March to the Mall?

December 21, 2015 at 10:30 am

If your holiday traditions include Christmas presents, consider this a warning – you’ve only got a few more days to get your shopping done! Don’t delay; the traffic only gets worse and you’re more likely to make a bad decision if you shop at the last minute.

Here’s the March of the Toys to get you moving. It began as part of an operetta by Victor Herbert, which was later adapted into a Disney film. The music has been a staple for the holidays ever since! It might provide the inspiration you need to find those last few presents.

And, if you’re going to have a holiday piece stuck in your head while you shop, it may as well be this one.

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Happy Hanukkah!

December 6, 2015 at 10:00 am

The Hanukkah story comes from the Biblical books of First and Second Maccabees. If you don’t know the story, and have about three hours to spare, I’d highly recommend (besides reading these short books) going to a performance of George Frederic Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus.” Unlike Handel’s “Messiah,” (which gets plenty of plays this month), this oratorio tells like a regular story with a plot. While it isn’t exactly fast-actioned, it does has dramatic elements – something which was easy for a composer of over 40 operas!

The most famous section of Judas Maccabaeus is “See, the Conquering Hero Comes“:

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