tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39914936241798521212024-03-13T04:51:33.764-07:00Music & Worship at Canterbury HouseMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-14358025741520174452012-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:002012-09-09T19:27:18.716-07:00September 9th, 2012 - Constance & Her CompanionsIn 1878 the yellow fever returned to the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and by<br />
the time the plague had receded, thousands of residents had died, including<br />
Constance, the Superior of the Sisters of St. Mary, three other members of<br />
the community, Sisters Thecla, Ruth, and Frances, and two Episcopal priests,<br />
Charles Carroll Parsons and Louis Sandford Schuyler, all of whom had stayed<br />
in Memphis to minister to the stricken when as many as 20,000 residents with<br />
the means to do so had fled the city.<br />
<br />
Indeed, Sisters Constance and Thecla had been away from town, on retreat in<br />
Peekskill, New York, when the fever struck. Upon receipt of the news, they<br />
made immediate arrangements to return, despite the obvious danger involved.<br />
<br />
Canterbury House's former music director, UM Professor Stephen Rush, once<br />
asked the students in his class, "What would you be willing to die for?"<br />
His hypothetical question was a means of prompting them to identify their<br />
deepest passion. I expect to ask the Canterburians the same question this<br />
coming Sunday. It's a challenging question for any one of us, and<br />
especially for 18-22 year-olds who have been raised in safety and privilege.<br />
<br />
Constance was only 33 when she and Thecla determined to return to Memphis on<br />
the last venture of their lives. While I do not claim to know what was in<br />
her mind, I imagine that the question of her own death may have entered<br />
little into her considerations. She saw a duty and she responded. The<br />
hypothetical "ultimate question" is one we can truly answer only after we<br />
find ourselves in the genuine ultimate situation. Perhaps it is only in the<br />
extreme circumstance that self-sacrificial devotion becomes the logical and<br />
obvious response. Human beings have a surprising capacity for this, and<br />
they need not be saints nor even Christians to do so. Annie Cook, the<br />
keeper of a Memphis brothel, turned her house into a hospital, nursed the<br />
sick, and died along with many other heroes of the town.<br />
<br />
Was death, then, the victor in Memphis in 1878? John Donne would not have<br />
thought so:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Death be not proud, though some have called thee<br />
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,<br />
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,<br />
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.<br />
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,<br />
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,<br />
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,<br />
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.<br />
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,<br />
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,<br />
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,<br />
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?<br />
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,<br />
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.</blockquote>
<br />
-Rev. Reid Hamilton<br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "Moonship Journey", Sun Ra<br />
<b>Processional</b> - "Ain'a That Good News", Spiritual<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Shelter Tone", Ps. 25, Stephen Rush<br />
<b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "Now The Green Blade Riseth"<br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "Bendigo Al Senor", Taize<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "Salamu Maria"<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Communion Hymn</b> - "Breathe In The Spirit" Stephen Rush<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "Sign Me Up", Spiritual<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "The Good Life", Ornette Coleman<br />
<br />
<i>Music Director's note: </i>We've celebrated Constance & her Companions for the last nine years at Canterbury House, and typically we focus on the darker side of the their story. This year, Reid and I decided to emphasize the experience of running headfirst into an experience from which you may not return, but which you cannot turn away from. To me, Steve Rush's question "What would you be willing to die for?" implies this sort of inevitability: if you're willing to die for something, turning away from it is not even an option. It simply doesn't occur to you. So prepare yourself for the moonship journey ... journey on the moonship...Matt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-5083514818323234412012-09-02T06:21:00.000-07:002012-09-09T19:26:55.986-07:00September 2nd, 2012 - Augustine of HippoThe sack of the City of Rome, 24 August 410, by the army of Alaric the Goth,<br />
was an event as shattering to the Roman Empire - or moreso - than the<br />
destruction of the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2011 was<br />
to the United States. Back then, people blamed the Christians for the<br />
disaster. Preachers of the old religion(s) accused the Romans of failing in<br />
their obligations to the gods, and claimed that the invaders were a divine<br />
punishment. The more things change, the more they stay the same!<br />
<br />
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, wrote a defense of the Christians, that he<br />
eventually expanded into his great work <i>The City of God</i>. We'll observe<br />
his feast day at our Jazz Mass on Sunday 2 September, and we'll touch on the<br />
