Blog: Choral & Current

Kevin's Work with Musicians Without Borders

August 31, 2010 | 9:54 PM

While studying in the United States, I had the privilege of taking a study tour to the Balkans. The trip included educational expeditions to Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia – three countries with many opportunities for those wishing to study the sacred and traditional music of very diverse cultures. My time in Sarajevo was particularly striking because it had been my first journey to a predominantly Muslim locale. I promised myself that one day in the future I would find a way back to this beautiful and mysterious city, though knew it would be difficult to find a professional reason to return.

In December of last year, I decided to contact an organization called Musicians without Borders to see what was being done in Bosnia and whether or not I could lend a hand. My aim was to find a way of sharing my expertise as well as learning music from a culture so very foreign to my own. When it comes down to it, Eastern Europe is still a mystery to Western musicians and artists, even twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Vokalni Ansambl Bugojno (Bugojno Vocal Ensemble) – I was working with the girls choir there: a tremendously talented bunch of young women. They really took to the Canadian song Frobisher Bay. Here we’re practicing tuning the chords from one of their pieces.

The convergence of the three distinct cultures of Bosnia (Croat, Serb and Muslim) may be of particular interest to the Western musician. Though the scars of war are still on the buildings and people of Bosnia, remarkable new collaborations are being forged amongst these three groups, particularly in the world of music.

Children in a Scouts Camp near Kojnic. This was a surprise guest appearance for me. Musicians without Borders asked if I would teach some songs to the Scouts children who were on their annual camping trip. When I called the director of the Scouts to ask what I should bring, he said: “You are American, right? Then teach about Cowboys and Indians.” Here is a shot of us learning the MicMac Honour Song, right after we had sung through Home on the Range.

My trip was hosted by Musicians without Bordersand included a healthy dose of musical exchange on both sides: me teaching them Canadian music and them teaching me Bosnian music. I was exposed to Catholic traditional music, Muslim secular songs and Orthodox chant. I worked with choirs from around Sarajevo, learning of many great Bosnian composers and sharing a few of our own. I was particularly excited to see the look on everyone’s face when we read through Healey Willan’s Rise up, My Love.

MwB and I are in the process of planning a Choral Festival for the little Bosnian town of Bugojno in the summer of 2012. This festival will hopefully host choirs from around Bosnia as well as a few from Canada. The festival, called "Festivale Javorov List" or "Maple Leaf Festival," will be a venue for Canadian and Bosnian choirs to share their traditional choral music with one another. It will also serve as a meeting point of the three distinct cultures in Bosnian society: Muslim, Croat and Serb – one of the major goals of Musicians without Borders.

Here is a workshop with Veljo, one of the premier SATB ensembles in Sarajevo. This is the group that introduced me to the world of Bosnian art music. It is my hope that Canadians will eventually find some of these gems, as they have already found Eastern European composers like Rautavaara or Tormis.

Posted by kevin zakresky | Comments (0) | File in: arcana | Permanent Link

Congratulations, Bishop Greg!

July 7, 2010 | 2:10 PM

Chor Leoni's 2009/10 season is officially over once the choir exits the Bard stage after that final performance in June. That's the signal for summer to officially begin, with choir members scattering to vacation spots, family BBQ's, beaches, or to just find somewhere to chill out.

That said, how often does one of our own get ordained as bishop? Diane put out the call - a request, really - "Would CL be willing to sing for Greg's service?" The answer was a resounding YES!, and on Monday, July 5, over 80% of our membership (and 3 very fine "non-singing" members of our board) trekked out to South Surrey to help celebrate the event. Yes, the lions do take care of their own!

We sang Chesnokov's Spaseniye sodelal, the hymn Shall We Gather at the River, the beautiful Shaker tune, Not One Sparrow is Forgotten, and Alice Parker's rousing Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal, as well as the usual service music. The evening was all the more special because our vocal coach, Lorraine Reinhardt, was also the cantor for the service, making it seem like a very "family" kind of celebration.

