The More of God, the More of Me!

The more of God does not mean the less of me. Jeremy Begbie argues that music provides a key way to understand how we can follow God and be more free than ever. "God wants to re-humanize us, not de-humanize us."

Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

Sir Adrian Boult conducts Ralph Vaughan Williams - Norfolk Rhapsody


"There's something about VW's work, that I can't quite put my finger on, but, its that indefinable quality of making you feel bigger inside than outside, the music is THAT good, its almost too much to listen to, this piece, fantasia on a theme by thomas tallis, lark ascending, the wasps etc etc, they all have 'it' beautiful" --fauxsham

Creativity's letter to Christianity, and a response from a forgotten lover

The following is A letter to Christianity from Creativity" found at Matthew Paul Turner's blog, "Jesus needs new PR."

Hi Christianity,

It’s me, Creativity. Listen, I got your text message last week. I also heard from Social Media that you really wanted to talk to me. And according to Statistics, you need me. I’d like to see you again, but honestly, I’m torn about whether or not I want to work with you again.

Now, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss you sometimes. You’re sort of like Tom Cruise–completely nuts, yet intriguing enough to still want to watch you on Oprah.

Now, regarding your text message, of course I remember the good times working together.

We had lots of fun back then. I remember fondly the day I hooked you up with Michelangelo. Gosh, you absolutely loved what Mitch dabbed on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel. And you just about walked on water when you saw his painting of The Last Judgment. Sure, we had a mishap or two. Yes, David’s penis should have been circumcised; still, that sculpture is one of the most magnificent erections the world has ever seen.

Oh, and your God loved what I was able to whip up through Bach, Mozart, and Handel. But honestly, back then, finding good musical talent among God’s people was easy, like looking for homely Jehovah’s Witnesses. Still, I helped you discover the cream of God’s musical crop.

And then there was Rembrandt who often made you look brilliant. And of course, Da Vinci! He was a pain in the ass to work with, but when we were able to get him to stop wasting his time on science, the art was usually well worth the wait.

Heck, Christianity, in our heyday, you and I were unstoppable. People called us the Abraham and Sarah of the Modern Times! Yes, you were angrier back then. And I didn’t like the fact that you killed people. But ironically, you were much easier to work with. Fighting wars, governing nations, and roasting heathens over an open fire kept you preoccupied and out of my hair. And back then, I knew what you wanted from me. Even though I didn’t always agree with your politics and theologies, and yes, you were sexist and racist and utterly hypocritical, but I did what you asked me to do: I looked for new ways to tell the stories of God. And I did it well.

Let’s face it; the art I helped you create is pretty much one of the very few redeeming qualities of your reign across Europe. And much of it is still appreciated today.

But then the Puritans happened. And while they loved you, they also wanted Freedom. And as much as you promote Freedom, let’s be honest, you don’t like her all that much. Surprisingly, Freedom has done wonders for me. She’s pretty, talented, mostly fantastic, really. And flexible, which is very hot. I think she might have a drug problem, but she doesn’t interfere with my work, so I love her. But it seems that, ever since Freedom and I became friends, my relationship with you has been a bumpy mess. You basically walked out on me during the late 19th century. Do you remember why?! Because I wouldn’t help you sell your “rapture” idea. I don’t create sensationalized fear, Christianity-well, I don’t unless it’s a horror flick or science fiction or something produced by JJ Abrams. Besides, we’d already spent centuries–long, dark, and ugly ones–promoting your whole “God/fear” thing. I’m over it, and so is everybody else.

At best, our relationship has been bumpy since the late 1950s. And we’ve gone our separate ways a few times. You spent years revitalizing fundamentalism. And I spent time in London discovering the Beatles. Both of us have made our mistakes: You started whoring around with the Republican Party and you told Michael W. Smith he could sing. But to be fair, I made the mistake of loving heroin and thinking that Elizabeth Shue had talent.

Now, that’s not to say we haven’t experienced a couple moments of Pentecostal glory. We wrote a few decent songs together. Switchfoot was fun. But I take no responsibility for Chris Tomlin. And I’ve enjoyed working on a few books with you. In my mind, Joel Osteen is one of the best fiction writers out there. If only he knew it!

