A Commons Holiday Music Guide Part Four
It’s Magnatune Monday in our series of Commons Holiday Music Guide. There were a couple of reasons that I chose to split out Magnatune from the other sites that release music under a Creative Commons license:
- They have a broader range of classical, jazz and new age releases than the other sites.
- With the exception of their compilations, you need to have a subscription to download these releases (I recommend getting a subscription – it’s totally worth it).
- While you can listen to these releases via the embedded players or their website, if you are not a subscriber there will be ads between the tracks.
There is something else that is worth noting about Magnatune: they are incredibly selective about the music they release. They don’t release just anything, and their incredibly high standards do show throughout this list, and the whole website.
So, with that said, let’s take a look at some of the offerings from Magnatune!
Classical
I’ve had a bit of classical music on the list already, but most of it could be classified as easy listening / classical cross-over releases (especially most of the work from Ronny Matthes). But with Magnatune we get some major classical holiday works.
Goode Christemas Musicke by Stephane Potvin and the Con Brio Choir
Stephane Potvin and Con Brio Choir were recorded at St. Paul’s United Church in Ontairio, Canada. This is a gorgeous choral release with harp accompaniment.
Christmas Carols by Ralph Rousseau Meulenbroeks
If this Ralph Rousseau release looks familiar, you have good eyes. It has also been released on Jamendo, and was featured in Part One of our series. The reason for including the Magnatune release of this recording is because of the available formats: lossless compression (FLAC), and higher quality OGG and MP3 encodings are worth the download.
All Hayle to the Days by Harper’s Hamper
All Hayle to the Days features a wide range of carols from medieval to modern in stunning vocal arrangements by Celia Harper.
Josep i Maria (Spanish and Catalan Folksongs and Villancicos for Christmas) by Galliarda
Sticking with the Medieval classical feeling, we have an excellent recording of Spanish and Catalan folksongs and villancicos. While I am not as familiar with Spanish classical music (only a few composers come to mind), this is an excellent and quite enjoyable release.
Bringing Light to the Darkness by Music for a Winter’s Eve
From the Magnatune website: “Traditional, Renaissance and Medieval song and dance to celebrate midwinter and the changing of the seasons. Bringing light to the darkness: Music for a Winter’s Eve.”
The Christmas Album by AlmaNova
AlmaNova is a world renown guitar and flute duo. Here they bring out some wonderfully arranged Christmas classics for your enjoyment. Truly a nice, light bit of classical music that you might not even think of as classical music.
Jazz, New Age and Folk
Santa Take the Night Off by Emma Wallace
Piano based jazz with Emma Wallace’s excellent vocals. A nice release for capturing a mix of well-known and lesser known Christmas tunes.
A Solo Piano Christmas by Chad Lawson
Warm and inviting solo piano renditions of well-known Christmas classics.
Christmas Guitar by Jeff Wahl
Jeff Wahl brings his folksy, new age style to a collection of eighteen pieces. A perfect compliment to Chad Lawson’s A Solo Piano Christmas.
Hark, the Glad Sound! by Steve Eulberg
Dulcimer based folk arrangements of fourteen festive holiday pieces. Nice counterpoint to the Chad Lawson and Jeff Wahl recordings.
‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime by Steve Eulberg
Folk arrangements of another twenty-one holiday songs for Dulcimer. If you enjoyed Steve Eulberg’s previous work this will be a must-have complimentary collection.
Christmas Through the Gateway by Osamu Kitajima and Chris Mancinelli
A bit of electronic dance in this release from Osamu Kitajima and Chris Mancinelli. It’s an interesting, pan pacific take on eight holiday favorites.
The Moon of Wintertime by Lydia McCauley
From the Magnatune website: “In “The Moon of Wintertime,” Lydia McCauley offers a fresh interpretation of some very old Christmas pieces, writes an original song, and makes her debut on the Appalachian Dulcimer.”
Holiday Frost by Cari Live
From the Magnatune website: “Simple and peaceful arrangements of Christmas carols for flute accompanied by strings and things. There are 5 original holiday songs: Cari’s Carol, Sleepy Guardian Angel, Holiday Frost, Icicles, and Snowflakes. Each hold a dear and fragile memory, so many emotions to share in celebration of the holiday season.”
Compilations
Christmas Music by Magnatune Compilation
This compilation from 2007 includes 24 tracks from 16 releases on Magnatune. This is a great way to get an overview of the music that is available from this label.
A Christmas with Magnatune by Magnatune Compilation
This year Magnatune is making their Christmas compilation available for free download. Just check the release page for links to the downloads.
In Closing
This wraps up the overview of holiday releases from Magnatune. While not everyone is into the styles of these releases, the majority of them are a bit more traditional than some of the other works that we’ve explored in this series. And, they are well worth the subscription to the Magnatune service.
