Trivia

Who is the patron saint of music?

My guess was Gregory, after all, Gregorian chant has been the foundation of so much liturgical music for 12 centuries. Who else could it be?

Well, the answer turns out to be slightly more complicated. According to the trivia question I heard at lunch, the patron saint of music is Saint Cecilia. It surprised me so much that I had to spend a few minutes online tonight looking it up. According to what I can find, I wasn't completely wrong - Gregory is the patron saint of musicians, while Cecilia is the patron saint of church music and poets. I was reminded of the series of church music books named after her and then read the story of her martyrdom and life, which was said to be full of the power of music.

Does such arcana truly matter? On the one hand, not at all. These are people who lived centuries ago, and my significant other would certainly argue that saints can quickly become inappropriate idols who distract us from the proper objects of worship. On the other hand, can't the saints and their stories help inspire our own faith? Besides, it's good to have an example of a pious, notable woman associated with church music as we approach Mothers' Day.

And if nothing else, maybe you'll get it right in a Trivial Pursuit game someday!

Happy Mothers' Day

Yesterday I posted a short biography of Clara Schumann, but she isn't the only special music that I'll be playing in honor of Mothers' Day. The Meditative Prelude will be "In Memoriam" by Rosalie Bonighton, a contemporary Australian composer and organist. I'd like to dedicate it to the mothers, grandmothers, and generations of women whom we honor in our memory this weekend.


We'll be singing the hymn "For All the Faithful Women," which reminds us that the Bible isn't just about patriarchs. There are important women in the Old and New Testaments - Ruth and Naomi, Esther, Eve, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and on and on.


I will also be playing a piano arrangement of "Let Us Break Bread Together" during communion. It's one of my mother's favorite hymns. (In fact, you may recall that I played it to fill some extra time at one of the Christmas services when she was here. It's an inside joke that I know I can share with her from the organ bench.)


I know it always makes my mom smile to hear it, so even though she won't be in town this weekend I'll think of her and play it for the mothers who are in the congregation. (Incidentally, I realized yesterday when talking to Cassie that this will be her first Mothers' Day as a new mom, so be sure to wish her a happy day.)

Happy Mothers' Day, everyone.

Clara Schumann

This Sunday's prelude will be "Prelude and fugue in g minor" by Clara Schumann. On Mothers' Day, I feel it's only appropriate to ensure representation by women composers, and Clara Schumann is one of the most remarkable women ever to compose for the keyboard.

She was married to the composer Robert Schumann, but Clara was the primary breadwinner and performer in the family. She was born in 1819, and was already touring Europe at age 11. She was a respected virtuoso performer all her life, with her final concert at the age of 72. Her husband's career, in fact, was greatly aided by her support, and other Romantic composers sought her advice and collaboration - including a deep friendship with Brahms.

In addition to her musical career, as a 19th century woman she was certainly expected to run the household and care for her children, all seven of them. She later took on the responsibility of raising several of her grandchildren as well.

Clara Schumann's music is not performed anywhere near as regularly as it should be. There are a few possible reasons. First, she stopped composing at a young age to focus on performing, teaching, and her family. Second, she composed in a style that was not in fashion at the time, sounding more like the classical music of the 18th century than the new Romantic style of her own era. Third, her distaste for much Romantic music led to hostility with Liszt, Wagner, and Bruckner. Fighting with the major composers of her own generation could not have helped her own reputation.

If you just listen casually to the prelude, you might not notice anything too different this Sunday - just another classical organ composition, a lyrical prelude and a fast-paced 3 voice fugue. But its worth knowing a bit about the life of Clara Schumann, an amazing role model and a great composer.

We are descended from a long, strong line of women

I'm an unabashed fan of theatre, especially musicals. There is so much raw power available to the universe of the stage, and the best songs and characters can speak directly to your soul through music. Some performances of plays and musicals through the years linger powerfully in my memory.

Among my recent favorites was closing night of the musical Dessa Rose, from the exceedingly talented Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. I was lucky enough to be in the audience for their last performance, with the composers and other Broadway stars scattered throughout the audience. It was as close as I'll probably ever come to attending the Tony Awards, and one of the most powerful shows I've ever seen.

The musical is the story of two women, Ruth and Dessa Rose, who develop an incredibly strong but unlikely friendship during the Civil War. Ruth (Rachel York) is an abandoned wife and plantation owner, while Dessa Rose (LaChanze) is a slave. The show's concept is that these two women are nearing the end of their lives and are sharing the story of their youth with their own children. It's an oral family history set to music. They pass on the lessons of their struggles in the songs they sing. One of them prefaces her story by saying, "I hope you never will forget...we have paid for our children's place in this world; we have paid again and again."

It's Mothers' Day this Sunday, of course, a perfect chance to reflect on the strong women in our own lives and throughout the ages - from Eve to Mary Magdalene to Jane Austen to Susan B. Anthony to Sandra Day O'Connor to our own mothers. The words of the opening song from Dessa Rose remind us of the importance of history and our place in it:

We are descended
From a long, strong line of women.
And we are handing you down the story
Listen, child, to the story
Soon be yours to tell.