Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Waiting for Yahwhoo!

Time's almost up.

This is taken verbatim from my "My Yahoo" page:

Groups
View My Groups -- The Groups module has been discontinued. Please look for it again in 2003 when it can show the Groups to which you belong.

R-i-g-h-t...

Thursday, December 25, 2003

Alyssa sez:

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Our Little Match Girls

JEFF GERRITT: A little warmth for women working cold streets

This article brought tears to my eyes. Lord, look after your lost daughters this Christmas, and bless those who do your work.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Monday, December 15, 2003

Wax On, Wax Off

So I've been doing the gospel gig for 5-6 weeks now. It keeps getting better, as we all get used to each other. They've used one of my arrangements now, and we've done some pieces that have just been amazing - particularly Hezekiah Walker's "Jesus, My Help", and Leon Roberts' "Mary's Canticle".

The most quizzical thing for me has been the way I just fell into the bass pedal role. It's still a huge challenge on the classical side, and I've got virtually no bacground in kicking gospel bass. But there it is. And, after watching myself for a while, I finally figured it out - it's the pipe organ lessons that are doing it. A lot of my walking bass patterns involve heel-toe technique, which I'd never used before. So here's this thing I'm learning, and it turns out it's helping me do something almost completely unrelated. That may not be obvious to those who don't play pipe organ - but it's a very different approach and technique.

Apparently the skill sets have a bit in common.

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

McCabe on the Eucharist

Thans to Dr. Paul Ford for posting this 1994 homily. Lots of challenging thoughts about substantiality and symbols.

I was relieved to read this:

Before the consecration the appearances
were there because the bread was there, they
were just the appearances of the bread. After
the consecration it is the other way round, the
body of Christ is sacramentally there because
what were the appearances of bread (and are
now sacramental signs), are there.


...because it confirms at least the concept of my 2001 Eucharistic hymn, "No Longer Bread". The hymn talks about how the bread and wine become Christ, at the same time, paradoxically, becoming bread for the world.

Tuesday, December 02, 2003

All Classical Guide - Hugo Distler

We're doing a couple of his works at this year's Madonna U Chorale concert: A Little Advent Music, and Lo, How a Rose. Both gorgeous, and quite detailed!

I'll post concert details tomorrow.