Have you ever delighted in listening to an album with beautiful renditions of songs such as What Child Is This and Silent Night, only to be abruptly taken out of your delightful state by a tacky track such as Jingle Bell Rock? So many CDs have wildly varying songs, possibly because of a desire to […]
Most people associate the beautiful song Cavatina (written by Stanley Myers) for classical guitar with the 1978 movie The Deer Hunter. But Cavatina’s heartbreakingly beautiful melody originally appeared in a 1970 a movie called “The Walking Stick”. The Heroine of The Walking Stick was a 26 year old woman named Deborah Dainton who walked with a limp because […]
First, there’s the great music: The Identical, which has been showing in theaters across America, is replete with rock-and-roll music that is eerily reminiscent of the great Elvis Presley. In fact, the legendary rock star Drexel Helmsley, one of the twin protagonists played by Blake Rayne, is a dead ringer for the ’50s icon; and if you’re […]
In the great treasury of music, I keep finding myself coming back again and again to Beethoven. You may think it’s because he was one of the greatest composers who ever lived despite his deafness. That is true, everybody loves great music and everybody loves an over-comer. But there’s something more that keeps drawing me […]
I keep a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on the fireplace mantle in my home. It reminds me of the human capacity to overcome adversity to achieve great things. When I doubt myself in my own acquired disability of multiple sclerosis, I listen to Beethoven — particularly his 9th symphony — written in total deafness, […]
My college training was in radio and television arts. I love the arts, particularly with Christian themes. I came across an excellent production of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (Capella Reial Catalunya, Le Concert des Nations conducted by Jordi Savall). The setting is the French Abbey Church of Saint-Savin Sur Gartempe. Superb location, the performers, […]
It’s been 50 years since the Beatles first landed in America and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. I’m a pretty avid Beatles fan, and like following the continued legacy of the band. My favorite aspect of the Beatles is the songwriting team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The Beatles were a phenomenon many […]
Just down the Texas highways from me live Kevin McCormick and his daughter Rachel. A mutual friend introduced us, and I learned that Kevin and Rachel has just completed a Christmas album full of classic hymns and songs. The result is an endlessly listenable arrangement of beautiful Christmas favorites: “The First Noel” to “Silent Night” […]
If you’re concerned that the lyrics being piped into your children’s headphones are inappropriate — or even dangerous — you’re right. To: Marybeth From: A Sing-along mom What’s up with obscene and violent lyrics in pop music? Our kids have mentioned songs that their friends are downloading, and when we do a lyric check to […]
Ginaldiel, the angel, scowled at the bookshelf. It was half as tall as he was, and twice the width of his music stand. “Same old, same old,” he muttered, tapping a long forefinger against his lip. He counted the binders again. Twelve. “Twelve binders of music to sing and all eternity in front of […]
[This document was prepared on behalf of a group of parents to address issues locally that may also be going on elsewhere in the country. It is published here as a resource for parents who may find it useful.] Dances in the Catholic School: Parental Concerns and Suggested Remedies This document addresses parental concerns with […]
