Free Republic

Bad news for fans of Boston fans of Bill Bennett, Dennis Praeger, Mike Gallagher, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Hugh Hewitt: WTTT AM 1150 has apparently changed its format from conservative talk to Spanish language religion. Salem Communications also owns WEZE AM 590 and WROL AM 950 in town but I don't believe any of the shows will wind up there (we'll see). Boston still has WRKO AM 680 (mostly conservative), WTKK FM 96.9 (mostly conservative), and WBZ 1030 at night (middle of the road)

ROME (CNS) -- Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists filled Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls with some of the most famous hymns written by Charles Wesley at a service marking the 300th anniversary of the Methodist reformer's birth. The songs, featured in hymnals across denominational lines, were the focal point of the Dec. 3 ecumenical evening prayer service in the Catholic basilica. The Rev. John Barrett, president of the World Methodist Council said, "It was mind-blowing really" to celebrate Wesley and sing his hymns "in Rome with an ecumenical gathering." "I think Charles Wesley would be thrilled. He did...

One of the world's oldest styles of religious music is attracting a host of new enthusiasts.Gregorian chant is usually associated with monks in monasteries, but it's being heard more often now in regular services. Its growing popularity brought 70 representatives of choirs from Northern Ireland to a chanting workshop in the Dominican Convent in west Belfast. The college chapel became a study for a day as experts passed on advice on how best to perform the ancient melodies. Principal tutor Donal McCrisken said Gregorian chant was an excellent medium for vocal training. "You have to sing it very purely -...

This is an excellent music video about Christmas. Christmas With a Capital "C"

I'm having some problems with music in Catholic America. Part of it is my problem. I spent fifteen years in the Anglican Church with the New English Hymnal--which is probably the finest hymnbook ever published in the English language. Musically and liturgically it was the best that traditional Anglicanism had to offer. Catholic music in England--well we won't even go there. Apart from a few islands of decent church music the Catholic church in England was a wasteland. I am discovering that in the USA it is not much better. My problem is that I am actually unfamiliar with most...

WASHINGTON(October 9, 2007) – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote at their annual Fall General Assembly on the approval of the document Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship, a revision of the guidelines for music at Mass. The document “represents a significant rethinking of the structure and substance of what needs to be said about this important aspect of the liturgical renewal,” said Bishop Donald Trautman, outgoing chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, in the documentation sent to the Bishops for their review. The document retains and refines some of the more important...

Mormon Tabernacle Choir- 75th Anniversary Six members of the staff traveled to Washington, DC in November to represent the Choir in receiving the National Medal of Arts. Standing with President and Mrs. Bush are (l to r) Announcer Lloyd Newell, Tabernacle Organist John Longhurst, Choir President Mac Christensen, Choir Directors Craig Jessop and Mack Wilberg, and Assistant to the Choir President, Stan Parrish. Choir President Mac Christensen poses with President and Mrs. Bush following the awarding of the National Medal of Arts.

In India Thousands of Youth Rock for Jesus and for Life with Canadian Musician David MacDonald By John-Henry Westen POTTA, India, August 8, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One of the inspiring occurrences which took place on my recent speaking engagement in India was getting to know another Canadian - singer/songwriter David Macdonald.  Although I knew David by reputation - he is the main musician at the annual March for Life in Ottawa every year - I had not until India had a chance to speak with him in person.  David is a fascinating man.  A pop musician who can do fancy...

Label terminates contract before album releases and confuses everyone NEW YORK – As the hip-hop industry's tradition of wholesome, thought-provoking lyrics has slowly decayed since the 80's, one artist wants to buck the trend by adding a new level of linguistic complexity to his lyrics. Tru Dawgma, a self-proclaimed "exegetical elaborator," insists that his new style will help counteract hip-hop's recent reputation of promoting only superficiality, sex, drugs, and violence. But not everyone appreciates Dawgma's approach, as God's Fro Records recently terminated his contract and stated, "Most of our listeners don't have a GED, let alone an M. Div.!" God's...

God of our Fathers (National Hymn) Daniel C. Roberts, the 35 year-old rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, a small rural church in Brandon, Vermont, wanted a new hymn for his congregation to celebrate the American Centennial in 1876. He wrote "God of Our Fathers" and his congregation sang it to the tune Russian Hymn. In 1892, he anonymously sent the hymn to the General Convention for consideration by the commission formed to revise the Episcopal hymnal. If approved, he promised to send his name. The commission approved it, printing it anonymously in its report. Rev. Dr. Tucker, who was...

THE WASHINGTON TIMES - Singer-songwriter Derek Webb, formerly a member of the contemporary Christian band Caedmon's Call, won rave reviews for his 2005 solo album, "Mockingbird," which dealt with themes of war, politics and social justice. The following are excerpts from an interview with Mr. Webb, whose most recent release is "The Ringing Bell": Question: What is your relationship with Sojourners, an organization that expresses Christian commentary on faith, politics and culture? Answer: Sojourners seems to be about people who think spiritually and yet socially. They see the implications of spiritual ideas in terms of social action. I definitely make...

