Why Are Christmas Songs Memorable? (But Sometimes Tricky to Play)

It’s not official until you hear it.

You may have been watching TV and the “Nutcracker” theme came on during a commercial. Or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” popped up in your playlist.

When holiday music begins saturating the airwaves, we know the Christmas season is upon us.

As Christmas music dominates the culture during the month of December, musicians all over are called on to keep the Christmas spirit alive through the music of the season. As a pianist, you may have either played or been asked to play these songs more than a few times. 

Christmas is one of the only celebrations in which people from varied cultures embrace a shared repertoire of music. That’s not by accident. In a small way, our collective love of holiday music reinforces the greater purpose that this season represents – our common need as human beings to connect with each other. This is the ideal that we as musicians are privileged to represent each time we perform the classic songs.

So why do these songs have such a powerful effect on us? And is there anything special about the musical elements that make specific Christmas songs easier or harder to play? 

What makes Christmas songs “Christmassy” 

While there’s no guidebook to writing a Christmas song, there seems to be a quality that unifies many of the most beloved Christmas tunes. 

Many songs written for Christmas celebrations are either based on traditional, classic hymn melodies, or are based on Broadway or movie songs about the holiday that became popular in their own right. 

Because of this, these songs have very strong melodies that were meant to be sung and catch people’s attention quickly.

In the case of the classically influenced Christmas carols, step-wise and scale movement dominate many of the songs – Think of Joy to the World (a descending and ascending scale) or Jingle Bells (which is often one of the first songs pianists learn, no matter what time of year it is) because of the ubiquitous three note motive at the beginning. 

In contrast, the harmonic motion of Broadway / movie related Christmas songs often included jazz – influenced minor and diminished chords that shift quickly from key to key. This element quickly became associated with a Christmas sound (and don’t forget the sleigh bells!)  

Are Christmas songs harder to play than other songs?

As always, it depends on the specific song you want to play. Many musicians have noted the harmonic complexity of songs like “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”, better known as “The Christmas Song.” This classic song, written by Robert Wells and Mel Torme, contains three major key shifts in just the 1st verse. 

If you want to play these songs confidently, it’s wise to examine the harmony and bass motion first. Once you have mastered the harmonic movement, you can move on to the melody – which also has a lot of leaps and chromatic (half-step) movement to be aware of. 

On the other hand, a song like “Silent Night” has much less harmonic movement, but requires a bit more flexibility in the right hand or melody. Unlike Jingle Bells, you can’t play these songs in one hand position. 

Understanding and studying the intervals and leaps in songs based on carols and hymns can assist you in playing these songs more effectively.

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