If you'd like to explore music that connects to themes in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," a production put on by the Coterie Theatre, listen to Classical KC's curated Spotify playlist below.
Plus, find more educational resources on the Coterie Theatre's Edublog, which includes suggested readings, lesson plans, and sites for students to explore.
Track Listing
Leopold Mozart: Sleigh Ride – Set to depict a sleigh ride through a snowy forest, the piece includes jingling sleigh bells and merry horn lines. Can you picture Rudolph flying through the sky in this piece? This was written shortly before Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and he later quoted his father’s piece in his own work, German Dance No. 3.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: German Dance, K. 605, No. 3 – The bells you can hear in popular Christmas classics were tradition and sleigh rides were popular in Vienna during the winter times. Mozart borrowed an Austrian folk melody in this piece. What do you think Christmas was like in 1700s Vienna?
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 -- 1st movement – A warm lyrical melody in the cellos with a hint of sleigh bells. What Christmas activities make you feel cozy and warm?
Leroy Anderson: 'Sleigh Ride' – A Christmastime classic through and through! Anderson’s idea for this piece came to him during a heatwave in 1946.
Jacques Ibert: Petite Suite -- 'Sleigh Ride' – This solo piano work is a little faster than the gentle sleigh ride we’re used to. The dazzling unrelenting texture is reminiscent of falling snow.
Sergei Prokofiev: Lt. Kije Suite -- 'Troika' – A troika is a Russian sleigh pulled by three horses. Where would you like to go on a sleigh ride?
Pyotr Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker – This classic ballet tells the story of a toy soldier who comes to life.
What toys of yours would you most like to come to life?
Hector Berlioz: L’Enfance du Christ – This oratorio depicts Jesus’s childhood.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Christmas Overture – Another medley of melodies and carols, it is believed that Taylor composed this piece for the children’s play, The Forest of Wild Thyme.
Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols – This choral piece is written for harp and women's choir. What instrument sounds most like Christmas to you?
Arcangelo Corelli: Christmas Concerto – Published posthumously, it was entitled “Christmas Concerto” because of the inscription on the title page: “Fatto per la notte di Natale (made for the night of Christmas). The folk-like melodies are designed to evoke images of biblical shepherds greeting Jesus in the manger.
Johnny Marks: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Written in 1949, the song was adapted from the character created in 1939 for Montgomery Ward, a retail company selling a line of their own coloring books. How does this version sound compared to the one you hear in the musical?
Benjamin Hanby: Up On the Housetop – Thought to be the first secular Christmas song and about Santa Claus, in 1857. It depicts Santa’s arrival at houses delivering presents via the chimney. What is your favorite gift you've gotten from Santa?
Jolly Old St. Nicholas: Emily Hunington Miller/James R. Murray – Originally a poem published in a US magazine, 1865. What did you ask Santa for this year?