But if the rumors are true, that you are indeed interested in working with me again, I’m interested. But I must be blunt, things will need to be different. So before you write back, please consider the following list of ideals.

1) Building a healthy and productive relationship with me begins with this: Give me a good story to tell, preferably a true one, and one that doesn’t conclude with a sales pitch. I’m not Capitalism; I don’t do sales, at least, not the kind that come with eternal damnation. I tell stories. I present truth. I entertain.

2) If you want me to be brilliant and imaginative and to do it on a ministry budget, then trust me. Give me the freedom to tell the stories that you want told. I don’t work well when I’m stressed, paranoid, and fear-filled.

3) When the morality police come to you and complain about my work, I expect you to grow a pair and support me once in a while. I will not create my best work if you continually fall prey to the one person who throws a fit about what I do. No, I don’t want you to cut off their heads. I want you to stop letting them cut off mine.

4) I don’t do Amish fiction, bald eagles, or Michelle Bachmann.

5) The truth is sometimes ugly. When you leave out the ugly parts of a story, it ceases to be the truth. Let me tell the truth.

6) Most importantly, you must learn to say no to Kirk Cameron.

Here’s the thing, Christianity: Putting roadblocks up in front of me doesn’t simply prevent me from being my best at presenting you, it actually leaves me empty. Offering me guidelines and hints and direction is fine, but mandating how I tell a story or paint a picture has never been your gift and it only stifles mine.

Look forward to hearing back,

Creativity

This is the response from Creativity's forgotten lover:

Dear Creativity…

You seem to have amnesia…that was no one night stand we had together! We went together for nearly 1500 YEARS! Have you forgotten us?!!!??? We know that modernism and nominalism split right brain from left, head from heart, faith from reason, earth from heaven, fact from value, and all other sorts of nasty either/ors. But we never were part of that scene. Please, please, don’t ignore us. We loved you, and we continue to love you. Let us together inspire Christianity once again.

–Love,

Hagia Sophia,Sant’Appolinare Nuovo, San Vitale, the Byzantine mosaics and icons, the Romanesque Cathedrals, the Gothic cathedrals, innumerable illuminated manuscripts, Utrecht Psalter, the Dagulf Psalter, Gregorian Chant, Stained Glass artists of Chartres,etc., Dante, Cimabue, Duccio, Giotto, the Wilton Diptych,The Limbourg brothers, Gillaume de Machaut, Francesco Landini (and other Christian artists of late antiquity and the Middle Ages)

The Wages of Nominalism, II

Listen to or read the transcript of this NPR Story: 
Study: Narcissism On Rise In Pop Lyrics


April 26, 2011
A psychology professor at the University of Kentucky analyzed hit songs between 1980 and 2007 and found a correlation between egotistical song lyrics and increasing narcissism in society. Michele Norris talks with Dr. Nathan DeWall about his study.

Listening to Albert Ketelbey

Many years ago, when people used to listen to records, my father had a 78 of two of Albert Ketelbey's smash hits: "In a Persian Market" and on the flip side, "In a Monastery Garden." Ketelby was an extremely popular British composer in the years between the world wars. His music was light, sentimental, and programmatic: perfect for silent movies. The more exotic the locale, the more he was inspired. Today his works sound cheesy and dated; but they remain a guilty pleasure for many of us. (The tunes are catchy. The Taiwanese girl group, S.H.E. has a rip-off music video of "In a Persian Market" entitled "Bo Si Mao.")

Here are three of his more familiar works:

Rain Choir

Via Gary-- this is amazing.

Easter Greetings

CHRIST IS RISEN!

My ideal soundtrack for this morning:


Vaughan Williams, "Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis"
Rimsky-Korsakov, "Russian Easter Overture,"
Mahler's Symphony #2, "Resurrection," last movement
Gounod, final moments of Faust, "Christ est réssuscité!"
move to 2:50 and watch it here




MEPHISTOPHELES
Jugée! Judged!

