Winter Listening: 5 To Warm You On A Winter’s Night

Winter: it is s time when cities may seem lively against winter’s early dark.

That same early winter dark may bring deep quiet to places away from city lights.

Small towns may have their owns sparkle in the midst of quiet landscape; those quiet roads and trails through hill, mountain, forest, and other less populated places have their owns sort of winter quiet.

winter alps village france

Winter days and nights offer time for celebration and a time for reflection. They offer time for gatherings of those who come from near and far. Winter is a time for solitude both at home and as you travel, as well.

All this is true whatever winter holidays you do or do not celebrate, and whatever world and personal events may be happening also.

Winter events, celebrations, and circumstances invite you to join in, whether you travel through winter landscapes or watch them change outside your window or in your imagination.

We have brought you to many winter places and celebrations, from Beijing to rural Ireland, from Boston Common to a cave in the Netherlands, and many other places.

Mourne Mountains, County Down, Northern ireland, winter

Whether you winter travels are through geography or imagination, here is music to keep you company.

The title From Texas for a Christmas Night well describes the music Tish Hinojosa shares on her recording. Hinojosa grew up in San Antonio and lived for a number of years in Austin.

There’s her long time Austin and all across Texas favorite, Arbolito. which finds her speaking to her Christmas trees over the years, in both English and Spanish.

texas musician tish hinojosa winter concert austin

With the song Building Number 9 she reimagines the Christmas story in a way you may not expect. A la Nanita Nana is a song often sung during processions of Las Posadas.

Milagro invites you to join in on the joy and hope of the holiday. There’s Silent Night sung in three languages, and a song for Hanukkah, too.

You may have to look a bit for the recording Narada Presents: The Best of Celtic Christmas, but it is well worth the finding. A Christ Child Lullabye from Scotland’s Western Isles. a song of making it through holidays in hard times from contemporary Cape Breton and Americana artists, an ancient winter hymn from Brittany in France, a lively reel from Ireland for Christmas Eve, Silent Night sung in Gaelic — that is just a bit of what you’ll find there, from artists including Alison Krauss, Kathy Mattea, Altan, and Cathie Ryan.

winter phil cunninghams christmas songbook album cover

For the past several years, composer and accordion player Phil Cunningham has gathered musical friends, among them Karen Matheson, Eddi Reader, Kris Dever, and John McCusker, for a Christmas season tour around their native Scotland.

They always had a great time and so did their audiences. It came time to try to put the experience on record so more folk could enjoy it. The result is Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook, a mix of lively and reflective song and tune.

For a reflective listen for winter days, Cara Dillon’s recording Upon a Winter’s Night is just the thing.

cara dillon upon a winter night album cover

Dillon, who comes from Northern Ireland, offers a collection of traditional and newly composed songs which tend toward the thoughtful and reverent side of winter and Christmas.

That’s an idea Dillon and her husband and musical partner Sam Lakeman (listen for outstanding piano and guitar from Sam on the album) had in mind when they started gathering songs: they wanted to make sure their children understood that Christmas is more than glitz and tinsel.

That carries through in their choices of traditional song, among which you will find The Wexford Carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel, and O Holy Night, on which Dillon’s siter Mary Dillon joins her.. Alongside them are several original pieces including the title track, which was written by Lakeman and the couple’s son Noah.

Are those under ten — as in ten years old, that is — part of your holiday gatherings or on your gift list? Or those who care for them?

They will enjoy the new and familiar songs on Matt Heaton’s album Snow Day.

Kids will like the good stories, the lively guitar playing, and Matt’s wry and gentle sense of humor. Adults will like these things too.

winter matt heaton snow day album cover

Adults will also appreciate that along with the good music children in their lives will be learning a bit about listening and about tolerance through the song Happy Holidays as well as what to do when things do not always go as you expect (Can’t Judge a Gift) and quieter joys of holidays whether shared with children or grown-ups on Christmas Eve With You. A song celebrating Hanukkah is here, and Rudolph and Winter Wonderland are about, too.

You may also want to take a listen to the seasonal album Matt has made with his wife Shannon, which is called Fine Winter’s Night.

matt and shannon heaton musicians winter night concert bcmfest christmas concert

On your travels through geography and through imagination this winter season, the creativity of these musicians will be good company.

winter travel: winter fire in ireland autumn travel

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