Christmas Music

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Sounds to stir the soul..

Music's one of those defining parts of the season. It's got its own peculiar character - and I'm not just talking about the overuse of sleighbells. Is there any other music that can make us feel so strange and maybe even guilty for listening to it at the wrong time of year? It says something for Christmas as our last immovable public feast that its music has such power to unnerve us when we hear it in May or September. And Christmas Matters should know - we listened to many of what we recommend below in June and July and retreated into headphones so nobody would know.

The music on these pages is unapologetically eclectic, right across the board. There is a personal Top 10 of Christmas songs, while the other pages take a personal route through some of the best recordings of Christmas music currently available.

There really aren't as many classic albums of Christmas music as you might imagine. We've found a short list of records which are doing something more than trying to make a few bob on the Christmas music market. They're worth listening to in their own right.

There is a wealth of classical music connected in one way or another to Christmas and here you don't have to worry about a lack of quality. Even better news to people who love Christmas is that many recent recordings, facing a crowded market, have had to be imaginative in their contents, as you can see on the classical music page.

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote some of the finest Christmas music you will ever hear. His Christmas Oratorio, a masterful combination of music he'd already written for other occasions bound up into the Christmas story, is a particular highlight. There are so many wonderful recordings of this music that it's difficult to know where to start. Our guide to some of the available performances, with a short review for each and advice on where to get hold of them, might help if you want to dip in a toe. Bach also wrote several other cantatas to celebrate Christmas, and to mark the season of Advent, which are also represented by a number of fine recordings.

Last but not least, there are some particularly good collections of festive folk and traditional music, including collections of Christmas Carols, that are guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit.

Whatever your taste in music, we hope there's something for you on these pages!