ANGELIC CHOIR
Chœur céléste

Sauvée!
Saved:

Christ est ressuscité!
Christ vient de renaître!
Paix et félicité
Aux disciples du Maître!
Christ vient de renaître!
Christ vient de renaître!
Christ est ressuscité!
Christ has risen again!
Christ is born again!
Peace and felicity
To the Master's disciples!
Christ is born again!
Christ has risen again!




Paschal Greetings from Around the World

Language: Greeting - Response

Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum! Alhecum anahgrecum!
Aleut: Khris-tusax agla-gikux! Agangu-lakan agla-gikux!
Albanian: Krishti U Ngjall! Vertet U Ngjall!
Alutuq: Khris-tusaq ung-uixtuq! Pijii-nuq ung-uixtuq!
Amharic: Kristos tenestwal! Bergit tenestwal!
Anglo-Saxon: Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras!
Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm!
Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee!
Athabascan: Xristosi banuytashtch'ey! Gheli banuytashtch'ey!
Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese! Vo istina voskrese!
Byelorussian: Khrystos uvaskros! Saprawdy uvaskros!
Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!
Coptic: Pchristos aftooun! Alethos aftooun!
Czech: Kristus vstal a mrtvych! Opravdi vstoupil!
Danish: Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
English: Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!
Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou!
Esperanto: Kristo levigis! Vere levigis!
Estonian: Kristus on oolestoosunt! Toayestee on oolestoosunt!
Ethiopian: Christos t'ensah em' muhtan! Exai' ab-her eokala!
Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totistesti nousi!
French: Le Christ est réssuscité! En verite il est réssuscité!
Gaelic: Taw creest ereen! Taw shay ereen guhdyne!
Georgian: Kriste ahzdkhah! Chezdmaridet!
German: Christus ist erstanden! Wahrlich ist er erstanden!
Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!
Hawaiian: Ua ala hou 'o Kristo! Ua ala 'I 'o no 'oia!
Hebrew: Ha Masheeha houh quam! Be emet quam!
Hungarian: Krisztus feltamadt! Valoban feltamadt!
Ibo ( Nigeria): Jesu Kristi ebiliwo! Ezia o' biliwo!
Indian (Malayalam): Christu uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu!
Indonesian: Kristus telah bangkit! Benar dia telah bangkit!
Italian: Cristo e' risorto! Veramente e' risorto!
Japanese: Harisutos Fukkatsu! Jitsu ni Fukkatsu!
Javanese: Kristus sampun wungu! Tuhu sampun wungu!
Korean: Kristo gesso! Buhar ha sho nay!
Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales! Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch!
Lugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Amajim ajukkide!
Norwegian: Christus er oppstanden! Sandelig han er oppstanden!
Polish: Khristus zmartwyckwstal! Zaprawde zmartwyckwstal!
Portugese: Cristo ressuscitou! Em verdade ressuscitou!
Romanian: Hristos a inviat! Adeverat a inviat!
Russian: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese!
Sanskrit: Kristo'pastitaha! Satvam upastitaha!
Serbian: Cristos vaskres! Vaistinu vaskres!
Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc ne vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado!
Swahili: Kristo amefufukka! Kweli amefufukka!
Swedish: Christus ar upstanden! Han ar verkligen upstanden!
Syriac: M'shee ho dkom! Ha koo qam!
Tlingit: Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!
Turkish: Hristos diril - di! Hakikaten diril - di!
Ugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Kweli ajukkide!
Ukrainian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd yn wir!
Yupik: Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!
Zulu: Ukristu uvukile! Uvukile kuphela!


and these are the ones of interest in the Bilysnkyj household: ]

Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totistesti nousi! --Finnish
Ortanne Laivino! Anwa ortanne Laivino! --Quenya
基督復活了 他確實復活了 (Jidu fuhuo-le! Ta queshi fuhuo-le!) --Mandarin
Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη! (Khristós Anésti! Alithós Anésti!)
Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere! --Latin
Kristur er upprisinn! Hann er sannarlega upprisinn! --Icelandic
Crist aras! Crist soþlice aras --Old English
Kristus is opstien! Wis is er opstien! --Frisian

Gounod's Sanctus

Continuing to think about music that feeds my soul. Here's Stephen Costello singing the "Sanctus" from Gounod's St. Cecilia Mass.



