"The great American poet [who] is revered for his classic literary works. His poem “Christmas Bells” has become one of our most well-known and beloved Christmas carols, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” What is less known, though, is the story behind the poem.
Reeling from the tragic death of his wife and the war wounds of his son, Longfellow penned the words to “Christmas Bells” during one of the darkest times in American history. And while the words of the poem reflect his obvious despair and grief, it is the triumphant message of “peace on earth, good will to men” for which this song — and Longfellow's personal story — is remembered." (quoted from here)
If you're so inclined, you might take a minute to watch this performance. It is so well narrated by Ed Herrman, and this story of the Longfellow family has been on my mind since I watched. The performance left me with the feeling that Christmas is truly a time for healing and finding peace, and that message is like balm to my soul right now.
**Here is the link to original clip on youtube, as I can see that the full screen isn't showing up on the blog.
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4 comments:
i watched this concert last year on OPB and i was so moved by the whole production. I bought the CD this year and was disappointed to learn that Herman's narration was not included with it. Good thing there is you tube eh? I love when Brian Mitchell sings Friendly Beasts! At first i judged him to be arrogant but after listening to him sing this, i fell in love!
Adam and I also saw the production a couple of years ago. We loved it. The narration is powerful and well done. Last year, I bought the DVD for our family. I see that another friend has mentioned the Friendly Beasts number. Did you see Brian Stokes Mitchell sing that song? Here's a link in case you did not--we all really enjoy that number. It sounds even better on the DVD :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9K9MVmVxFA&feature=related
Watched it and loved it. In fact, I was so inspired by it that I wanted to share it with the beehives for our lesson today, but we couldn't get internet to function. I did tell them the story though. Thanks for sharing.
I have neglected my blog stalking lately and haven't checked in on you. I loved getting your Christmas card this year and reading more about your family. I was so clueless as to know about Jeff's new job, that is so fantastic. Congratulations to all. And I'm glad from your posts that you're finally starting to turn the nausea corner and can reenter the kitchen. I know what difficult pregnancies you have and I hope you get through this one with the same grace you handle the others with. You're my role model. Merry Christmas.
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