Musically Speaking: Recent Episodes
Jarrod Richey
Jarrod Richey's Musical Meanderings on music education, church music, hymnody, and more.
jarrodrichey.substack.com
In the late nineties I came across a compilation called Guitar Fingerstyle: A Narada Collection, and it has never really left my rotation. In this episode I reflect on the opening track, Little Martha, played by Tim Farrell in a solo fingerstyle arrangement of a piece originally written by Duane Allman shortly before his death in 1971. There is a story behind this melody, and it makes the listening even better. Along the way I consider what fingerstyle guitar shares with the harp, what King David knew about music and a troubled king, and recommend Muriel Anderson's To B or Not to B as a bonus listen.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to Tim Farrell’s cover of “Little Martha”: https://youtu.be/GkCEvpcqjmk
And here’s Muriel Anderson’s “To B or Not to B”: https://youtu.be/LzTJqR9_g0I
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Bach wrote his Two-Part Inventions in 1722 and 1723 as teaching pieces for his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann, who was twelve years old at the time. Fifteen short pieces, each built from a single musical idea developed through imitation, inversion, and sequence. In an age where most music is built on block chords with one thing happening at a time, the polyphony of a Bach Invention can feel like discovering a new language. In this episode, I reflect on what makes these pieces so remarkable, feature Invention No. 1 in C Major and my personal favorite, No. 7 in E Minor, and make the case for why they reward a lifetime of listening.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.Here is Invention No. 7 if you want to listen further: https://youtu.be/suYkNvRxkH8
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Most people associate the harmonica with blues, folk, and country music. But in the hands of British virtuoso Philip Achille, the chromatic harmonica becomes something altogether different. In this episode, I reflect on Achille's remarkable performances, from the BBC Proms to the London Underground, and explore how one musician can completely reshape our expectations of an instrument. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of ears to discover a voice that was there all along.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here is Genevieve Waltz at the BBC Proms: https://youtu.be/FgK06VeadWE
Here is Achille playing the Bach A Minor Violin Concerto first movement. It is quite enjoyable: https://youtu.be/FFKVPkooCHg
Here is Achille playing Michael Spivakovsky’s Harmonica Concerto in Vienna: https://youtu.be/pNaxXuGCNY4
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
The tuneful singing voice of a child is one of the most beautiful and surprising sounds in all of choral music. But you would not always know it from what you hear in many modern settings. In this episode I reflect on what it takes to help young singers find their head voice, why so much popular music works against that goal, and what is at stake for young men especially before their voices change. Featuring my Delta Youth Chorale singing Benjamin Britten’s Songs for Friday Afternoons from our spring concert, including “Jazz-Man” and “There Was a Man of Newington,” this episode makes a case for giving children the right training and the right repertoire.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.Here’s the Songs for Friday Afternoons if you want to listen more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2bDWRE_3tI&list=PLrSjBXO8lUo2ZHPej1dk3cqMV8fkeiv86
Here’s the spring concert recording in full: https://www.youtube.com/live/I0KSu5H0kyk
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
It is summer, and hopefully your pace is a little more leisurely. This week I recommend a group I have been enjoying and thought you should know about if you do not already. The Quebe Sisters are three sisters from North Texas who play triple fiddle and sing tight three-part harmony in a style they call Progressive Western Swing. If you know the Good Lovelies, this group will feel like familiar territory. In this episode I highlight three songs worth your time, Every Which-A-Way, Always Seem to Get Things Wrong, and It's a Sin to Tell a Lie. Four albums in the catalog. All of them worth your time this summer.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to the YouTube Recording of Every which-a-way: https://youtu.be/xtcQCTw3tyo
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In March of 2017, I sat on the second row of the closing concert of the OAKE National Conference in Philadelphia with my friend and mentor Lamar Robertson. The American Boychoir, under director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, closed the program with Stars and Stripes Forever, sung entirely on solfege, piccolo line and all. In this episode I reflect on what that moment revealed about music literacy, the Kodály approach, and what it looks like when solfege stops being an exercise and becomes a language. I will put a link to the OAKE Facebook video in the show notes. You can spot my red hair and Lamar's gray hair on the second row.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.Here’s the video on Facebook. You can see Lamar and me on the second row: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1199884020109840
Here’s the professional, non-solfege recording on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/q1I8BSwmgTA
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week's episode comes from Atlanta, Georgia, where I am attending the Repairing the Ruins conference, the annual gathering of the Association of Classical Christian Schools. After nine years of leading morning singing in the Grand Ballroom for over a thousand classical Christian educators, I reflect on the workshop I gave yesterday — Real Harmony: Recovering Communal Singing in a Disembodied Age. Music surrounds us like never before. And yet the formative power of singing together is quietly disappearing from our schools, churches, and homes. The work of recovering it is not as elusive as it seems.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.Here’s a clip from two years ago in the atrium of this same hotel. We sang some psalms and hymns together: https://youtu.be/qw4tyqvzrdw
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Scott Joplin gave America the Maple Leaf Rag and the Entertainer. But in 1905, grieving the death of his wife of ten weeks, he wrote something entirely different. Bethena is a concert waltz, marked cantabile, wistful and searching in ways ragtime was never supposed to be. In this episode, I reflect on the backstory behind this neglected composition, a quiet parallel to Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor, and what Bethena reveals about who Joplin really was beyond the title of King of Ragtime.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a recording of Bethena: https://youtu.be/FzckSxYw7fg