themes of apocalypse that are raised by the disasters that befall the<br />
empires of the world.<br />
<br />
-Rev. Reid Hamilton <br />
<br />
<u>Liturgical Music</u><br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "Big Science", Laurie Anderson, arr. Quartex<br />
<b>Processional</b> - "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel"<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Praise Tone", Stephen Rush<br />
<b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "He Is The Way", 1982 #464<br />
<b>Creed</b> - "Blues Credo", Stephen Rush<br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "Our Soul is Waiting For God", Taizé<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "Salamu Maria"<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - "Sanctus", Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Communion Hymn</b> - "Prepare the way of the Lord"<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "We'll Understand It Better By and By"<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "The Magic City", Sun Ra, arr. Quartex<br />
<br />
<i>Music director's note</i>: One of Augustine's main ideas in <i>The City of God</i> is that human beings are inherently flawed and cannot create utopia by their efforts alone: that the grace of God (and the crucifixion of Christ) is needed to redeem humanity. This idea made me think of Laurie Anderson's "Big Science", particularly where she sings "Golden cities ... golden towns", but the rest of the lyrics are quite relevant as well. Anderson's wit allows a deathly serious lyric to have a slightly sarcastic tone, and vice-versa; Quartex will endeavor to capture the essence of "Big Science" without exactly replicating the version on Anderson's album.<br />
<br />
As the postlude, I chose Sun Ra's "The Magic City". The melody to the piece is long and winding, almost four full pages of written music. In its original version (rec'd in 1966), the melody is played by Ra on a warbling synthesizer, which is often buried in rhythm and horn accompaniment. The recording runs nearly 30 minutes. Quartex will perform a stripped-down version of this, again attempting to capture the basic essence of it.<br />
<br />
-Matt EndahlMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-54419004424217385212011-10-03T12:23:00.000-07:002011-10-05T12:24:30.424-07:00St. Francis of Assisi - Oct. 5th, 2011Having started Michaelmas term with a celebration of Albert Schweitzer, Reid and I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Schweitzer and St. Francis of Assisi. (Reid noted a possible difference: that St. Francis arguably treated animals better than he sometimes treated people.) His reform of Medieval monasticism, commitment to poverty as a value ("holy poverty"), and his reverence for life, were the themes that we drew on for our liturgical planning.<br />
<br />
A central point which we focused on was: if all of us were willing to show other people the same compassion and respect which we treat our pets, world would be a much better place. Congregants were invited to bring along their pets for the "Blessing of the Animals". As it happened, no animals were brought in person (so to speak), but many people presented cell phone pictures which were blessed instead.<br />
<br />
<u>Service Outline</u><br />
<u> </u><br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "We Were Poor (But We Were Happy)" Paddy McAloon<br /><b>Invocation</b> - "Lord Make Us Servants Of Your Peace"<br /><b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Praise Tone" Stephen Rush<br /><b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me"<br /><b>Prayer Response</b> - "Beati Voi Poveri" Taizé<br /><b>Offertory</b> - "Wa Wa Wa Emimimo"<br /><b>Sanctus</b> - "Blues Sanctus" Stephen Rush<br /><b>Communion</b> - "Occuli Nostri" Taizé<br /><b>Closing Hymn</b> - "I Know The Lord's Laid His Hands On Me"<br /><b>Postlude</b> - "Endangered Species" Ornette ColemanMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-38638336486582356222011-09-25T13:48:00.000-07:002011-09-25T13:48:00.223-07:00St. Michael & All Angels - Sept. 28th, 2011<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Service Outline</u><b> <br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "A Call for All Demons" Sun Ra<br />
<b>Invocation</b> - "I Shall Not Be Moved"<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Trust" Stephen Rush [Psalm 103]<br />
<b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder"<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "Way Down in the Hole" Tom Waits<br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "Tu Sei Sorgente Viva" Taizé<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Lord's Prayer</b> - "The Lord's Prayer" Taizé<br />
<b>Communion</b> - "Breathe in the Spirit, Breathe Out Compassion" Stephen Rush<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "Redemption Songs" Bob Marley<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "Levels & Degrees of Light" Muhal Richard AbramsMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-44138403539503712092011-09-18T13:44:00.000-07:002011-09-21T13:55:29.844-07:00Hildegard of Bingen - Sept. 18th, 2011Hildegard of Bingen is one of Canterbury House's favorite saints. Her life and work is staggering in its depth and scope. In the past, we have tended to focus on Hildegard's ecstatic visions, and her relationship to scholarship and wisdom. This year we chose to commemorate her by exploring God's presence in the natural world, and the theme of <i>healing</i>: physically and emotionally.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Andrew Kratzat is a brilliant bassist and composer from Fort Wayne, IN currently based in Ann Arbor. He played with Quartex for several years, and I have had the pleasure of working with him in a number of contexts over the years, from freely improvised music to gypsy jazz. In late July, he and his fianceé Alicia Doudna were in a near-fatal traffic accident on I-94 just outside Marshall, MI. They are currently making extraordinary progress through constant and hard work, excellent medical care, and relentless devotion and support from family and friends. For updates on Andrew & Alicia, please visit:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewandaliciakratzat/journal">http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewandaliciakratzat/journal</a></b></div>
