Monday Musician: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Today’s Selection:

O Come O Come Emmanuel – Barlowgirl

Enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: Agnus Dei

Today’s Selection:

Agnus Dei (Part of the Pope Marcellus Mass) – Giovanni Palestrina

A beautiful piece from around the time of the Protestant Reformation, partially a response to the Reformers’ critiques of the way the Catholic Church treated music.  Not that you needed to know that; just a little nugget from my Music History class two years ago.  Anyway, enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)”

Today’s Selection:

Amy Grant – “Breath of Heaven”

The church that I attended as a young boy often had a Christmas program performed by the youth, and for several years in a row, we (the youth) sang this song.  I admire this song because, for one, it is original in content and theme; I don’t hear too many songs like this listening to the radio around Christmas.  I also love the theme: despite the associations we have of Christmas in modern culture, the story told of Mary and Joseph is really a story of much pain, suffering and (I think) questioning God’s presence.

If you disagree with me, think of it.  What were her parents and friends thinking when Mary became pregnant and claimed an angel appeared to her?  Would they believe her, or would they assume (like I would) that she had been unfaithful to Joseph?  Or perhaps that she had sinned with Joseph during their engagement (which to the outsider would explain why he stayed with her).  And what of the Romans (i.e. the evil foreign empire) ordering them to go to Bethlehem while she was pregnant?  And giving birth in a barn?  And then fleeing for their lives into a foreign land because Herod wanted to kill their newborn child?

The Christmas story is one of remarkable literary significance.  Jesus’s birth into the world was a time of suffering and violence, and it is easy when we suffer to wonder where God is.  The Christmas story is fundamentally this: in Mary and Joseph’s suffering and struggles, it would be easy for them to ask where God could possibly be when, in fact, God could not have been closer.  He was physically present with them.

What if this is true?  What if, in our struggles, God draws nearer?  That is the Christmas story.

SfC

Monday Musician: “What Child Is This?”

Today’s Selection:

MercyMe – What Child is This?

A couple of years I posted a version of this song performed by Josh Groban, and in the spirit of the coming Christmas season, I am posting a version performed by the contemporary Christian band MercyMe.

There is something that I have always found hauntingly beautiful about this song.  I remember as a child listening to a Christmas cassette tape for hours-long car rides to my relatives’ homes for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and there was always something about this song that had a deep, unidentified resonance.

Enjoy, and take care this holiday season!

SfC

Monday Musician: Greensleeves

Today’s Selection:

Greensleeves, a common musical selection for the Christmas season.

So much for getting back in the habit of posting regularly; I missed even my Monday Musician for two weeks straight!  Anyway, here’s a selection of music for you to enjoy this week.

SfC

Monday Musician: Strauss, Nocturno, Op. 7

Today’s Selection:

Franz Strauss – Nocturno, Op. 7 (French Horn Solo)

For today, I have a very good performance of a French Horn solo that I played during my time in high school band.  A very good piece of French Horn literature.  Enjoy!

I apologize to any frequent readers for not posting more than “Monday Musician” posts for the last couple of weeks; schoolwork and life in general have kept me pretty busy.  Hopefully, I will have a more thought-provoking post for my readers soon.

SfC

Monday Musician: Beethoven, 9th Symphony

Today’s Pick:

Ludwing van Beethoven, 9th Symphony

Monday Musician: Brand X Music, Lost Kingdom

Today’s Selection:

Brand X Music, Lost Kingdom

A fast-paced, energetic piece of modern instrumental music.  Enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: Gottschalk, The Banjo

Today’s Selection:

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, The Banjo

Monday Musician: Beethoven, Symphony 7

Today’s Selection:

Ludwig Van Beethoven, 7th Symphony, 2nd movement.

Enjoy!

Monday Musician: Two Steps From Hell, “Promise”

Today’s Selection:

Two Steps From Hell – Promise

This is certainly not a piece of fine art music, but…it’s an incredible piece of modern instrumental music. I hope you enjoy it!

