21 January 2009

tis the gift to be free...

Tonight in fiddle class I inquired if anyone else thought the musicians were improvising any during this score. Some were not so sure, some were definitely sure they were not. After watching the performance again and thinking about John Williams as composer I doubt they were. Can you imagine if at roughly 3:30 point in the piece they would have started improvising off of each other with "Simple Gifts" as their guide what a performance that would have been!



In preparation for Easter I have been doubling down on books concerning the Resurrection. My reading has led me to think about life in these terms: we live life in moments sometimes we are cognizant of the moment but most of the time we are not - only by reflecting on past moments does life begin to truly reveal itself.

I have been watching some replay of the footage of the Inauguration and I still have yet to properly appreciate it (forgive my split infinitive). The peaceful magnitude of the crowd, the gatherings all over the nation and the world to watch it. Only days, weeks, or months from now will "what" happened truly nestle in.

The VOR talked with a church member today who went to DC to simply "be there." The church member reported how peaceful, international and packed the city was. It was no small coincidence that this church member went to DC.  When this church member was driving home to RI with her father in 1968 the report came over the radio that Dr. King had been assassinated. The family bypassed their house and drove straight to an African-American church in Providence. (The church I serve and this particular African-American church had close relationship)  The church was already packed when they arrived.   When the congregation noticed the members of my church there, the father of the family spoke these words: "There's been a death in the family, we had to come."

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I thought the William's piece sounded too much like Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland. I didn't understand why they didn't invite Marsalis and play it.

One of my parishioners spent a couple of weeks at Methodist summer camp in 1955 in NC. Rev. Lowery was the clergy person assigned to his cabin. My parishioner noted that there was an argument about whether the blacks could swim in the pool. A bishop was called and the bishop mentioned baptism and everyone swam.

G. Travis Norvell said...

hawk, I heard that Obama is a fan of Copeland. I agree with you but then again I did like the free interpretation. But you are right why wasn't Marsalis playing?

Good Lowery story. Life going well in Birmingham?