oh, i was such a youth chorister

There were some kids in front of me in church this morning. And by kids, I mean maybe between the ages of 8 and 11. They were adorable.

So when I was walking to church this morning I ran into someone from work. This person was saying, well yes we all need [breakfast food], and when I said I was going to church, they looked at me like I was crazy. Then I felt the need to justify the fact that I was going to church because I do, not because something makes me. It was odd. I don't owe this person an explanation. Yeah, odd.

I had a hard time paying attention during the sermon. Whoops.

I realized that I am not really as far south as some people act like we are. At Easter, at a good Southern church, the whole congregation sang Handel's Hallelujah Chorus with good diction, in four part harmony, and without singing in the rests. I contrast that with this morning, when for the recessional we sang the words to a hymn with a different tune than that written. This was noted in the program. It was a fairly well-known tune (like, people should have been able to sing it without it in front of them). Alas, it was not to be. I was definitely the only person in my quarter or so of the congregation singing, and everyone else was very confused. Puf. We need some church music education, people. I felt like I was in the choir again - trying to gently lead everyone else along.

On a different note - last night was awesome. Relatives stopped by on their way to a different vacation destination - we ordered in pizza and sat around chatting. It was great. They are awesome. In fact, it made my weekend. Woohoo!

musings on government and july

Hey, at least the press is calling the Bush Administration on their, um, crap. From the New York Times:

Last week, in a bit of especially mendacious spin, Tony Fratto, the White House deputy press secretary, responded to the subpoenas on the illegal wiretapping by saying, “It’s unfortunate that Congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation.”

Actually, Mr. Bush chose that route long ago by defining consultation as a chance for lawmakers to hear about decisions he had already made, bipartisanship as a chance for Democrats to join Republicans in rubber-stamping those choices and Congressional oversight as self-serving and possibly seditious. At this point, confrontation is far preferable to the path the Republican majority in Congress chose for so many years — capitulation.

So true, so true. Now if only the Democratic Congress would actually, like, take action.

And since it is July 1 - today in church they carried in the flag and everything, and the recessional was "My country 'tis of thee." I realized, we only ever sang the first verse at school. It doesn't really get religious until verse four. But I was thinking, how odd it must feel for a non-American citizen to go to church this weekend, only to be surrounded by people singing national songs. In Chile near September 18th they didn't sing patriotic songs in church. That said, I did like singing it because it just felt right. But that doesn't mean that it would feel right for everyone. Thoughts?

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

Some blog posts on the topic here and here.

Una canción de amor

When S and I got married, the "procession" song was in Spanish - and almost all of S's relatives got all emotional, but my family didn't understand a word of it. Well, here it is. And I even translated it. So enjoy.

Hace mucho no sentía
lo que siento en este día
no puedo explicarme nada
solo tengo tu mirada
aquí clavada entre mis ojos
solo tengo un raro antojo
de extrañarte cada día
y ser parte de tus días

Yo no puedo hablarte nada
lo único que hago es mirarte
una que otra carcajada
no controlo mis palabras
y cuando voy a buscarte
mis latidos se aceleran
amor con la luna llena
solo quiero regalarte

Una canción de amor
de la penumbra siento que nace una luz
siento tus manos y presiento
que eres tu que estás muy cerca
no puedo creer que tu amor abrió mi puerta.


Solo quiero terminar
esta corta melodía
explicándote en mis días
mis deseos de quererte
de poder volver a verte
de engreírte tiernamente
cada minuto del día
y cantarte eternamente...

Una canción de amor
de la penumbra siento que nace una luz
siento tus manos y presiento
que eres tu que estás muy cerca
no puedo creer que tu amor abrió mi puerta.

***

It has been a long time since I felt
What I feel this day
I cannot explain it
I only have your gaze
Focused between my eyes
I only have an odd craving
To miss you every day
And to be part of your days

I can’t say anything to you
The only thing I do is look at you
One or another laugh
I don’t control my words
And when I go to pick you up
My heart-beat races
Love with the full moon
I just want to give you

A love song
From the shadows I feel that a light is born
I feel your hands and I know
That it is you and you are close
I can’t believe that your love opened the door

I just want to finish
This short melody
Explaining to you in my days
My desire to love you
To be able to see you again
To spoil you tenderly
Every minute of the day
And to sing to you forever…

A love song
From the shadows I feel that a light is born
I feel your hands and I know
That it is you and you are close
I can’t believe that your love opened the door

!!!

Soda Stereo is coming back!