Life, Currently

My, it has been awhile since I’ve updated “The Faithful Mind.”  Well, here’s a brief recap of what’s been going on for me:

This past summer, I took 4 Spanish classes out of a college closer to my hometown, giving me 12 credit hours in a foreign language and putting me a full year ahead of schedule for my graduation.  So, as of now, I will be graduating in May, which is exciting.   For my post-graduation plans, I believe that I will be taking the GRE within the year and apply for graduate school for Higher English Education.  That’s the plan, but I’m also trying to be flexible and keep an open mind as to what would be the best option for me to pursue; frankly, I’m still very uncertain, but that’s the course I have set for now.

My work on Kenushi Ryu is progressing nicely.  I’m in my third Creative Writing class, and have a rather large body of stories that I have written to help me explore the background of the Kenushi Ryu story.  In fact, since I suggested it way back in April, I’ve created a blog that I will use as a database for my notes, files, and ideas for Kenushi Ryu.  It’s currently a private blog, unavailable to public readership due to concerns I have about people stealing my ideas; I will probably be looking for a way to give access to it to a select few people that I know and trust.  Anyway, I’m hoping to use it as a place where I can organize my notes, bounce ideas off of others, and such.

I am also happy to report that I have grown significantly in my faith since the spring.  This has been due to several challenges in my life, but the net result has been that I really have felt God working in my life and using me to help others.  I’ve recently written a generic paper called “Letter to A Christian,” encouraging fellow believers in their faith.  I will probably post it on this website at some point in the near-future, and hopefully it will be a source of comfort to those of you who are Christians.

I spent an hour or so this morning creating a page on “The Faithful Mind” where I’ve cataloged nearly every piece of music that I’ve ever posted on this blog; feel free to check it out!  I hope to begin my “Monday Musician” sequence again, and I may also start doing a “quote of the week.”  Again, these are all just ideas that I’m throwing around.  I also happen to remember that I have a reading log posted on “The Faithful Mind”, which nees to be updated so as to encourage myself to do more leisure reading.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other public blog, The Faith Journey of a Christian Man. There isn’t much there right now, but I’m hoping to correct that in the coming weeks and months.  We’ll see how things go with my school schedule and everything.

Thanks .

SfC

Monday Musician: Handel, Water Music (Allegro)

Today’s Pick:

George Frideric Handel, Water Music (Allegro)

Enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: Handel, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Today’s Pick:

George Frideric Handel – “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” from the oratorio “Solomon”

Interesting little piece.  Enjoy!

SfC

P.S.  One idea that I recently had was to take all of the songs that I’ve posted for my Monday Musician posts and post links to the songs on a single page entitled “Monday Musician Selections.”  This will probably be a task for coming days.

Monday Musician: Beethoven, 5th Symphony

Today’s Pick:

Ludwig van Beethoven, 5th Symphony

Enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: Bach, Double Violin Concerto

Monday Musician:  Johann Sebastian Bach, Double Violin Concerto in D Minor; 2nd movement, Largo

Enjoy!

SfC

Monday Musician: Brand X Music, The Quest

This is my official first Monday Musician in almost a year!  (Yay…)  To begin with, I thought I would post a short but very interesting instrumental piece.  Hope you enjoy !

SfC

(Revived) Monday Musician: Mansell, Lux Aeterna

Today’s Pick:

Clint Mansell, Lux Aeterna

Well, it has been quite awhile since I last posted.  My summer has gone quite well so far; my last day of summer school is Wednesday, and then my Financial Planning class will be over.

Anyhow, the song that you are (presumably) listening to is a song that I was exposed to several years ago.  I have often sought what the song was called, but I only recently learned that Lux Aeterna was that song that was so popular.  Once again, it isn’t exactly classical, but it is still instrumental.  Enjoy!

thefaithfulmind

P.S.  I hope to be posting more frequently in the coming days and weeks.

Monday Musician: Nutcracker, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Today’s Pick:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker (Performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra)

I know, it isn’t exactly Classical, and it isn’t anywhere near Christmas yet, but I was just exposed to this rendition of the Nutcracker within the last couple of weeks and thought it was worth posting.  Enjoy!

thefaithfulmind

Monday Musician: Bach, In Dulci Jubilo

Today’s Pick:

Johann Sebastian Bach, In Dulci Jubilo

A fairly short and simple piece, but extraordinary to me.

thefaithfulmind