Bishop Susan Johnson's sermon neatly tied life as a choral member to the life of a bishop. (She's an alto, by the way.) Greg is a valued member of our baritone section, and CL audiences will also recognize him as one of our regular readers.

Chor Leoni wishes the Reverend Dr. Gregory Mohr all the best as he assumes his new role as Bishop of the British Columbia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. See you at rehearsals in September, Greg!

Posted by bruce | Comments (0) | File in: inside Chor Leoni | Permanent Link

Chor Leoni Country Programme

June 23, 2010 | 11:37 PM

If you'd like to post a review of Chor Leoni Country, please click here.

Chor Leoni Country

June 21 & 28, 2010
Bard on the Beach tent
Vanier Park, Vancouver BC

featuring

Chor Leoni Men's Choir
Diane Loomer, C.M., Artistic Director

Choir members:
TENOR 1: Pete Chamberlain, Stephen Cropper, Corey Hollett, Ken Hollett, Shaun Jackman, Hyo Shim, Peter Spira
TENOR 2: James Carter, Mike Cavaletto, Byron Hanson, Kyle Harland, Bruce Hoffman, Jim Knight, Rod Locke, Keith Sinclair, Stephen Baker
BARITONE: Joseph Anthony, Ryan Cho, Russell Cripps, Spencer Cripps, Anton Donkersloot, Tyler Ferguson, Noel Hollett, Philip Jack, Paul Larocque, David Love, Greg Martin, Rob McAllister, Les Nerling, Jonathan Skrimshire, Greg Magirescu
BASS: Douglas Au-Lange, Nicolas Bermudez, Paul Birch, Michael Copley, James Emery, Eric Kristensen, Sky Kao, Dick Loomer, Kevin Louden, Chris Moore, Bob Rankin

with special guests

"The Antonettes"

• Maureen Ciarniello
• Grace Fatkin
• Denise O'Brien
• Lorraine Reinhardt
• Bernice Slemko
  

Adam Woodall, harmonica player

and cameo appearances by:

• Shelagh Rogers
• Christopher Gaze
• Bramwell Tovey
  

The Band:
Ken Cormier, piano
Cam Wilson, violin
Dave Brown, bass
Martin Fisk, percussion
Steve Dawson, guitar/pedal steel guitar/banjo
Derry Byrne, trumpet
Neil Nicholson, trombone

Choreography by:
Spencer Cripps
Kevin Fatkin
Greg Martin

Costumes: Rob McAllister

Assistant Rehearsal Conductors & Pianists: Les Nerling, Greg Martin, Ken Cormier, Eric Hominick

