Full of mirth and merriment, this album can be enjoyed during the Christmas season and quite possibly throughout the year. "The Moon of Wintertime" bears a freshness of spirit for the winter season. It's a wonderful addition to winter holiday collections, expanding the usual Christmas faire into pieces from medieval Italy, France, Scotland and England. "Bring Us In Good Ale" includes vocals by The Blessed Lady's Pub Chorus and ends with peals of laughter.

The cover art and text portray its spiritual and traditional origins and in many ways add to the overall experience. The tunes and songs here are derived from many sources and times and yet they combine old and new compositions. The title track has music from France, lyrics dating from around 1643 with an English translation in 1926 and an adaptation in 2002 by McCauley.

From this mixture she has produced lyrical magic that will uplift the spirits. On "Gifts of the Magi," she takes full control, writing and arranging. The result is a 21st century song that would not have raised eyebrows in medieval courts. "Good King Wenceslas" and the former track make this an ideal Christmas album if one is looking for traditional with a twist, but this is an all-year-round album so don't restrict your enjoyment to two weeks a year.

On hearing McCauley sing this song so sadly seen only as a carol, you must recognise it as a classic of good composition. The music may date from 1582 but this is 2003 sound."Childgrove" and "Ideo Gloria" are two exceptional instrumental tracks that will haunt your mind and transport you back in time to a glorious age of madrigal and courtly love. McCauley takes an Appalachian song, "Down in Yon Forest," and gives it an interpretation that is probably closer to the original tune that traveled to the U.S. There is a very special bonus on this track. McCauley sings her version of the song, which is followed immediately by an arrangement by Brian Cunningham. This shows how an old song can be interpreted to give two or more distinct songs. Listen only to this track and marvel.

1. The Moon of Wintertime
2. Ideo Gloria
3. Gifts of the Magi
4. Good King Wenceslas
5. Childgrove
6. Down in Yon Forest
7. Star of the East
8. Farewell to Glasgow
9. Trotto
10. Bring us in Good Ale

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 12/17/2010
Lydia McCauley lives in Washington USA

Tagged as: New Age, Folk, Christmas

1. Music of Fernando Sor by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
2. A Solo Piano Christmas by Chad Lawson: Multi-award winning pianist and composer who is not afraid to put his hat in anything
3. Christmas Music by Magnatune Compilation: the best music from Magnatune
4. Romantic Dinner Classical Compilation by Magnatune Compilation: the best music from Magnatune
5. Christmas Guitar by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
6. The Christmas Album by AlmaNova: lively flute/guitar duo
7. A Harper's Holiday in Wales by Cheryl Ann Fulton: World-class performer and teacher of Medieval, Baroque, Welsh triple, Celtic and Concert harps.
8. Meditative Guitar by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
9. Christmas Through the Gateway by Osamu Kitajima and Chris Mancinelli: pan pacific ambient dance masters
10. Conversations Galantes by Ensemble Mirable: rare and extraordinary music of the Baroque
11. The Once and Future Harp by Cheryl Ann Fulton: World-class performer and teacher of Medieval, Baroque, Welsh triple, Celtic and Concert harps.
12. Debut by AlmaNova: lively flute/guitar duo
13. The Airs of Wales by Cheryl Ann Fulton: World-class performer and teacher of Medieval, Baroque, Welsh triple, Celtic and Concert harps.
14. The Almanac by Shira Kammen: early folk and celtic music.
15. Sounds of the Season by Aryeh Frankfurter: Timeless and enchanting folk music for the soul
16. After Hours by AlmaNova: lively flute/guitar duo
17. Music from Braid by Sieber, Kammen and Fulton: dreamy music from the acclaimed video game Braid
18. Unspoken by Jami Sieber: enchanting cello compositions
19. Knives To The Treble by Burning Babylon: Super fine dub
20. Music for Meditation by Magnatune Compilation: the best music from Magnatune

• MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
• ALAC: Perfect quality Apple Lossless format files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, get these. They're an exact audio copy of the original CD, and include the CD artwork and artist info. This is the same format as High Definition audio provided by the iTunes store.
• AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
• WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
• FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
• OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
• 128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.