Okay . . . I admit it, I was COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED after this past Christmas and New Year’s season of services. Even though I only played continuo organ for last Sunday’s German Vespers, the fact remains that we were still stapling programs at 2:00 pm (we had a rehearsal at 3:00 and the service started at 4:00). The cumulative effect of the nine services (six at Christmas and three on January 2nd) gave me the same feeling as jet lag. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m tired!

What was great about the German Vespers, though, was that we were able to include our colleagues, Jonathan Dimmock and George Emblom from San Francisco, in the music making and it was fun! Jonathan played the organ prelude and postlude then harpsichord for the Kuhnau Magnificat and Bach Cantata 28. George played the continuo organ for the Praetorius “Nun helf mir Gottes Güte schon preisen” which we did in the “Quempas” style (round-robin) which alternated soloists, two organs and two harpsichords.

We were also glad to have my former student, Joey Fala, back home from college and he not only took these pictures, but also played the continuo organ on Christmas Eve.

Luckily, Thursday night choir rehearsals are traditionally on hiatus during the month of January. We will only meet on Sunday mornings to rehearse before the 10:30 service.

This coming Sunday is actually a festival service, Baptism of our Lord. The communion anthem will be “On our Lord’s baptism” by Boston composer, Rodney Lister, which is unpublished and happens to be dedicated to Carl, whom he met at the Church of the Advent where Rodney is a parishioner.

As you may remember, Carl spent part of both his sabbaticals (1992 and 1999) at the Church of the Advent where Edith Ho was the director for many years. Rodney Lister is on the faculty of New England Conservatory and once studied with British composer, Peter Maxwell Davies. He is also known for his musical setting of Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish recipe which is recited yearly by Susan Stamberg on National Public Radio at Thanksgiving.