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FOR a "wonderfully calm Christmas season" and the perfect gift to others, REVIEWER
Carol Swanson RECOMMENDS THIS CD on her "CHRISTMAS MUSIC" WEBSITE!....
"Here is a bold statement. Although I have listened to more than 1,200 holiday
albums over the years, I can honestly say that I have never, ever heard one quite like Diane Schneider's 'Harp of Christmas
Peace.' The unabashed theme of this delicate recording is therapeutic. Seriously.
"Don't
look so surprised. No 'voodoo magic' is involved. Dr. Schneider (she has a Ph.D. in Theology, and serves as both a theology
professor and chaplain) is a vibration medicine specialist, which means that she uses harp vibrations to resonate
with a patient's own rhythms to help release tension and control pain. Hogwash, you say? Don't be a closed-minded
ninny! If you scoff at the possibility that beautifully crafted music can work physiological changes, then you have never
viscerally enjoyed the pleasurable respite that truly calming songs can bring, and you should just stop reading this review
right now. Go listen to heavy metal and keep your headaches to yourself.
"'Harp of Christmas
Peace' contains 14 elegant holiday standards and one Schneider original. This is instrumental music by solo harp;
the presentations are breathtakingly pure and simple, and the pace is intentionally thoughtful. Schneider arranged
these beautiful, old carols at 60-80 beats per minute, with the rate gradually decreasing over the album's
course; this approach is designed to calm and stabilize heart, pulse, blood pressure and respiration rates......
Huh? Oh, sorry--the impossibly lovely intonations of "Huron Carol" nearly lulled me right off my chair. Schneider's
"Snow Angels" is the creative flash on this CD, and it really does engender images of bright flakes falling from the night
sky on Christmas Eve.
"All kidding aside, this is a wonderful CD with a meaningful
niche in the holiday music market. Many of us suffer from chronic pain or, at the very least, chronic tension during
the final quarter of the year. How marvelous to have this straightforward Christmas CD lift us from the turmoil, transporting
us to a more restful and comfortable place! Think about it--such an experience is truly a tremendous gift.
"Want to stimulate your endorphins? Quick--I prescribe Diane Schneider's "Harp of Christmas Peace" for immediate
relief. The prognosis for a wonderfully calm holiday season is excellent."
--Carol Swanson
SO... WE WELCOME YOU to the healing simplicity of this remarkable Christmas CD,
and may it bring you the peace of this holy season!
From Diane's liner notes: "Christmas
peace is the theme of this recording, because we have never needed peace more: peace in our world, especially since the tragedies
of September 11, 2001; peace in our minds and bodies, if we are ill; and peace in our hearts, which begins with the Great
Love which Christmas celebrates."
Selections to be enjoyed
1. O Come O come Emmanuael
2. Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. The First Noel
5. O Come Little Children
6. Christ Child's Lullaby
7. Bohemian Carol
8. Shaker Christmas Song
9. Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella
10. Huron Carol
11. Greensleeves
12. All Through the Night
13. I wonder As I Wander
14. Silent Night
15. Bonus Track - Snow Angels
The Bonus Track, "Snow Angels," a 7-minute floating improvisation, was composed for all creatures everywhere
who are in need of healing and peace. It reminds me of the sparkle and fall of first snowflakes from the night sky...may it
fall upon your tired or needy spirit as God's healing touch...the way we used to catch snowflakes on our tongues as children.
Peace to us all!
Total Running Time: 54:13
More information about The Huron Carol:
This haunting carol originated in Central Ontario, and reflects Christmas as seen through
the eyes of the Huron Indians.
'Twas in the moon of winter time,
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wond'ring hunters heard the hymn:
Jesus, your King is born,
Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria.
Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapped his beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh
The angel song rang loud and high:
Jesus, your King, is born,
Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria.
O children of the forest free,
O sons of Manitou,
The holy child of earth and heav'n
Is born today for you.
Come, kneel before the radiant boy,
Who brings you beauty, peace, and joy:
Jesus, your King, is born,
Jesus is born, In excelsis gloria.
Saint Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary to the Hurons, wrote this carol in their language as both gift and
to help in his missionary and teaching efforts. Pere Brebeuf's carol was translated by Jesse Edgar Middleton who died in 1960.
The carol was in recent years included in an album by Bruce Cockburn. It was included in "The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church
of Canada and the United Church of Canada" in 1971. It is also found in the Methodist Hymnal. The carol is variously known
as "The Huron Carol" or as " 'Twas In The Moon Of Winter Time."
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