Here are three versions of that beloved hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. It was originated in 1855 by as a poem that Joseph M. Scriven wrote home to his mother in Ireland to comfort her while he was in Canada. The tune was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868.
Read MoreChristmas is full of the celebratory sounds of music that echo the joyous fifty days of Christmastide. This music is particularly well suited to choirs and orchestral arrangements in western culture. Here is a small selection to draw you into the richness of the season.
Read MoreThe black church is a musical bootcamp. Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Anderson Paak all found their start singing in the church. Sound Field (PBS) travels to Chicago, the birthplace of gospel music, chatting with gospel artist, Donald Lawrence and then to Orlando to meet singer Tye Tribbett at his church.
Read MoreKnown as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman was enslaved, escaped, and helped others gain their freedom as a “conductor" of the Underground Railroad. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves.
Read MoreThe heart of the Christian faith is the hope of new possibilities in the midst of failure and despair. That is the Easter story - that something new and never imagined emerges from the dying out of something known. Enjoy the music of celebration.
Read MoreThe prayers found here are called Nocturnes. They, and the music that accompanies them, are designed to resonate with those dimmed times when the burdens of life drain much of the light away. These Nocturnes afford a time of stillness in the midst of the dark.
Read MoreSpirituals are uniquely American music, emerging as they do from the African American people who endured slavery. They were people who had their own native African spirituality taken from them, abruptly and violently, as though it were of no account. And then Christianity was forced upon them.
Read MoreThe world with all its delights, and sorrows, pushes and pulls us in many different directions. We tend to think that we are having to choose always, between good and bad. But this is not so. We are simply called to choose one way or another way, and often the choices are between two equally good things. How then will we know which path is the one to follow?
Read MoreWhen we look into the face of the other, truly look, we see them in all their vulnerability, in their unique beauty, in their richness of thought, their complexity. We see how easy it is to kill them in the many, many ways we can do this, and we see that they are asking that we do not.
Read MoreWars tear families apart, diseases rage, storms whip water into sheets of terror, and still, and yet, here is wondrous paradox: the great mystery we dare to name, holds us in tenderest caress, and like the sunʼs gentle warmth coaxing unripe fruit into the fullness of being, rocks us with divine dreams and whispers our true essence, pressing its heart upon us,
Read MoreThe Shalva Band is comprised of 8 talented musicians with disabilities and performs to the highest musical standards by invitation at cultural venues and dignitary events throughout the year. Inspiring crowds with its musical repertoire and charm, the band is one of Shalva’s most celebrated inclusion programs. Shalva, is the Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
Read MoreEclipse 6 is a six person group from Utah who create all their music a cappella. No instruments are used but the human voice, which is quite remarkable. Here are three samples of their work, two traditional hymns and a modern country tune that should be one as well.
Read MoreThe Psalms Project is a band setting all 150 Psalms to music in their entirety, including the essential meaning of every verse, a marriage of King David’s vision with modern worship music. The Psalms Project is led by singer/songwriter/producer Shane Heilman, who has collaborated with over 70 musicians thus far.
Read MoreThe Kingdom Choir, a collective from London, England sings performs and records songs that inspire and unify people. In December 2020, The Kingdom Choir held a very special performance at The Treehouse Hotel, dedicated to all NHS staff who have worked above and beyond this year in caring for those suffering from COVID19.
Read MoreFormed of individual singers and performers from in and around London, England, The Kingdom Choir is a group of like-minded artists dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share. The Kingdom Choir has been performing up and down the country and all around the world for over 20 years. They are perhaps best known for performing at the British royal wedding, May, 2018, ‘Stand by Me.’
Read MoreYes, there were terrible things in the news this week and every week, but, Louis Armstrong, who knew some trouble in his time, offers us this ode to beauty and hopefulness that always seems to lighten the spirit. It is perhaps the musical version of ‘Rejoice in the day and be glad.’
Read MoreThe Stellenbosch University Choir is a choir affiliated with Stellenbosch University. Founded in 1936, it is the oldest choir in South Africa. The choir is viewed as a leading South African choral ensemble and has toured overseas extensively where it has won critical acclaim for its performances. Currently the US Choir is ranked number 1 on the Interkultur World Ranking List of the top 1000 international choirs.
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