Christmas Songs Made in America: Favorite Holiday Melodies and the Stories of Their Origins
Albert J. Menendez and Shirley C. Menendez
From the long history of spirituals to "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" to "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Away in a Manger" to "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth," Americans have placed their own distinctive stamp on the holiday season. But where did these songs come from that Americans use to celebrate the season? How or why were these songs written? And why have they continued to define what Christmas is to so many of us? What is it about them that makes the season bright?
These are some of the questions Albert and Shirley Menendez tackle in this charming book about the origins of 50 American Christmas songs. What does the beginning of Christmas look like? And how do you lullaby a baby with a drum?
Here is a treasury of stories about Christmas songs written in America from its founding to the Civil War and from the depths of the Great Depression to the brink of prosperity. For decades, songwriters and lyricists have used popular, folk, rock, sacred, and country music to celebrate the season's heartfelt cheer. Some were written for Broadway, others for Hollywood. Some entertained children, others set a romantic mood. Some grew from the chains of slavery, others from the joyous freedom of faith. If there's a story to tell about a Christmas song, you're like to find it here.
| ALBERT J. MENENDEZ and SHIRLEY C. MENENDEZ are a husband-and-wife-research and writing team who have collaborated on numerous projects. Between them they have published more than thirty volumes, including "Christmas in the White House," "The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book," and "The December Wars." They live in Maryland. |
| ALBERT J. MENENDEZ and Shirley C. Menendez are a husband-and-wife-research and writing team who have collaborated on numerous projects. Between them they have published more than thirty volumes, including "Christmas in the White House," "The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book," and "The December Wars." They live in Maryland. |
$12.95, Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-58182-046-1 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-1-58182-046-1 (Hardcover)
Hardcover Currently Available
