A Whole New Meaning

On October 13th we returned to the Oklahoma City Memorial on our way back to Tyler, TX.  It had a whole new meaning being there a second time. After reviewing the history, through an American History project, it meant more to me. On this visit I was told about little Baylee Almon - the baby in the famous picture being carried out by the firefighter. She had just celebrated her first birthday the day before the bombing and I realized that she would be about my age today! 
Hearing her story gave me something to really relate to.

Another Dimension

On Sunday we sang at First Presbyterian Church in Tyler, TX. Our program was different here and included the Howells' Requiem in the second half.  These texts which we are blessed to sing become quite personal at times. There were moments while singing the Requiem where I felt completely overcome with emotion...without any warning at all!  It was a reminder to me that there is always a spiritual dimension at work when we share sacred texts and the gift of music. By the same token we have a responsibility to try to live the words we sing, which feels daunting at times!  I had a sense that those who came to Sunday's concert were captivated by this beautiful music and it's message.  I am so grateful to have been a part of this exchange.  

Point of View - A Rich History

I was asked to join the choir on the Oklahoma portion of their tour to do some videotaping. I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the choir members who have been in the ensemble for over 25 years. During my interviews I was struck by GDC's rich history, and how this history speaks each time they sing. Some of the members spoke about their experience of traveling to Russia in the early 90's. Of being the first American choir brought in behind the Iron curtain – and the privilege of being able to sing to the people of Russia, in their own Russian language, music that had been withheld from them for many years. I was also struck by their extensive training in Gregorian Chant and how more and more people are gravitating toward this pure form of music.

GDC has an intense commitment to singing truthfully, both technically and spiritually, which makes them unique from other groups. Some of the members I interviewed spoke of when they first entered the choir they were among the youngest members and now they are the oldest members - how they now feel responsible to pass on to the young people who are now training in GDC, the history, the training, the faith, and the mission this world renowned ensemble embodies.

Aural Tradition

It was wonderful to see so many turn out for our Gregorian Chant workshop in Tulsa at Trinity Episcopal Church. But what most gladdened my heart was that, for the first time in a workshop, there was a young family who came with two children under the age of 12.
The boy must have been 9 and sat with his father in the front row on the men’s side; and the girl, 11, sat with her mother on the women’s side. Both eagerly followed along as their parents pointed to the Latin texts (well, maybe the girl not so much). Sometimes the boy would just sit and offer wide-eyed, cherubic smiles, when I looked over to see if he was “getting it”.
The important thing is they were there - and it was obvious that their parents wanted them to be exposed to Gregorian Chant. Right next to the boy sat an elderly man who didn’t need the booklet at all, he mouthed all the Latin texts by heart. What a surreal juxtaposition!
It confirmed for me, in a very real way, that this is an aural tradition that has stood the test of time – passed from generation to generation. There is tremendous power in that, whether one “gets it” or not.

Nunc Dimittis

Last night in Tulsa, about 150 people attended an evening chant conference learning basics of Gregorian Chant as related to the office of Compline. At the end of the evening the entire conference processed - with lights dimmed, candles lit, and incense burning - to chant the service of Compline. We also had a smaller group of cantors learn the gradual "angelus suis mandavit de te....." and chanted it as part of the evening service. We chose that particular gradual because it is based on the text of Psalm 91, the central psalm of Compline. It was really quite wondrous to see a group transformed.  To watch a group of so many individuals melt into a single group just by chanting the office together. "Though we are many, we are one body......"

Enjoying the Dance!

Tonight we perform at Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa, OK.  This beautiful stone church has a vibrant, warm acoustic and there is a sense that many fervent  prayers have been spoken here.  It would be easy to over-sing because of how much the sound swirls inside.  Much of our rehearsal yesterday was spent in taking each concert piece and adjusting balance to this space so that the clarity of text and composers' vision remain clear. So much of music making is like a well-choreographed dance, learning the sensitivity of when to come forward and making way for other parts in turn. It is a true joy to be a part of this process! I pray that our voices tonight will join the spirit of worship that is so alive in this  space.

"Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing"

We had the tremendous opportunity yesterday, as we traveled from Lubbock, TX to Tulsa, OK, to stop at the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring those whose lives were lost on April 19, 1995 in the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building.  I had personally been once before but for some reason yesterday caught me by surprise and I was moved to tears by the memorial, and the story of that day and the lives that were lost or forever changed.  It's sobering when I stop to realize that life, which feels so ongoing and permanent, can be gone in an instant.  And it challenges me in my faith - am I living each day the way God wants me to - or more worried about myself?  We were encouraged by our director to look at the memorial bearing in mind the piece we are performing by Herbert Howells - "Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing".  Set to a 4th century poem by Prudentius, Howells was commissioned to compose the work for a joint American-Canadian memorial service for John F Kennedy, and actually sung 19 years later for Howells' own memorial service.  Walking amongst the chairs in the memorial's Field of Empty Chairs, the text rolled over in my heart: "Once was this a spirit's dwelling, by the breath of God created.  High the heart that here was beating, Christ the Prince of all its living....Take him, earth, for cherishing, to thy tender breast receive him.  Body of a man I bring thee, noble even in its ruin."
This will add a new layer of subtext the next time we sing this piece - names and faces to go with the words.  As we piled quietly back on the bus, I took one more look at the beautiful statue of Jesus weeping that was placed across the street where the rectory of the Catholic church stood before the bombing.  The sculptor captured such strength of emotion in His face - and I can imagine those arms receiving each soul that we here on earth commit to Him.  "Take, O take him, mighty Leader, take again they servant's soul."   

Now

Seeing the pictures from the choir's visit to the Oklahoma City Memorial gave me pause. Even though this tragedy happened 17 years ago -the remembrance, unease, and pain surprised me like a gasp.  I realized that that the immediacy of "now" is universal. The reality of now is true - so fresh that it can not be spun or altered.  Sometimes a composer traps that now in the notes of his composition - the notes so real, the ache so fresh that when it comes off the page it's "now" all over again.  Howell's "Take Him Earth for Cherishing" is just such a piece.

A touch of home

Wow, my first choir tour - so much to take in!  This past Wednesday night, after rehearsal in the church where we would be giving our first concert, we had dinner in Amarillo Texas at the home of a couple from the church we were singing in.  They generously invited the entire choir for an evening of food and fellowship. Not always being one who finds it easy to start conversations, I actually felt very relaxed and natural.  It was a great atmosphere and fantastic food, but for me, the best part was their dogs. They had 4 dachshunds,  cute and well behaved. Having two short pugs at home it was comforting to engage with these sweet furry creatures.  When I couldn't resist any longer - I picked one up!  Holding him made my day. What a great way to end the night! 

Getting Out of the Way

Last night we gave our first concert of the tour at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Amarillo, TX.  As the last light of day streamed through the windows of this beautiful stone church we sang our opening piece Crux triumphans, an early French polyphonic piece written by Compere around 1485.  What a privilege it is to perform these sacred pieces, some contemporary, some hundreds of years old and share the message of these texts. Our work, in part, is to make these words vibrant and alive for people today!  Since all of the music is memorized, we do not have the distraction of scores and looking up and down.  We aspire to have the music and text so much a part of us that we are able to "get out of the way"- to move together as a group in every subtlety and allow the beauty of this music and it’s message to ring true on it's own.  Can we be so passionate about becoming the music that there is no thought to ourselves?  I pray that we were able to do this in part last night, and that those who came to St. Andrew's were left with something meaningful.

Work

As a new writer to the site - one who isn't actually in the choir - I'm always trying to expand my vision to what this work is really all about.  And there it was - work.  What an all-encompassing word. Such a mundane hard labor, sweat of the brow, hands in in the dirt kind of word - yet linked to art and emotion at it's very core. Paintings and sculptures of particular beauty are called works of art, actors acclaimed in a play do great work, composers title their major compositions "opus" (latin for work).  Gloriæ Dei is all about the work.  Not (only) what it takes to learn and breathe new life to every piece they perform - but the work God does in each one of them as they give themselves to the process. And in turn, the work God does in all those who hear their music.
"....being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."     Phil 1:6

Artistic restoration

We arrived in Amarillo Texas on Monday afternoon for our 5 city tour of Texas and Oklahoma.  Tuesday was spent working in sections or individually in the morning, reviewing the fine points we've been working on for the past few weeks, followed by a group rehearsal in the afternoon.  Today was our first pre-concert rehearsal at St.Andrew's Episcopal Church in Amarillo.  It's a beautiful church with lovely acoustics - a pleasure to sing in.   As we worked our way through the concert program, diving ever deeper into the expression of each piece, I was struck by how we will never reach the end of what a piece has to offer, or what we can bring to it to give it its most true interpretation.  It makes me think of old works of art in European cathedrals or catacombs, layers of dust and grime and renovation piled on top of a masterpiece.  Delicate and detailed work is required to peel back the layers without destroying the vision at the bottom.  That's what we strive to do with these centuries of sacred music - the fine, detailed work to peel back the individual interpretations and restore the image to what the artist intended!