One of my favorites. What would it be like to worship with such music? I've got to hand it to the Chinese....

"The Truth Sent From Above"

You are probably familiar with the Coventry Carol, and perhaps even with the Wexford Carol, but have you ever heard of the Herefordshire Christmas Carol? "This is the Truth Sent from Above," was one of several rediscovered and preserved by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. In 1909, he transcribed it from a performance by Ella Leather, a Herefordshire folk singer, who had learnt the carol through the oral tradition of folk music. The text recalls the fall from grace of Adam, and the promise of redemption by Jesus. (via Ancient Groove Music )

As a confirmed Vaughan-Williams fan, I was delighted to discover this work, and even happier to be able to listen to a 1995 recording of it by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Sadly, they only sing verses 1-6. The carol seems to have had a difficult time getting all its verses straight, muchless sung. According to Ancient Groove music,

"in almost all printed editions (including The Oxford Book of Carols and the ubiquitous Carols for Choirs), several of the verses are missing. The missing text leads to a presumably unintended faux pas, with the second verse ending 'Woman was made with man to dwell', and the next verse starting 'Thus we were heirs to endless woes'! Obviously, man's woes do not stem simply from dwelling with woman!"

So below I include the complete lyrics, including the elusive verses 3 and 4. ; )

Source: Cecil J. Sharp, English Folk-Carols (London: Novello & Co., Ltd., 1911), pp. 46-7.

1. This is the truth sent from above,
The truth of God, the God of love;
Therefore don’t turn me from your door,
But hearken all, both rich and poor.

2. The first thing, which I do relate,
That God at first did man create
The next thing, which to you I tell,
Woman was made with him to dwell.

3. Then after this, ‘twas God’s own choice
To place them both in Paradise,
There to remain from evil free
Except they ate of such a tree.

4. But they did eat, which was a sin,
And thus their ruin did begin;
Ruined themselves, both you and me,
And all of their posterity.

5. Thus we were heirs to endless woes,
Till God the Lord did interpose
For so a promise soon did run
That He’d redeem us with a Son.

6. And at this season of the year
Our blest Redeemer did appear
He here did live, and here did preach,
And many thousands He did teach.

7. Thus He in love to us behaved,
To show us how we must be saved
And if you want to know the way
Be pleased to hear what He did say.

8. Go preach the Gospel new, He said,
To all the nations that are made
And he that does believe in me,
From all his sins I’ll set him free.

9. God grant to all within this place
True saving faith—that special grace,
Which to His people doth belong—
And thus I close my Christmas song.

It is a fitting carol for all those who like to call themselves "missional."

QUOTES: On music and opera

St. Cecelia, by J. W. Waterhouse. 1895.

"A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become."
-W. H. Auden

"I have always believed that opera is a planet where the muses work together, join hands and celebrate all the arts."
-Franco Zeffirelli

"Opera, next to Gothic architecture, is one of the strangest inventions of Western man. It could not have been foreseen by any logical process."
-Lord Kenneth Clark

more here

University Chapel, Glasgow

catch them if you can...concerts and choirs live from the University Chapel, University of Glasgow.

24-hour web cam coverage...sometimes it's only the lighted tree...lovely, with wonderful acoustics. I caught a fine guitar recital in November.

Singing to Holst's THAXTED

Susan was excited to report that she was able to sing two wonderful hymns in worship this morning.

We have the first one, "Be Still my Soul," (set to Finlandia by Jean Sibelius) in our Covenant Hymnal, but we do not have the second hymn. It is set to the solemn, stately tune in the Jupiter movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets. I love it when words and music "fit" together and reinforce one another. I hope someday we will be able to sing this at VCC.

