Mozart Requiem

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While we’re on topic of music, let me just say that this Mozart Requiem, performed by Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music with the Winchester Cathedral Boys’ Choir, is the hands-down absolute best recording of the Requiem that I have ever heard. Best. Ever. Pure-voiced Emma Kirkby is now officially my favorite soprano. I am just being carried away on waves of rapture now, listening to the Offertorium movement, Domine Jesu, which was Mozart’s absolute final work: he wrote the bass part from his own deathbed. And it shows.

(Thanks for sending it over, Sara!)

Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, Rex gloriae,

libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum

de poenis inferni

et de profundo lacu.

Libera eas de ore leonis

ne absorbeat eas tartarus,

ne cadant in obscurum;

Sed signifer sanctus Michael

repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam,

Quam olim Abrahae promisisti

et semini eius.

Reverence and Music

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God is My Boyfriend? Razormouth critiques theological ambiguity in modern praise-worship.

Who Wants to Hear “Les Miz?” Adventist preacher David Smith quotes C.S. Lewis on the need for humility in the face of conflict between traditional and modern worship.

Addendum: This contrast is certainly not intended to be a divisive finger pointed between contemporary and traditional church music. Rather- oh, I’ll just repaste my comment:

If worship is just time between you and God, then why go to church at all? Why not just sit at home with your bible and guitar and sing godly love songs in your room all Sunday?

Rhetorical question, of course. The church’s worship is a community event in which the body of Christ meets for the edification of its members and the glorification of God. Proper edification and holy worship must be based on the Word of God, and not just any loving words that evoke one emotion or another.

There’s nothing wrong with good modern music in our worship. I’ll bet there’s even some amazingly profound Christian Metal or Hiphop out there. But before we beat on our drums that “Jesus Rocks,” we must first make sure that our words and songs are solidly founded upon Jesus the Rock — whether in traditional or contemporary church music. That job is up to our songleaders and choirmasters, as they are led by the Spirit.

At the same time, we who critique Christian musical traditions must approach these with humility and respect for the reverence with which the singers worship the Lord. While we must be critical of theological problems in our midst, we must never cease to exhibit the gentleness and love of the Spirit among each other, regardless of cultural leaning.

Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Sunset by Rail

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Yesterday afternoon, after work, was a perfect time to catch the 5.20pm MARC express train back to Baltimore: I was sitting on the left side of the train, looking west, and had a perfect view of a gorgeous sunset, staining the sky amber and orange through the naked tree branches of winter. Pictures tonight. (They’re all out of focus.)

Dust and Ashes

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Ash Wednesday was observed last night with a profoundly solemn worship service at First Baptist. After Pastor Jim Somerville’s message, attenders were asked to pull a thin, frail sheet of colored paper from their bulletins and write on it the sins they wished to confess to our Lord. We then lined up at the chancel and, one by one, held our transgressions to the flame of a candle, and dropped the burning paper into an urn. Later in the service, those same ashes were inscribed into a cross on our foreheads with the words, “For dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Yeah, all Roman Catholic-like! Gasp!)

I then joined three of the Young Adults’ Ministry for dinner at CPK, stayed too late munching on a caramel sundae, and managed to miss the last MARC train back to Baltimore. Fortunately my uncle and aunt, with whom I lived for the months that I was in DC before school, had a room, where I crashed for the night before returning to work this morning.

Somewhere along the way, I passed by a bookstore and snagged a paperback compilation of all seven Narnia books. I haven’t touched the Chronicles for several years; it’ll be good to read them again.