Remembering Christmas in the Trenches

TAMPA BREAKWAY FESTIVAL – April 26th-27th

TAMPA BREAKWAY FESTIVAL – April 26th-27th

CD Recommendation
Winter Solstice by John McCutcheon

 

Reynolds Rap

By Gail Reynolds

December’s Old Time Music radio show, which airs each first Saturday of the month on noncommercial WMNF radio, 88.5 FM, closed with a poignant Christmas song, a favorite of mine from John McCutcheon’s Winter Solstice CD.

McCutcheon is a multitalented singer/songwriter who is also a renown hammered dulcimer artist. This instrument imbues his seasonal CD with an celestial quality,as exemplified here:

 

Christmas in Trenches

The song in question, “Christmas in the Trenches, ” is also featured on his Live at Wolf Trap CD in which he notes that some songs seem to write themselves as was the case of his musical account of one of many purported spontaneous Christmas truces between German and British soldiers at Christmas time during W.W.I. In the season of hope and peace it’s encouraging to think of enemies being able to connect by singing “Stille Nacht” or ‘Silent Night.”

 

 

 

Sainsbury, a grocery chain in the U.K., presented a “Christmas in the Trenches” theme in its annual Christmas commercial. It is absolutely stunning!

Gail Reynolds

Forest Live Festival – UK

Forest Live Festival – UK