A Brief History of Holiday Music

by Robert Greenberg (Narrator)

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Music, Christmas, Holiday, Short Stories

1 pages, Audible Audio

First published November 25, 2015

About the author

Robert M. Greenberg is an American composer, pianist and musicologist. He has composed more than 50 works for a variety of instruments and voices, and has recorded a number of lecture series on music history and music appreciation for The Teaching Company.

Greenberg earned a B.A. in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University and received a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of California, Berkeley. He has served on the faculties of UC Berkeley, Californiz State University, East Bay, and the San Franciso Conservatory of Music, where he was chairman of the Department of Music History and Literature as well as Director of the Adult Extension Division. Dr. Greenberg is currently Music Historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances.

Reviews

[Melanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple days ago I read something that pointed out that the holiday carol "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was released during WWII and originally honored soldiers fighting abroad. It brought a slightly different perspective to the song that hadn't occurred to me before.

I was hoping to get other tidbits of knowledge like that about the Christmas carols that are inflicted on me all the time, but instead this focused mostly on choral and classical Christmas music rather than carols. I'm not completely disinterested, but Gregorian chants don't immediately make me think of Christmas - nor does the majority of the music discussed in the lecture. Really, the only one out of the lecture that really screamed "Christmas!" to me was Handel's "Messiah".

Still, the lecture is lively and the introductory statements regarding the syncretic aspects of the holiday were quite interesting and were my favorite part of the lecture - which is a bit sad since they really had nothing to do with the musical tradition the lecture focused on.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short but insightful lecture about Holiday Music, specifically Christmas music. Greenberg goes back to the earliest Christmas music (chants) and then focuses on the three most popular Christmas pieces: Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah and The Nutcracker.

As a musician, I understand some of the musical terms but I never was much for theory so I appreciate that he explains a lot of the terms for those who don't necessarily understand.

[Shane Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how we have come to have the Christmas music we know today? Well the Great Courses has put together a great lecture on the history of holiday music. It is and excellent quick listen on the historical aspect of holiday music with artists ranging from Gregorian chants to Cindy Lauper.

Mr. Greenberg gives a great lecture accompanied with recorded music for examples of each topic of discussion, along with discussion of pagan influences and cultural traditions like the Germanic Yuletide celebration.

If you would like to hear some of the first Christmas music ever composed and would like to gain insight in some of the Christmas "classics" we sing today, you won't go wrong in getting this course.

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish]

This is currently FREE at audible.com

http://www.audible.com/search?ref_=a_...

Blurb: Discover the fascinating journey of Christmas music through the centuries, led by world-renowned music historian Robert Greenberg. Christmas music has had an immensely rich history, heavily influenced by the church, cultural traditions like the Germanic Yuletide, and even drinking songs. Hear some of the first Christmas music ever composed and gain new insight into the beloved Christmas classics we still sing today.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

[Damana Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 69 of 2015 is an audible book called A Brief History of Holiday Music by Professor Robert Greenberg.

I am starting on the Audible Great Courses and decided to start with this. The narrator is enthusiastic to the point of obnoxious but he kept me engaged the whole time.

This was only 45 minutes and was in the form of my dreaded audio book but it was worth the listen. Christmas music may never be quite the same again.

4 carols out of 5.

Should I read this? Listen away. This is not a waste of 45 minutes.
What did I learn? There is much more depth to Christmas carols and chants than I realised.

[Jaq Greenspon · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Prof. Greenberg is incredibly knowledgable and enthusiastic, he really was the wrong choice for a populist look at holiday music. It's with great disdain he looks at the Christmas music everyone knows and, as he says, "is ubiquitous" during the season.

Additionally, this isn't so much a history of the genre as a closer look at three of Prof. Greenberg's favorite pieces.

I think a look at the history and trivia of more common music would be more interesting and beneficial for the average listener.

[Powder River Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little nerdy but very good history of Christmas music. Robert Greenberg definitely has a flair for the dramatic in teaching his class but he doesn't disappoint in giving us a jam-packed history lesson in just 42 min. I want to hear more.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing. I thought it would be more about the history behind the carols. It basically shared a little about Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah and a few minutes about The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. It was okay but I was expecting something different.

[Donna Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr. Greenberg is enthusiastic, which I appreciate. However, I was hoping he would give a history of more popular carols.

[Gene Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished listening to A Brief History of Holiday Music, one of the Great Courses series. This particular one is really only one course by Robert Greenberg.