O God, beyond all praising
Tune: THAXTED, by Gustav Holst

listen to solo organ here or to a choral/orchestral version here (Starting at 3:03)

O God, beyond all praising, we worship you today
and sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder at every gift you send,
at blessings without number and mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before you and wait upon your word,
We honor and adore you, our great and mighty Lord.

The flower of earthly splendor in time must surely die,
Its fragile bloom surrender to you, the Lord most high;
But hidden from all nature the eternal seed is sown
Though small in mortal stature, to heaven’s garden grown:
For Christ the man from heaven from death has set us free,
And we through him are given the final victory.

Then hear, O gracious Savior, accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favor may serve you as our King;
And whether our tomorrow be filled with good or ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to praise you still:
To marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise!

Marc Yu: Piano Prodigy

Yesterday as I was driving home I was listening to NPR and caught a marvelously uplifting story about a 9-year old Chinese piano prodigy named Marc Yu. There are many ways to argue for the existence of God: I think this story on All Things Considered should be added to the list. What an amazing Lord we have, to have created such a child.

Check out Marc's web site

Music to Die By

A. is now home under hospice care. She is actually doing much better, now that her pain is under better control. She was able to sit up in bed and have a conversation with Steve and H. about how she wants a Christian funeral, "but with music that is quieter than on Sundays." Mamma D. was not present, which was why this conversation could occur.

On Friday, I stayed at the hospital with her so H. could go back home to let in people bringing a hospital bed. Mamma D. wanted me to pray for a miracle. She kept touching a copy of the Koran to the top of A.'s bare head, as if it were some sort of talisman.

I didn't think I could/should do it, because
1) the Lord has had plenty of chances to do one, and seems to have His reasons for not doing so, and
2) Most importantly, it would reinforce a "Magic Jesus" image that isn't who our Lord really is.

So instead I spoke to A. about how Jesus had gone on to prepare a place for us, and that it looked like she would soon be assisting Him. We spoke of those who await us, and the joy of that reunion, and the prospect of a new body and never, ever weeping or being in pain again. I didn't think Mamma D. could understand me, but apparently she takes in more than she can communicate. She began crying hysterically, insisting I quit speaking about death and demanding that I pray for a miracle. "You cannot leave me! What will I do without you? You must stay!" she wailed at A.

I suppose I am just not culturally sensitive. This may very well be the way Iranians express their anguish, but it seemed to me to be selfish and upsetting for A. Yes, any mother would be wild with grief, in the face of her child's suffering and death. But what mother would seek to perpetuate and increase her child's suffering, in order to satisfy her own needs? On the other hand, I don't know how well I would do if I were in another country, unable to speak the language or have friends nearby to support me.

Still, I was very angry and frustrated for A's sake. What to do? It was clear that if I didn't pray for a miracle, I was in trouble, and if I did, and it didn't occur, I would be in trouble. I'd lose either way. So I simply prayed for Christ's peace and deliverance, for both A. and her mother, and then made a quick exit.

Since then Steve has visited a couple of times. He has given A. communion and annointed her with oil. Mamma D. seems more controlled in his presence than in mine.

As I have been working and thinking about A., I have been listening over and over to "Akathist Of Thanksgiving" by John Tavener from the album of the same name. The words and music have brought me great solace. A. wants music for her funeral, that "will be quieter than on Sundays." Well, if it were me, this is what I would want both for the process and the completion of my death.

According to Orthodoxwiki, an akathist

"...is a hymn dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The word akathist itself means "not sitting."

Like a sonnet, an akathist has a definite structure. It is divided into 13 parts, and each part has one section that usually ends with an "alleluia!" (the kontikion) and another section that somewhere within it contains an entreaty like "come!" or "rejoice!" (the ikos).

Again, according to Orthodoxwiki,

The akathist "Glory to God for All Things" or "of Thanksgiving" is often attributed to Priest Gregory Petrov who died in a Soviet prison camp in 1940, but also to Metropolitan Tryphon (Prince Boris Petrovich Turkestanov) +1934. The title is from the words of St. John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile. It is a song of praise from amidst the most terrible sufferings.

