The Season For Singing Author:John Langstaff from inside the dust jacket — The roots of American Christmas music run very deep indeed. Many of the songs were brought to this country by immigrants from all over the world, but some of the most popular melodies are in fact strictly American in origin: "It Came upon a Midnight Clear," "O Little Town of Bethleham," We Th... more »ree Kings of Orient Are," for example.
American Christmas Music comes from an extraordinarily rich blend of cultures-the black spirituals and gospel songs, the Shaker and Moravian carols, all of which are represented in this book. Every culture and every part of the country has its own strong musical traditions.
This collection includes not only traditional carols like "The Cherry Tree Carol" and "The Seven Joys of Mary," but many beautiful but less familiar songs - the Puerto Rican carols "Aguinaldo," and "Los Reyes deOriente," the Huron Indian Carol," and also old favorites like "Away in a Manger," and "While Shepards Watched." This beautiful book brings together one of the most important aspects of American culture, its Christmas music.« less