Author Description

Peter Oelrichs Duchin (b. 1937) is an American pianist and band leader. Duchin was born in New York City, the son of pianist and band leader Eddy Duchin. Duchin formed his first professional band, which played the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, in 1962 thanks in part to his family name and the networking it had made possible. The band's style and genres have been described as "a musical approach that incorporates big bands, swing and Broadway songs (and nowadays, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll)." For this book, a labor of love harking back to his childhood, Peter Duchin chose 61 of the great religious and secular songs of the season, including all the most popular Christmas carols as well as some beautiful but less familiar liturgical songs, and has arranged them for easy family play for both piano and guitar. His notes prefacing the songs bring out interesting points about their composers and lyricists, their origins and adaptations, as well as the customs they celebrate. Where a song’s original-language lyrics are popularly familiar, they are included alongside the English words. And spotted throughout the book, there are choice examples of Christmas art – from paintings, lithographs, commercial illustrations, and early greeting cards. It is a book for many hours, many years of musical pleasure in the home, a celebration of the most beloved season of the year.