<br />
As a prelude, we perform Kratzat's piece "Victor Jara", written for the Chilean musician and activist, who was martyred on Sept. 16th, 1973, five days after his country was taken over by the regime of Augusto Pinochet. The rubato and modal nature of Hildegard's chants lend themselves well to a John & Alice Coltrane-style interpretation. In the past we have done "O Virtus Sapientaie" and "O Felix Anima"; "Caritas Habindat" is new for Quartex:<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
"Loving tenderness abounds for all<br />
from the darkest<br />
to the most eminent one beyond the stars,<br />
<br />
Exquisitely loving all<br />
she bequeaths the kiss of peace<br />
upon the ultimate King."</div>
<br />
<u>Service Outline</u><br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "Victor Jara" Andrew Kratzat<br />
<b>Invocation</b> - "There Is A Balm In Gilead" trad. (Spiritual)<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Nature" Stephen Rush [Psalm 104]<br />
<b>Gospel Hymn </b>- "Breathe On Me Breath of God" Edwin Hatch, Robert Jackson<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "Could You Be Loved" Bob Marley<br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "Da Pacem Cordium" Taizé<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Lord's Prayer</b> - "The Lord's Prayer" Taizé<br />
<b>Communion Hymn</b> - "Kristus Din Ande" Taizé<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "I Saw The Light" Hank Williams<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "Caritas Habundat" Hildegard of BingenMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-48740954270720470632011-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:002011-09-21T13:23:38.453-07:00Constance & Her Companions - Sept. 11th, 2011Constance & her Companions is the name given to a convent of nuns in Memphis, TN who provided aid and comfort to the many victims of the yellow fever plague of 1878.<b> </b>The nuns caught the fever themselves, and all of them died as well. For this, they are lauded as martyrs. Our service explores this sense of divine mission ("The Summons"), sacrifice ("Unsung Heroes", "Throw Down Your Earthly Crown"), and redemption ("Now The Green Blade Riseth", "And On The Third Day"). There are overtones which recognize the victims of Sept. 11th, 2001 but we chose not to refer directly to it during the service.<br />
<br />
<u>Service outline</u><br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "Unsung Heroes" Bill Frisell<br />
<b>Invocation</b> - "The Summons" John Bell<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Where Is God?" Stephen Rush [Psalm 25]<br />
<i>2nd reading is taken from Sandra Schneiders</i><br />
<b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "Now The Green Blade Riseth" trad. carol (French)<br />
<i>Homily by Clara Bosak-Schroder</i><br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "Une Soif" Taizé<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "Throw Down Your Earthly Crown" Dirk Powell<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Lord's Prayer</b> - "The Lord's Prayer" Taizé<br />
<b>Communion Hymn</b> - "Our Soul Is Waiting For God" Taizé<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" C. D. Martin, C. H. Gabriel<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "And On The Third Day" Mike GibbsMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3991493624179852121.post-9959647891113809962011-09-04T13:10:00.000-07:002011-09-21T13:45:04.752-07:00Albert Schweitzer - Sept. 4th, 2011We begin Michaelmas Term this year by celebrating the life and work of Albert Schweitzer, scholar of the organ, revolutionary theologian and doctor to the Third World. In our discussion, Reid Hamilton and I were inspired by Schweitzer's philosophy of "reverence for life", as well as by his view of Jesus in relation to eschatological trends in Jewish society in the 1st century. Our postlude for this week is Wayne Shorter's "Armageddon".<br />
<br />
In my research, I found that Rachel Carson dedicated her 1962 book "Silent Spring" to Schweitzer. I instantly recalled Carla Bley's composition "Silent Spring", which was commissioned from her by Steve Swallow in 1966. I could not find absolute proof of a link (like an interview where Bley said "Oh yeah, Silent Spring was written about Carson's book") but the similar time periods, and Bley's predilection for socially-conscious composition projects, I figured it was a safe assumption that the two were related. We do Bley's "Silent Spring" as our prelude. <br />
<br />
<u>Service Outline</u><br />
<br />
<b>Prelude</b> - "Silent Spring" Carla Bley<br />
<b>Invocation</b> - "Heaven Shall Not Wait" John Bell<br />
<b>Psalm Tone</b> - "Praise" Stephen Rush [Psalm 150]<br />
<b>Gospel Hymn</b> - "Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light" - J. S. Bach<br />
<b>Prayer Response</b> - "The Kingdom of God" Taizé<br />
<b>Offertory</b> - "He Came Down" trad. (Cameroon)<br />
<b>Sanctus</b> - "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord" Franz Schubert<br />
<b>Lord's Prayer</b> - "The Lord's Prayer" Taizé<br />
<b>Communion Hymn</b> - "O Poverty" Taizé<br />
<b>Closing Hymn</b> - "I Want to be Ready" trad. (Spiritual)<br />
<b>Postlude</b> - "Armageddon" Wayne ShorterMatt Endahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062822000994574386noreply@blogger.com0