Easter Sunday

The combined choirs sang in both the 8th and 10th wards. They sang beautifully, and if I have faith as a minute fraction of a mustard seed, I should have know that they would.

I am a worrier, though, and I think that this weekend nearly killed me. I didn't sleep well and was grumpy and stressed all day Saturday.

We sang "My Shepherd will supply my need." The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has it on a CD, but we did it better.....Well, we did it.

Dixie Tirre sang, "Gethsemane", by Sally De Ford

A quartet sang, "His hands", I think. It was added last week when Sis. Briscoe said that she would like to sing it on Easter. I had heard her practicing it, and was ok with anyone who was prepared to sing. She was joined by Ann Siemore, Abby Siemore, and Le Ann Escobar.

The choir then sang, "Woman why weepest thou", written by Rob Gardner, a personal favorite of mine that is on the CD, 'Witness' by the A Capella group '259'.

Emily Woodward sang a solo, "The Via Dolorosa", that is also on the 'Witness' CD, but I forget the author/composer.

Finally we sang, 'The Holy City', a well known song, and well loved by many.

We had a lot of help from angels singing with us.

My bigest mistake was starting 'The Holy City' without standing the choir, and I didn't die, so I think it went pretty well.

Sunday and autism

I guess it's kind of comforting knowing that noone actually reads my blog. In truth, one person did read it and invited me to join in an international multilevel marketing adventure, sigh. So really, I can say what I want in total anonymity, even misspell anonmymity, and not feel like I am risking myself to unwanted public exposure.

Today in sacrament meeting I was filling in for the regular choruster. I had asked my adult daughter to keep an eye on my son Desmond, who has autism. Des and I have a regular church meeting routine. We get to church about 10 minute early so that we can climb up and down the stairs a few times. This is one of his all time favorite activities. Then we are able to sit and quietly read some of his books to get us through the regular announcements and business, the passing of the sacrament and sometimes even the first talk. Then it's back to the stairs for 20 minutes or so before we come back into sacrament meeting for the end of hte final talk, closing hymn and closing prayer.

I had lead the opening hymn, sacrament hymn and was leading the closing hymn, thinking that everything was running smoothly. My family hadn't come into the meeting, and since Jan, my wife, had recently had a back surgery, I assumed that they we all sitting in hte comfortable chairs in the foyer.

We were in the final few measures of the closing hymn when Desi came running into the chapel. I thought, well, that's ok, I can beat the last few beats with him here, but instead of running to me, he ran to help the organist finnish the piece.

Everyone tells me that it is ok, that it was cute, that it was....etc, but I still haven't gotten over it. I feel embarassed and frustrated everytime I think of it. I guess mostly I feel like my family let me down, that they couldn't keep track of him for one meeting.

But, like everything else, I am sure that this will pass.

Ward choir performance 080720

We sang Come, come ye saints, in honor of the pending pioneer day. I was inspired by how the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is singing it. They sing it v1. women, very quietly. v2 men, a little louder. v3 All parts, and louder. v4 All parts, Loud and building. Each verse modulate in key and adds to the dynamics and mood. Typically, in church we start the 4th verse very quietly, as if remebering those that have past on, and then build.

We sang it similar to what "the Choir" did. We used the simplified hymn book for hte first two verses, and sang unison, women on v1 and men on v2, also building from pianissimo. I addapted a short 5 measure transition from that hymn book (with one flat) to the current hymnn book (one sharp), which took the note up a half step.
The forth verse we used the old blue hymn book, (four flats - another half step up.) This gave our performance a similar modulation, but not requireing the skill of a concert pianist. We increased volumne with each succesive verse and then began the forth verse very quietly, as expected. After singing, "And should be die," with a fermata (birds eye - hold) the piano played a trasitional chord changing us from the current hymn book, to the old (the half step up) and we started over loud, and built to the end. (With a lot of holds, ritards, and other direction).

I felt that it went well. Running from Sacrament meeting to play the piano if primary, I don't get a lot of feed back from the congregation. No choir practice for a month. I know that we will lose any momentum that we gained from this last piece, but we will be starting Christmas music, and that always brings the people out to sing. I have found some intersting pieces, that will probably catch some of hte member off guard, but it's differences, like dynamics, that move people.