It’s snowing. And this is the music in my headphones:
That’s “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime,” also known as the “Huron Carol,” from the new Christmas album by the choir Seraphic Fire, “The Apple Tree.”
Neither the snow, nor a peaceful perfect moment with this music will last, but the music is lovely and simple right now.
There’s always more of a story old songs and how they change over time. For that context, here’s a good brief introduction to the history of the Huron Carol.
That’s just one track of this lovely new album of carols by Florida-based professional choir Seraphic Fire. Listen to the title track: “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.”
Speaking of stories: I enjoyed learning more about the composer of that more modern Christmas classic (from 1967). It was written by Elizabeth Poston, who in addition to being a composer and pianist, was a fellow broadcaster: she worked for the BBC.
The rest of the music and its stories are yours to explore. You’ll hear Seraphic Fire singing for these seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany on WXXI Classical over the next couple weeks as we spotlight this album through the beginning of new year.
