Carol

Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is the Joy of Music Day Today’s Post: “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In” — a Wonderfully Incongruous Xmas Carol What do ships have to do with Christmas? Seriously. This is not one of the Christmas carols that I grew up with as a…

Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is the Joy of Music Day Today’s Post: “Good King Wenceslaus” — US Army Band, Bing Crosby, the Beatles This week I decided to learn a little more about a carol that was not one that I had grown up with. It does however appear…

A Short Story By Andrew J. Mair This is part 1 of 5: Stave 1, Stave 2, Stave 3, Stave 4, Stave 5 Authors Introduction Every year, just after Thanksgiving, I begin reading at least three stories. In addition to the Bible story of the first Christmas found in Luke…

By Andrew J. Mair This is part 2 of 5: Stave 1, Stave 2, Stave 3, Stave 4, Stave 5 Stave 2 — Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Rehearsals usually took place on Sundays. And right on cue, at the next rehearsal, Mrs. Duncan started with a prayer and some vocal warm-ups…

By Andrew J. Mair This is part 3 of 5: Stave 1, Stave 2, Stave 3, Stave 4, Stave 5 Stave 3 — Another Solist? On Saturday morning, the week before the performance, Mrs. Duncan worried because she knew only three full rehearsals were left, and the only person to…

By Andrew J. Mair This is part 5 of 5: Stave 1, Stave 2, Stave 3, Stave 4, Stave 5 Stave 5 — Who Ministers to the Minister? “Ach du meine Güte!” James’s mother exclaimed immediately following the closing prayer. She ran to the front, grabbed James, and began kissing…

By Andrew J. Mair This is part 4 of 5: Stave 1, Stave 2, Stave 3, Stave 4, Stave 5 Stave 4 — A True Gift “Well, hello, Mr. Knievel,” Mrs. Duncan said, entering Daniel’s hospital room. “Who?” Daniel asked. “Oh, you don’t know who Evil Knievel is?” Mrs. Duncan…

In Austria, a Christmas carol is called Weihnactslied, and Still Still Still is one of the most beautiful. Still, still, still, One can hear the falling snow. For all is hushed, The world is sleeping, Holy Star, its vigil keeping. Still, still, still, One can hear the falling snow. This…

The line “God rest ye, merry gentlemen” almost sounds like someone is trying to get some men to settle down at a Christmas party. But the phrase “rest you merry” means something different than the modern understanding of those words. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase “God rest…