In just a few days, 400 bentos (Japanese lunch boxes) will be delivered to my condo building for its annual holiday party, the first in-person gathering since 2019. For the last 7 years, I’ve served on the Christmas party committee for this building of 437 apartments and 1000 residents, but this year I’m serving as… Read More Hostess with the mostest ?
Until the year 2013, if it was the first Sunday in Advent, you could 100% count on hearing me play “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s transcription of the fourth movement of Cantata 140 for organ. It is also known as the opening piece in the collection known as the Schübler chorales.… Read More It’s Advent, already!
A few days ago I posted some pictures on Facebook of my dining room as it is decorated during this Advent season which I called “Blue Christmas.” Even though I will be away for two weeks in California for the Christmas holidays, I still wanted to decorate my apartment since I will be holding a number… Read More Feeling blue
A couple of days ago, I got an email from Carole Arenson, the editor of the newsletter for Region 4 of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM), asking me to write an article for the next issue. One of the topics she suggested was “Advent/Xmas ideas — can be something which has worked in the… Read More Advent in April?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij4sZRY79zo?rel=0] “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland,” played by Ton Koopman at St. Mary’s, Freiberg, Germany. (We heard this extraordinary organ this past summer!) If asked who my favorite composer is, I would say without hesitation, J. S. Bach. After conquering the technical challenges of playing his highly complex music, I must say that I… Read More Bach delivered me!
Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it does take a heap of folks to put on an “O” Antiphon service. I found a complete writeup of this special Advent service at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, where I believe the whole idea of congregation-made “O” Antiphon banners either originated or was resurrected in… Read More A cast of thousands
Even though our “O” Antiphon service was last night, the thought occurred to me that some of you might not know what I’m talking about. The service contains readings, prayers and music on the “O” Antiphons, which are all names for God, beginning with “O”, such as “O Wisdom,” “O Root of Jesse,” “O Key… Read More The “O” Antiphons
It’s December 2012, and I am beginning my last month as organist of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. A number of people have asked me how I am feeling, and quite honestly, I have answered “with mixed emotions.” You may recall that in Carl Crosier’s last month as Cantor, we started ticking off the “lasts”… Read More The last month
A year ago, I wrote a post called “Countercultural Advent,” in which I expressed the idea that we in liturgical churches are really contrary to the mainstream — namely, that we don’t sing Christmas carols until Christmas Eve, and the season before Christmas — Advent —is considered a penitential season. This year we are even… Read More Countercultural Advent, take two
Today was the last Sunday in the church year, Christ the King Sunday, which means that we will be starting up another church year next Sunday. Today was a truly mixed bag — the organ music I played was by John Stanley (1712-1786) and Thomas Arne (1710-1788). The choir sang spirituals “My Lord what a… Read More Countercultural Advent