Music for Lent and Holy Week 2009

Lent 1: Call to Remembrance - Richard Farrant
Lent 2: O Savior of the World - John Goss
Lent 3: Ave Verum Corpus - Edward Elgar
Lent 4: God So Loved the World - John Stainer
Lent 5: Miserere Mei - Antonio Lotti
Palm Sunday: What Have We Done? (Senzeni Na) - Hal Hopson
Maundy Thursday:
Ubi Caritas - Maurice Durfle,
Twas on That Dark and Doleful Night (Brookfield) - William Billings
Good Friday - Adoramus te, Christe - Palestrina
Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday: Alleluia - Randall Thompson

Anglican Entertainment

Time and interest has kept me from paying much attention to the Lambeth Conference currently in progress. However, I could not help noticing the Episcopal News Service email update in my inbox before hitting delete:

Lambeth bishops wrestle

Well, wouldn't that be a sight.

Since the WWE has made a bundle off of the wrestling show, maybe we found a way for increased fund raising (MDGs accomplished in one year?)....

A no hold bars cage match between...

Purple prelate piledrivers...

We already have the ongoing soap opera story line.

Music of Praise and Worship

In the darkened cathedral or the church, with the candles burning and that slight smell of incense in the air; the organ with great warmth leads the congregation in the William Monk's tune, Eventide. The choir trebles joins with a glorious descant on the last verse as we sing Henry Francis Lyte's hymn:

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:
when other helpers fail and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see:
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour;
what but thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's dark sting? where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Now that's music of praise and worship.

This though was brought to you by the reflection on this hymn while listening to the Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Live from Lake Michigan

First I was blogging from the train, and now I am blogging from Lake Michigan aboard the Lake Express. I now blog from many places. Now all I need is a useful subject.

I do need to type fast as I will soon lose a signal. There are no cell towers in the middle of the lake and I am grateful.

Blogging in transit

I am enjoying the new found ability to blog at 70 m.p.h. No, I am not driving but riding the Metra. Blogging while driving would probably not be a good thing.

Driving hazards

Listening to Anglican Chant can be a wonderful and calming experience when driving in the Chicago area. However, for those who lean/kneel to the higher church end, there may be a hazard.

Kind police officer: What caused you to not see the stopped car in front of you?

Lawful and caring driver: Well, you see, I was singing along with an Anglican Chant CD, and then came the Gloria Patri....

Kind (yet annoyed) police officer: I see. I will have to cite you for GWD... Genuflecting while driving. And next time, no more head banging CDs. Do something safer, like talk on the phone.

Lawful and caring (yet annoyed) driver: Yes sir, I will try to be more heathen...

***Disclaimer: Not based on a true story. This never happened... yet...

Choral Music for the winter

Here is a brief overview of some of the music recently performed by the choir here:

All Saints: The Souls of the Righteous - Stanley Marchant
Nov 11: Jerusalem (Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone) - this is arranged from the Sacred Harp
Nov 18: Soon and Very Soon - Andre Crouch
Christ the King: Te Deum Laudamus - Slavonic Chant
Advent 1: E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come - Paul Manz (authors note -what a wonderful work)
Advent 2: People Look East - arr. Eugene Butler
Advent 3: Jesus Christ the Apple Tree - Elizabeth Posten
Advent 4: The Cherry Tree Carol - arr. Mark Johnston (seem to be having a tree thing here)
Christmas Eve: What Sweeter Music - John Rutter
O Magnum Mysterium - Dan Locklair (this is a wonderful little gem)
Epiphany: Arise, Shine for thy Light has Come - Healy Willian
Baptism of our Lord: Wade in the Water - traditional
Epiphany 2: Behold the Lamb of God, from Messiah - George Frideric Handel
Epiphany 3: Assurance - William Billings (this uses pieces Dr. Watts version of Psalm 27)

Flickr errors

I always enjoy when a company puts some humor into their "server down" message. I found the following on Flickr (the photo sharing place).

Flickr is having a massage.

For updates, please check the Flickr Blog.



The updates were even more interesting:

The latest estimate from our awesome Ops team is 6:30pm PST.

It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your precious photos, plus, there’s the added benefit of giving us all a chance to reflect on our serious Flickr addictions. Thank you again for your patience.

Speaking of addictions, really I need to get off the internet and get practicing... starting now... or maybe in 2 minutes... or...

The XII Bishop of Chicago-elect

Though the former Quaker in me says it is no big deal, for those who really want to know:

The Diocese of Chicago has elected The Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee as the 12th Bishop of Chicago. After receiving the appropriate consents, he will be consecrated in February, taking over for the retiring Bishop Persell.

Information about the new Bishop and a breakdown of voting can be found here:

http://www.bishopforchicago.org/

What Chant are You?

No, I have not found a new online quiz, though it would be a novel idea. Instead, I am reflecting on a conversations I have had with others regarding chant. Just in Western Christianity, chant is a broad term covering many styles and the constant elaboration on chants have obscured the difference between a "chant" and "song."

Here are some styles that have been used recently at my church:

• Anglican Chant (by far my favorite)
• Simplified Anglican Chant (now explain the difference to a lay person...)
• Plainsong (a unison psalm chant based on 8 tones, collect tones can be considere part of this)
  

These three all use a reciting note for most of a line with notes changing for the end of a line. Where Plainsong is unison, unless harmonized by a choir/organ, Anglican Chant is harmonized as for a choir.

Other styles act differently:

• Gregorian chant,
  
• Old Roman Chant
• Ambrosian chant
  

We call them chant, yet they are almost a stand alone tune. At one point, there was likely more repeating chant on a psalm, but that fell away as musicians added more complex improvisations to the chant.

• We have also used Taize chant which returns to the repetitive idea, yet it is a repeated line and not a "repeating note" for the text.
• We have not used chant style by Joseph Gelineau, which is its own style of psalm chant.

And now, the final exercise:

Attempt to explain "chant" in a few lines for a church newsletter.