Published on Dec 8, 1998
For anyone who has memories of Christmas as a child, there more
than likely is one album or song that captures the mood or the
memories more than anything. In my case, that album was a
collection of songs performed not on the most modern equipment that
could be found in the mid-’70s (when I was a young child), but on
music boxes dating back to the 19th Century.
A Music Box Christmas featured selections as heard on
antique music boxes from the collection of Rita Ford. (Side note: I
finally used the Internet to locate her shop in New York, with the
hopes of calling her and thanking her for creating an album that
has had such lasting memories. To my disappointment, I was informed
she died a few years ago – though I’d like to thank whoever took my
call at the shop for not treating me as some crank caller.)
Now, I know that many people hear the words “music boxes” and
think of the small clank boxes that you can find in jewelry boxes
or children’s toys. No, these are much more elaborate machines –
machines that were meant to recreate the richness of an orchestra
in one’s living room during the Victorian Era. Long before the
advent of the radio or the record player, the music box was a form
of entertainment – and a beautiful one it was.
All you need as proof is the beauty of the first song, “Silent
Night, Holy Night”. The richness of the music box (there are
several different boxes featured on this disc) just might throw you
for a loop in the beginning, but you’ll soon find yourself overcome
by the charms of this ornate device. Songs like “Hark! The Herald
Angels Sing” and “Ave Maria” almost make you wonder why the music
box did not remain a popular form of entertainment.
Because some of these boxes are over 100 years old, some of the
Christmas carols that are featured on
A Music Box Christmas will probably not be familiar to you.
But this does not take away any of the beauty of the songs or the
richness of the tones of these devices. (Sometimes, it almost
sounds like these songs were recorded in Ford’s shop; more than
once, I swore I heard a door slamming.)
I have mixed feelings about
A Music Box Christmas these days. On the plus side, I am
thrilled that Columbia Records has not shoved this album in the
vaults to be forgotten about; I almost lost my teeth the day I saw
this one on CD. They obviously know that there’s magic in them thar
boxes, and they have done a great job preserving this now three
decade old album.
But the negative of it is that many people who never heard the
original album might not be willing to give such an album the time
of day in 1998. That’s an unfortunate thing, because the magic of
hearing the richness of such tracks like “Spin, Spin”, “O Holy
Night” and “Jingle Bells” still sends chills up my spine – and I
think I’ve heard this album over 200 times over the past two
decades.
A Music Box Christmas always seems to transport me back to
1975, and I can still see my mom putting up the family’s Christmas
tree (with the artificial pine scent), and me running around the
living room, excited that Christmas was coming. This is an album
that is value-priced these days, and is worth the few dollars it
costs to hear how magical a Victorian Christmas must have been.