year holiday. This is the enchanting "Waltz of the Flowers", the sound of which stops the heart. Crystal and fascinating dance of the Fairy Drazhe, which is the pearl of the ballet score. And the hymn of love is the famous "Pas de deux", an incredibly powerful in strength music, creating the effect of a real presence in a New Year's fairy tale.

Waltz of the Flowers (listen)

March from Action I (listen)

Dance Fairy Drazhe (listen)

Snow Flake Waltz (listen)

Pas de Masha and the Nutcracker - Adagio (listen)

"The Forest Raised a Christmas Tree" Now we just have to remember another music, which, unlike the works of PI. Tchaikovsky is quite simple, but for Russian citizens in the celebration of the New Year takes an equally important place. "A Christmas tree was born in the forest" - these words we know well from early childhood. Round dance New Year's song has become so popular in our country that for a long time it was considered popular. But the song has its own authors, and it was created before the October Revolution. The poem, which was originally called "Christmas Tree" was composed in 1903 by R.A. Kudasheva and published it later in the children's popular magazine. And already in 1905 L.K. Berkman, while celebrating his daughter's birthday, came up with a melody for these verses. L.K. Berkman was a biologist and didn’t know the notes at all, and his wife, famous pianist Ye.A., helped to record the melody he sang. Beckman - Shcherbina. The song immediately gained fame and she sang with pleasure at the New Year and Christmas celebrations. The First World War, the revolution, and then the New Year’s ban affected the song for some time and was forgotten only in 1941 thanks to E. Emden, who made up the poetic New Year's collection of the song "A Christmas Tree Was Born in the Forest" returned to life again.

"A Christmas tree was born in the forest" (listen)

"Little Christmas tree is cold in winter". In our country there is another very popular New Year's hit, which is traditionally performed by a round dance around a festively decorated Christmas tree. This simple song is usually the first one that our kids learn on the New Year. “A little Christmas tree is cold in winter” - these words were also considered popular for a long time, but this song turns out to be relatively young, and also has its own authors. Poems were written by Z. N. Alexandrova, a simple girl who worked in a factory, but from childhood she loved to write poetry. The young poetess, who was very modest by nature, who hid her hobby, did not want to publish her compositions, but her friends sent several works to the magazine Worker in those days, where they were printed. The success after the publication inspired Zinaida, she began to write more, published several children's books and became one of the famous children's writers. The music for this heartfelt and simple song by children loved by all generations was written by the composer M. I. Krasev. When for the first time the song was performed is not known for certain, but there is an assumption that it was before the war, since it was in 1939 that M. Krasyev released the compilation Songs for Kids. Perhaps it was precisely this musical cycle that included a song, which they then began to sing at all New Year holidays.

"Little Christmas tree is cold in winter" (listen)

"Five minutes". In our cinema there are several wonderful films that are for Russians the most important attribute of the New Year and which are traditionally shown on holidays on the screens of our televisions. One of these is a cheerful musical comedy by eminent director E. Ryazanov's Carnival Night. There are many wonderful songs in the soundtrack of this film, but the most memorable one, which is invariably performed at New Year's celebrations at the present time, is the lively composition Five Minutes performed by the brilliant actress L. Gurchenko. In the words of the song, composed by the poet V. Livshits, it reflects on how many important things you can manage to do in a short time - five minutes. The music, which initially seemed too old-fashioned, was written by the wonderful Latvian composer Anatols Liepins. The film "Carnival Night" in a short time won great popularity and love of the audience, and the song "Five Minutes" for almost 60 years has been a constant New Year's musical hit.

"Five minutes" (listen)

"Three white horses". Another film, which is also traditionally shown on New Year's holidays, is the romantic fairy tale "The Magicians". There are many interesting musical compositions in the film, but the song “Three White Horses” became one of the most memorable, a real hit without which no New Year's Eve passes in our country.

Three white magic horses, harnessed for the three winter months: December, January and February, whirl along the vast expanses of our homeland, announcing the coming miracles.

Quickly memorable words of the song came up with a wonderful poet songwriter L. Derbinev, and a beautiful, but at the same time not difficult to perform melody, which for a long time penetrates the soul, wrote a brilliant composer - songwriter E. Krylatov. This song, like the film in which it first sounded for more than thirty years, but during this time it has not lost its relevance: it creates a festive mood, gives smiles and makes you believe in real magic.

"Three white horses" (listen)

"If it was not winter". This is another funny New Year hit that traditionally sounds during New Year's celebrations and sets us up for a festive cheerful mood. The cheerful song was written by composer E. Krylatov to the poems of the poet Y. Entin for the third series of the animated film “Three from Prostokvashino”, already loved by several generations. The nature of the composition is very groovy, one can even say the dance one, the more so the gypsy motif is clearly heard in it. Not many people know it, but the great singer V. Tolkunova performed the song of Uncle Fyodor’s mom in the cartoon.

"If it wasn't winter" (listen)

"Jingle bells". This fun song known worldwide, the authorship of which is attributed to the American composer D. Pierpont, has recently become popular with us. For the first time in our country, she was performed on the New Year's television show by the famous group "Bony M". The composition associated today with the New Year holidays was written for Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated in the United States at the end of November. It was just a fun winter song that sang about sledding. The song was first published in 1857 and initially had a slightly different text and melody. Who subsequently made changes to it is still unknown, but the song in the new version has gained worldwide fame and sings in the fifteen languages ​​of the world, including Russian, and in several versions.

