I missed blogging yesterday. Too busy, I guess. Spent much of the day working on silly church stuff: bulletin article, bulletin announcement of Season Xmas choir, press release of the upcoming Bach cantata movement we are doing on 11/12.
I also spent a lot of time planning Advent/Xmas anthems. I have pretty much decided to do a bit of the Saint-Saëns Xmas oratorio. He’s not my favorite but the church owns the scores. And I actually do like the first movement of the oratorio which he says is a “Prelude in the style of Sebastian Bach.”
I’m thinking of doing the piece with strings and organ accompaniment. Movement one is instrumental. Movement two has multiple solo recitatives and then a choral rendition of “Glory to God in the highest.” That’s enough.
Also thinking of doing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus & “And the glory” from Messiah.
Throw in a couple of Burt Carols and an English carol of some sort and that should do for Xmas eve.
I’m more excited about teaching the choir Arvo Part’s “O Most Holy Birth-giver of God.” Planning to do it in an Advent IV Lessons and Carols.
The high school student who sits first chair violin in the high school pit orchestra I’ve been helping is also a pianist. Recently when I mentioned I was developing a jones for Mendelssohn, he responded that he had learned and performed the third movement of his piano concerto in G minor.
So I have been listening (and playing) this piece. Ay yi yi. This kid probably plays ten times better than me.
This morning while treadmilling I decided to listen to Beethoven’s first symphony. Mendelssohn actually was instrumental in popularizing Beethoven. Mendelssohn seems to have been very important to evolving the 20th century understanding of the importance of historical music even as he championed music being written in his time.
The more I read about him and study his music, the more complex this dude seems to me.
I feel kind of boring. Playing in a pit orchestra for Oklahoma. The music is kind of dopey but I find myself humming it. Then there’s Mendelssohn and now Beethoven symphonies. Also James Joyce. Boring boring old Steve. Too bad. Life is good.