Winter music: the album Fine Winter's Night from Matt and Shannon Heaton

It is a season of giving, these days as one year turns to another.

Music is always a good gift. Whether enjoyed together or alone, music evokes connection, community, and reflection.

Fine Winter’s Night is a song Shannon Heaton wrote to honor both cold of winter weather outside and warmth which may be found behind lighted windows.

Shannon and her husband and musical partner Matt Heaton decided to call their seasonal album after the song. Fine Winter's Night makes a good choice as the songs and tunes they include within take note of those differing aspects of winter.

There are carols, among them the Wexford Carol from long ago in Ireland and O Little Town of Bethlehem from nineteenth century New England.

There are songs and tunes from varied sources and places with influence and origin from Shetland in Scotland’s Northern Isles to African American spiritual.

These varied sources are brought together by Matt and Shannon’s deep knowledge and love for Celtic music, their knowledge of and love for their instruments (Shannon, flute; Matt, guitar) and their grace in playing and singing together as well.

The original songs and tunes add grace notes to Fine Winter’s Night as well.

Among these are a song in which Shannon takes notice of a perhaps often overlooked part of the Christmas story. There’s another in which Matt, looking at a house he often passed not far from his neighborhood, began imagining a story which might have taken place there back in time.

Fine Winter’s Night offers music for listening, reflecting, and sharing through the winter season and in to the new year.

If you enjoy winter music from Ireland and Scotland, you may also want to know about

Three Christmas albums from Cherish the Ladies
Upon a Winter’s Night from Cara Dillon
Two songs from Emily Smith’s Songs for Christmas

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