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Advent

Tune My Heart: Part 3, “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen” (“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”)

When each of us were young, our mothers and/or caretakers instinctively amplified the musical qualities inherent within our native languages. Infants are surrounded by an entirely foreign, complex system of communication. They exist in a state of wonder and we draw on and interact with that state by engaging them with musically creative speech. We […]

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Tune My Heart: Part 2, Handel’s “Messiah”

“Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived . . . I would uncover my head and kneel down on his tomb.” —Beethoven quoted by Edward Schulz, “A Day with Beethoven,” The Harmonicum (1824). This Advent season, our family chose to guide our own musical consumption with three beloved Advent classics that merit and reward

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Tune My Heart: Part 1, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

All great orchestral concerts begin with a small but important musical moment. The concert master stands and the principal oboist continuously sounds A-440, until each player has tuned all the notes of their instrument to the frequency of that tone. Then the conductor takes the podium, lifts his or her arms, the concert begins, and

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