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Nat King Cole’s first major commercial hit came from an unlikely source, his father’s pulpit. In this episode, I reflect on the story behind Straighten Up and Fly Right, the folk fable at its heart, and what made the King Cole Trio so distinctive. Along the way, I share a few of my favorite Cole recordings, including his shuffle cover of On the Street Where You Live. Sometimes the best advice and the best music come from the same place.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a recording of “Straighten Up and Fly Right”: https://youtu.be/o-4VTlQlrosAnd one of my all-time favorites, his cover of “On the Street Where You Live": https://youtu.be/l0wfLdcV1ak
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
A few years ago, a friend told me I needed to hear Trio X of Sweden. He was right. In this episode, I reflect on this Swedish improvisational trio and their remarkable reinterpretations of Beethoven, Schumann, sacred music, and more. When they take on the Moonlight Sonata, it is not novelty or irony. It feels like another lens through which to hear a familiar work. Sometimes great art holds up precisely because it can be seen differently and still endure.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to Trio X’s Cover of Moonlight Sonata: https://youtu.be/s9HHNbQYoJo
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
As America approaches its semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, composer and pianist Stephen Limbaugh decided the occasion deserved more than a theme song. In this episode, I reflect on his America 250 Symphony, a full four-movement, 28-minute orchestral work documented in real time over two years on X. Working in the lineage of Dvořák, Copland, and Gershwin, and collaborating with Hollywood orchestrator Conrad Pope, Limbaugh is attempting something serious. Whether or not it becomes a landmark work, the instinct behind it is worth paying attention to.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s the link to support the work: https://www.givesendgo.com/A250symphony
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
On May 22, 1836, Felix Mendelssohn premiered his oratorio St. Paul in Düsseldorf to immediate acclaim. One hundred and ninety years later, one chorus from it still stops people in their tracks. In this episode, I reflect on what made St. Paul significant in his time, what How Lovely Are the Messengers does with a text from Romans 10, and why a group of fourth through tenth grade boys in West Monroe, Louisiana, sang it better than they may have known.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s the recording of “How Lovely are the Messengers”: https://youtu.be/wE5Ngf9_uqo
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode briefly discusses the role of the choir when it comes to congregational singing in worship.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
For generations, church hymnals did more than preserve songs. They quietly taught ordinary people how to read music. A passing remark from country singer Ella Langley sparked this one, and this episode explores how the act of singing from the page, week after week, formed musical instincts most people never knew they had. I reflect on the shift from hymnals to lyric screens and ask what role the church should play in forming musically literate worshipers today.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
https://jarrodrichey.substack.com/p/music-on-the-screens-in-worship
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
On May 1, 1786, Mozart conducted the world premiere of The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna. 240 years later, it remains one of the most performed operas on earth. In this episode, I reflect on what made Mozart’s approach to opera revolutionary: music so precisely tailored to each character that you cannot swap their melodies. And in the opera’s very first scene, before the plot has barely begun, Mozart does something even more remarkable. He lets two characters sing in harmony to tell you something the text never says.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.Here’s John Mason Hodges’ talk at New Saint Andrews College on this exact subject: https://youtu.be/9OSFCcvtcFc
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I reflect on why the pipe organ shaped Christian worship for centuries and what it still teaches us today. From Mozart’s description of it as “the king of the instruments” to its role in strengthening congregational singing, the organ models corporate worship: many voices unified under one guiding hand. More than nostalgia, it is theological architecture, breath turned into sound, reminding us that worship is proclamation, not private meditation.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Colm Wilkinson’s Jean Valjean remains one of the defining performances of Les Misérables. In this episode, we listen to three moments from the 10th Anniversary Concert to hear how the grain and color of his voice reveal moral tension, resolve, and prayer. It’s a masterful example of vocal command and authentic storytelling in song.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Easter is not just a day. It is a season. In this episode, I reflect on This Joyful Eastertide, a resurrection hymn set to a 1624 Dutch tune. With its bold proclamation of bodily hope and a refrain that climbs higher with each “arisen,” the music does more than accompany the text — it enacts it. Fifty days to rehearse what we confess. Christ is risen.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
On Good Friday, hope can seem out of place. Yet after hearing Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in Tokyo, Japan, audiences often ask conductor Masaaki Suzuki to explain what “hope” means in the Christian sense.
In this episode, I reflect on how Bach’s music carries the logic of death and resurrection across cultures, and why even in the shadow of the cross, Christian hope is never absent.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
We tend to think of hymnals as collections of church songs. But they once taught people how to sing.
In 1761, John Wesley included seven “Directions for Singing” in his Methodist hymnal. They are not suggestions. They are instructions. Sing all. Sing in time. Sing modestly. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Above all, sing spiritually.
In this episode, I read Wesley’s directions in full and reflect on how seamlessly he integrates technique, participation, unity, and spiritual focus. Congregational singing, for Wesley, was not ornamental. It was important. His words are still apropos today.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Two singers can sing the same note, yet we instantly know who it is. Why? Because before we hear melody, we hear tone.
