I was going to write up/post the story of going to get my new leased car last Saturday (March 9), and all the memories that stirred in me from the three years I leased the other car, and the lit major who worked at Toyota of North Charlotte, and stuff. But for now I will lazily just tout my recent article about Greek Orthodox liturgical music that I wrote for the Charlotte Observer, published Saturday March 16.
Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Chant article since I don’t have any fiction to speak of right now
Monday, March 18, 2013Alleluia!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
He is risen!
Our choir sang Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus for Easter, both at the Easter Vigil and this morning for Easter Sunday. I’ve listened to it many times, but have never actually sung it. The soprano part isn’t terribly hard (just very high in places), but there is one tripping section I was having trouble with, so I found this YouTube link from the BBC’s “Sing Hallelujah” project, where I could listen to the whole chorus sung by sopranos only. The project also has altos-only, tenors-only and basses-only recordings–and ones where you can hear it with any of those parts missing. It’s really helpful.
I sang the response to the Exodus reading at the Vigil. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I’ve been getting over a sinus infection for a couple of weeks now. My poor voice made it all the way through the Triduum liturgies, the Vigil, and into Easter Sunday, before it finally gave out and I had to stifle a coughing fit that welled up in the last few bars of the “Hallelujah” today.
Easter always brings me joy.
Easter is also a time when I give myself a break from beating myself up for always falling short of my ambitions. At least for a day.
Speaking of which … in my last post, over a month ago, I said that I’d keep track on my blog of the hours I spent in my studio (the goal is 16 h/month) and writing my fiction (goal is 32 h/month). In March, that tally came to:
March hours spent in studio: 13.5
March hours spent writing fiction: 24.5
So I didn’t quite make it to the goal. I will renew my efforts for April. I’m already behind. So far it’s studio: 0, writing fiction: 4.
In March I completed two monotype collages in my studio. I scanned them–was going to post them here–but the scans didn’t come out too well. When I’m at the Art League on Tuesday, I’ll take pictures.
Here come the bells
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
This is the "Panis Angelicus" we always did at the monastery, and which we sang a few weeks ago at church here. So beautiful. I sing with the soprano part.
Our church choir meets every Monday night. We’ve been practicing music for Christmas. One piece we’re doing is the Ukranian “Carol of the Bells.” I’ve heard it lots of times but have never sung it: “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, throw cares away …” (Here’s a clip of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the carol. We don’t have near as many people on our choir, but I think we still sound pretty good.)
We have a handbell choir for the Christmas season, too, something else I used to do at the monastery. It’s been five years since the last time I picked up a bell with my white-gloved hand (more…)
October whirlwind
Tuesday, October 26, 2010October is about to pass me by with no blog posts to show for it. Well, OK, “Phineas Gage excursion”–but that happened in September.
I have done a lot this month. I went to a one-evening writer’s workshop in White River Junction on the 13th (I mostly did it to force myself to have an external deadline; I had to finish the story in time for the workshop. Now I have to tweak it and send it).
Last week I went to Boston to see a dress rehearsal of “Fidelio” at Opera Boston on Wednesday evening. My friend was the wig designer for the show. Next day, my friend and I hung out in Boston, talked about opera and about high-school times, got stuck in an elevator at the Countway Library of Medicine (more…)
No philosophy tonight
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Long, long ago (it seems), I said I would post more photos from my half-climb up the trail on Mount Tom one Sunday in April. I’m sure no one was waiting for them, but I don’t like to say I’ll do something and then not do it. So I revisited the photos. Almost every single one is an artistically framed shot of the mossy path. Who needs to see 140 pictures of a path? (more…)