Russian Christmas Music

Christmas in Russia

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on a different date than other cultures. Christmas is celebrated January 7, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. For people who don’t know a lot about Russian history, it should be understood that from 1917 to 1991, Christmas, as well as other religious celebrations, were banned in the country. Now that Christmas can be openly celebrated, the season is full of solemn rituals, but also great joy.

Russian Christmas Songs

While many modern recordings of Christmas music contain songs well known to most Americans, Russia proudly claims a number of songs unique to itself. Some popular Russian holiday songs include:

• Father Frost, or Oi, Moroz, Moroz
• Those Were the Days, My Friend
• Devochka Nadya (Girl Nadya)
• Kalinka
• Tzar Nikholai
• Metelitsa
• Ochi Chernye (Dark Eyes)
• Murka
• Katyusha
• Snegurochka (Snow Maiden)
• The Moon is Shining Brightly
• Polyushko-Pole (O, Field, Field)
• Moscow Nights

Many of these are traditional Russian folk songs with a long history and interesting tales attached to them.

Where to Buy Russian Music

Unless you’re fortunate enough to already own a collection of Russian music, you might wonder where you can purchase recordings of this special sound unique to that region of the world.

Besides finding music online, check your local music stores. Christmas music of all types will be readily available during the holidays and shops with a large selection often have music from countries around the globe. Independent music retailers sometimes stock hard-to-find items that chain stores don’t carry, so don’t forget about the smaller operations; owners of music shops are typically very knowledgeable about their business.

For online shopping, these are a few sites where you can find Christmas music with ties to Russia:

• Imagina Productions
• Barynya
• cd Universe carries Russian Christmas featuring the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir

Some CDs or albums will contain the Russian words as well as American translations.

The Musical Piece: Russian Christmas Music

In 1944, a symphonic band piece was created with the title Russian Christmas Music. Designed to improve Soviet-American relations, this musical number was written by Alfred Reed and is composed of one movement, divided into these four sections:

• Carol of the Little Russian Children – This section is approximately three minutes long and based on a 16th century Russian Christmas carol. The tempo is slow and the music fairly quiet, with bells, tubas and clarinets providing the melody.
• Antiphonal Chant – A two minute section, this one is louder than the first, with trombones, trumpets, horns and cornets being joined by woodwinds for a spectacularly loud finish.
• Village Song – This section lasts about five minutes and is softer than the previous one. Flutes and English horns, along with woodwinds and bass, impart a gentle tone that ends on a quiet note via an English horn solo.
• Cathedral Chorus – About five minutes in length, this last section begins softly, but climbs to a rousing crescendo with trombones and percussion. The music rises in tone majestically, but tapers down again, only to end on a powerfully resonant note.

Typically, a performance of this piece will last between 14 to 16 minutes. Music lovers sometimes have a difficult time finding a recording of it, even though it’s often heard in winter concerts or in marching bands. For music directors or band leaders, the sheet music is available at online sites such as sheetmusicplus.com.

The Beauty of Music

Whether your heritage is Russian or not, however you celebrate the season, music lovers the world over can appreciate the beauty and wonder in music from this country. Although our traditions may be different, the spirit of Christmas, observed in song, is the same.