In the end we didn't get to go see Gustavo Cerati in May because I was, um, indisposed. That is, hacking away in bed and unable to hear out of one ear. But this makes me super duper happy. As S said: "about soda TENEMOS QUE IR A VERLOS when we have the chance." We have to go see them. They'll be touring South America in November and December. I just hope the timing works out! That would be SO COOL!!!!!!

In the meanwhile... I'm roasting like a chicken in my A/C lacking in the window apartment. My bedroom is cooler but I don't want to go in there for fear of making it warmer. I'm convinced it's about the same temperature inside AND outside. This sucks.

a pilgrim's progress

I've been listening to a lot of classical music lately. Particularly, I've been listening to a lot of Ralph Vaughan Williams lately. Mostly orchestral stuff, mostly symphonies.

I am totally and completely in love with his Fifth Symphony, particularly the third movement, the Romanza. Seriously, I adore it. If you readers get a chance, you should listen to it. It's great. It's up there with Holst's Jupiter, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and Vaughan William's own Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis in my favorites. Along with a few Star Wars themes like Anakin's Theme from Episode I and Anakin's Betrayal from Episode III. Yeah that list totally gives away my classical music preferences - though it is totally leaving out some of the cool brass and organ stuff I really like.

I listen to music all the time, and think about it, but as I am trying to express the way I feel about that Symphony (ja, ja, D major? in whose dreams?) I realize that I don't really have to tools to write about music. Perhaps this is something that I will look into this summer. In the meantime, you can find a "guide" to the symphony here and here. I can't find it now, but I was reading about hose the third movement is one of the most passionate pieces that a particular individual had heard, and is in fact Vaughan Williams at his most passionate. I can believe it. And I love every chord.

For more fun, check out the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.

beneath a phrygian sky

I am having a difficult time concentrating on the novel I am re-reading, the one that is the subject of the only essay standing between me and my degree. It doesn't help that my sister made me enormously jealous because someone bought her tickets to see Loreena McKennitt in concert (I swear, she's the only musical artist we both like). I was listening through her newest CD today, An Ancient Muse. Now, I don't know that I can pick a favorite among all her other CDs, but there are certain tracks I love. Like "Cé Hé Mise Le Ulaingt? / The Two Trees" and "Full Circle" from The Mask and the Mirror, "Dante's Prayer" from The Book of Secrets, "The Old Ways" from The Visit, and "Ancient Pines" from Parallel Dreams. I'll have to listen through the album a few more times, but the following lyric really spoke to me, particularly the line refering to God that says "We travelled the wide oceans / Heard many call your name / With sword and gun and hatred / It all seemed much the same." So here you have it, my affinity for poetry leaning towards the musical, as ever.

BENEATH A PHRYGIAN SKY
(Loreena McKennitt)

The moonlight it was dancing
On the waves, out on the sea
The stars of heaven hovered
In a shimmering galaxy

A voice from down the ages
So in haunting in its song
These ancient stones will tell us
Our love must make us strong

The breeze it wrapped around me
As I stood there on the shore
And listened to this voice
Like I never heard before

Our battles they may find us
No choice may ours to be
But hold the banner proudly
The truth will set us free

My mind was called across the years
Of rages and of strife
Of all the human misery
And all the waste of life

We wondered where our God was
In the face of so much pain
I looked up to the stars above
To find you once again

We travelled the wide oceans
Heard many call your name
With sword and gun and hatred
It all seemed much the same

Some used your name for glory
Some used it for their gain
Yet when liberty lay wanting
No lives were lost in vain

Is it not our place to wonder
As the sky does weep with tears
And all the living creatures
Look on with mortal fear

It is ours to hold the banner
Is ours to hold it long
It is ours to carry forward
Our love must make us strong

And as the warm wind carried
Its song into the night
I closed my eyes and tarried
Until the morning light

As the last star it shimmered
And the new sun’s day gave birth
It was in this magic moment
Came this prayer for mother earth

The moonlight it was dancing
On the waves, out on the sea
The stars of heaven hovered
In a shimmering galaxy

A voice from down the ages
So in haunting in its song
The ancient stones will tell us
Our love will make us strong

I even heard the Passacaglia in c minor

The organ recital this afternoon was short but pleasant. I quite enjoyed it and am looking forward to the one next week.

Jorge Diaz died this week. He's a Chilean playwright that I really enjoyed reading - though I have never seen any of his plays on stage. Plays like Topografia de un desnudo and El cepillo de dientes were eye-opening to me - when I first read them a few years ago, I had no idea that theater could express that sort of social commentary. So, thank you, Mr. Diaz, and may you rest in peace.