In this week’s Friday Five, we explore the colors of the human voice — bright and dark, nasal and warm, gritty and clear. Through a few rapid contrasts, we consider how tone color shapes interpretation and even carries biography. This week, listen differently. Don’t just hear the notes. Hear the color.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
On this “on location” episode from a cabin in Branson, Missouri, I reflect on one of the most unusual and powerful choral works of the twentieth century: “Rejoice in the Lamb” by Benjamin Britten.
Drawing from the eccentric and deeply devotional poem Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart, written in part while Smart was confined in an asylum, Britten’s choral work bursts with rhythmic energy, playful strangeness, and persistent praise.
From the famous “For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry” solo to the driving Hallelujah movements, this work reminds us that praise can persist even in fragmentation and confinement.
My Delta Youth Chorale is preparing for an upcoming April 30 performance of this remarkable piece in West Monroe, Louisiana.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a recording of the first movement: https://youtu.be/TaRUv0c-Aes
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
No dialogue. Just four minutes of music — and an entire marriage. In this episode, I reflect on Michael Giacchino’s “Married Life” from Up and how music functions as narrator. Through melody, orchestration, and tempo, the score carries decades of joy and sorrow without a single word. Music does not decorate the story. It interprets it.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here's the scene if you've never seen it: https://youtu.be/XO77YuyMOek
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
No dialogue. Just four minutes of music — and an entire marriage. In this episode, I reflect on Michael Giacchino’s “Married Life” from Up and how music functions as narrator. Through melody, orchestration, and tempo, the score carries decades of joy and sorrow without a single word. Music does not decorate the story. It interprets it.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here's the scene if you've never seen it: https://youtu.be/XO77YuyMOek
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode I ask a simple question: when you sing in worship, who are you singing to? Drawing on Paul Munson’s helpful framework, I reflect on three audiences that show up in Scripture, especially in the Psalms and in Paul’s epistles: sometimes we sing to our own souls, always we sing to God, and often we sing to one another through teaching and encouragement. Remembering the audience of congregational song can change the way we think about worship and the way we participate in it.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this bonus longform episode of Musically Speaking, I sit down with Maestro John Mason Hodges, music director of the Monroe Symphony Orchestra and founder of the Center for Western Studies, for a wide-ranging conversation about music, meaning, and maturity. Maestro Hodges also teaches for us at the Redeemer School of the Arts.
What happens when we are surrounded by constant sound but slowly lose the ability to listen? Why does so much modern music feel instantly accessible and instantly forgettable? And how can Christians recover the tools needed to love what is truly worth loving?
Drawing on examples from Bach to pop music, we discuss the difference between passive and active listening, the six elements of music, the dangers of both chronological snobbery and cultural laziness, and the importance of musical literacy in forming our affections. From cotton candy versus steak to soda versus fine wine, this episode challenges listeners to expand their musical palate and deepen their engagement.
If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond “Do I like it?” to “What is it doing, and why?”, this conversation will stretch your ears, your mind, and perhaps even your loves.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I introduce listeners to the Welsh bass/baritone Bryn Terfel, a singer whose career has spanned the world’s great opera houses while also reaching audiences through concerts, recordings, and broadcasts far beyond them. I offer three observations about what makes his artistry so compelling: the depth and flexibility of his voice, his gift for communication and character, and his rare ability to move authentically between opera, musical theater, folk song, and hymnody. If you are new to Terfel, this episode offers a place to begin, with further listening suggestions in the show notes.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s Bryn singing Handel’s Ombra Mai Fu aria:https://youtu.be/kUKHAXR34pE
Here’s one of my favorite Schubert Lieder, Die Forelle:https://youtu.be/Twp9_JKtKmI
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
As the Winter Olympics begin, I reflect on the music of John Williams and how his work has come to define some of our most recognizable public moments. While he is best known for film scores, Williams’s music reaches far beyond the cinema into television, football broadcasts, and Olympic ceremonies. In this episode, I consider how his commitment to the symphony orchestra, his use of fanfare and leitmotif, and his trust in musical development have helped bring orchestral sound to a global audience, often without listeners even realizing it.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I share a handful of musical recommendations centered around Joshua Lee Turner and Carson McKee, musicians I first discovered during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning with their delightful banjo and guitar cover of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia,” I reflect on what drew me to their work and to collaborations with Tony Lindgren and Elle Cordova, including memorable covers of “Stuck in the Middle with You,” Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” Paul Simon’s “Baby Driver,” and Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill.” As the pace of life has slowed again in recent days with Winter Storm Fern, this episode simply offers a few sounds worth revisiting and enjoying at an unhurried pace.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s the “Mamma Mia” Cover: https://youtu.be/lWpmALY8Z_s
Here’s “Stuck in the Middle of You”: https://youtu.be/1T3B502Ut94Live album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7mAGwobSNRrXmcTlfvnWZT?si=boneXJNQSma6UIZ3nWe8IA
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode I reflect on silence, not as the absence of sound, but as an active and necessary partner to music. Drawing on musical examples like rests, cadences, and communal pauses before and after singing, I consider how silence shapes meaning, gives weight to words, and trains our attention. In a culture filled with constant noise and distraction, this episode invites listeners to notice silence again and to let it do its quiet work.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week's episode, I reflect on how many of us were quietly introduced to orchestral music through cartoons long before we ever set foot in a concert hall. From Tom and Jerry to Looney Tunes, familiar animated worlds trained our ears to recognize musical gesture, drama, and beauty. This episode explores how public domain classical music became the soundtrack of childhood and why those sounds still shape how we hear and feel music today.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I reflect on why lyrics tend to stay with us when they are sung, but often fade when they are merely spoken. From familiar popular songs to Scripture memory projects, I consider how melody binds words to memory and shapes how those words live inside us. With examples from Integrity Music and Dr. David Erb’s Cantica Sanctorum, this episode invites listeners to reflect on what we allow to lodge in our minds, as what stays with us often shapes us.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to hear David Erb’s Cantica Sanctorum on streaming platforms:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2KL6DXz
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/2ZiBJZV
Google Music: http://bit.ly/2XnNGLU
iTunes: https://apple.co/2Xj8Las
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
What happens when truth is communicated without beauty?