Librarian: Jonathan Skrimshire

Project Manager: David Carpenter

Sound System: Geoff Hollingshead

Publicity: Bruce Hoffman

Set List

Overture	Theme from The Magnificent Seven, composed by Elmer Bernstein; Bonanza theme, music by Jay Livingston: "Hoe-down" from Aaron Copland's Rodeo. Arranged by Ken Cormier.
I'm on My Way from the film Paint Your Wagon	Music by Frederick Lowe. Arranged by Jim Clancy.
Western Medley William Tell Overture Back in the Saddle Again Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds Happy Trails to You Cool Water	Music by Giaocchino Rossini, Bob Nolan, Gene Autry/Dale Evans. Arranged by Miles Ramsay.
El Paso soloist: Jonathan Skrimshire	Music by Marty Robbins. Arranged by Miles Ramsay.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	Music by Ennio Morricone. Arranged by Ken Cormier.
Don't Fence Me In	Music by Cole Porter. Arranged by Miles Ramsay.
Ring of Fire	Music & lyrics by June Carter & Merle Kilgore. Transcribed & arranged by Ron Smail.
Are You Lonesome Tonight?	Music by Lou Handman. Arranged by Larry Nickel.
Walkin' After Midnight soloist, Maureen Ciarniello	Music by Alan Block. Transcribed & arranged by Willi Zwozdesky.
The Gambler soloists: Phil Jack, James Carter	Music & lyrics by Don Schlizt. Arranged by Ron Smail.
Country Roads soloist, Anton Donkersloot	Words & music by John Denver. Transcribed & arranged by Stephen Smith.
Forever and Ever, Amen soloists: Michael Copley, Greg Magirescu	Words & music by Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz. Transcribed & arranged by Willi Zwozdesky.
Devil Went Down to Georgia soloists: Greg Martin, vocals, Cam Wilson, fiddle	Music by the Charlie Daniels Band. Arranged by Cam Wilson.
Home on the Range featuring The Geritones	Words by Dr. Brewster M. Higley, music by Daniel E. Kelley.
Shenandoah	Arranged by James Erb
Boot Scootin' Boogie soloists: Kyle Harland, James Carter	Music by Ronnie Dunn. Arranged by Larry Nickel.	Line dance: Boot Scootin' Boogie by Bill Bader. This dance originated in Vancouver!
INTERMISSION
Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up soloists: Anton Donkersloot, Byron Hanson, Bruce Hoffman, Kyle Harland, Greg Martin	Music & lyrics by Kent Blazy, Garth Brooks, Kim Williams. Arranged by Larry Nickel.	Line dance choreographed by Spencer Cripps.
Save a Cotton Eye Joe (medley) Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy Cotton Eye Joe trio: Anton Donkersloot, Kevin Louden, Keith Sinclair	Music & lyrics by Big Kenney & John Rich. Music & lyrics by Janne Ericsson, Örjan Öberg & Pat Reiniz. Arranged by Larry Nickel.	Choreography by Spencer Cripps.
Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys solists: Jonathan Skrimshire, Pete Chamberlain	Music & lyrics by Ed & Patsy Bruce. Arranged by Larry Nickel.
There Goes My Heart soloist: Byron Hanson	Music by Raul Malo, Kostas, of The Mavericks. Arranged by Larry Nickel.	Swing dancing choreographed by Greg Martin.
Blood on the Saddle soloist: Russell Cripps	Magnificent Seven theme by Elmer Bernstein. Blood on the Saddle - anonymous.
Shania Songs (medley) Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? Man, I Feel Like a Woman	Music & lyrics by Robert John "Mutt" Lange & Shania Twain. Arranged by Greg Martin.	Choreography by Spencer Cripps.
Desperado soloist, Keith Sinclair	Music & lyrics by Glenn Frey & Don Henley. Arranged by Greg Martin.
Williams Lake Stampede	Music & lyrics by Alan Moberg. Arranged by Larry Nickel.
Field Behind the Plow	Music & lyrics by Stan Rogers. Arranged by Ron Smail.
Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma soloist: Russell Cripps	Music & lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein & Richard Rogers. Adapted & arranged by Ken Cormier.
The Farmer and the Cowman/Oklahoma from Oklahoma	Music & lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein & Richard Rogers. Adapted & arranged by Ken Cormier.	Choreographed by Kevin Fatkin.

Posted by bruce | Comments (3) | File in: performances | Permanent Link

Diane Loomer Receives Prestigious National Awards

May 24, 2010 | 3:13 PM

Chor Leoni is thrilled to announce that Diane Loomer, C.M., our beloved Artistic Director, received two prestigious awards from the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) this past weekend at PODIUM 2010: Experience the Harmony : L'harmonie, une expérience à vivre, held in Saskatoon from May 20 - 23.

Cypress Music (founded by Diane and Dick Loomer) was honoured to receive the Most Outstanding or Innovative Sponsorship Award (Prix de la Commandite la Plus Importante ou la Plus Innovatrice) for sponsoring the ACCC Choral Composition Competition for the last 15 years and for the publishing of Canadian Choral Music. (Note: Loomers have recently handed over Cypress Music to Larry Nickel, who will no doubt carry on with great skill and care).

As the 'grand finale' of the evening, Dick and Diane were called up again to receive the Distinguished Service Award (Contribution Exceptionnelle et Soutenue) for all the work they have done over the years towards promoting choral music in Canada.

