December 19, 2008

• Christmas Music

  I know — you can’t believe I am back, can you?  My real life has been keeping me so busy I haven’t had much time for my cyber-life — unless you count facebook.  Facebook is easy — beguilingly easy.  Blogging takes a little more of my attention, my concentration.  Lately I have been finding my focus too divided for blogging — really blogging.  Today’s blog isn’t a real blog, either, in my opinion.  What it is is a collection of videos taken over the past week that highlight some of the musical accomplishments of my family.  The first is a video of my chorale.  Last weekend we presented our Christmas concert 4 times, once each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and a fourth concert on Saturday afternoon.  I had to miss the afternoon concert on Saturday – more about that in a bit.  My son took the video I have posted here on my digital camera.  It’s not so great to look at, he wasn’t sitting in the greatest spot for viewing, but I hope you will enjoy the audio — it’s about the music, after all.  You might be able to spot me in the front row, under the director’s left arm — I go in and out of view as he moves around.

  The next video is of my youngest son’s choir.  As I have mentioned before, he sings in a boy’s choir.  There are six choirs altogether in the organization — a prep choir (ages 4-7), training choir (boys ages 8 and up who are just coming into the organization), Voyager Choir (boys ages 8 & up who have completed the training program and are ready to perform publicly), Nordic Choir (boys ages 8-13, the National Touring Choir) and the Viking Choir (boys ages 9-14, the International Touring Choir) and the Alumni Choir (former Choirboys who have gone through a voice change).  Isaac is in the Nordic Choir.  All of the choirs presented a Christmas program last Saturday afternoon.  The reason I missed my afternoon chorale concert was because I was attending Isaac’s Choirboy concert.  In this video they sing a new arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”.  It is challenging for little boys because of the time signature/rhythms — they are not typical.  I think their conductor told me once it is 7/8 time, but I’d have to look at the music to be certain of that, it doesn’t feel like 7/8 to me, but it’s not a time signature I am overly familiar with myself!

     

   

  And finally, a video of the high school Concert Choir that Grant and Mark sing in.  This song is called “Betelehemu”.  It is a Nigerian Carol, sung acapella, with the exception of some percussion.  Here is the translation of the text:

  We are glad that we have a Father to trust.

  We are glad that we have a Father to rely upon.

  Where was Jesus born?

  Where was He born?

  Bethlehem, the city of wonder.

  That is where He was born for sure.

  Praise, praise, praise be to Him.

  We thank Thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee for this day.

  Gracious Father.

  Praise, praise, praise be to Thee.

  Merciful Father.

  There you have it — a sample of what I have been enjoying recently.  Music is just one of the things that really makes Christmas special for me.  Of course, if you have read my blog much at all, you know that music speaks to me in every season.  These are the things that make Christmas “Christmas” for me:  Music, it fills my mind, my heart, my soul with joyous celebration; Christmas trees, with twinkling lights that look like stars and ornaments brought out year after year that remind us of Christmases past; lefse, a Norwegian tradition passed down to me by my mother; Christmas cards, letters, and pictures that arrive in my mailbox – in this age of instant electronic communication I like knowing that others will take the time to remember me in this old-fashioned way, and even moreso, I love remembering others with my own offering;  Family, for it is during this season of peace and love and fellowship that we gather and experience peace and harmony and love with the people who know us best.

  Thanks for listening!  Merry Christmas!

  • 2:50 pm
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