In this bonus episode of Musically Speaking, I sit down with Dr. Scott Aniol to argue that beauty is not an optional accessory to truth, but the means by which truth is perceived, embodied, and lived. Drawing from theology, philosophy, and the Western artistic tradition, they explore why aesthetics shape belief, why all art is inherently interpretive, and how modern culture has detached the arts from formation and worship.
The conversation also discusses the vision of the Redeemer School of the Arts, a residential, church-based academic program committed to forming artists within community, discipline, and the pursuit of the good life.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, recorded in the first days of the new year and still within the twelve days of Christmas, I reflect on the meaning of Auld Lang Syne. Tracing its roots in the poetry of Robert Burns, I consider how this simple and enduring song gives us words for memory, friendship, gratitude, and hope. With reflections on recordings by Harry Connick Jr. and Lou Rawls, I invite listeners to make room for remembering, giving thanks, and carrying what is good into the year ahead.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s Lou Rawls’ cover of Auld Lang Syne: https://youtu.be/yBv9_oP7pVA
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I consider the quiet richness of the days that follow Christmas and why the season is worth more than one day. Drawing on Robert Herrick’s Christmas Carol poem, I invite the listener to make room in their mind and heart for the joy that continues beyond December 25.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a recording of Rutter’s musical setting of Herrick’s poem: https://youtu.be/yckjpO1vvnE
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Merry Christmas Eve - Bonus Mini-Episode
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, we reflect on singing as a communal act that forms us in ways private listening cannot. Drawing on recent performances by my Delta Youth Chorale and Geneva Academy students, we consider how making music together binds singers and listeners alike, especially during Advent and Christmas. In an age of earbuds and individualized playlists, this episode invites us to recover the joy, fellowship, and shared presence that come from singing aloud with one another.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This episode looks at how a paraphrase of Psalm 98, written centuries ago without a single reference to Bethlehem or the Nativity, found its way into the heart of the Christmas season. From Isaac Watts’s text to the lively tune that echoes Handel’s style, we explore the surprising journey that turned a psalm into a hymn/carol many of us now know by heart.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s Friday Five features a recommendation of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ Christmas album Jingle All the Way. From a jazz-infused take on Jingle Bells and Linus and Lucy to a stunning twelve-key, twelve-meter setting of The Twelve Days of Christmas, this album offers a playful and virtuosic reimagining of familiar holiday music. With surprising touches like Tuvan throat singing, a Bach tenor aria arranged for banjo, and standout tracks like River, Christmastime Is Here, and The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, this is a Christmas record for listeners ready for something fresh.
Here’s the link to the album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2W76N8D76BqfRlDjzQSOKL?si=VemG571DRVeM8ygmQH296Q
And here is the link to listen on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kwmxu3QlA_NKtaU611KStU7Jqreaf_UGQ&si=Y5GDOqjgKGvjd8qP
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week we look at how a musical diet shapes musical desires and how teaching students to read music frees them to participate rather than just consume. Featuring recordings from Geneva Academy’s ninth and tenth grade musicianship class, this episode explores why Renaissance polyphony, music literacy, and singing outside our own time form not only better musicians but stronger communities.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this long-form Musically Speaking conversation, I sit down with theologian Alastair Roberts at Theopolis Institute to explore what happens when we learn to hear the Bible musically. Alastair argues that Scripture isn’t something we simply analyze from above like a map. It’s more like music we enter—where themes develop, time interpenetrates, and the rhythms of typology and liturgy work together like a great symphony.
We talk about why modern theology has become so flat and spatial, how recovering the primacy of the ear helps us read Scripture more faithfully, and why worship is meant to function musically, rather than as a collection of disconnected parts. We also dig into the Psalms, the creativity of Christian hymnody, and how a psalm-soaked imagination gives rise to richer and more faithful new songs.
If you care about music, Scripture, worship, or the shape of Christian time, I think you’ll find this conversation both challenging and deeply encouraging.
You can read more from Alastair Roberts at The Anchored Argosy here on Substack.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode reflects on the music of childhood and the way a musical mother shapes the imagination. In honor of Suzi Richey’s birthday, I look at a few songs near to her when I was growing up, from Sweet Beulah Land to music from Scott Sontag and Reba Rambo. These artists and tunes have stayed in my memory even though decades have passed.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we look at how Randy Newman writes through invented characters rather than speaking in his own voice. From satire to tenderness, his songs use irony, perspective, and a distinctive piano style to help us hear truth in unexpected ways.
