Friday, December 13, 2013  The Twelve Songs Of Christmas Series:
Song #11  #11 - The Harry Simeone Chorale "The Little Drummer
Boy" (1958)  Click above to hear "The Little Drummer Boy"
Timeless. Definitive. Classic. Traditional. How does a song or a
recording of a song attain the status where those descriptive
terms are appropriate? There are many factors, many reasons, but
what takes a song from a composition to a recording to a
tradition enjoyed by generations to follow after the initial
release or premiere? There is no right answer, rather it becomes
a combination of factors that ultimately determine those pieces
of music that are in fact timeless.  One of those recordings is
The Little Drummer Boy, as recorded by The Harry Simeone Chorale
and released in 1958.  It’s amazing to listen and think the
recording dates to 1958, and the song itself from 1941. It
sounds for all the world like a traditional chorale which had
been sung for several hundred years.  Where did it originate,
how did it develop, what wa