In a surprisingly harmonious session, four of us in the family sat down January 1st to craft New Year’s Resolutions. An idea came to me to create worksheets to help the process along: a page with questions asking what we wanted to “work on” or … Read more
O Come, O Come Emmanuel Having featured choral settings of the O Antiphons during Advent this year, it seems time to return to an instrumental genre, and we can do that while maintaining our focus on the O Antiphons. O Emmanuel is the last of … Read more
As we look toward Christmas Eve and the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas leading to Epiphany, may I suggest, once again, this beloved short masterpiece, Amahl and the Night Visitors. I can think of no musical work more perfectly crafted, more lovely, or … Read more
MacMillan, O Radiant Dawn Sir James Loy MacMillan was born in Scotland in 1959. His setting of O Oriens has much in common with the other O Antiphons featured here for Advent, except that he has set an English text and has elaborated a bit … Read more
Čopi, O radix Jesse Ambrož Čopi was born in Koper, Slovenia in 1973. He studied composition and conducting in Ljubljana. His choral music has gained widespread recognition in Europe, but he is perhaps best known as an educator and mentor of young musicians. He has written … Read more
This post appeared a few years ago in our Advent Calendar. I have been lecturing on a Rhine tour and have now just arrived in Weimar. I am flooded with memories of the many Christmases my family spent here (but sadly not this year). So, … Read more
Part, O Adonai The second installment of our O Antiphons for Advent comes from the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935). Pärt’s restrained and deeply spiritual approach is rooted in medieval chant and also the low-register sonorities of Russian choral music. He joined the Eastern … Read more
Today, Dec. 5, on the fifth day of Advent, let’s consider a tradition that occurs tomorrow (Dec. 6th)—the commemoration of an historical figure who is actually an old friend to most of us. Shoes and socks are important items. In Jesus’s world, the sandal reigned supreme. But for most … Read more
Vulc, O sapientia In this Advent season, I plan to feature various settings of the O Antiphons for our Friday Performance Picks. The seven “Great O Antiphons” represent some of the most enduring texts of Advent. Composers have turned to these texts from at least … Read more
Do you remember waiting for those broadcasts? Our single chance annually to see Amahl and the Night Visitors? And afterwards, did you, too, run around singing: “This is my box, this is my box, I never travel without my box!”? Or dance your version of … Read more