Here’s a link to the heartbreakingly beautiful song, Wandering Boy:https://youtu.be/I2s1WNagdA0
Here’s a link to Randy Newman’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert:https://youtu.be/1wFWR5qCB2k
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we look at what happens when the words of one song are forced onto the tune of another. The result is usually funny, cringeworthy, or both. But our reaction teaches us something important. We do not just hear lyrics. We hear music as meaning. The tune and the text are meant to support one another. When they disagree, we notice instantly.
Here’s a recording of Girlfriend in a Coma if you wish to hear more than the eight seconds in the episode: https://youtu.be/tTfSYPjmTyo
Or this version of John Lennon’s Imagine sung to the Muppets Theme song, complete with Kermit the Frog voice imitation: https://youtu.be/IbzBw3Uiu48
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we look at why there are two commonly sung versions of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. We listen to the familiar slower tune and then to the original rhythmic version that Luther wrote. We consider how rhythm helps congregational singing and why this hymn still matters today.
Here’s a PDF of the song if you want to sing it yourself: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gbo4baculoj49c6xo7iep/A-Mighty-Fortress-Is-Our-God_LJR.pdf?rlkey=1ydnxei10cmp2u6yzj7o2nu8j&dl=0
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we listen to the many talents of Phil Keaggy — the guitarist, the vocalist, and the musical interpreter of great texts. From the lyrical compassion of The Little Ones to the Beatles-like shimmer of Love Divine and his haunting setting of C. S. Lewis’s As the Ruin Falls, Keaggy shows how excellence and devotion can live in the same song.
Here’s an interview with Phil Keaggy and the poet Malcom Guite talking about Lewis’ poem: https://youtu.be/BoPzW8SIBM4
Here’s Keaggy’s song Little Ones that is so moving: https://youtu.be/0SAQhl9pDM4
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
I’m finishing up PhD Qualifying Exams in Fort Worth, TX. Enjoy this early episode of the Friday Five, which features a fun story about Artificial Intelligence and music.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we listen to one of the most quietly powerful voices in modern music. Jennifer Warnes is best known for her unforgettable duets and her interpretations of Leonard Cohen’s songs, but her gift runs deeper, carrying a kind of quiet grace that lingers long after the song ends.
Here’s a YouTube playlist of the album Famous Blue Raincoat: https://youtu.be/tNYiMxHbcE4?si=BiMm1JwSlk9yaK-m
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we hear three of my eighth-grade students sing Dona Nobis Pacem as a round and explore why canons are more than warm-ups. Canons help singers grow in independence, blend, and harmony, making them one of the best tools for choirs of any age.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we explore Joachim Neander’s hymn Wondrous King, All-Glorious, and reflect on how singing it before dinner became a surprising moment of connection both in our home and online. We consider what makes table singing so meaningful, why this hymn is a treasure, and how incorporating hymns into daily life reshapes our experience of community.
Here's a link to the viral singing reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO2POO3DLb4/
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we consider how singing polyphonic music trains our ears for harmony, strengthens independent musicianship, and builds music literacy. With examples from Victoria and Byrd, we explore how this music shapes both singers and listeners.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to listen to the Victoria “O Magnum Mysterium” piece with sheet music: https://youtu.be/9xPh-fXYAc4
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we reflect on hymns that guide us through moments of grief and turning. From Abide with Me to A Mighty Fortress, these hymns, among others, help us lift our eyes from sorrow to the sure hope that God’s kingdom remains.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we hear how pianist Jacques Loussier and his trio reimagined Bach with the swing of a jazz rhythm section. From the famous Air on a G String to the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, these works remind us that sometimes all they need is a modern genre like jazz to bridge the gap and let us hear just how vibrant they would have sounded when first created.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to a live performance in Leipzig in the church where Bach is buried: https://youtu.be/BFEj7NfIRY0
Here’s Trio X of Sweden’s version of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9HHNbQYoJo
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we consider why certain voices move us even when they sound rough around the edges. These are voices that break the mold, resist polish, and still draw us in. What makes them so compelling?
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a few listening links. First is Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fICsHinJNbc
Here’s Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDt8xyVKtw
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we look at how the familiar Doxology, “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,” was not originally a stand-alone hymn. It was the shared ending of three different texts by Bishop Thomas Ken. Morning, Evening, and even Midnight devotion all resolve in the same four lines of praise, a pattern that still teaches us how to frame our days.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to a PDF of the Doxology: https://shorturl.fm/JyR4l
Here’s a recording of the whole thing from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin: https://redeemerpres.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Doxology-Old-Hundredth.mp3
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we consider Chris Stapleton’s Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore and why it leaves such a lasting impression. Along the way, we’ll make a surprising connection to a classic country hit and explore what makes songs like this worth returning to again and again.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s the links promised in the episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTch_IbOHE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1uCh48TNY
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, we look at the life and legacy of Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895), who wrote many hymns for children, including All Things Bright and Beautiful, Once in Royal David’s City, and There Is a Green Hill Far Away—but whose poetic clarity and theological depth often surpass what many churches sing for adults today. We explore how her lyrics arm young worshipers with truth, invite children of all ages into the riches of the faith, and challenge some of our modern expectations for congregational song.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode, I take a look at one of Mason Williams’ lesser-known but brilliantly crafted pieces: “The Last Great Waltz.” You probably know him from “Classical Gas,” but this tune tells a quirky story using shifting meters and clever musical turns.