Taverner only sets 10 sections of Petrov's poem, and it is the haunting Kontakion 9 and the ethereal Kontakian 10 that I have been holding close in spirit.

KONTAKION 9:

(Chorus) I have often see your glory
Reflected on the faces of the dead!
With what unearthly beauty and with what joy they shone.
How spiritual, their features immaterial,
It was a triumph of gladness acheived, of peace;
In silence they called to you.
At the hour of my end illumine my soul also,
As it cries, Alleluia, Alleluia.

You can hear/see the music video of a part of Kontakion 9
here

KONTAKION 10
(Chorus) Glory to you, O God!
(Soloists) Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Chorus) O all good and life giving Trintiy...
(Soloists) Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Chorus) ...accept the gratitude for all your mercy and show us worthy of your goodness...
(Soloists) Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Chorus) ...that having increased the talents entrusted to us...
(Soloists) Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Chorus) ...we may enter into the everlasting joy of our Lord, Singing the song of victory.
(All) Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
(Basses) Glory.

This is music to die by, and by which to enter into eternal life. May A. be spared the hysterics and wailing, and be given such music instead.

What if? Doxologies for Other Worldviews

I've been having a grand time reading Sire's The Universe Next Door: A Catalog of Worldviews with my Intro to Philosophy class at Eugene Bible College.

To help my students solidify some possibile worldviews, I've written the following verses, to be sung to the
Old 100th, aka "All People that on Earth Do Dwell."

The (familiar) Christian Theist Doxology:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
--Amen.

The Modernist Doxology

Praise Nature from which Reason flows!
Whatever is, is right, it shows.
By Reason we all things control.

Cause and effect let us extol!
--Uniformity
The Nihilist Doxology

There is no truth. Nothing is real.
Meaninglessness is all I feel.
No need to take another breath
The only way out comes by death.
--Absurd!The Existentialist Doxology

Praise me because I am so great!
All values are mine to create,
as well as what is real and true.
I have no other hell but you.
--Autonomy.

The Postmodernist Doxology

There’s no one metanarrative;

Perspectives are all relative. 
All language is a power play.

Deconstruct everything I say!
--Power!!!

A Snow Sabbath

Six+ inches of snow has fallen over the past twenty four hours here in Eugene-Springfield. We have been given another Sabbath!

Our daughter Joanna and our friend A. were both dreading the going back to school this week. Joanna had four finals today, and A. had two weeks of chemistry homework to do in two days. She and Joanna had been praying for snow, and, miracle of miracles, we got it, in excelsis!

So I sent this to A. in celebration:

(To be sung to the Doxology)

Praise God from whom all snowflakes dance

You have been giv'n a second chance:

Rise from your chem, no longer weep,

Tonight you"ll make up for lost sleep.

We're not all in the mood for a melody

There won't be live music at Nordstroms.

According to the Seattle Times,

Some Nordstrom department stores are discontinuing their live piano notes in favor of commercially recorded music piped in over speakers.

Nordstrom's store at Bellevue Square recently did away with its pianist, and the Alderwood mall store in Lynnwood will soon follow suit, said company spokeswoman Brooke White.

Apparently, some shoppers prefer popular tunes by the likes of Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys and Frank Sinatra to the jazz and Broadway standards that pianists have been performing in Nordstrom stores for 20 years.

"We know there's a nostalgic value to the piano, and some customers love it. But some don't. They just feel the piano is outdated," White said. "It's a difficult line to walk. We know we're going to disappoint some people."

The Oregonian also quotes White: "We certainly understand that some people are disappointed, and that's something we always hate to do at Nordstrom. But over time, we just evolve our experience."

My gnostic buster antennae are tingling. So live is passe. Now we prefer our music to be canned. The Market knows best! But hold on. Does this have anything to say to us about how people nowadays respond to incarnation? Is it really good news to proclaim "God is With Us!" Does the gospel need to "evolve" too? Yes, we certainly need to do more than just preach; we must get down and dirty. But that's my point. If we do not have Christ's incarnation as our motivation-- the conviction that live is better than virtual--then why bother?

