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

December 9, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

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 […]

Finlandia: A Poem of Protest

August 6, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

Background In 1808, the Russian Empire marched into Finland and overthrew its Swedish rule. By the end of 1809, Finland had become subject to Russian rule and remained so until 1917. I certainly wouldn’t be happy if the Russian Empire declared itself ruler over my country, so it’s no surprise that Finland wasn’t very happy […]