Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is one of today’s most recognizable – and influential – Christmas works. The ballet has an interesting history, though – one that began four years before its premiere. Background How Sleeping Beauty’s Success Led to The Nutcracker In 1888, Ivan Vsevolozhsky (Director of the Imperial Theaters, an opera and ballet theater in St. […]
Read MoreThe last track on my album Christmas Piano is an arrangement of the beloved carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And because this is my husband’s favorite Christmas song, I wanted to make the arrangement extra special. Check out the sheet music here: A Brief Recap You might remember that O Come, O Come, Emmanual had its origins in 9th […]
Read MoreTo kick off December’s first blog post, here is my piano arrangement of The First Noel: You can find the sheet music here: I’ve already talked about the history of this beautiful Christmas carol; check that post out here: Now I want to share a funny story with you about my arrangement of The First Noel. Back […]
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In the nativity story, angels play an integral part in the proclamation of Baby Jesus’s birth. So today let’s listen to some Christmas music inspired by those heavenly messengers. There are many Christmas carols about angels, two of which are the most popular: Angels We Have Heard on High and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Check out my […]
Read MoreThis week I posted the video for my arrangement of What Child is This? up on YouTube! For the history behind this beautiful Christmas carol, read my post here. And if you’re interested in the sheet music: I wrote this arrangement in the spirit of a contemporary waltz. Notice the waltz accompaniment in the left hand beginning […]
Read MoreAway in a Manger is one of the most loved Christmas carols of our time. And it’s easy to understand why! The beautiful lullaby describes that special night over 2000 years ago, using text and melody to create an emotional response in the listener. While Still, Still, Still is not as popular as Away in a Manger, it’s just […]
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cozy nights by the fire. family. happiness, peace, and redemption. the first snowfall. good food. smiles. worship to God. the excitement of Christmas Eve night. self reflection. opening presents. hot chocolate (bonus points for whipped cream). laughter til your side aches. matching pajamas and twinkling lights. decorating the Christmas tree. wrapping paper. home alone (the […]
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French Origins It’s winter, 1847. In a small French town, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure – wine commissioner and poet instead of church-goer – pens a poem for Christmas Mass, as requested by the local priest. Using the Bible as his guide, Cappeau imagined what it would be like to witness Jesus on the night of […]
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Before “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” was translated into English, this special Christmas hymn – originally in Latin – was born out of O Antiphons: a set of monastic chants sung the week before Christmas as early as the 9th century. O Antiphons The O Antiphons are a set of chants used at Vespers (sunset/evening prayer) during […]
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Picture this: it’s blistering hot, the middle of summer (1945). What do you do to stay cool? You think cool thoughts, of course. That’s what songwriters Bob Wells and Mel Tormé did, and that’s how The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) was born. Tormé said of the event: “I saw a spiral pad on […]
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