Photojournalist Stephanie Keith's first Christian rock show was in 2002, when she walked into a Kansas City coffeehouse and saw a punk band playing staunchly Christian tunes. "It seemed like such a contradiction in terms," she says, remembering the incongruity between the band's brash sound and its intensely Christian message. Over four years, Keith attended dozens of major Christian rock festivals -- including the New Hampshire's Soul Festival, Pennsylvania's Creation Festival, New Jersey's Autumn Blaze event and Virginia's Acquire the Fire fest -- many of which showcase the abundance of Christian punk, emo and hardcore bands. The twelve photographs that...

Chattanooga’s oldest radio station, WDOD, has ended its 11-month experiment with progressive talk radio. At 10 a.m. this past Monday, the station switched to a format featuring musical oldies and standards from the late 1950s and the 1960s and 1970s, according to Danny Howard, director of programming and operations for WDEF and WDOD. The new format, which is locally controlled, is known around the station as Ruby AM 1310. Who’s Ruby? “It’s kind of funny,” Mr. Howard said with a laugh. “When we started talking about doing this, it turned out that everybody had an Aunt Ruby or a grandmother...

For years, seniors in the wind ensemble at Henry M. Jackson High School have selected a favorite piece of music to play during commencement. For last month's ceremonies, the 17 students chose an instrumental version of "Ave Maria," which they had performed at a school concert in December 2004. But their choice was vetoed by Dr. Carol Whitehead, superintendent of the Everett School District. Instead, the ensemble played a selection by British composer Gustav Holst. Now Kathryn Nurre, an 18-year-old who played alto saxophone in the ensemble before graduating, is suing Whitehead, claiming the decision violated her First Amendment right...

The Pope has demanded an end to electric guitars and modern music in church and a return to traditional choirs. The Catholic Church has been experimenting with new ways of holding Mass to try to attract more people. The recital of Mass set to guitars has grown in popularity in Italy; in Spain it has been set to flamenco music; and in the United States the Electric Prunes produced a "psychedelic" album called Mass in F Minor. However, the use of guitars and tambourines has irritated the Pope, who loves classical music. "It is possible to modernise holy music," the...

Vatican City, 26 June (AKI) - Pope Benedict XVI has called for traditional sacred music to be played during mass, condemning the ongoing custom of contemporary music at religious celebrations. "Updating sacred music is possible, but this cannot happen unless it follows the tradition of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphony," the pontiff said on Sunday on the sidelines of a concert in the Sistine Chapel. A skilled pianist with a predilection for Bach and Mozart, Benedict XVI spoke against a custom reportedly appreciated by his more informal predecessor John Paul II, who worked very hard throughout his papacy to make...

TVC ASKS PATAKI TO STOP HARASSMENT June 21, 2006 - Washington, DC – The Traditional Values Coalition asked New York Governor George Pataki to rein in a state agency which is threatening legal action against an Accord, New York skating rink because it plays Christian music during a “Christian Music Skate” party. The New York Division of Human Rights threatened Len and Terry Bernardo, owners of the Skate Time 209 rink in Accord, with an investigation because the rink plays Christian music during certain hours. The agency also threatened to charge a local newspaper which advertised the event for “aiding...

Interview With Researcher Julieta Vega García MEXICO CITY, JUNE 13, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Gregorian chant continues to be the official chant of the Catholic Church of Latin rite, though composition of new works is nonexistent, says a music expert. Julieta Vega García, who has a licentiate in philosophy and classics, with specialization in art history, and a doctorate in geography and history in the area of musicology, gave a brief overview of Gregorian chant in this interview. Vega García is a piano teacher with a certificate from the Higher Conservatory of Music of Granada, Spain, and director of the Schola Gregoriana...

WHEN THE HISTORY of Christian rap-metal music is finally written, I pray to the Lord of Hosts that I don't have to read it. But if that fate should befall me, I'd feel gypped if it didn't include an extended encomium to the boys from Junkyard Prophet..... When I blasted them from my basement, my wife, who has a stomach for Christian praise music, descended the steps to complain, which I took as a good sign...

The Sixteenth Annual Summer Music Colloquium Tuesday, 20 June 2006 - Sunday, 25 June 2006 The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Center for Ward Method Studies of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music in collaboration with the Church Music Association of America Gregorian Chant has been called the most beautiful music this side of Heaven. But as Pope Benedict XVI and the Second Vatican Council have emphasized, it is also integral to Catholic liturgical life and should be heard and experienced with wide participation in every parish. The Church Music Association of America is working...