Live life with Glee

In Terrence McNally's brilliant play Master Class, the character of Maria Callas refers to the theatre as "a sacred place." If you understand that sentiment, or if you just love rooting for the underdog and hearing some great music, you need to watch Glee on Wednesdays at 9:00 on Fox this season. (The show had a premiere this past spring to help capitalize on the popularity of American Idol, but the season just started this week. You can catch the rerun of the premiere on Friday night at 9:00.)

The show so perfectly captures the angst and earnestness of high school theatre and music geeks that you simultaneously squirm but can't look away. The cast is hugely talented - Matthew Morrison played Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway and Lea Michele played the role in the acclaimed show Spring Awakening. The music and the dancing are both superb and hillarious.

How is it related to church music? Well, to me (like McNally's version of Maria Callas), music and musical theatre are their own forms of worship. At its best, it can awaken your soul while it entertains. The show also reminds us to be kind to each other and to live life with glee - that sounds like the Gospel message to me.

Closed and fearful hearts

I fervently believe that there is a showtune for every occasion, and Pastor's sermon this past Sunday about "closed hearts" reminded me of a scene in "Miss Saigon." When the heroine (or perhaps anti-heroine given the tragic ending) of the story, Kim, finds out that her lover has remarried she sings, "I feel walls in my heart, closing in. I can't breathe. I can't win." Her belief in him and in love and in the American dream (the "movie in her mind") is shattered at that moment, and her broken and closed heart leads inevitably to tragedy.

At the heart of many of the world's problems is a stubborn, closed heart (and mind), because a closed heart leads to fear, anger, despair, and loneliness. Like Kim, we can suffer because our faith in other people can be destroyed, but true faith in God and prayer should never leave us suffering with closed hearts.

Similarly, much of the greatest music and art is about reopening our hearts to interact with the broader world. To close your eyes and lose yourself in a beautiful song, to take in deep breaths and relax, is to refresh yourself in a kind of meditative prayer. During these busy back-to-school weeks, I rely on music to help keep me connected to that supportive faith. I hope singing hymns in worship and listening to the preludes and postludes help perform a similar function for many of you so that you can act on Isaiah's injunction to be strong and have no fear.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend. The lateness of the holiday this year simply seems to be providing a chance to catch my breath after one week of school. I miss the many past years that I spent this weekend "up at the lake" with my grandparents in Minnesota. It was a family tradition to spend the long weekend running, biking, swimming, skiing, and of course, having s'mores around an evening campfire. Simple things are sometimes the greatest experiences and memories.

Perhaps it was the relative simplicity of the tunes in church this past Sunday that has caused me to to continue humming them to myself as my weekend "sountrack." For one thing, didn't the choir sound great on a familiar hymn? Cassie has some great selections for the coming weeks, too, and you're always welcome to join us on Wednesday nights at 7:30.

I also want to compliment the congregation on how great everyone sounded on "This is the Feast." In an earlier post, I encouraged you all to "sin boldly," which actually drew two emails pointing out that perhaps it was a typo. Did I mean "sing boldly?" I realized that many of my readers are not familiar with my choir-directing mantra to "sin boldly," meaning to go right ahead and sing wrong notes loud and proud while you're learning new music. I'm indebted to a former choir director (Dr. Bob) at St. Olaf College, who would use the phrase as well. Part of the joy that I find in Lutheranism is that salvation by grace and faith can grant us the freedom to sin, sing, and live boldly, acting with "bound conscience" to live in a way that matches our understanding of scripture.

At any rate, I think setting two of the liturgy has officially become a part of our basic, familiar repertoire, and it's exciting to hear the congregation embrace the new tunes. Incidentally, for my non-Bethany readers, I'd love to hear about your experiences with other music from the ELW and your own favorite liturgical settings. So many congregations are still exploring and learning; we should be sharing those experiences!

Rousing hymns for Rally Day

This Sunday, we get to sing some of my favorite hymns, great rousing tunes from the ELW. The opening hymn will be "Rise Up, O Saints of God." I can think of no better way to start the "new season." I always think of back-to-school season as a second opportunity for resolutions. For students especially, it's a chance to set new goals and make big changes.

