Bach: Sleepers Wake

This piece fills me with a contented bliss. I would love to wake up to this every morning, refreshed and ready to do the will of my Father.

Carmina Burana: O Fortuna

If you're not familiar with this piece (which you should be), don't let the title or thumbnail fool you; this is actually really epic. My dad and I really enjoy this kind of music, especially with vocals like that.

Performed once again by the talented André Rieu and his amazing group of musicians and singers.

Musicalvinist Christmas Special!

In the spirit of Christmas, I've got four five Christmas songs for ya!

First up is a sci-fi Christmas song by Jonathan Coulton called Chiron Beta Prime:

I don't know who Jonathan Coulton is, or what the background is on Chiron Beta Prime, but it's a pretty funny song, even if you're not a big sci-fi person. "I think the robots sent us a pie!"

EDIT: I meant to post this, but forgot to. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, by Mannheim Steamroller:

A very nice twist to the classic. :)

Next we have two Christmas songs, both of which are new to me (I hadn't heard them until last night's Christmas Eve service at Lone Rock Bible Church).

How many Kings:

Love it, love it, love it. Some people act like Christianity isn't unique, and that it's just like (or even copied from) other religions. But that's clearly not true, and the reason why is expressed in the chorus of this song:

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

The answer is "Only One!"
Some other parts of the song bug me a little because they seem a somewhat man-centered, but other than that, this is one of my new favorite Christmas songs.

Then we have Hope Was Born This Night:

This is one of those really beautiful songs that you can just lose yourself in. There's not really anything I want to say about it! It's just beautiful!

Last but not least, we have the "Hallelujah" Chorus from Handel's Messiah, preformed by the famous Andre Rieu and his uber-talented peeps:

Technically, this isn't a Christmas song. Handel wrote it for part II of Messiah, which details Christ's Passion and crucifixion, not His birth. However, I think it makes a wonderful Christmas song. Why? Because Christ has come, and as the song says: He is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

Merry Christmas!

Halo 1, 2, and 3 Themes

Let's start things off with a triple-feature, shall we?

First comes the classic Halo theme, then a "Rock" version for Halo 2 with electric guitar, and then a "Classical Music" version for Halo 3 with more traditional instruments.

Halo 1 theme: Gotta love it. The vocals at the beginning give it that feel of mystery, suggesting alien secrets with an almost religious vibe. Then we get those drums, and things start building up, and you know the action is about to start. The female vocals kick in with more of that mysterious, alien theme we got a taste of at the beginning. Then we get the full Halo experience, that music that just goes perfect with Marines swooshing and driving their awesome vehicles through an exotic world, blasting away at their alien enemies. And finally, we end with those mysterious vocals from the beginning, with spooky wind blowing in the background.

Halo 2 theme: Exactly the same, but this time, with an electric guitar leading the charge. I typically only like electric guitar if it's used in a remix of something I already like, and this fits that category. Though it manages to be somewhat obnoxious at times, the Rock style brings something to the table that the original just didn't have. It does a better job at embodying that "Bad@$$ marine" spirit, and you can almost imagine Pvt. Vasquez from the movie Aliens shouting "LET'S ROCK!"

Pvt. Vasquez from Aliens, "rocking" with her smartgun

Halo 3 theme: The same once more, but this time, with a more "Classical" music style, led by a piano and strings. This gives it a more angelic vibe, and you can imagine the vast expanse of star-strewn space, which you know is about to be the scene of a battle (if it isn't already). Not much to say about it, other than that it's nice. I like it. A welcome change from the harsh tones of the last one. However, there is something about it, it just sounds... computer generated, almost. It doesn't sound authentic.

Overall, though themes 2 and 3 retain unique positive qualities not seen in the first theme, I still like the original the best. What do you think?