Music
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Weekend Music My friend Robert introduced me to Sudbin's Scarlatti album some months ago. I was initially a little cool to it, writing to Robert that Sudbin seemed too fast in the fast parts and too slow in the slow parts. Also, most of the sonatas were unfamiliar to me, and I had to get…
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Weekend Music Just finished watching a documentary on the master, Nick Drake: Under Review. Anyone at all interested in Nick Drake will find it worthwhile. I think it calls for a song, and let's make it one that doesn't encourage the depressed martyr-poet image. Personally I will always doubt the verdict of suicide. I…
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Weekend Music I have fallen into the habit of reading an item in the local paper which lists notable events that happened on this day in history. I find myself paying particular attention to the birthdays of famous people who are around my age; for some reason I find it interesting that, for instance, David…
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Weekend Christmas Music Pretty much my favorite Christmas album. And thanks to YouTube I learn that there is a DVD of them doing a Christmas show. Here's "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," performed very much as heard on the album. I love Maddy Prior–she's so unpretentious and engaging, while singing so wonderfully. (Also,…
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By all indications, Stephen Hill of Music from the Hearts of Space is a secular/New-Age-y/all-religions-are-equally-valid kind of guy. But he certainly speaks very respectfully and often empathetically of Christianity. Read the notes for this week's program, which is devoted to Mary, and you'll see what I mean: …the spirit of Mary floats over Christian history like…
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Weekend Music Ok, if you want to say the timeless purity of this hymn is not especially well served by Enya's lush treatment, I won't argue with you. I'll grant the case in the abstract. But I think it's beautiful, and besides I've already revealed my weakness for Enya by posting "Orinoco Flow" last weekend.…
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Weekend Music No particular reason for posting this. Something reminded me of it, and I wanted to hear it. I expect it's unfashionable to like Enya. So sue me.
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Although this is a bit late for yesterday's Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I'm posting it because I heard it at Mass then. Over the years I have certainly done my share of complaining about the banal soft-pop hymns that have been the staple of Catholic music for the past thirty years or more. Some…
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I've always know that Veterans' Day, November 11, originated as Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I, and was later expanded to include all war veterans. So I was mildly surprised when I noticed some discussions indicating that a lot of people had never heard of Armistice Day. I wonder how long it…
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Weekend Music I’d like to make the argument that this is the greatest pop song ever written, but that’s really a little foolish, not because it isn’t unquestionably a very great song, but because there are so many great ones. Most of my favorites in this pre-rock-and-roll vein have lyrics by Johnny Mercer, who so…
Light On Dark Water 