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Cuban baroque era composer Esteban Salas lived from 1725-1803. Born in Havana, he worked in Santiago de Cuba and composed mostly religious vocal music. Today's Beautiful Music is one of his Christmas villancicos -- COMO LUZ HA NACIDO -- composed in 1798.
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Caritas A Capella Ensemble provides today's Beautiful Music. The Charlotte, NC-based singers are performing a medley of Christmas Spirituals, arranged by Joseph Jennings.
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John Rutter is an English conductor, composer, arranger, and record producer. John Rutter is a popular and well-known composer of choral works. In 1984 he composed his CANDLELIGHT CAROL, and today's Beautiful Music is a performance of it by Minnesota-based Exultate Chamber Choir & Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Rossin.
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Today's Beautiful Music does double duty ... it's a concert performance AND a music history lesson! The University of Oklahoma Chorale sings A Musicological Journey through the 12 Days of Christmas by Craig Courtney. The piece progresses through the eras of music chronologically in a fun parody.
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Today's Beautiful Music is a gift-wrapped live performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's CHRISTMAS ORATORIO. The monumental composition is not one large work. Instead, it is a series of six cantatas outlining the season of church celebrations: Christmas Day, the second and third days of Christmas, New Year's Day, the Sunday after New Year's, and Epiphany.
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It's become a Christmas classic on NPR — writer and humorist David Sedaris reads from his hilarious holiday essay "Santaland Diaries."
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On Christmas Eve, today's Beautiful Music is a concert recording of Part 1 of George Frideric Handel's 1741 oratorio MESSIAH. The topic of the first section of MESSIAH is Advent, Christmas, and the life of Jesus. This excellent 2015 performance features Pacific MusicWorks Baroque and the University of Washington Chamber Singers, with conductor Stephen Stubbs.
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Today's Beautiful Music gives you a chance to sing along with one of the world's great vocal ensembles! The King's Singers have a series of performances presented with the score and lyrics.
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Sunday Baroque will feature cheerful holiday selections from ancient times, including a brass suite of French and English Christmas carols … music inspired by the Winter Solstice … and a charming Christmas Concerto.
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Founded in the fifteenth century, The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is one of the world’s best known choral groups. Every Christmas Eve millions of people worldwide tune into A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.