Sleigh bells have long acted as convenient shorthand for composers to tell their listeners that this piece belongs to the ...

Let’s start with one the most obvious aspects of Christmas music: bells. Bells of all kinds—sleigh, tubular, and glockenspiel—chime in countless Christmas tunes. Although strongly associated with the ...

Christmas music can provoke as much strong emotion, or sea-sick ambivalence, as the holidays themselves. Say it’s early December; you’re in a supermarket or bookstore, and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around ...

Aidan McGartland receives funding from McGill University and the Ramsay Centre. Linglan Zhu receives funding from McGill University and Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). McGill University provides ...