Lyrics and Scores

This title is kind of pretentious. I chose it just to remind myself of the topic at hand! The topic is beyond my field of expertise, but that does not necessarily keep me from pontificating about it. Music is one of my loves but I am quite untrained in the discipline of making it. I do recognize bass and treble cleffs, whole notes and quarter and half, and I can almost read time signatures. Not much. My wife, one daughter and two sons are musical and each quite unique in style and performance. I love the music they make; wish only they would do it together more regularly in my presence. I love singing both choral and contemporary, AND I can tell when music is good and when it’s bad, appropriate or inappropriate. Don’t ask me how. I just know.

Two days ago Verna and I attended a choral concert at Mount Royal University here in SW Calgary, of course because our daughter sings in one of the choirs. Kantorei Choral Festival it was called, apparently a first in Western Canada, this concert was at end of a week full of workshops, masterclasses and professional development opportunities featuring two world-renowned choral leaders and composers, Jake Runestad and Joshua Rist. What an occasion, what a wind-up, what inspiration! I am still pumped even with my lack of musical expertise, pumped probably because music did exactly what music is intended for. Music is the voice of the soul, or inner spirit (good or evil, my opinion). These guest conductors treated the choirs and all of us in the packed house to new stuff and also some old things eternally true.

In addition to the inspiration of choirs from across Alberta and a large boys choir from Laval, Quebec, I encountered some surprise content. For starters the world premier of Runestad’s Ritual was a song without words! Words also fail me trying to describe the piece, except to say how beautiful it was when two choirs sang like one, like one voice, as though the conductor himself had music coming out of his hands. The title and the incredible union of voice and volume and my experience of ritual in my faith practice was moving, to say the least. Equally inspiring, mysterious actually, was the closing finale sung by all Festival Choirs together - 380 voices - Joshua Rist’s world premier, I Will Walk You Home. Rist, tall and youthful, already having conducted several bouncy pieces (even one with that Rapper guy, KtheChosen) in introducing this number he spoke in a subdued manner, sharing quite personably some family pain – claiming his need to make music, something that just has to be done. Everybody in the audience knew it was a holy moment. There were many wet eyes as we listened to that final rendition.

The Christian faith as practiced in our denomination the Mennonites is almost coterminous with congregational singing. We are not known for brilliant preaching, but we know how to sing, or at least we used to. And depending on varying rifts and traditions, some acapella, some with organ and piano, some with songleaders, some without, and of course many pros and cons about singing ‘off the wall’ usually led by singing groups or worship bands. Even with today's full variety this denomination with its staid Swiss European Russian beginnings, now has two thirds of its membership in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. In these areas of recent growth, congregational singing also very important, but more akin to pow wows and dances than the beat or the harmonies still dominating the Caucasian scene.

For me this begs a fresh new question, and also simple continuation of some things already on my mind (eg. recent blog “Recognizing Saints", March 31)[i]. Not only life in the church, but in encounter with God who is beyond the traditions of any denomination, or beyond practice of the ancient Hebrews (including now Christians and Muslims), or of the Indigenous (including the drum, their heartbeat for worship). Fascinating about this concert in this secular non-sectarian setting was that even with minimal reference to God there was undeniable Presence, deep things which can only be musically expressed, fully endorsed by those with deep faith claims or perhaps deep faith needs, including the rendition with no lyrics at all! 😉 Fascinating.

Always  there are ‘progressives’ and ‘regressives’, whether secular, Christian, Muslim, in politics, or…?  I am reminded of many years ago when I was a college student, our Music Professor choir conductor par excellence was also a closet charismatic! Yes, conducting many many Bachs and Chopins and huge repertoire of long-haired college music, he also fed his inner spirit by hobnobbing in a christian fellowship which included speaking in tongues! Although not regular practice among fellow teachers and students, to me his worship choice signaled integrity, a teacher whose relationship with God went beyond the confines, restraint, sophistication of his profession. Today's many theological self descripts as evangelical, affirming, welcoming, social activists, traditionalists, etc are not really necessary when relationship with God is 'for real'. This now reminds me of the heartrending finale at Mount Royal the other evening.

Yes, God is beyond denominations and beyond the operable present faith traditions, and also beyond the music and the lyrics we write. Music is undeniably the language of the soul. And finally, yes finally even atop all this 'soulatary' inspiration, a finale even atop what we can create or experience here and now, is the Grand Finale as recorded in the book of Revelation.

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12)

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[i] See also a very thoughtful recent edition Canadian Mennonite, Vol 27, no.5, beginning with Will Braun editorial, “Is the ban back?”