Deep Something

Today in Sunday School, We still going through the Rick Warren book. This discussion was about being friends with God. The discussion went off in a number of directions, and I’m not sure how much I got out of this week. Today is also the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so I wanted to work in a reference to that in today’s prayer. I heard a great story this morning on NPR about how King had once been asked, in his teenage years, what he was looking at as he stared out the Window. He was watching the gas lamp lighter going along lighting the gas lights. King said he was watching the man, “knock holes in the darkness.”

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The Choir of Kings College ’nuff said.

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Christmas Concert – December 2007 – The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music
Choir: the Antonine University Choir, the NDU Choir and the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory Choir
Choir Direction: F. Khalil Rahme
Under the Direction of Dr. Walid Gholmieh

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What’s become my favorite Christmas song, Still, Still, Still by the Vienna Boys Choir. Still, Still, Still is one of the prettiest carols out there and unfortunately not a lot is known about it other than that it is Austrian, set to the “Salsburg Melody” and was written around 1819.

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“The Christmas Song”, commonly subtitled “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire“, is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born.

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The famous chapel choir sings carols old and new, including the Sussex Carol, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, In the Bleak Midwinter, the Three Kings, Lux Aurumque – by the modern American composer Eric Whitacre – and O Come All Ye Faithful. This first piece is traditionally rendered by a chorister chosen at random!

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With a bow to my old high school friend, Mike, here’s the King doing The First Noel. “The First Nowell” is a traditional English Christmas carol, most likely from the 18th century. In its current form it is of Cornish origin, and it was first published in Some Ancient Christmas Carols (1823) and Gilbert and Sandys Christmas Carols (1833), edited by William B. Sandys and arranged, edited and with extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert.

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Another 80’s classic Christmas song. This time it’s Hall and Oates performing Jingle Bell Rock. It was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957 and has received frequent airplay during every Christmas time since then. “Jingle Bell Rock” was written by Joe Beal, a Massachusetts-born public relations man, and Jim Boothe, a Texas writer in the advertising business. It was also recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets.

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Here’s a golden oldie from 1984. Wham performs “Last Christmas.”

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The Boss, Bruce Springsteen singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The song is by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor’s radio show in November 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and over 400,000 copies sold by Christmas.The earliest known recorded version of the song was performed by George Hall and the Hotel Taft Orchestra, and was also recorded on September 26, 1935, by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra

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The very famous “Happy Christmas (War is Over), by John Lennon.

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I have loved the George Winston December Album since it came out. There are some beautiful pieces of music. Christmas music is some of my favorite music, and these treatments by Winston are just fabulous in their simplicity. I hope you have four minutes to take a break in your day and give a listen, and happy holidays to you all.

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Christmas Song performed by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at ASU in 2003.

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Here is a live performance by George Winston of his song Thanksgiving. Another of the beautiful pieces from his December Album. These are always a joy to pull out and listen to during this time of year. I can see the bright red, gold and brown of leaves raining down, and blowing along beside a road. I can hear this and smell a fire burning in a fireplace somewhere as I walk outside in the brisk air. The photos in the video are outstanding.

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Circa 1979. This spontaneous dialogue between Johnny and Doc is perhaps one of the funniest television moments ever. This clip was recorded from the 18th Anniversary Show, which turned out to be the only time this exchange was featured in it’s entirety.

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I didn’t make it home to North Carolina this year for Thanksgiving, so I am feeling a little down as I think about not “gathering together” with the family. However, this is still a beautiful hymn, and I can just imagine how it would sound on a crisp Thanksgiving morning ringing out from the carillon. This 16th century Dutch melody is played by David Christensen on the carillon at the University of California, Riverside.

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I’m not home in North Carolina this year, and I really wish I was. I wasn’t feeling at all well Monday night/Tuesday morning, so I didn’t make the drive. So I’m a little homesick, but very thankful for many great blessings.

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It was a big weekend for us this weekend, but in the end, I did get some rest after Saturday. The weekend started Friday afternoon with Lay’s Graduation Ceremony from the Fire Academy.

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If you’re a regular visitor (or you receive the digest email) I suppose you have noticed a decided lack of activity here lately. I have to tell you, I’ve just been tired. I think that’s the best way to describe what’s been going on in my life lately. It’s not that feeling of “being sick and tired of being sick and tired,” but more a general malaise that came over me during the last months. I didn’t send out Christmas cards this year, and didn’t even decorate the house. I came into the season with a good deal of the shopping done, and combined with some upcoming time off, I was actually looking forward to the holiday, but somewhere along the way, I just sort of lost that holiday spirit. I’m working on a comeback.

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I like this guy. He loves playing, and it shows.

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