When most people think of the GRAMMY awards, they think of the annual television broadcast where the hottest current pop stars perform by and winners are revealed in major categories like Best New Artist and Record of the Year. But … Continue reading
Day 24: “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” words by Phillips Brooks; music by Lewis Redner This song is a sentimental favorite of mine. I’ve always found it very calming, like a lullaby, yet it’s poignant at the same time. There’s … Continue reading
Day 23: “I’ll Be Here For Christmas,” Meaghan Smith Not to be confused with “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” today’s song is a more recent composition, and another selection from this fabulous Canadian Christmas album I keep going on about. … Continue reading
Day 22: “In Dulci Jubilo,” attributed to Heinrich Seuse It’s a dream of mine to attend the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols presented at King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England every year on Christmas Eve. The service, which alternates … Continue reading
Day 21: Paul McCartney, “Wonderful Christmas Time” Well, everyone has their musical guilty pleasures, and here’s one of mine! I realize that this in one of the Christmas songs that people love to hate, and I understand It’s not profound, … Continue reading
Day 20: John Jacob Niles, “I Wonder as I Wander” I’ve always loved the Christmas song “I Wonder as I Wander,” but I never gave much thought to its origins. It was folk music, which meant its exact authorship might … Continue reading
2013 is drawing to a close, and I just realized I’ll be flying to Los Angeles for GRAMMY week just about a month from today! So I’m contemplating both the classical nominations and year in classical music in general. The … Continue reading
Day 19: Carol Hall, “Hard Candy Christmas” My friend Marcy reminded me of the song “Hard Candy Christmas” today when she posted the video below on Facebook. It was buried in my memory several sedimentary layers down, and I remember … Continue reading
Day 18: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker had its premiere in St. Petersburg on this day in 1892. It got mixed reviews, though the music fared better with critics than the dancing. It wasn’t til several decades later … Continue reading
Day 17: “Harpsichord At The Holidays: Christmas Carols Past And Present,” performed by Elaine Funaro I’m a big-time public radio nerd; Commercial radio makes me crazy. So when I’m driving or puttering around the house, it’s usually with a soundtrack … Continue reading