The Whole Music Experience

Stile Antico Puer natus est Tudor Music for Advent and Christmas Harmonia Mundi It’s the first week of September and I’m not dreaming about the Christmas holiday. In fact, I’m clinging to the last embers of summer so why would I review 2 Christmas music albums (see the Anonymous 4 review below), this month?  Puer natus est is the second Stile Antico album I’ve heard, Song of Songs was the first. Again the young English choir sings with razor-sharp intonation and the soprano vocals possessing bell-like clarity, grounded by the tenors, baritones, basses, and altos. Stile Antico isn’t the first young early music choir I’ve heard that performs Thomas Tallis sacred works or Catholic Church music of the Tudor period (English Tudor kings and queens reign).  The Tudor Choir of Seattle can boast the same claim. And both choirs provide their audiences with compelling and stunningly beautiful programs. Certainly someone could listen to this sacred music with a religious mi

The East Village Community School Songs from the East Village Independent release When I was around 7 or 8 years old my mother bought me my first record player, one of those portable players with the handle on top, mine was orange and white. She also bought me my first collection of 45s which featured old American folk and Disney tunes which my sister and I learned with much enthusiasm. My favorite song was “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and I could sing that song all day long. And although our school district was a poor one, it provided music programs from 1-12 grades. I imagine that music even brought the community together and I certainly felt more at peace having music in my childhood years. While many grade schools especially have lost their music programs due to budget cuts, many schools find a way to incorporate music into their educational programs despite what the economy is doing or not doing. The East Village Community School in the Lower Eastside of New York City brought