ElectroLund

Sarah and I just returned from a trip to Dolores to see her dad and stepmom. We had a great time.

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Sarah and I just came back from our Maundy Thursday service.  Our choir sang the Rutter Requiem.  It was my first time and I’ll never forget it.

Here is the final movement, Lux Aeterna.

Here are the lyrics. The soprano soloist (sung by our associate pastor) part is in English, while the choir is in Latin.

I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,
for they rest from their labors:
even so saith the Spirit.

Lux aeterna luceat eis Domine:
Let eternal light shine upon them, O Lord:
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
with Thy saints for ever, for art merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
and may light perpetual shine on them,

It’s a hard thing to describe, singing in a 100-person strong choir. To use your small voice as a string in a large instrument… it’s a moving experience. Then add to that the greatness of a musical piece like Rutter’s. The dark minor sections followed by such pastoral reverie have a way of penetrating your mind and perhaps your soul. To call such times “heavenly” or “divine” isn’t saying it deeply enough.

Last week our choir sang Morten Lauridsen’s composition of O Magnum Mysterium. To say it was moving puts it lightly. It was ethereal.

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For my church choir’s annual Christmas concert two weeks ago, one of the solos was a piece from Bernstein’s Mass, titled “Hymn and Psalm: A Simple Song.”  It’s a very modern sounding song, not at all like traditional requiem masses.  At times, it was very dissonant and haunting, other times similar to big band Broadway.  Nevertheless, Lenny wrote a mass.  And I can’t get it out of my head.

Give this a little listen…

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Sarah and I went to the Arcade Fire concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater a few weeks ago. It was great! (more…)

I love singing in our choir. We’ve been singing some old spirituals ^{1} and this morning we sang “The Battle Of Jericho”. (more…)

Footnotes:

1. read up at Wiki on their background [↩]

Rewind a week and a half to our Friday night performance of Brahms’ German Requiem. The concert hall wasn’t full, but there were still about 800 or so seats filled. The orchestra was assembled and emanating that wondrously cacophonic trill of tuning instruments. The choir had warmed up with scales, the last throat cleared. The conductor’s baton was now raised.
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150 voices, full string section of violins, celli, french horns, harp, percussion — awesome.
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This is the Lenten season.
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Would you believe it? I joined a choir.
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Sarah and I went to a cool dinner party last Saturday. Among the interesting conversations, the words “hurdy gurdy” came up.

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Saying this is “just” a pop song is like saying a classic Roman arch is a pile of stone with a slit up the middle.
– Pitchfork Media review

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When I learn to play the guitar, I will name my band…
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“The universe is shaped exactly like the earth
if you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were.”

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