Brown Christmas

For this fifty-something composer, the golden age of Christmas music was the '50s and '60s – Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, and more. Those guys crooned their way into our hearts and memories, and their style will live forever. With a nod toward that musical style, we created "Brown Christmas," a whimsical song about a mom who would rather not deal with the negative aspects of a white Christmas, like shoveling snow and cleaning up after the kids track in the salt and snow. On the recording, you'll hear a moderate tempo, two-beat approach with strings, woodwinds, and muted brass over a standard rhythm section with acoustic bass.

The unison vocal line is, of course, best stylized in Bing Crosby fashion. Our singers crooned a bit, but you are certainly welcome to exaggerate the scoops and slides. We were hesitant to take it over the top, but it might be just what your program needs, so play around with it. At the very least, your kids can learn about the great crooners of the past. And who knows, you might even have a budding crooner in your own midst. In which case, feel free to turn the song into a feature for him (or her, though typically crooners were male). – MW