Adventures in Listening

Last Saturday I attended my first opera. It was a performance of La Traviata at a local movie theater simulcast from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Though I write about jazz and rock most often, and listen to it most of the time, I am not a complete novice when it comes to opera. My experiences have been mostly brief encounters, however. Years ago I bought a light introduction to operatic music sub-titled “What’s All the Screaming About?” It came with a CD of highlights from the opera Carmen, with Maria Callas singing lead soprano. I confess I listen to it rather infrequently. So I went to La Traviata with a friend from church who is an opera fan and an astute listener. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience -the music and the human drama in the story. They sang about love, joy, longing, heartbreak, death, religion and the meaning of life.
Last month, while in Nashville for two meetings, I had a few hours to enjoy the area. That has not typically been the case when I have traveled to Nashville for meetings, between the meetings and the work I bring along, there is usually little time to take in the sights. With the time I had I walked to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was a fascinating visit. One discovery was that in 1949, Billboard magazine retitled one of its music charts, from “Hillbilly” to “Country and Western.” Before going to the museum, I was not a novice with country music either, though it has certainly played second fiddle (an apt metaphor) in my listening over the years. I have spent a fair amount of time with Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline and Lucinda Williams. Anyway, the visit inspired me to give some of my country music another listen.
So in the days after the opera I have been listening in the car to the Carter Family. They were country when it was still “hillbilly” music on the Billboard charts. In their music there are songs about love, joy, longing, heartbreak, death, religion and the meaning of life.
The voices could not be more different – Natalie Dessay and Matthew Polenzani, A.P. and Sara and Maybelle Carter. The instrumentation could not be more distinct – a full pit orchestra at the Met, guitars played with the Carter scratch. Yet in each musical form there is the human situation being expressed, the human voice striving for articulation.
It is good to hear the variety of ways the human voice has been given expression, the diverse musical cries of the heart.
Maybe these adventures in listening are wonderful preparation for the United Methodist General Conference to which I am headed.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David

Walk Away Renee

This has been a busy time, busy but good in many ways. Easter was wonderful – a lot of people and a lot of energy. I’ve mentioned one significant funeral during Lent. There have been others, including one of the wise elders at my church. Armas was the son of Finnish immigrants who became a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. At his funeral I discovered that his name means “beloved” in Finnish. “David” means “beloved” in Hebrew.
Besides all the activity at my church there has been the preparation for the United Methodist General Conference coming up later this month. There have been meetings and phone calls and e-mails. There has been reading and study.
So it is kind of nice that I came across some small bit of trivia that brought a smile. I was reading something about unrecorded Woody Guthrie songs being set to music by contemporary musicians. It began with Billy Bragg and Wilco. I was reading about Billy Bragg and there was mention of his recording of “Walk Away Renee.” I could hear the song in my head and began to wonder who performed the original version. Such a familiar song, I was sure I had it on my computer, or, if not, certainly on a CD. I went to my i tunes and did a search. “Walk Away Renee” was there, in the wonderful version by the Four Tops. While great, I knew this wasn’t the original. Who did that? A little internet search brought me the information – The Left Banke. I never knew that. I also discovered that the song was listed as number 222 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. A few clicks later “Walk Away Renee” is now on my computer and burned on a CD. It is a great song that should bring a smile, even if you’ve never heard it before.
Small joys are always welcome.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David

The Left Banke, "Walk Away Renee"

Unintentional Lent

Lent 2012 is winding down as we enter Holy Week. The time has gone quickly, in part because it has been a busy few weeks – a trip to Nashville for the United Methodist Committee on Faith and Order followed immediately by the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Our Minnesota delegation to the United Methodist General Conference has met twice. There have also been funerals. One of the funerals brought an unintentional discipline into my life this Lent.

We Shake with Joy Mary Oliver, Evidence

We shake with joy, we shake with grief.
What a time they have, these two
housed as they are in the same body.

I read this poem as a part of my reflection for the funeral of a little girl named Lucy June, born December 13, 2011 and died February 28, 2012. The poem helped me frame some of what I was experiencing as I thought about this little girl whose brief life touched mine and many others. I hoped it might help others frame their experience as well. We shake with joy. We shake with grief.
Lent is supposed to be a time when we remember our humanity and our mortality. We will all shake with grief sometime. Lent is supposed to be a time to recall the grace of God which touches our lives – we shake with joy, the joy of new life, however brief, and love shared. What a time they have, these two, housed as they are in the same body. My body. Your body.
This poem pressed itself upon me. It persisted in my consciousness. It would not let me go until I memorized it – unintentional Lenten discipline. When these disciplines work well, they give us resources for living life more deeply in God’s grace, which has been a gift of this poem.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David