Remember how I used to knit? Yeah, I remember that, too. Back when I could justify spending money on yarn, when it didn't feel like a waste of time. I know that it isn't, and I long for the calm and meditative quality of a good afternoon of knitting, but in a life void of reliable income, busy with rehearsals and dress-making, and frought with a desire for something else, something more, time spent knitting doesn't feel like time well spent. Someday, Oh! someday I will get to enjoy it without guilt. But I am afraid that day is not today.
Church this morning was great. The standard readings, a lovely performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater Dolorosa duet for Soprano and Alto (well done Carli and Allison!) and our friend Hugh Cawker was there! The choir sang Herbert Howell's Take Him Earth for Cherishing, a piece composed for a memorial service in honour of JFK in 1964. We sang it two years ago, and it didn't particularly move me. It's a complicated piece, full of time and key signature changes, various tempi, and some truly unexpected harmonies. Harsh, crunching harmonies and tone clusters. It's an intense piece: intense to perform and intense to hear.
When first we performed it, my involvement in its performance essentially shielded me from how deeply moving a piece of music it is. Not so much today. We finished the piece (perfectly!) and I just dissolved. I'm not sure I was sitting before I felt my chin wobble. A short prayer, then we're off to the races with O, Sacred Head. Oh, Bernard de Clairvaux: you get me every single time. I always feel such a fool, tears streaming down my face. But at least I can rest easy in the knowledge that my faith is deeply personal, even if smudgy mascara is a slight risk.
Oh, and then my afternoon! I saw my friend Caron, and finished up repairing her favourite jeans for her birthday pub-night tonight. And since I was already all warmed up from a morning of singing, I ran repertoire. For over two hours. It was fabulous. I sang the Lakme duet about 5 times, the Carmen about 6 times, the Wind trio twice, ran parts of Brinidisi (my stars that is a lot of Italian to fit into a short space!), worked on some Handel, an original piece by our former organist, Mr. Carmen Milligan which he composed for my mother-in-law to sing at our church, and I spent a good length of time on the Alleluia from Mozart's Exultate Jubilate. It was such a fantastic way to spend my day. And I do actually feel fairly well prepared for my performance this coming Wednesday. A Spark and Brownie troupe are getting a visit from the opera. Should be...cute!
And a quick final note: if you notice that the car ahead of you has a wobbly-looking hubcap and you're travelling at 110kph on a highway, get out of the way! Because it will probably come flying off, bounce down the road, you'll run into/over it, it'll crack your grill and cause funny scraping sounds to come out of your wheel well. Not that I know, or anything. Not that this happened to us this morning.
Church this morning was great. The standard readings, a lovely performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater Dolorosa duet for Soprano and Alto (well done Carli and Allison!) and our friend Hugh Cawker was there! The choir sang Herbert Howell's Take Him Earth for Cherishing, a piece composed for a memorial service in honour of JFK in 1964. We sang it two years ago, and it didn't particularly move me. It's a complicated piece, full of time and key signature changes, various tempi, and some truly unexpected harmonies. Harsh, crunching harmonies and tone clusters. It's an intense piece: intense to perform and intense to hear.
When first we performed it, my involvement in its performance essentially shielded me from how deeply moving a piece of music it is. Not so much today. We finished the piece (perfectly!) and I just dissolved. I'm not sure I was sitting before I felt my chin wobble. A short prayer, then we're off to the races with O, Sacred Head. Oh, Bernard de Clairvaux: you get me every single time. I always feel such a fool, tears streaming down my face. But at least I can rest easy in the knowledge that my faith is deeply personal, even if smudgy mascara is a slight risk.
Oh, and then my afternoon! I saw my friend Caron, and finished up repairing her favourite jeans for her birthday pub-night tonight. And since I was already all warmed up from a morning of singing, I ran repertoire. For over two hours. It was fabulous. I sang the Lakme duet about 5 times, the Carmen about 6 times, the Wind trio twice, ran parts of Brinidisi (my stars that is a lot of Italian to fit into a short space!), worked on some Handel, an original piece by our former organist, Mr. Carmen Milligan which he composed for my mother-in-law to sing at our church, and I spent a good length of time on the Alleluia from Mozart's Exultate Jubilate. It was such a fantastic way to spend my day. And I do actually feel fairly well prepared for my performance this coming Wednesday. A Spark and Brownie troupe are getting a visit from the opera. Should be...cute!
And a quick final note: if you notice that the car ahead of you has a wobbly-looking hubcap and you're travelling at 110kph on a highway, get out of the way! Because it will probably come flying off, bounce down the road, you'll run into/over it, it'll crack your grill and cause funny scraping sounds to come out of your wheel well. Not that I know, or anything. Not that this happened to us this morning.
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