A Music Box Christmas Belleville IL

A Music Box Christmas

Rita Ford

Columbia Records, 1990

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/08/1998

For anyone who has memories of Christmas as a child, there more than likely is one album or song that captures the mood or the memories more than anything. In my case, that album was a collection of songs performed not on the most modern equipment that could be found in the mid-'70s (when I was a young child), but on music boxes dating back to the 19th Century.

A Music Box Christmas featured selections as heard on antique music boxes from the collection of Rita Ford. (Side note: I finally used the Internet to locate her shop in New York, with the hopes of calling her and thanking her for creating an album that has had such lasting memories. To my disappointment, I was informed she died a few years ago - though I'd like to thank whoever took my call at the shop for not treating me as some crank caller.)

Now, I know that many people hear the words "music boxes" and think of the small clank boxes that you can find in jewelry boxes or children's toys. No, these are much more elaborate machines - machines that were meant to recreate the richness of an orchestra in one's living room during the Victorian Era. Long before the advent of the radio or the record player, the music box was a form of entertainment - and a beautiful one it was.

All you need as proof is the beauty of the first song, "Silent Night, Holy Night". The richness of the music box (there are several different boxes featured on this disc) just might throw you for a loop in the beginning, but you'll soon find yourself overcome by the charms of this ornate device. Songs like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Ave Maria" almost make you wonder why the music box did not remain a popular form of entertainment.