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The festive season from Christmas Day to Epiphany, with its concentration of feast days, occupies a markedly prominent place within the calendar of the Christian year. This fact has especially influenced the tradition of church music since time immemorial. Not only have Christmas Lieder acquired a special status, polyphonic church music also derives its especial legitimacy from the song of the angels, Gloria in excelsis.

There were many Advent and Christmas church cantatas composed for use in German protestant churches in the 17th and 18th centuries and one large-scale work was Schutz's Weihnachts-Historie; but the greatest of all such works is undoubtedly J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio. This is an odd title for a work which is not an oratorio at all, but a string of half a dozen church cantatas, rather loosely linked together by the Christmas story.

Noel represente pour moi non seulement la naissance du Christ, mais encore et surtout les reunions de famille, moments privilegies de recueillement sur les grands themes de la vie du Christ, notamment la tolerance et la solidarite. C'est la raison pour laquelle je tenais a chanter Noel; pas seulement mon Noel, mais egalement celui des autres, des traditions du monde entier, laissant le soin aux differentes musiques de tisser la toile de l'humanite.

Composed in a remarkably fecund period following the success of Peter Grimes, the 1948 cantata St Nicolas wedded amateur chorus with professional soloists and string orchestra in a highly effective re-telling of the story. The unusual forces, together with Britten's ever-fresh musical ideas, create a work of charm and considerable dramatic impetus.

Carols and Christmas music have always formed a part of the Cambridge Singers' repertoire, and this album picks out some of my personal favourites. Most of the 23 items are taken from the two albums Christmas with the Cambridge Singers and Christmas Day in the Morning, and there are four previously unreleased tracks which were squeezed out of those two albums and which I am happy to have found space for here - John Rutter.

The procession of the Choir, bright against the ancient stones of the building; the glow of the candles, the glistening lights on the Christmas tree, the singing of the best-loved Christmas carols... all these are essential and familiar parts of the Church's celebration of the family festival.

This Christmas concert features Giobvanni Gabrieli's Canzona a 8, Samuel Scheidt's In dulci jubilo, Arcangelo Corelli's Concero grosso fatto per la notte di Natale, Francesco Manfredini's Concerto grosso per il Santissimo Natale, Giuseppe Torrelli's Concerto a 4, Johann Eccard's Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, Pietro Locatelli's Concerto grosso op.1, No. 8., and Franz Xaver Gruber's Stille Nacht.

The Christian celebration of Christmas, the most traditional of all the church's high festivals, was observed as far back as 336 AD in Rome. All of the following traditions combine to form a multi-facetted and fascinating picture of sacred music-making in the monasteries and convents of the late middle ages. A profound belief in God, solemn piety and devout joy all flow from this music into our own era.

A French vocal group famed for tackling all manner of classical material and switching them to an a capella setting, was formed in Paris in the 1960s by American expatriate Ward Swingle. This CD Noels Sans Passaport features songs from various countries. The tunes are scatted so no language lessons are required.

Fisher's strong and melodious tenor made him a teen idol and one of the most popular singers of the 1950s. Here you can enjoy his seasonal songs such as You're All I Want for Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus, Count Your Blessings, a.o.