Here’s the link to listen to “The Last Great Waltz” in its entirety on YouTube:https://youtu.be/H0jMhedM_-I
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here are the links to listen to the other Mason Williams songs referenced in this episode:
“Classical Gas”- https://youtu.be/mREi_Bb85Sk
“I’ve Heard that Tear-Stained Monologue You Do There By the Door Before You Go” - https://youtu.be/-e3RJjTFfao
Today’s episode is in loving memory of Ted & Rodger Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week, I take a closer listen to Be Still, My Soul, a hymn of quiet trust and enduring hope. We’ll hear excerpts from David Erb’s choral arrangement and explore how this hymn has shaped generations through grief and faith.
Here’s a link to listen to “Be Still, My Soul” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_HYtMuSyCck
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode of the Friday Five, I revisit the classic hymn Now Thank We All Our God, but not in the way you might be used to hearing it. I explore a rhythmic version of this well-loved tune, bringing Johann Crüger’s original 1648 setting back to life with clarity and energy.
You’ll hear a recording performed by my junior and senior musicianship students from Geneva Academy in West Monroe, Louisiana. I also highlight three reasons why this hymn deserves a regular place at your table, in your car, and in your congregation.
In the episode, I mention my Let Joy Resound: A Singing School Hymnal. For more information, visit LetJoyResound.com.
Here’s a link to listen to “Now Thank We All Our God” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vg8qOChZpmQ
For more information about this hymn, see the linked article that includes a PDF of the music: https://jarrodrichey.substack.com/p/hymn-highlight-now-thank-we-all-our
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week, I feature Dearest Magdalene (Big Burn) by my friend and talented guitarist Bill Stutzman. Inspired by the Great Fire of 1910, this ballad from the album Cardinals and Fireflies unfolds like a final letter from a husband and father facing death as he sends his family to safety. With poetic storytelling, ghostly harmonies from his wife Cherise, and a warm vocal delivery reminiscent of James Taylor, this is a hauntingly beautiful song worth a careful listen.
Here’s a link to listen to “Dearest Magdalene (Big Burn)” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k7M-g3Ay9yg
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” there was CHESTER, a bold and faith-filled anthem that stirred the hearts of the American colonies during the Revolution. In this Independence Day episode, I take a closer look at William Billings’ iconic tune and share three reasons why it's worth rediscovering. From its patriotic theology to its uniquely American fuging style, Chester is a song worth hearing again this July 4. I’ve included clips from both the Robert Shaw recording and Paul Hillier and His Majestie’s Clerkes for your enjoyment.
Here’s a link to listen to the Robert Shaw version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lTNLC4Dl3Jk?feature=shared
Here’s a link to Paul Hillier & His Majestie’s Clerkes version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9-W6doIU64o?feature=shared
Here are the complete lyrics:
Let tyrants shake their iron rod,And slavery clank her galling chains,We fear them not! we trust in God!New England's God forever reigns.Howe and Burgoyne and Clinton too,With Prescott and Cornwallis joined,Together plot our overthrow,In one infernal league combined.When God inspired us for the fight,Their ranks were broke, their lines were forced,Their ships were shattered in our sight,Or swiftly driven from our coast.The foe comes on with haughty stride;Our troops advance with martial noise,Their veterans flee before our youth,And generals yield to beardless boys.What grateful offering shall we bring?What shall we render to the Lord?Loud Hallelujahs let us sing,And praise his name on every chord.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week, we highlight Roger Miller’s fun album, Roger and Out, and share why its blend of humor, heartfelt songwriting, and playful charm makes it a must-listen. Join us as we unpack what makes Miller one of country music’s most creative voices and why you should give Roger and Out a listen.
Here’s a link to listen to the album on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2wuO3nwb5IJXIKoDyHblyF?si=OyDmF5S4QXmyPlcDjWsdLw
Here’s a link to listen to “Got 2 Again” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CDdYFjq8ULc
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we explore how a composer famous for grand tone poems turned to 16th-century lute melodies. Ottorino Respighi, best known for Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome, also created three exquisite chamber suites in his Ancient Airs and Dances. We’ll hear snippets of Suite I’s sprightly “Gagliarda” and Suite III’s lilting “Siciliana,” then share three reasons why these intimate reimaginings of Renaissance tunes are so captivating. Tune in to discover the beauty hiding in these small-scale gems.
Here’s a link to listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3pQx91h84EeCjToUx77McG?si=4fKvDrc4SNyG4H_ueXvOHA
Here’s a link to listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O_DlXAJ7zpM
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week, I’m taking a closer listen to one of the most charmingly bittersweet duets ever recorded, “Can’t We Be Friends?” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. There’s something about this track that makes you smile even as it sings about heartbreak. In this episode, I share three reasons why this performance still speaks to us: it feels like a real conversation, it wraps humor around heartache, and it reminds us that not every ending needs to be ugly. It’s jazz with grace, swing, and a whole lot of soul.
Here’s a recording: https://youtu.be/wiLIV3H0q-Y
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week on the Friday Five, we discuss the uniquely American musical form known as the fuging tune. Featuring Nehemiah Shumway’s SCHENECTADY set to Isaac Watts’ “From All That Dwell Below the Skies,” this episode walks through three key characteristics of fuging tunes and shares how they reflect both musical creativity and congregational participation.
