Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) prolific for music we love

I subscribe to the RSS feed from Minnesota Public Radio and I'm always amazed at the quality offerings that they give their listeners.

Here are three for your consumption over the holidays:

Music and the shaping of humanity
Fresh holiday offerings from John Rutter
Origins of Christmas music (Philip Brunelle)

Details:

Music and the shaping of humanity
A musician-turned neuroscientist suggests that evolution had a hand in how we respond to music. He chose six songs as examples of how we achieve cooperative goals like acquiring knowledge and love. He also explains why The Beatles' failure to imitate their musical heroes made them stars.


Fresh holiday offerings from John Rutter
The music of John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers has been a familiar part of the Christmas season for decades. But this new disc is their first all-new Christmas recording in 20 years.

Origins of Christmas music (Philip Brunelle)
Philip Brunelle sings the praises of early Christmas music and even the sillier songs we hear at this time of year. And he talks about how holiday music has changed over the years. You'll hear VocalEssence's Ensemble Singers perform Christmas songs, old and new, in MPR's Maud Moon Weyerhauser studio.