Founded in 1980, the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) is Canada's only non-profit professional service organization for choral musicians and administrators. A national voice for over 600 conductors, 38,000 singers, as well as choral composers, publishers and administrators, the ACCC promotes its art form at all levels throughout Canada and supports and encourages the writing and performance of Canadian choral music.

Diane also conducted her EnChor choir at PODIUM and said:

"EnChor was the first 'seniors choir' to ever be invited to appear at Podium as a featured choir in the Spotlight Concert series. I think I can honestly say they sang an absolutely wonderful concert (as Wayne Riddle exclaimed "It
was beyond belief!"). We also gave a workshop to anyone interested in the hows, whys, and wherefores of EnChor. So many people came up to congratulate the choir - and many were inspired to go home and try to create
something similar in their own communities. Tovey was absolutely effusive with praise for the group. Needless to say, EnChor was riding high by the end of the week. I was so proud of them - they really went in and delivered with wonderful confidence and sensitive singing to a most discerning audience! And Ailsa Zaenker was a knockout as our accompanist.

With Elektra winning the Equal Voices (women's) and Cantata Singers winning the hotly-contested Contemporary Category, it was quite a weekend for Vancouver's choirs!"

The lions give a huge roar of congratulations to our fearless leader!

Posted by bruce | Comment (1) | File in: CL in the press, inside Chor Leoni | Permanent Link

An Inner Circle View

May 4, 2010 | 3:38 PM

Once a year, the Lions get to let their mane down, and trade their Palestrina, Poulenc and Perotin for Showtunes, Stan Rogers, and Shania. As part of the sworn-to-secrecy team that assembles the madness that is our annual romp in the tent, I can tell you that it isn't all feathers and fouettés.

As a construction engineer, I like to think about concert production in the context of constructing a new building. The pre-planning stage starts long before any ground is broken, or in this case, feathers are sewn. The plans are drawn up for the show by a dedicated, fascinated, (often well-lubricated) group for about a full year to put together the theme, program, and details. Some aspects of the work are 'subcontracted' to music arrangers, choreographers, costume designers, and stage managers.

By the time the spring concert is said and done, the project team has to have the full set of blueprints ready to hand over to the carpenters, plumbers, and electricians to get their hands dirty in the silliest music of the year. The 'dancers' of the choir attend extra rehearsals led by their foremen (choreographers) to learn the fancy footwork that gives the music that extra oomph. The 'seamstresses' of the choir stitch and bitch their way to a set of costumes that have included up to 4 costumes per chorister for a single concert and have run the gamut from Big Bird to Jar Jar Binks! We can't forget the music itself, the structure from which the rest of the show is built. Diane is supported by assistant conductors in the choir, accomplished accompanists and a rousing band to lay the foundation for the choir to present the equivalent of a stunningly crafted, architectural marvel!

As you can guess, we are well on our way to create a heel-stompin' concert for this year's Chor Leoni Country. While I am sworn to secrecy, as usual, I can say that we will take you down some country roads to famous rivers, stampedes, two Southern states, the range, and the sky above all on the back of a trusty steed (or cowboy - your choice!). Y'all get your tickets early, y'hear?

Spencer Cripps, baritone section leader

p.s. The Bard box office DOESN'T add service charges! Call now - 604.739.0559 - operators are standing by!

Chor Leoni Country

Monday, June 21 3 pm & 8 pm
Monday, June 28 3 pm & 8 pm
All tickets $35 General Admission
Bard box office: 604.739.1255

Posted by Spencer Cripps, baritone section leader | Comments (0) | File in: inside Chor Leoni, performances | Permanent Link

1st Annual "Curl Leoni" Classic

April 30, 2010 | 7:15 PM

With Chor Leoni Country fast approaching in June, choir members are wasting no time getting into character. Men are wearing cowboy boots to rehearsal, setting their iPods to repeat on Shania Twain, and last weekend, 40 choir members and friends participated in the much-loved prairie sport of curling.

