MUSIC121Christmas Oratorio
by Johann Sebastian Bach
One of the festive
season’s most
established classics,
Bach’s Oratorio was
composed for the
Christmas of 1734.
It’s divided into six
parts—each with its
own sound and story—
that would have been
performed separately
on feast days during
the Christmas season.
Profound and reflective,
it contains some of the
most stirring choruses
and moving arias you’ll
ever hear.
A classical Christmas: 4 best pieces of festive music
The Nutcracker by Pyotr
Ilyich Tchaikovsky
You’d be hard pressed
to find anyone who
wouldn’t recognise the
playful opening notes
of the “The Dance of
the Sugar Plum Fairy”.
The tale of a toy soldier
who comes to life, The
Nutcracker is a firm
Christmas mainstay
and a master class in
musical storytelling.
Enchanting,
imaginative and
wholesome, the piece
is the bread and butter
of ballet companies
around the world.Messiah by George
Frideric Handel
Handel’s crowning
achievement is widely
considered to be one
of the most performed
pieces during the
holiday season around
the world. Famous for
its rousing “Hallelujah”
chorus, the oratorio
was surprisingly not
intended for Christmas
originally; Handel
wrote it with the Easter
Lent in mind.A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten
This contemplative choral piece was inspired
by medieval English poetry from The English
Galaxy of Shorter Poems, which Britten
purchased while on a five-week voyage from
New York to Britain in 1942. Featuring beautiful
chants and heavenly harp parts, the piece feels
both modern and ancient.