Here’s a recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29KOzkV20Ew
Here’s a PDF of the sheet music from my Let Joy Resound Hymnal: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e3p4i4lfo2gkdkfp4buvh/From-All-That-Dwell_LJR.pdf?rlkey=it25ajcekhh17pa0s7knwczth&dl=0
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week, we take a brief look at William Byrd’s Sing Joyfully unto God—a six-part setting of Psalm 81 and a standout example of English Renaissance choral writing. As we typically do, I’ll offer several reasons why you should know and enjoy this remarkable work of sacred choral music.
Here’s a link to a recording: https://youtu.be/wRm0mS6UrH8
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week on the Friday Five, I’m sharing a choral piece that surprised me with its beauty and depth, even though the text is a list of names. I first heard it live in 2023 during a performance by The Tallis Scholars, and it’s stayed with me ever since. In this episode, I’ll give you three reasons why I think it’s worth your time, too.
Here’s a link to the Tallis Scholars’ recording of Arvo Pärt’s “Which Was the Son of…”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5recq2Ff2P8
Here’s the link to hear it on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6mCoEtnzkB0Xptoypsbq3z?si=a0d4245b54f043fd
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
What if the gospel story could be told not by listing its events, but through the songs that have accompanied them? In this week’s episode, I reflect on James Montgomery’s 19th-century hymn Songs of Praise the Angels Sang, which creatively traces redemptive history from creation to resurrection to eternity through the lens of music.
Here’s a link to the Coventry Singers’ recording: https://youtu.be/Snu0LzeYfjY
Here’s a recording of David R. Erb’s setting also mentioned in this post: https://youtu.be/24ATk3sinf8
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week on the Friday Five, we journey down the Vltava River with Bedřich Smetana’s The Moldau, one of classical music’s most vivid tone poems. From bubbling springs and forest hunts to moonlit waters and rushing rapids, this piece tells a sweeping story without a single word. Host Jarrod Richey shares three reasons for listening and how a river can speak through sound.
Here’s a recording link: https://youtu.be/kTfOzsL8hpE?feature=shared
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Fresh off last night’s concert, this special episode of the Friday Five reflects on the Delta Youth Chorale’s Spring 2025 concert, held just last night. Featuring live excerpts from the choir, including György Orbán’s electrifying Daemon Irrepit Callidus, Jarrod Richey shares three takeaways from the evening that celebrated truth, goodness, and beauty through song.
Here’s a recording link: https://www.youtube.com/live/4ToVZUKBFbw
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
What do a 19th-century Czech composer and a blockbuster film score have in common? In this week’s Friday Five, we explore the fiery opening of the 4th movement (Allegro con fuoco) from Dvořák’s New World Symphony and trace a musical thread you might not expect. One moment, one motif, three minutes of orchestral drama that may sound...oddly familiar. Take a listen. The sea of sound just might surprise you.
Here’s a recording link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCct_tSQ8WY
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we turn to Bach’s St. John Passion—a gripping masterpiece. From its fiery opening chorus to its peaceful closing chorale, this Passion delivers urgency, intensity, and beauty in every movement. Discover four reasons you should make time for this masterpiece before Easter Sunday.
Here’s a recording with subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtRA1zUajf0
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this week’s episode, we turn to Bach’s St. John Passion—a gripping masterpiece. From its fiery opening chorus to its peaceful closing chorale, this Passion delivers urgency, intensity, and beauty in every movement. Discover four reasons you should make time for this masterpiece before Easter Sunday.
Here’s a recording with subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtRA1zUajf0
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This episode explores why Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is more than just a masterpiece — it’s a sacred experience. From its roots in Good Friday liturgy to its unexpected impact in Japan, discover four reasons this timeless work deserves your attention before Easter Sunday.
Here’s the link to the article on "J. S. Bach in Japan" - https://firstthings.com/j-s-bach-in-japan/
Here’s a video with English Subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMNjZf5dQeU
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode briefly discusses the role of the choir when it comes to congregational singing in worship.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode is features a setting of Psalm 46 that is enjoyable and accessible to sing.
Psalm 46 (NKJV) PDF
Psalm 46 (NKJV) Accompaniment PDF
Singing Psalm 46 (NKJV)
Jarrod Richey
·
August 1, 2023
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The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode is focused on singing together around the table.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This week’s episode is a fun story about Artificial Intelligence and music.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
Ken Myers is the founder of the Mars Hill Audio Journal. In this episode, we feature an excerpt from a Q&A session at the 2015 Auburn Avenue Pastors Conference, where Ken Myers discusses why more Chinese people are studying Bach than Westerners studying Chinese classical music.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Here’s a link to purchase this Q&A Session 7 in MP3 format: http://www.payloadz.com/go?id=2816833
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode of the Friday FIVE, I briefly highlight Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Musical Offering” (BWV 1079) and James R. Gaines’ “Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0007153937
Listen to the Musical Offering: https://music.apple.com/us/album/bach-musikales-opfer-bwv-1079/314134640
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This past Sunday was the Superbowl, and before the game gets underway, there is always a buzz about the National Anthem. This episode of the Friday FIVE features some musical examples and commentary around the National Anthem and Jon Batiste.
The Friday FIVE is a weekly five-minute podcast series from Musically Speaking that features five minutes of music commentary, examples, and recommendations from Jarrod Richey.
