O Come All Ye Faithful: A History (and FREE piano sheet music!)

O Come All Ye Faithful

Merry Christmas! Yes, I know it’s still November, but I believe Jesus’s birth is something to be thankful for. 🙂 I’m celebrating a lot of things right now including (but not limited to) Thanksgiving, Christmas, family, and the opportunity to do what I love all the time – learn and write about, compose, and perform […]

Read More

Creepy Classical Music

Bach toccata in d minor organ

It’s almost Halloween! I’m not usually one to celebrate this particular holiday, but I thought it would be fun to look at some creepy classical music in today’s post. Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Bach This fun little organ piece (okay, this hugely enormous organ piece) is believed to have been written by […]

Read More

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day: A History

I heard the bells on Christmas DayTheir old, familiar carols play,          and wild and sweet          The words repeatOf peace on earth, good-will to men!And thought how, as the day had come,The belfries of all Christendom          Had rolled along          The […]

Read More

The First Noel: A History

The First Noel: A History

This week I’d like to talk about another favorite Christmas carol, The First Noel. The origin of the melody is unknown, although historians know the tune dates back to at least the 17th century. Some even argue it originated in France during the 15th century and was brought to England in the 17th century by troubadours […]

Read More

Silent Night: A History (and FREE piano sheet music!)

Silent Night History

One of my favorite Christmas carols is Silent Night. I love the way the lyrics describe the nativity scene, and the music itself is quite beautiful. This led me to wonder about the history of the song. If you liked my arrangement, click here to download the sheet music for free! The very first performance of Silent Night […]

Read More

Christmas in November

This is the best time of year. Thanksgiving is next week, and when is a better time to start being thankful for Jesus’s birth? 🙂 The only music I’ve been listening to lately is Christmas music, so today I’d like to share with you a favorite holiday album of mine – Christmas Rhapsody by pianist-composer John Bayless. For his […]

Read More

Christmas in September

I love Christmas. Like, I really love Christmas. I love how there is an emphasis on spending time with family and being kind to others. I love the cold weather (even though it doesn’t really snow here in western Oregon 🙁 ) and hot chocolate and twinkling lights. But probably the thing I love most about Christmas […]

Read More