This short course focused on holiday music history. To say that this is an impossible subject to cover in one course is to put it lightly. Professor Greenberg, not deterred by this, probably gives the shortest possible lecture one can one the subject and still give a nice overview of the material.

This was a free gift from Audible to its members three years ago. It has since disappeared from their catalog and I'm not certain where one can find a copy now.

Conclusion: A nice, if extremely short, summation of holiday music. Well worth listening to if you can find any store with this toy still in stock before your next Christmas season.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this years ago from Audible as a preview of their Great Courses series, but at the time the subject matter didn't feel timely as I usually remembered it in May or June. At last, I picked it up in an appropriate time for a good listen.

In general, I enjoyed the lecture. The narrator has humor and is very clear about his area of expertise, narrowing our focus well. The only real drawback is there wasn't much to it. I had learned much of this before in Music History classes and just as I was getting into the review, it was over. Mildly enjoyable, but I could have used more.

[Ledys · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Prof. Greenberg did a fantastic job covering this subject. If I have one complaint, it is that it was too short! But it covers all the basics of holiday music fabulously. He briefly discusses christmas carols, and then moves on to the three major works of christmas classical music: Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The lecture was in every way delightful and I learned a lot in the 45 or so minutes it lasted. Once again, thank you, Professor Greenberg and Audible!

[Knut Sigurd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Masete

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits of great Classic Holiday music.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on Audible. The narrator cracked me up. Handel - "Who da man?"

[Jeane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that listening to this at 1.5 speed on audible ended up being quite amusing.

[Cristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lecture was offered free from Audible. It was a fun quick listen. The lecture has just a taste of holiday music, and Robert Greenberg selects a few pieces to focus on. The lecturer's background is in classical music, so that's his focus. It's funny and lightly educational. If you are interested in music, or want something holiday related to listen to around the holidays, it's not a bad choice. Other notes, the lecturer speaks a bit fast.

[Anjanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all teachers taught like Robert Greenberg, I could have stayed awake in a lot more of my classes (though how you can make trig entertaining is beyond me). He is really engaging and fun. I think the title is a bit of a misnomer, but who cares. Listen to it for the fun Greenberg has in talking about classical holiday music.

read more of my thoughts on this and other books on my blog: http://readerhayworth.blogspot.com/

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I would be interested in a longer version of this actually. I like that this was short and fun though, and the narrator was enthusiastic. He actually kind of reminds me of Vezzini from The Princess Bride haha I think it's how bouncy his voice is, I liked it. If you want a quick, fun read you might like this.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was free, it was short, and it came out during the holiday season, so I checked it out. It is capably told, but really didn't cover very much holiday music. Apart from the introduction, it focused exclusively on classical music, which just isn't what springs to mind for me as holiday music. Those were well-told, but this was far from a look at the span of holiday music.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Audible for this free listen.

It was totally silly and there's not nearly enough time to go into the "history" of anything in 45 minutes. This is not really the history of holiday music. This is a brief introduction to the lives of Bach, Handel, and Tchaikovsky with excerpts of the hits they made, with hilarious commentary on the side. I won't lie, I giggled a few times.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prof Greenberg gives an entertaining lecture., but a little disappointed in the brevity. Surely traditional carols and choral works deserve a bigger mention . They may not be classical music., but may well have been written in the same period....

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This doesn't get into popular music at all, but has some interesting historical facts. The larger series by the same lecturer, "How to Listen to and Understand Great Music," covers most of the same anecdotes, excepting some religious background and the definition of a carol.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this audiobook from Great Courses to be interesting and informative. I just wish it would have been longer as there was so much holiday music that could not be covered in such a short period of time.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free 45 minute lecture from the Great Courses, and given by Professor Robert Greenberg, who narrates many outstanding Great Courses on classical music. Since it is a single lecture it is obviously much less detailed than most of his courses, but was fun nonetheless.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free Lecture from Audible in 2015.

The lecture had some interesting notes and focused on classical Christmas music. Was rather a quick listen at 45 minutes. Had i had a better attention span, getting more history on some of the composers might be interesting and worth the listen.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The narraator sounded a little snobbish. This was a free book from audible. I wasn't impressed with it.

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 50 minute educational audio on classic Christmas music. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it. It is from Great Courses on Audible.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free from audible. Had some interesting parts but I would have like a lot more.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very short!