Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was moved by the sound of 350 church musicians singing their hearts out at the Association of Anglican Musicians conference in Atlanta. My Facebook feed has been filled with reels and videos of the incredible singing that we experienced in the last week.
In an earlier post, I called the phenomenon “the greatest thrill of all,” and described it as: an extraordinary experience … hearing them lustily sing the hymns … “booming” which completely filled the cathedral…So thrilling and almost primeval!
For you non-Facebook users, I am happy to share these small snippets of our congregational singing so you can hear what a thrilling experience it was. Without instructions, people sang the first and last verses in unison, and the middle verses in harmony, which is the unwritten rule of congregational singing! Descants were printed for the sopranos and tenors, and were executed perfectly without rehearsal.
Turn up the volume on your speakers so you can experience what it was like in person!
The entire Closing Eucharist at St. Philip’s Cathedral may be viewed here. Incredible organ playing, choral performances, and congregational singing! I recommend that you listen to the closing hymn, “Love divine, all loves excelling” sung to the tune “Blauenwern” at about 1:34:20. So inspiring!
I had to set the alarm for 3:45 am (!) in order to pack and meet my Uber driver at the hotel at 4:10 am for a 6:30 am flight. Admittedly, I didn’t get much sleep after the closing banquet! There was a 5 hour flight to San Francisco and a two hour layover, then it was another five hours to Hawaii. I finally walked into my apartment Friday afternoon, approximately 16 hours from the time I got out of my hotel bed to the time I walked in the door. I immediately unpacked my suitcase and threw my dirty clothes into the washer and spent the rest of the evening getting my music in order for four services this weekend.
In the morning I went to practice before playing for an 11:00 am funeral for Louis Xigogianis, a former chorister who I’ve known since the early 80s. Louie sang bass in the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Choir and also sang occasionally with my husband in the Lutheran Church of Honolulu Compline Choir. In addition to joint services with St. Andrew’s, we also knew each other from choir parties! He moved to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where I became reacquainted with him when I took the position as organist. I’ll never forget his jovial personality and his infectious laugh.
My other three services were my regulars every weekend: 5:00 pm Vigil Mass at St. Mark’s, 9:00 am worship at Nuuanu Congregational Church, and 11:00 am High Mass at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. I resume teaching organ lessons tomorrow, along with my online Spanish and French classes.
Back to the grind after being on the mountain top!