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Music keeps the holidays in tune
11/19/08
DENTON —
From “Away in a Manger” to “White Christmas,”
the sounds of the holiday greet shoppers searching for gifts,
or those seeking out a station on the radio. The familiar
tunes evoke a warm feeling of a traditional holiday.
Then there’s
“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
It remains to be
seen whether that novelty song will stand the test of time.
When it comes to holiday music, a Texas Woman’s University
professor says what makes a song stand out is just a matter
of personal preference.
“It’s
about what people associate with the holiday and how they
celebrate it,” said Dr. Joni Jensen, assistant professor
of music and coordinator of choral activities at TWU. “If
we hear songs from our childhood, it brings back those happy
holiday feelings.”
Dr. Jensen said
that holiday songs remain popular in part because of memorable
melodies. Traditional carols still resonate, including “The
First Noel,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
and “Silent Night,” which she said is beautiful
in its “absolute simplicity — simple music, simple
message.”
Popular songs of
the secular variety also celebrate the season, Dr. Jensen
said, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas
Tree,” “White Christmas” and “Blue
Christmas.”
Dr. Jensen, now
in her fourth year at TWU, takes all musical tastes into consideration
as she helps coordinate the university’s annual Holiday
Concert.
The collaborative
concert features TWU’s Concert Choir, Chamber Ensemble,
Wind Ensemble and Flute Choir.
“We choose
a variety of tempos, keys, music elements, classical pieces
and pieces that people don’t know,” Dr. Jensen
said.
“Grandma
Got Run Over by a Reindeer” was not among the songs
selected for this year’s concert.
###
NOTE TO
EDITORS: The annual TWU Holiday Concert will take place at
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 in the Margo Jones Performance
Hall, located at Oakland and Sawyer streets on TWU’s
Denton campus. Admission is $5 at the door. For more information,
call (940) 898-2500.
###
Media Contact:
Karen Garcia
Senior Writer
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: kgarcia@twu.edu
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