It's been a while since I've had a giveaway here but it's time! I love Advent and Christmas music so much. I especially love great music and most of the albums I have aren't going to be heard on the local fluff pop radio stations. (That's probably good because we hold off on the Christmas music until Christmas. Last year one of the local stations that had been playing Christmas music since Halloween stopped playing it in the middle of Christmas Day so I'm glad we have a whole bunch of our own!)
Finding music that is more Advent appropriate is tough, though! I guess that does help punctuate the silence and quiet of the season but it's lovely to have some good music to help us enter in as well. This album and the first four tracks of this one have joined us the last few years but I am really happy to have found another album that is perfect for both Advent and Christmas.
O Emmanuel is a new release from Dynamic Catholic written by composer and musician J.J. Wright featuring the Notre Dame Children's Choir.
"It’s not just another Christmas album. O Emmanuel is an extraordinary journey to rediscover the joy of Christmas through a harmonious blend of children’s voices, a jazz piano trio, adult vocal soloists, and creative renditions of traditional Advent and Christmas melodies. Tapping into his expertise in sacred music, Wright incorporates the sacred texts of the “O Antiphons” to help tell the story of Jesus’ birth. (The “O Antiphons” are the hymns sung at evening prayers during the final seven days of Advent.) With a perfect combination of ancient and modern, traditional and original, O Emmanuel is an unforgettable listening experience that will quickly become a Christmas favorite."
The songs include plenty of original work but also contain within them new twists on beautiful traditional music that is creative while, I think, still maintaining respect and reverence for the original work. There is a wide genre of types of music represented throughout the album. The jazz rifts pulled me out of my comfort zone in a good way and as someone who loves to sing, I really appreciated the phenomenal talent of the soloists. The tracks take one from the Annunciation to Christmas Day making it a perfect fit for Advent or Christmas. The focus on the O Antiphons is a wonderful idea and something that can help bring back and teach this beautiful but often unlearned piece of Advent tradition. (I had never even heard of the O Antiphons until a few years ago!) I also adore the album cover design!
Tracks on the album:
Gabriel's Message
I. Sapientia
II. Adonai
III. Radix
IV. Clavis
V. Oriens
VI. Rex
VII. Emmanuel
VIII. When the Sun Rises in the Morning Sky
IX. Christ the Lord is Born Today
You can order O Emmanuel here and for more of the story behind the music you can watch the video below.
I'm blessed to know much of the Wright family personally and feel proud to see someone and something like this come out of our community here. I have 10 (yes ten!) copies to give away this week! I'll be giving away five here on the blog and five on my Facebook page. So you have two ways to enter:
Ummmm . . .awesome! I always struggle with the music during Advent. We are going to see the Nutcracker today, somyesterday I put the Nutcracker station on Pandora. The first few songs were great, but then it was "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." 🙄. I didn't know Dymanic Catholic had music. I will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know for sure it JJ was one of "our" Wrights! How exciting!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have music appropriate to Advent! The radio stations around here started Christmas music this year before Thanksgiving and it just doesn't feel right.
ReplyDeleteThis would be such a blessing to win! We're on a tight budget this year (yay for an Advent/Christmas baby!), and have limited data and no wifi, so CDs and radio are our only option, and our Advent collection is still pretty tiny. 🙂
ReplyDeleteI saw this the other day and wished it was in the budget! Thank you for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win! You always have such great suggestions. A blessed advent to you!
ReplyDeleteThis looks just fantastic! So excited for this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally digging the Advent music this year, and I'd love to add this to my playlist! Thanks for offering this, Mary!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! Would love to add this to our collection!
ReplyDeleteI love specific Advent music! Thanks for this opportunity :)
ReplyDeleteStruggle finding Advent music myself. If o/s readers can join in would love a copy
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win, friend! Happy Advent!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway! I'm always on the lookout for more music, I'll have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteOh this sounds absolutely amazing! I always intend to do more Advent music, but I'm a little short on CDs.... so this would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to find more Advent music! This looks great :)
ReplyDeleteO come o come Emmanuel!!! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteHow fun, my kids love when I play "church music" with kids singing 😊
ReplyDeleteAdvent music! Yes, please!
ReplyDeleteI love Advent music! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win a copy. It looks lovely!!! Would love to add this music to our Advent.
ReplyDeleteMary...this is so awesome of you!! I keep hearing about this CD, and Dynamic Catholic's Best Advent Ever post today is "Gabriel's Message" from the CD! That, coupled with your post here hits home with how amazing this CD is. Blessings for a beautiful Advent!!! ...I miss you!
ReplyDeleteConsidering we have no advent albums this would truly be a blessing to win. Thank you so much for the opportunity and for sharing your Catholic wisdom with us! Edwin, Christa, Aidan, Juliana and Maximilian Kosobucki (cclinchy@gmail.com)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! This would be great!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard trying to celebrate advent in a world obsessed with Christmas. I love advent music!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteOh I would love that!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely wanted to get this CD!
ReplyDeleteWould love to win! Nick.christine.ostendorf@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the giveaway! I would love to win a copy.
ReplyDeleteHappy Bonnie posted this to FB. Would love to win!
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ mommainflipflops@gmail.com
I would love this for my 5 kiddos!
ReplyDeleteSo awesome! I recently started listening to "Advent music" more than "Christmas music" in the weeks of Advent. This would be great to add to the collection.
ReplyDeleteI love J.J. Wright's music. Thank you for this opportunity!
ReplyDeleteTina @ tfbtap@nycap.rr.com
What an awesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway, Mary!
ReplyDeleteKatie in GA
withchild@catt.com
How awesome! Thank you for the giveaway, and happy Advent! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have this CD in my home.
ReplyDeletercgoheen@ruraltel.net
Awesome giveaway!! Happy Advent and Merry Christmas :)
ReplyDeleteAdvent music is the best! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWow! Advent music is so hard to find! This looks great!
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to say I don't own one advent or Christmas cd. What a treat!
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful! I would love to add this to my collection!
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