The Curl Leoni Classic was an obvious choice for a team-building event, considering the many similarities between choral singing and curling. They both require immense focus and concentration, without which performance is greatly compromised. Diaphragmatic power is not only necessary for singing, but must be exploited in the curling rink as instructions are relayed to teammates, like “hurry”, or “hard”. As in part singing, it is imperative to listen to what’s going on around you, as skips yell out various instructions that must be isolated from other screams in the rink. The sense of timing and rhythm is essential from the moment a curler begins his delivery: the backswing, the leg-drive, and release together create the rhythmic complexity and beauty of a Chopin nocturne. The teamwork of a curling team is a mirror image of a classical choir, as the leader – the conductor or skip – informs many individual performances to build a single, cohesive strategy or interpretation. Both curling games and choral concerts evoke strong, varying emotions over time, culminating in a release of tension when it is all over.

Surely, these great similarities would mean great success for Chor Leoni curlers. Effortless slides, perfect draws, and angle-raise double-takeouts would have to be commonplace after all of our musical training, which surely would be transferable to curling.

Unfortunately, there is the important distinction that curling requires physical ability, or at the very least a motor skill or two. This hitch meant that diaphragms were mostly used for yelps of surprise as choir members fell on their rears. Deliveries were more analogous to The Rite of Spring as we awkwardly threw our stones. Listening was either non-existent, or players did not have “hurry”, “hard”, or “whoa” in their vocabularies. Diane called the event “a great equalizer in the choir,” probably her pleasant way of saying we were all terrible, each and every one of us.

But the event needed no professional displays to be a success. After nearly five hours of tournament curling, we were eager to do it again – and the 2nd annual Curl Leoni Classic is on the calendar for next year. And maybe after soaking up the prairie culture in our upcoming Chor Leoni Country concert in June, we’ll all turn into Olympic level curlers. After all, line dancing and curling have many similarities...

Posted by Kyle Harland, second tenor | Comments (0) | File in: inside Chor Leoni | Permanent Link

Rock 'n' choral

April 21, 2010 | 10:04 AM

I've been singing with the second tenor section in Chor Leoni since the fall of 2004, and have been playing cello and singing back-up with the band now known as Ten Suns since the spring of 2009.

At first glance a men's choir and a rock band don't seem to have much in common. Choirs perform in churches, bands play in bars. Choirs perform from scores, bands play by ear. Choirs perform music by long dead composers, bands play recent, modern music that is often original material.

Of course these are just generalizations, Chor Leoni has performed twice at the Vancouver Art Gallery's FUSE events and Ten Suns has played similar integrated art shows at The Chapel Arts and The Shadbolt Centre. Although most choral music is written out, there are times when the singers are able to improvise (or 'jam' in band jargon) such as in the wonderful piece Absalon by Jocelyn Morlock that we premiered at our recent Canadian Voices, or asked to 'interpret' shapes or images like in the music of R. Murray Schafer. As far as the band, yes there is a lot more freedom to improvise but quite often once a part is established it needs to be just as exact as if it were written out, and this could be as simple as the rhythm of a tambourine.

Yes choirs perform music by long dead composers, the choral tradition stretches back to the beginning of recorded history. That doesn't mean that choral music is not alive, modern and relevant. New works are being written all the time, and quite often by men within the choir itself. Rock music being not much more than half a century old doesn't mean that it is not informed by the centuries of music that came before it. Almost all the members of Ten Suns come from a classical music background.

Now there does seem to be a linguistic distinction that we make when we discuss choirs vs. bands. Choirs perform, bands play. Or further yet, choirs perform concerts, bands play gigs. On freedictionary.com it states "To perform is to carry out an action, undertaking, or procedure, often with great skill or care" whereas "(to play is) to occupy oneself in (a sport or diversion); amuse oneself in (a game)".

We often view choral music (and classical music in general) as being of a higher status, rock and pop music as frivolous diversion instead of culturally relevant, and this is reflected in the words we choose to talk about it. I can tell you that every time I step on stage with Ten Suns it is with the same level of concentration as with Chor Leoni (except I'm allowed to bring a beer) and anyone that doesn't think a choir can 'play' has not seen our Bard show!

