Here I offer to you peaceful explorations of the spiritual dimension of Christmas, traditional music conveying beauty and mystery, tenderness and passion. I have tried to create music that heralds the moment of the birth of Christ, which is of course now. The carols on The Rebirth of Light: 01 — The Rebirth of Light “how silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given” 02 — Angels We Have Heard “what great brightness did you see?” 03 — God Rest Ye Merry “O tidings of comfort and joy” 04 — Somebody Talkin “everywhere I go, somebody talkin bout Jesus” 05 — Come, All Ye Shepherds “hasten then ... to see heaven descend to us all” 06 — That Single Star “ages of endless dark, pierced by that single star” 07 — I Wonder As I Wander “high from the heavens a star’s light did fall and the promise of ages it then did recall” 08 — Usher in the Morning “break forth, o beauteous heavenly light, and usher in the morning” I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing “then let us all rejoice amain on Christmas day in the morning” Good Christian Men, Rejoice “rejoice with heart and soul and voice: now ye hear of endless bliss” 09 — The Never–Ending Starlit Road “guide us to Thy perfect light” 10 — The Sun’s Lullaby Away in the Manger “fit us for heaven to live with Thee there” My Dancing Day “this have I done for my true love” 11 — The Little Drummer Boy (Davis, Onorati, Simeone; arr Kathleen Ryan) “I played my best for Him” 12 — The Coventry Carol “how may we do for to preserve this day this poor youngling?” 13 — O Holy Night (Adolphe Adam; arr Kathleen Ryan) “He appeared and the soul felt its worth” 14 — Silent Night “Son of God, love’s pure light,.... Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!” We wish you joy and peace and a rebirth of the light that guides your spirit in this Christmas season. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it.” Kathleen A bit about me: I am inspired to make music by sounds, by images, and by ideas. I can't always make a piece do what I want it to. Perhaps that's not something I should confess to, but while I can put notes where I want them, they won't always stay there. The pesky things seem to have some ideas of their own. I've read that novelists discover the personalities and intentions of their characters. Well, I discover the personalities and intentions of my musical ideas, and they don't always go where I would have led them... but they often go somewhere I find interesting, listenable, even tantalizing. So I follow. I follow the music until it sounds true to me. When I am composing, I don't necessarily hear music inside. Instead, I experience a subtle dissatisfaction until the sounds my hands create match the deeper emotion I feel within.