Let sin depart, while we His grace,
And glory see in Jesus’ face;
For so shall we sure comforts find
When thus this day we bear in mind. (from the old lyric of “The Sussex Carol”)
Category Archives: Music
"My Heart Always Wanders"
Tonight, another Christmas hymn sung by Sissel. This one probably isn’t familiar to you (I think it’s Swedish), but it’s one of Sissel’s own favorites, and has become one of mine. “Mitt hjerte altid vanker” means “My heart always wanders,” and the song goes on to say that the singer’s heart always wanders back to the place where Christ was born, because all his/her joy is there.
I particularly like the way they use some strains of Grieg for the bridge.
The Warm Sincerity of Polish Carols
Carols are buried deep in Polish hearts and may reveal a distinctive beauty in Polish poetry. Cynthia Haven makes this connection when writing about the “Slavic Choral Concert Christmas in Kraków” at the Historic Hillside Club in Berkeley, California, quoting that great poet Czesław Miłosz on the charm and freshness of Polish carols. You can hear a snatch of them on this CD site.
Thanks to Patrick Kurp for this link and his additions to the topic and poem quotations.
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
This Christmas Carol by Christina Rossetti, performed by Sissel, seems a good choice as I approach a weekend when YET ANOTHER snowstorm is portended. It’s supposed to start coming down heavily late tonight, and continue tomorrow–pretty much all day. Indications suggest I’ll finally be able to get to snowblowing on Sunday morning, which may interfere with church.
At least I ought to have plenty of time to work on Christmas cards without distraction.
Have a good weekend!
Concerning Lions
Kudos to a great new band based in Chattanooga, Concerning Lions. This isn’t a great video, but the song is cool and, I believe, will be in an upcoming album. I wish I could point you to the lyric, but if you’re in a place where you can crank the volume, then you’ll be able to hear the words yourself, which is, like, better.
Concerning Lions – Young Curmudgeon – TBP from Concerning Lions on Vimeo.
Were Not the Right Man on Our Side
. . . For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing . . .
Happy Halloween.
A cold and broken "hallelujah"
Today on the Virtual Book tour there are three stops (at least in theory). I’m interviewed at Broowaha (though they jumped the gun, date-wise). There’s a nice interview at As the Pages Turn, and a very short item at The Plot, where I’m scheduled to show up in more substantial form tomorrow.
Occasionally I blog about music here, on the strength of no expertise whatever. Although I was in a musical group for several years in my tragically well-spent youth, and am reputed to have a pretty nice voice, I never comprehended music theory, and have a lousy ear and very little sense of rhythm.
Nevertheless, sometimes a song hits me, mutates into an earworm, and won’t leave me alone until I blog about it. And so I’m going to meditate on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” I’ve poked around YouTube looking for a cover I really liked, and frankly none I’ve heard has entirely satisfied me. All in all, I’m least disappointed in Rufus Wainright’s version:
Sufjan Stevens and the Popularity of God's Mystery
Musician Sufjan Stevens has draw much fanfare for a couple new album releases and his return to the concert circuit. I learned of this interview via Jeffrey Overstreet’s blog, and I was encouraged to see Stevens labeled as a Christian. Then I came to this:
Q. Do you believe that God can be reached through other faiths? John 14:6 categorically states Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life” and nobody can get to the Father expect through him. A lot of people take that very literally and don’t believe you can find spirituality through Buddhism or Islam or whatever…
Stevens: Yeah, I mean who can know the mind of God and who can be his counselor? It’s not man’s decision, you know. If God is infinite and he’s in all of us and he created the world then I feel there is truth in every corner. There’s a kind of imprint of his life and his breath and his word and everything. You know, I’m no religious expert, and I don’t make any claims about the faith. All I can account for is myself and my own belief and that’s a pretty tall order just to take account of myself. I can’t make any claims about other religions. There’s no condemnation in Christ, that’s one of the fundamentals of Christianity.
Do you mind if I make a few observations? Continue reading Sufjan Stevens and the Popularity of God's Mystery
Mumford & Sons – The Cave
And now for something completely different. This song from Mumford & Sons is obviously an allusion to Plato’s cave metaphor, otherwise why would it called “The Cave.” I mean, how could they be singing about anything else? (Sorry, I’m being silly, or I’m losing my mind.)
“But I will hold on hope
And I won’t let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again.”
Talking Through Chopin's Preludes
One reason why Frédéric Chopin “is the overwhelming favorite composer for the piano”: he loved the short works of J.S. Bach more than anyone else of his time.
