I've been thinking about what people really mean by traditional Christmas music. Seems obvious that it has to do with stuff they heard as kids, but it strikes me as deeper than this.
The darkest days of winter have their own unique feeling that is more universal than Christmas or solstice or whatever holidays are celebrated. There's quietness in the woods and clarity in the air, and when a storm hits around this time, it tends to be quiet as well. I am of course thinking about northern weather. It could be different to the south, and all I have to go on for that are my three years in Memphis, TN. It wasn't much different during those three seasons. Well, the busker playing Hendrix on Beale Street was different. Also the BBQ joints. Still, overall,
Silent Night fit.
With this in mind, here are some classical Christmas numbers done on period instruments:
Corelli Christmas ConcertoBach Christmas OratorioWhile likely unfamiliar to most, these examples also fit into the season, albeit not so silent due to orchestra-sized ensembles.
As for the magic of keeping such large groups together, it's the conductor, who is half a beat ahead of the orchestra, who performs this feat, along with the first-chair violinist. That's how symphonic orchestras pull it off. In other forms of music like rock, blues, country, even rap, the drummer drives the bus followed closely by the bass player.
Solo acts depend on an internal sense of beat, sometimes tapping feet. Sometimes dancing happy feet, popular among banjo players and fiddlers. I like to watch those acts. I'm not so crazy about guitarists who make fake faces while playing, like that guy on the 1980s SNL shows, G.E. Smith. But he was just joking around, I think.
Anyway, classical Christmas music is a gas gas gas.