Despite all these differences I've found that in both these groups the things that really matter are the same. A dedication to rehearsal and improvement, striving to reach excellence. A genuine eagerness to connect with our audience and create a community built around sharing the music we are passionate about. A love and trust for each other that is strengthened every time we do what we do.

Check out the Ten Suns website here, and here's their video. Ten Suns has an EP Release and Fundraiser coming up on April 30. More details are on Facebook, here.

Posted by Byron Hanson, 2nd tenor section leader, cellist, choir-boy, rocker | Comment (1) | File in: inside Chor Leoni | Permanent Link

Canadian Voices: An Invitation from Diane & Morna

April 2, 2010 | 10:45 AM

Oh, Canada! What a pleasure it is to prepare this country’s outstanding contemporary choral music for you, our audiences. Both Elektra and Chor Leoni have made it part of their mandate and regular fare to explore and celebrate the work of Canadian composers and arrangers.

In Canadian Voices we’ll wave the flag more ardently than ever in a co-production we’ve been anticipating for more than two years – even before our city went Furlong into its fabulous frenzy of national pride. As this program took shape, an astonishing 11 world premieres landed on the repertoire list. These pieces came to us in the mail or through reading sessions or as the result of formal commissions. Their creators and those whose works have been performed before will be with us on stage as part of the choirs (welcome Ken Cormier, Diane Loomer, Les Nerling, Kate Polsky, and Stephen Smith), or they may be sitting next to you in the audience (welcome Kathleen Allan, Kristopher Fulton, Marcus Goddard, Jocelyn Morlock, Larry Nickel, Ron Smail, and Shari Ulrich).

A surprising fact about this group – every one of them is still alive and creating music wherever they live (thank you Leonard Cohen, Bruce Coughlan, Leon Dubinsky, Jeff Enns, Chris Frye, Derek Healey, Guy Isabelle, Joni Mitchell, Sheldon Rose, Murray Schafer, Mark Sirett, and Ian Tyson).

So many reasons to celebrate… so little time… thank you to each and every one of you who support our choirs and composers financially… we couldn’t do this without our whole community. Come and enjoy as Chor Leoni and Elektra sing the musical richness of our land!

p.s. Click on the bird in the graphic to purchase tickets, and don't forget to wear your red and white!

Posted by bruce | Comment (1) | File in: co-productions, performances | Permanent Link

3 Hour Tour: What Could Go Wrong?

March 25, 2010 | 9:09 AM

William, Greg Martin, Kevin, and I headed out to Salt Spring Island this past weekend. Our illustrious conductor had said: “Come to Salt Spring and sing! It’ll be fun. A 3-hour tour.”

Obviously, since I was driving, I’d be “the Skipper” and Greg, well, just as obviously he was “the Professor”… but who would William and Kevin be channelling? Marianne? Ginger? Or as Greg so succinctly put it: “What mysterious riddle lies beneath the surface?” We all clambered on board the S.S. Minnow (my obliging Mazda) at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m. on a Saturday and headed off to Tsawwassen to board the ferry. We made it there 30 minutes early so we had all the time in the world to read up from the wonderful selection of literature on sale from B.C. Ferries concessions. Maybe it was the early hour, maybe it was the brilliant sunshine, but we seemed to get sillier and sillier while we waited.

Soon enough, we were on board the Spirit of British Columbia and weighed anchor. We docked at Fulford Harbour in a flash and rushed to our destination (ArtSpring Theatre in Ganges) for some well-deserved lunch. As the Skipper, I called on my crew to give me directions at the first turn in the road leaving Fulford Harbour.

“Go right”, Kevin said. “Trust me. I spent my summers here growing up.”

Looking in my rear-view mirror, the road behind us looked eerily empty. The road in front of us was just as empty, but who was I to argue with my navigator. So we drove. Up hill and down dale. Sheep. Empty fields. Empty roads. The occasional deserted house or barn. “Keep going right”, he said. “Look, there’s a sign for Ruckle Park – that’s right next to Ganges. Besides which, all the roads on Salt Spring lead to Ganges – it’s an island after all. How could we get lost?”

Then came the barricade at the end of the road.