At communion, we'll sing "Around You, O Lord Jesus." Its text is a beautiful statement of coming together as a community, and it's tune is a third waltz - in addition to the new hymn of praise and the choir anthem.

The closing hymn is "Earth and All Stars," the St. Olaf hymn. I've heard some people say the text is not focused enough on faith, but I think it's great that it lists so many of the mundane aspects of life that can all celebrate and praise God. Even our classrooms and labs, even loud crashing cymbals, everything, every person, and every sound is part of the symphony of creation.

I also want to mention the prelude (Andantino by David Wehr), because of its metrical contrast with the waltzes and marches that constitute so much of the service. It's a modern piece with mixed meter, but the predominant meter has seven beats to the measure. That unique chocie by the composer will make it feel almost like there is no meter - just a constant flowing chant. It has a laid back, relaxed feeling that should provide a meditative environment before the service. I hope you enjoy.

Let All Things Now Living

As I've mentioned, Rally Day will mark the return of choir to our worship services. They'll sing at both services this week and alternating Sundays after that. Don't worry that you've missed a few rehearsals, you're always welcome to join us any Wednesday night!

Now, here's a message from Cassie about the piece that the choir will sing this week:

This Sunday, the choir will be singing Let All Things Now Living, a piece written by the American composer Katherine K. Davis in the early 1900s. Davis unites text filled of glorious Old Testament images with the traditional Welsh Tune, The Ash Grove. The text calls all of creation to praise and give thanks to God the Creator, "who fashioned and made us, protected and stay'd us, who guideth us unto the end of our days."

To listen to a lovely arrangement of the tune for violin and piano, click here.

The new, old liturgy

This coming Sunday is Rally Day at Bethany. Last year (and I believe in past years before I became the organist as well) that meant a new liturgy. This year, however, the Worship and Music Committee decided to continue with setting two with one modification - we will be replacing the "Glory to God" with "This is the Feast." So the liturgy will be both familiar and novel this week.

Pastor and I commented to each other about a week ago that setting two is finally starting to feel like a familiar piece of church music. I occasionally find myself humming that jaunty opening phrase: GLO-ry to GOD in the HIGH-est... It's a cheerful, upbeat, and modern resetting of the text. I think you'll find that "This is the Feast" is similar in many respects. One change is that instead of a syncopated four-four it is a lilting waltz. I'd be surprised if at least some members of the congregation don't find themselves swaying from side to side each measure.

The choir practiced the new piece last night, and they will be "previewing" it for the congregation during the meditative prelude. I think it's a great demonstration of both the utility of having the second prelude as well as one of the many ways that the choir enhances our worship. Please follow along in your hymnal during the prelude and then sin boldly during your sightreading. We're supposed to sing wrong notes the first time around! But it's Rally Day so the wrong notes can just be one more reason to laugh and enjoy the community of friends around us.

We have some other great hymns this Sunday that I'll write about more in the remaining days of the week!

I also want to take a moment to thank people for their comments and emails about the vandalism on the blog this week. I especially appreciate a friend who pointed out that it wasn't limited to the one entry. I believe that I have cleaned up all the "graffiti" at this point. I appreciate everyone's understanding, patience, and assistance with anything I might have missed.

A new password!!!

Wow, hello readers.

I logged in this morning to update my blog only to discover a rather scathing entry from yesterday, which was NOT my writing. To anyone who was offended or shocked, I would like to apologize. I immediately deleted the entry, since it was not appropriate for this blog.

My original password was imminently guessable, and my account must have been "hacked." I guess that simply demonstrates the potential danger of the Wild West Internet. I have, of course, changed my password to something much more secure so that nothing similar should happen again.

I know that emotions are high for at least a sizeable minority of Lutherans over decisions reached at Assembly. I have tried to maintain balance in my own opinions and certainly in my writing. When issues are contentious, it is especially important to remain civil and remember the primacy of community and love of our neighbors.

I'll get back to my musings on music and language, singing and liturgy, and there should be no more surprises here! Again, my apologies for the "security lapse."