Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas Music in the Music Collection

After a long semester and seemingly endless Finals Week you may want to kick back with some holiday music.  For compact discs to check out, go to CardCat's advanced search, select "Compact Discs, audio" as the format, and then type the holiday of your choice.  The Music Collection has over 250 CDs of Christmas music and several CDs of music for Hannukah and Solstice celebrations.

For something different, try out these non-traditional Christmas selections:
Christmas Comes Alive, by the Brian Setzer Orchestra
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
A Soulful Christmas, with classic R&B artists
The Temptations Christmas Card
This is Christmas, Luther Vandross
December, by the Moody Blues
A Smooth Jazz Christmas, by Dave Koz and friends
A Motown Christmas
Nuncrackers, the Nunsense Christmas Musical
Merry Texas Christmas, y'all, by Asleep at the Wheel
Christmas Island, by Jimmy Buffett
Merry Christmas, by Mariah Carey
Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits, 1955-1989
Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All-Time


If you are already out of town, you can use your Ball State username and password to listen to Naxos Music Library's Christmas music playlist, a selection of classic and classical Christmas favorites.  (Log-in with Ball State user ID and password required off-campus)


Friday, December 7, 2012

Happy Hannukah from the Music Collection!

Hannukah music is part of the celebration of the season, and Jewish musicians (and even some non-Jews) have brought imagination and whimsy to this special time of year.  Try these CDs in the Music Collection:

Yeshiva Boys Choir' Hanukkah (or Chanukah) album:
Compact Disc 20790


 The LeeVees, and their rockin' take on the holidays:
Compact Disc 21103

The Klezmer Conservatory Band (there really isn't a
conservatory for klezmer!) offers up "Oy Chanukah!"
Compact Disc 18159

A Child's Hanukkah, by the Jewish Wedding Band:
Compact Disc 19275 

For something more reverent, try "Lights: Music for Chanukah"
by the Zamir Chorale of Boston:
Compact Disc 13531

If you'd rather make your own Hanukkah music, The Music Collection has song books, such as Jewish Holidays in Song by Velvel Pasternak.  (Call Number: M 2187 .H65 1997) and Hebrew Holidays and Folk Songscompiled by Rene and David Karp.  (Call Number: M 1850 .H43 2009)