We were obviously nowhere near Ganges. We were in a parking lot at the end of a road in a forest in a park. We were indeed lost. And what do 4 men do when they’re lost? Exactly. 2 of us got out our iPhones and searched for our current location. In moments, thanks to GPS, we knew where we were. At breakneck speed, and scaring the sheep, we rushed back across the island, and arrived at ArtSpring while there was still food. A delicious lunch, a quick run-through of the music on stage, a quick change and we were ON! The theatre was sold out and 240-some Salt Spring Islanders loved us – or at least were really polite and pretended that they did, really well. Just as quickly we changed back into civvies, threw everything into our suit bags and rushed to the ferry. THIS time, I followed other choir cars out of the parking lot to the ferry. By 9 p.m., the S. S. Minnow was tied up and rocking gently at its moorings. This Skipper was done.

Mark "Skipper" MacDonald is the section leader of Chor Leoni's first tenors.

p.s. For a view of some of the shenanigans that the lions can get up to when confined on a ferry,

check out this very unofficial CL video on YouTube!

Posted by Mark Macdonald, first tenor | Comments (2) | File in: tour diaries | Permanent Link

Absalon: Some Background

March 17, 2010 | 2:56 PM

Talk about a dysfunctional family! Although King David, who wrote the Psalms in the Scripture, was the ruler of Israel in its most glorious heyday, his family life was a disaster. Perhaps that is partly the result of his not knowing when to call a halt to the acquiring of new wives!

There often seemed to be friction among the children of various wives and this was certainly the case between David’s son Absalom and Amnon, the son of a different mother. The situation arose after Amnon raped Absalom’s sister, Tamar. Absalom had Amnon murdered and then went into hiding for three years.

David longed to have his son come home again so Absalom returned with his three sons and a daughter named after the sister who had been raped. Not quite reconciled to the bad boy of the family, David refused to see him for two more years but at last they seemed to mend their relationship and live at peace.

Absalom, however, was an ambitious young fellow, exceedingly handsome and charismatic. He was able to undermine his father’s authority and began raising a rebellion to take over the throne. David heard of the intended coup and deserted his palace, leaving behind ten of his younger wives to look after the homestead.

When Absalom made an entry into Jerusalem, the royal city, his father was gone, but he tried to establish his own power by putting up a tent on the palace roof and openly using it as a place to sleep with his father’s wives. One of his advisors told him to chase David at once and kill him if he really wanted security, but he ignored that advice in favour of amassing a huge army to make a clean sweep of taking over the kingdom. (The man whose advice was ignored went home and committed suicide.)

David, meanwhile, whipped his army into shape and appointed three leaders to defend his crown. His one specific bit of advice was, “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.” The two armies met in a forest and the battle raged all day. While Absalom was escaping from some of David’s men his donkey ran under a low-hanging branch and the handsome prince’s hair got caught in the tree. (He had only one haircut a year, and then only because three pounds of hair became too heavy to manage!)

One of David’s generals, Joab, found him dangling helplessly and stabbed him. Ten other men came and finished him off, throwing his body in a pit and covering it with stones. A messenger ran to King David to give him the news that his kingdom was now safe, but instead of rejoicing the bereaved father broke into tears and was inconsolable. Despite the family betrayal and bitterness, at heart David still loved his son. It is from this loving grief that we hear the cry that makes up Jocelyn Morlock’s composition. “O my son Absalom, my son Absalom. If only I could have died for you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” It is the expression of a broken heart, perhaps expressing not only love for a dead son but also the sorrow for years lost in feuding and violence. Political stability seemed like a poor trade for his own flesh and blood.

(The alternate spelling ‘Absalon’ is used in a motet for four low voices written about 1497, possibly by Josquin des Prez. The words for Absalon fili mi are the familiar wail for a beloved betrayer. “Absalom my son, what would I not give to die for thee, my son Absalom? May I live no longer, but descend into Hell, weeping.”)

Posted by Paul Birch, 2nd bass | Comments (0) | File in: background notes, new compositions | Permanent Link