Music gives life to everything, Plato once wrote. The Greek philosopher might have added that it’s also the essential ingredient for any good party. In ancient Greece, well before the arrival of Christianity, music was central to the wild celebrations that pagans held to mark the changing seasons. The parties were so good that people clung on to them long after they became Christians. Christmas itself evolved out of the Roman Empire’s Saturnalia festival of light that celebrated the longest night of the year. And both Christmas and Hanukkah have given rise to a tradition of warm, music-filled social gatherings that help us endure those long cold nights. When it comes to parties, Carniv...
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