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Holiday Music NPR presents a mix of live concerts and other music to help get you in the spirit of the season.
The Beatles on a toboggan in Austria in 1965.
Special Series

Holiday Music

NPR presents a mix of live concerts and other music to help get you in the spirit of the season.
A Carolina Christmas, With Kathy Mattea
Wiley Stewart

A Carolina Christmas, With Kathy Mattea

Direct from the largest room in the largest private home in the country, WDAV and NPR present A Carolina Christmas from Biltmore Estate, with Kathy Mattea — a new special featuring classic and contemporary holiday songs.

A Carolina Christmas, With Kathy Mattea

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Annoying Music For Christmas

This year's Christmas in the Heart has fans of both Christmas music and Bob Dylan scratching their heads. hide caption

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Annoying Music For Christmas

Just in time for Christmas, Jim Nayder — host of The Annoying Music Show! — offers even more holiday tunes that are sure to curdle your eggnog.

Annoying Music For Christmas

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Swing Into The Holidays On Piano Jazz
bigsnit via Flickr

Swing Into The Holidays On Piano Jazz

Marian McPartland and her guests from seasons past share their favorite memories when they're not performing Christmas classics and original holiday tunes. Guest artists include George Shearing, Tony DeSare, Renee Fleming, Cleo Brown and Dena DeRose.

Piano Jazz Christmas Special 2009

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Twenty Years Of A Jazz Piano Christmas

Billy Taylor (left) duets with Eldar at A Jazz Piano Christmas 2009. Margot Schulman hide caption

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Margot Schulman

Twenty Years Of A Jazz Piano Christmas

An NPR holiday tradition celebrates two decades this winter. Jazz pianists Eldar, Robert Glasper, Patricia Barber, Joe Sample, Ramsey Lewis and Dr. Billy Taylor were all on hand to perform original takes on classic holiday songs, live in concert.

Listen Now: A Jazz Piano Christmas 2009

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Winterbloom: Rethinking Holiday Music

Winterbloom is Meg Hutchinson, Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton and Natalia Zukerman. Asia Kepka hide caption

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Asia Kepka

Winterbloom: Rethinking Holiday Music

WKSU

Winterbloom isn't a traditional "group" so much as an ongoing event in which four talented, Boston-area singer-songwriters bond over holiday music. In a session, Winterbloom doesn't sing about Rudolph and Frosty, but instead plays contemporary folk songs about the world during Christmas and the darkness of winter.

Winterbloom In Studio On Folk Alley

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Holiday Cheer With A Jazz Twist

Carla's Christmas Carols, by Carla Bley, is sometimes sweetly and majestically unironic. The odd bits give it a sense of mystery that suits the holy day, but is rare in Christmas music. courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Reviews

Holiday Cheer With A Jazz Twist

Fresh Air

Two kinds of people consume Christmas music: those who actually like the stuff, and folks who need something listenable on hand in case seasonal visitors insist on some ornamental mood music. For both groups, two new jazz brass albums should do the trick. Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews.

Holiday Cheer With A Jazz Twist

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Choirs And Carols: An NPR Christmas

The vocal group Trio Mediaeval sings old and new Christmas carols from its native Norway in NPR's Studio 4A. Asa M. Mikkelsen hide caption

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Asa M. Mikkelsen

Choirs And Carols: An NPR Christmas

Singers and musicians from the Baltics to Baltimore, recorded in NPR's Studio 4A, perform songs that ring out into the cold air and celebrate Christmas from far and wide. Hear them all, from the shiny trumpets of the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass, to carols and choirs steeped in European tradition.

Hear 'Choirs and Carols: An NPR Christmas'

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What Makes A Great Christmas Song?

Ever since Jose Feliciano wrote and recorded "Feliz Navidad" in 1970, it has been a Christmas mainstay; nearly 40 years later, it remains one of the top 25 most-played Christmas songs around the world. Music expert Bill Adler weighs in on what makes a Christmas song successful.

What Makes A Great Christmas Song?

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An Irish Christmas With Dervish And Friends

One of the biggest traditional bands in Ireland, Dervish took its act to Lissadell House in County Sligo — a favorite spot of W.B. Yeats — to make a special Christmas recording. Piper Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains and vocalist Roisin O'Reilly guest star.

Listen Now: Dervish Feature On Morning Edition

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The Pure Power Of Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus'

Simplicity, it turns out, is the secret to the success of Handel's ever-popular "Hallelujah Chorus." istockphoto hide caption

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What Makes It Great

The Pure Power Of Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus'

American Public Media

Composer-commentator Rob Kapilow examines what makes Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" one of the best known — and best loved — pieces in all of music. He says the exuberance is powered by a few deceptively simple techniques.

Hear What Makes The 'Hallelujah Chorus' So Great

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Rosie Thomas: A Very Quiet Christmas
Courtesy of artist

Rosie Thomas: A Very Quiet Christmas

XPN

Thomas performs stand-up comedy in her spare time, and sometimes between songs. But her new album, A Very Rosie Christmas, is often thoughtful — even reverent. Her music is gentle, sincere and just right for those who wish the holidays were a little less noisy.

Rosie Thomas: A Very Quiet Christmas

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John Rutter: The Art Of The Christmas Carol

With so many classic Christmas carols to choose from, creating brand new ones can be daunting, but English conductor-composer John Rutter has been at it for nearly 50 years. He shares his tips on what makes a good carol.

John Rutter: The Art Of The Christmas Carol

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Trio Mediaeval's Norwegian Christmas

The Oslo-based trio of vocalists introduces a Norwegian Christmas tune, as well as a few traditions from their homeland, in NPR's Studio 4A. The group's latest recording has just been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Trio Mediaeval's Norwegian Christmas

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