Hollywood Africans Album:
- Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hollywood-africans/1415689114
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This special Thanksgiving episode of Musically Speaking brings an episode of Redeemer Talk, where I discuss one of the most well-known hymns of this season of the year to highlight the often-forgotten trait of thankfulness in church music and culture. Hear excerpts from J.S. Bach's Cantata 192, 79, and Mendelssohn's Symphony 5 fourth movement.
A written version of this post was published in the Classical Difference magazine in 2019. You can read that here. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Thank you for your interest in and support of Musically Speaking!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this reairing of our fifth episode of Musically Speaking, we take a listening tour through the rhythm, tune, and text changes that have come to Martin Luther’s famous hymn on Psalm 46. Below are button links to the PDFs mentioned in this special Reformation Day episode.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this latest podcast episode of Musically Speaking, you can hear the conclusion from a lecture given by Jarrod Richey at The Classical Thistle Conference in Missouri last week. Here’s an excerpt from that lecture:
Music is a genuine way to better understand God's world and character in a fuller way. And what if we give as much focus on singing as logic proofs? What if Latin was sung as much as spoken or read in our classical Christian education? What if, in addition to Latin, music and singing became synonymous with classical Christian education? What if? What if we study the great composers and not just learn about them but sing through the best melodies that they wrote? We Read Through the Best Curricula, Why Not Sing through a Good Curriculum?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
John Mason Hodges, the director of the Center for Western Studies in Memphis, TN, sat down with me to discuss how themes of law and grace are present in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and how the Broadway musical does a magnificent job of underscoring those Christian themes. If you don’t believe me, listen to Maestro Hodges make the case for why Christians should appreciate and enjoy this great work of art.
Thanks for reading Musically Speaking! Subscribe for free to receive new posts in your email inbox or the Substack App.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This episode features a bit of Listening Lagniappe in the form of excerpts from several conferences where music, particularly pastoral music concerns in worship, was discussed. Featured audio excerpts from Scott Aniol, John Hodges, Peter J. Leithart, and Ken Myers. Topics include pastoral music concerns, hymnody as folk music, music literacy, and singing in parts/harmony.
These clips in longer form come from:
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2022 Bach Lectures - 2nd Evening - St. Matthew Passion Discussion & Q&A
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“The Practice of Singing in Harmony” - 2015 Auburn Avenue Pastors Conference
I hope this sampling will whet your palette to listen to more from these speakers in the area of music in the church and life of the church.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This episode features John Hodges of the Center for Western Studies in Memphis, TN in a conversation we had recently about music, beauty, and metaphor. John’s insights are well worth your time. He will be here in northeast Louisiana on June 29 for the 5th Annual Bach Lectures leading a live lecture-recital performance of Bach’s Cantata 51.
Find Out More About John’s Work at The Center
John Hodges is a Renaissance Man and leads The Center’s Gap-Year program through the best of western art, literature, and music. Here’s more about what they do there:
WE ARE LIVING ON BORROWED CAPITAL FROM AN EARLIER AGE OF FAITH, AND MANY HISTORIANS AND CULTURAL CRITICS ARE PREDICTING THAT THE WEST AS A CIVILIZATION IS LOST.
While none would want to go back to a world of plagues, feudal warfare, and bad plumbing (which is still the way of life in many other parts of the world), we would like to regain and retain anything that past generations have accomplished that could be called truly timeless, and we want to find ways to apply those ideas to human life in our own day.
Our goal is to be engaged in the art and ideas of Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and Eliot in order to better engage the art and ideas of (for example) the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the next election cycle. Culture counts, and we are to glorify God with mind and heart as well as soul and strength, which means knowing how to engage with our present culture, and standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before.
If you are interested in the adult seminar being added please email, John Hodges at director@centerws.com.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
This episode features Dr. Scott Aniol of G3 Ministries in a four-minute excerpt from a recent talk on Aesthetics in Christian Education. Dr. Aniol does a magnificent job summarizing the goal of beauty for the Christian. This is well worth your time to listen.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this fifth episode of Musically Speaking, we take a listening tour through the rhythm, tune, and text changes that have come to Martin Luther’s famous hymn on Psalm 46. Below are button links to the PDFs mentioned in this special Reformation Day episode.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
As I mentioned a few months back, I have arranged a piece for an honor choir that I conducted back in January. Here’s a recording of that piece, as well as an impromptu recording of my 12th-grade musicianship class.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this third episode of Musically Speaking, we throw back to Uri Brito and my interview with Steve Wilkins on Christmas gift-giving. This episode was a fun one to edit with music and audio clips interspersed in between Pastor Wilkins’s discussion on how we should think about Christmas. Hope you enjoy!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
In this episode of Musically Speaking, you can hear a parent talk from Westside Christian Academy in Cleveland, OH. I had the opportunity to lead some folk dancing, speak to parents, and lead a teacher in-service in the fall of 2021.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com
My dad’s older brother has been convalescing in and out of hospitals and nursing homes over the past two months after an injury and infection earlier this year. It has been cathartic for me to put together some mix cd’s of what I dubbed “Rodger Richey Radio.” Here’s a sample of what I’ve done for him and even a recording of me singing one of the iconic songs from one of his favorite artists.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jarrodrichey.substack.com