"Jingle Bells" (listen)

It is impossible to ignore the fact that lately in our country a lot of good music has been created, which helps us to plunge into the atmosphere of a magical holiday and have fun from the heart in the New Year days. The compositions are for both adults and children, they are not only incendiary dance character, but also lyrical with a beautiful melodic line. For example:

"Waltz of snowflakes" (Snowflakes descend from the sky) Words by A. Vnukov, music by V. Shainsky

"Silver snowflakes" Words by R. Panin, music by A. Varlamov

Interesting facts about New Year's music

• Children's writer R.A. Kudashov was admitted to the Writers' Union only for the fact that she was the author of the poems of a very popular children's song "A Fir Tree was Born in the Forest".
• In December 2002, at our grand Christmas festive concert, our beloved Christmas song “A Christmas Tree was Born in the Forest” was performed by world stars José Carreras, Placido Domingo, Sissel Shirshebo and Emma Shapplin.
• The Nutcracker ballet premiered on the eve of the New Year's holiday on December 18, 1892. P.I. Tchaikovsky, in order to convey the incredible grace of the Fairy Drazhe, was the first Russian composer to use the celesta created before this musical instrument, which has a transparent and fascinating timbre.
• A children's New Year's round dance song to poems by Z. Aleksandrov, "A Little Christmas Tree is Cold in Winter," the music for which was composed by M. Krasyev, originally had 10 stanzas, but according to tradition, the festival features only three or, at best, four verses.
• The song “Three White Horses” in the movie was performed with such a tender falsetto that then almost no one could know which singer such a wonderful child’s voice belonged to, and the 27-year-old Larisa Dolina, a well-known jazz performer, was already known at that time.
• The composer Anatols Liepins, who composed the music of the song “Five Minutes”, as well as the anthem of the former Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, was shown in the credits of the film “Carnival Night” as Anatoly Lepin.
• On December 16, 1965, American astronauts W. Schirr and T. Stafford, while in space orbit, decided to play the mission control center staff, saying that they were watching an unidentified flying object with a pilot on board wearing a red suit. Then on the harmonica and bells they sang the famous song "Jingle Bells".

• Celebration of the New Year in each country has its own traditions, passed down from generation to generation. The Italians - is throwing out of the windows of old things. Panamanians roar loudly, scream and whistle. Ecuadorians give their loved ones underwear, according to belief it brings happiness and well-being. Bulgarians, in the first minutes of the New Year, turn off the lights and kiss. Every Japanese should have a rake in the house of every Japanese on New Year’s in order to rake in happiness and they strike the bell not 108 times, but 108. The people of Myanmar (formerly Burma) pour cold water on each other. Brazilians dress up in all white to ward off evil spirits. Danes under the windows of friends beat the dishes with wishes of success and love. Chileans should eat a spoonful of lentils, put money in their shoes, and the bravest spend New Year's Eve at the cemetery near the graves of deceased loved ones. The Russians, while they beat the New Year's chimes, write a wish on a small piece of paper, burn it, pour ashes into a glass of champagne, stir and drink.
• After the ban on celebrating the New Year in 1935, in the Soviet Union, instead of the eight-pointed Bethlehem tree, they began to decorate the Christmas tree with a Kremlin-like five-pointed star.

The history of the New Year holiday

The beginning of the history of the New Year's holiday takes us five thousand years deep into ancient Mesopotamia. According to the assumption of historians, it was there in those days that this remarkable celebration first appeared on earth. It was celebrated at the end of March, since it was at this time on the day of the vernal equinox that nature awakened from winter hibernation, and in this connection work began on agriculture, one of the main occupations of the inhabitants of this region. During the twelve days of the holiday, people were forbidden to work, they were to have fun, participating in carnival and masquerade processions, to glorify the victory of light over dark forces. Gradually, the custom of celebrating the New Year passed to other nations. First, among the Jews, then the Greeks and the Romans, and somewhat later among the peoples of Europe, this holiday became traditional and in many countries coincided with the beginning, and in some cases with the end of agricultural work.

The first country where the New Year began to be celebrated on January 1 was Italy. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, introduced a new calendar, in which the beginning of the year was determined from that date. Subsequently, the countries that were part of the Roman Empire began to use this calendar, which some time later became known as the Julian.

In Russia, the celebration of the New Year also has its own history. From the beginning of the adoption of Christianity to the end of the 15th century, the Russians began to consider the beginning of the year is the month of March or the day of holy Easter. And since 1492, after the approval of the Grand Duke and sovereign of All Russia, Ivan III, the beginning of the year was postponed to September 1. This continued until 1700, while Tsar Peter I, for convenience of counting and eliminating inconvenience from the calendar difference between Russia and Europe, issued a decree on the universal celebration of the New Year from January 1, according to European custom. The Russians were ordered to decorate the house with branches of spruce or pine and to congratulate all the relatives and friends on the holiday. They shot from cannons, the sky was painted with multi-colored fireworks lights. Everyone had fun: people sang songs, danced, rode sleigh rides and gave each other gifts. It was from this time that New Year's entertainments entered the life of our people, and the holiday was thoroughly strengthened in the calendar of the Russian state.

From the 18th century, merry balls and masquerades became an integral part of the New Year holiday, and from the middle of the 19th century a beautifully decorated Christmas tree became a real festive attribute. However, since 1928, the New Year holiday in our country was banned as "bourgeois" and religious, and so lasted until 1935. And in 1937, the main character returned to the holiday, without which we today can’t even imagine a New Year's meeting - this is Santa Claus, and his cheerful granddaughter Snow Maiden appeared with him.

Residents of our country are very fond of the New Year holiday, which has been celebrated for more than three hundred years. There is a belief in Russia: "You will celebrate the New Year, so you will spend the whole year," so in our country this triumph of joy and fun is always celebrated on a full scale: with songs, dances, various amusements and entertainments.