April 10, 2008

• Connections

   

   

  As the Pauper Waits for Plenty

  Making music connects me to others in so many ways.  It connects me to the others I sing with, to the director of my group, to my accompanist, to those listening to the music I make, to the music’s composers and, in many cases, to God.

  In addition to the chorale I sing with, I also sing with my church choir.  Church choir is open to everyone, regardless of ability.  Most of our choir members are decent singers.  We have a great director.  He also directs the choir at the local high school, so as we practice and learn the music that we will sing each Sunday for worship service, he also manages to teach us to be better singers.  In his role as a school teacher, he himself is always learning and stretching his abilities.  He is constantly being exposed to new music, new composers, new ideas.  Last year he bought a new piece of music for the church choir that we all found rather, ah….challenging.  My initial reaction to it was “this is too weird!”  I don’t think I was the only one who felt that way about it.  After several disastrous attempts during rehearsal, our director had us turn in the music.  Never one to give up, he brought the music out again this year.  It’s been in our folders nearly since the beginning of the season (our church choir season runs Sept.-May, in keeping with the school calendar), and every so often he has us pull it out to work on it.  Each time we get a little bit better.  Each time I like it a little more.  We actually have a date to finally sing it in church for the first time on May 4th! (Although he has a backup song in mind — just in case). 

  Even before I began to enjoy this song for it’s musicality, I fell in love with the text.  The song is set to a poem by Sister Delores Dufner, a member of the Order of Benedictine Sisters.  She grew up in North Dakota and currently is in ministry at St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN.  I feel a connection to her because of our geographical proximity (I grew up in NW Minnesota, less than 50 miles from her hometown, and we now live within 100 miles of each other!)  Our church choir has sung one other song set to another of her expressive poems, “Oh Wheat, Whose Crushing is for Bread”.  I think the music composer (Rosalie Bonighton) is the same for both pieces as well, they both have a rather mournful sound to them, modern and ancient at the same time, if that makes sense.  The title above is linked to an audio file of the song, if you care to listen.

  Below are the lyrics.  To me they are an eloquent rendering of how our human souls long for connection — with each other, of course, but especially with God.  And just as importantly, God longs for us as well.

  As  the  pauper waits  for plenty,

  As  the  weeping  wait  for mirth,

  As  a  farmer waits  for harvest,

  And  a woman  waits  for birth,

  So  do I wait  for you.

   

  As  the  blossom longs  for springtime,

  And  the seed a  fertile place,

  As  an  orphan  longs  for family,

  And  a child  his  mother’s  face,

  So  do I long  for you.

   

  As  a songbird waits  for morning,

  And  an  eaglet  waits  for flight,

  As  a  flutist  waits  for music,

  And  an artist waits  for light,

  So  do I wait  for you.

   

  As  the  homeless  long  for shelter,

  And  the  weary for a bed,

  As  the  thirsty long  for water,

  And  the  hungry long  for bread,

  So  do I long  for you.

   

  So  do You long  for me.

   

  Thanks for listening,

                                      ~Leah~

   

  • 3:13 pm
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