Twenty carols for Luke 2 Advent readings

We have an Advent tradition of reading a verse from Luke 2:1-20 throughout December. We’ve also picked a carol to go with each verse. This tradition serves a few purposes: 

1. The lyrics of these carols magnify the moment of…

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Numerous objects of fascination

You could also call this post “Consumer Report” or “R. Hall’s Gift Guide,” because I’ve consumed all these things and find them all promising as gift ideas. They don’t all have to do with music, but let’s start there. 

Music 

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Taking Andrew Peterson out to lunch

Poor authors. Together with their publisher they hone their book, fuss over every detail, and broadcast, broadcast, broadcast its existence and purpose and still — people in its intended audience don’t get the point. 

I heard more buzz about Adorning

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A confluence of stories

Anyone who comes to Harpers Ferry enters another story. That’s the point of a historical park. The landscape is kept in tact with signs and monuments as witnesses to something too important to forget. 

Seven years ago this week, we…

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A return to touchy-feely music

Today’s dominance of online streaming means my children do not have a way to touch the records we play.

I grew up often looking at the jewel cases in my dad’s music collection and leafing through the Sound and Spirit

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It's funny how small the big things can be.

Put the big rocks in the jar first, goes the illustration, and you’ll have room to pour in the little rocks afterward. Put the little rocks in first, however, and you won’t fit the big rocks. It’s a metaphor for…

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Four favorite works for piano

Piano literature is a many-splendored thing. 

Sonatas, nocturnes, variations, etudes, lyric pieces, humoresques, waltzes, songs without words, sonatinas, fantasies, rhapsodies, orchestral reductions, minuets, preludes, fugues — 

But I had to learn to love it. Growing up, I was inspired by…

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For the money

I blogged a couple weeks ago about the Trapp Family Singers. We have their story and The Sound of Music for one simple reason. Captain von Trapp’s bank failed. They went public with their singing for the money. 

They…

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A poem for autumn

Good poetry is always in season.

Hurrahing in Harvest

Summer ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the stooks arise 
  Around; up above, what wind-walks! what lovely behaviour 
  Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wilful-wavier 
Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies? …

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