Bah, humbug.

[ecosophia]

 Is it just me, or is the holiday music this year even more vomitous than usual? Every time I go into a store these days, there's some chirpy vocalist (who wouldn't recognize a one-horse open sleigh if it ran her down) simpering about sleigh rides, followed by a choir dipped in sugar syrup caterwauling about an animated snowman in tones that make me dream of blowtorches, followed by -- well, you get the point. Here in Rhode Island, at least, all the older Christmas music seems to have been banished, presumably because its religious content might offend somebody. Um, folks, I'm a Druid, okay? I'd still rather listen to "O Holy Night" and "The First Noel" than to the kind of stickily sweet glurge that's being spattered from the loudspeakers this year. 

Thinking about the difference between the Christmas melodies I appreciate and the ones that make me want to physically tear sound systems apart with my bare hands, I notice a distinct difference in the sound. I may just have to break out my books on Renaissance Pythagorean music theory and see if I can identify a consistent pattern. In the meantime, a merry "Bah, humbug!" to all, and to all composers of holiday glurge, a sound thrashing with one of Krampus' birch rods! 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I feel your pain! It's almost worth wearing earplugs when you have to go out. I get particularly bored with the relentless pounding of 4/4 time - as though there were no other time signatures worth playing. I did my Christmas shopping in about three hours one day, and would happily fast until the new year, just to avoid having to go into any more stores. Not sure if the kids would be fully on board with that plan though...

Here's a song you may like, one of the songs our 'praise team' is singing (and drumming) for church this Christmas. I think it brings a good spirit through. And in our case, maybe a few different spirits, including some African ones!

https://youtu.be/XG347euXoTM

A happy Solstice and Christmas to you and your family. Hopefully you will have no further cause to enter a store until at least January 2nd.

Stefania