Its a pretty good crowd for a saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
cause he knows that its me theyve been comin to see
To forget about life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, man, what are you doin here?

Garrison Keillor on Pavarotti

Here is part of Keillor's remembrance:

"....In fact, the times I've wanted to plant my feet and sing in my upper register and sob in Italian have all been for the exquisite grief of being a dad. Romantic turmoil is a picnic compared to the emotional turmoil of parenting -- the load of guilt, the sense of incompetence and failure, the night thoughts, the terrible scenarios that come to mind, the agony of watching your child perform in public, the fear of your bright young thing entangled with brainless self-destructive people -- O God! God! God, save my child! From me and from other idiots. My little girl shoots baskets in the driveway and I get tears in my eyes, thinking of her deprived of my protection, as someday she will be. O my darling.

It's a sweet part of growing old to see your own child grow up and take on these sorrows. My boy was a big Van Halen and Mötley Crüe fan and liked other hair bands and then he fell in love with a good woman and they begat two little boys and now he tunes in to Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard and George Jones. Metal bands say not much at all about daddyhood and country singers say a lot; you can hear it in their voices, just like in Pavarotti's. He died at 71, leaving one small child. This was his tragedy at the end. All that money and acclaim and a great career to look back on, but what he really wanted was 10 more years to see that kid grow up. Dear God, give us more time. The heart weeps at the thought."

The Oregon Bach Festival: Rilling and Brahms

Helmuth Rilling, (right) the world's leading expert on the music of Joahann Sebastian Bach, is co founder and artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival.

What a wonderful 28th wedding anniversary we have had!

Last night, the girls made us a dinner of souvlaki and wild rice and then Susan gave us tickets to the opening night ceremonies of the Oregon Bach Festival. Oh, the joys of grown children!

We heard a performance of Brahm's Requiem, but in truth it was not a performance, it was worship. This work is often called "Ein Deutsches Requiem," or "A German Requiem," because instead of using the Latin of the traditional Catholic liturgy, Brahms chose his texts himself from Luther's German translation of the Bible.

My favorite parts were "Denn alles Fleisch ist wie Gras" and "Wie Lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth." The latter is everything I have ever imagined when I have read Psalm 27 (my favorite psalm).

The program notes pointed out,

"Brahm's requiem is for the the consolation of the living, in addition to expressing the hope of resurrection."

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary this year.

Thank you, Susan! Thank you, Joanna. Thank you, Herr Brahms und Herr Rilling, and the Festival Chorus and Orchestra. But most of all, thank you, Lord, for my husband, and over a quarter-century of life together in You.

Of cups and choruses

Brad mentions's Michael Spencer's blog, http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/five-post-evangelical-answers-for-todays-evangelical-crisis in which Spencer writes,

"we need to find a way to simply have less music in evangelical worship. I don’t say that out of any distaste for art or from a lack of appreciation for the need to reach musicians and people with musical gifts. I mean exactly what I mean: in the typical evangelical church, there is simply too much music, too much attention to music, too much judged by music, and too much attributed to music."

"Beyond Words" has this comment:

I think the downfall of evangelical musical worship is that electronically amplified music divides the music experience between the performers and the congregation even more than elevated choir lofts and organs did in the past. Praise is not a corporate act when you can’t hear yourself think, let alone hear the voices next to you. Also, Pop/rock band music requires a particular set of skills that marginalizes the participation of otherwise musically gifted people and creates a sort of celebrity clique.


I think Beyond Words has a point, and it is an ironic one. One of the Protestant gripes about Catholics during the Reformation was that the chalice was restricted to the officiating priest. Article 30 of the Anglican Church's 39 Articles of Religion is entitled "Of both kinds" and states:"The Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the Lay-people: for both the parts of the Lord's Sacrament, by Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike."

While music is not a sacrament, in my lifetime, I think it has gone the way of the 13th century chalice. Music is less and less a corporate act; and yet it is more and more the focus of our attention. Is church music the evangelical equivalent of the priesthood? Hmmm.