Spirit of the Season (from “The Polar Express”)

Weekend bonus mod: From our Twitter follower @PTMusicGrind comes “Spirit of the Season” from The Polar Express (2004). The piece was composed by Alan Silvestri, a multiple Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee.

The piece is a parade of modulations; the first key change arrives at 0:33.

Have You Seen a Child (from “Amahl + the Night Visitors”)

Weekend bonus mod: thanks to frequent contributor JB! Written by Gian Carlo Menotti, an Italian-American composer and librettist, Amahl and the Night Visitors first aired on NBC on Christmas Eve, 1951; it was the first opera written specifically for television and was intended to be children’s programming.

According to Opera Magazine, Menotti was challenged by deadlines; he was assisted by his composition colleague Samuel Barber in completing the orchestrations, which were first performed under the baton of NBC Symphony Orchestra conductor Arturo Toscanini. The production, later staged by many opera companies, was aired on national TV for eleven years straight; sporadic performances have continued over the years.

The main theme is repeated in several keys; the first modulation is at 0:33.

Yo-Yo Ma + Alison Krauss | The Wexford Carol

Here’s “The Wexford Carol,” performed by genre-jumping cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bluegrass/country vocalist and violinist Alison Krauss. Gently arranged over a colorless Eb drone, the piece switches from Eb major to Eb minor and back to Eb major within each verse. The carol’s origins are shrouded in mystery; according to Digital Medievalist, some claim that it dates back as far as the 12th century, though that seems unlikely. What’s known for certain is that in the late 1800s, it was incorporated into Oxford Book of Carols, likely the world’s best best known carol compilation.

Many thanks to first-time MotD contributor Steven Travis for this track!