Washington National Cathedral Gears Up For Easter Celebrations

Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral has just broadcast online a wonderful Good Friday Service that must have been a three-hour-long marathon for the participants! Included in the webcast are Sermons, in the leaflet called Meditations or Homilies, by the Very Rev. Alan Jones, Cathedral Vicar Jan Naylor Cope, and Cathedral Dean Samuel T.  Lloyd III. 

The always perfect organ music of Organist Scott Dettra permeated the entire service of Devotions. Presided over by The Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, the Bishop of Washington, Gospellers and Ministers, the lengthy official afternoon of worship included singing by choirs led by Canon Michael McCarthy, singing soloists, music by a cellist, and special readings at the front of the Cathedral. 

The current 2011 Lenten season has been enriched at the Cathedral with Meditations available online. As well as today's long service and others held at the Cathedral, last night's Maundy Thursday was the occasion of a special evening service. Easter Services are planned for Saturday evening and Sunday, and will be broadcast live online. Throughout this Easter Holiday, the Cathedral has kept to a busy schedule and has generously made these services available online. The gentle, mellifluous voice of Dean Lloyd made it clear during a previous service that while passes are handed out for well-attended, super-important services on Easter Day, some seats might still be available to those wishing to attend in person.

Please give generously to the Washington National Cathedral. Donations can be taken online at the Cathedral website. 

A List of My All-Time Favorite Hymns

Today's service at Washington D.C.'s National Cathedral online was excellent. Lent will begin very soon, and this week was all about how to stop worrying. Stress relief is always a popular "quality of life" topic.

The sermon by The Rev. Jan Naylor Cope, who has incidentally earlier been a Deputy Director in the White House, and President of an executive search firm, had the excellent idea that "you can't be generous and grateful and greedy all at the same time." What a wonderful "theme of the week."

One suggestion by Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III is to take ten minutes to read the text from Matthew  6: 24-34 (below) every day and think about it, and it will help our worries disappear completely, even sleep problems. Great idea! Read it and believe it!

Here's the text:

Matthew 6:24–34
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve God and wealth.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

As promised almost a year ago, I've finally listed my favorite hymns of all time. They strengthen us Christians and give us hope when we hear them. To me they are an essential part of a satisfying religious service...love organ music. As with all hymns, the version, the occasion, and how well they are sung are all-important.

1. Hyfrydol - Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
2. Cwm Rhondda - Guide Me, O Thou Redeemer
3.  Praise Ye The Lord, the Almighty
4. Lauda Anima - Praise My Soul the King of Heaven
5. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
6. Be Thou My Vision
7. Abide With Me
8. All My Hope on God is Founded
9. Come Ye Thankful People
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
11. Greensleeves - What Child is This?
12. Christ the Lord is Risen Today
13. Amazing Grace
14. God is Our Refuge and Our Strength
15. Lasst Uns Erfreuen - All Creatures of Our God and King
16. Thine Be the Glory
17. This is my Father's World
18. Repton - Dear Lord and Father of Mankind 
19. Silent Night 
20. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 
21. Joy to the World 
22. O Come All Ye Faithful 
23. O Come, O Come, Emanuel
24. Wareham  - O Wondrous Sight
25.  All Glory, Laud and Honor
26. For the Beauty of the Earth 
27. Holy Father, Great Creator 
28. Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
29. Rockingham Old - When I survey the Wondrous Cross
30. We Gather Together
31. My Song is Love Unknown (updated 4.22.11) 
32. Jesus Christ is Risen Today (updated 4.23.11)
33.  The Strife is O'er, The Battle Done (updated 4.23.11)
34. O Praise Ye the Lord, Laudate Dominum (updated 5.1.11)
35. St. Magnus: The Head That Once Was Crowned With Thorns (updated 6.5.11)
36. Richmond: Awake, Arise, Lift Up Your Voice (updated 6.5.11)
37. Jesus Shall Reign Where'er The Sun (updated 8.14.11)

They are so beautiful. I have many, many more, but that is a list of my top favorites. My preference is definitely for very old hymns. These are not in any particular order. (Next, the CD?!...just kidding.) A quick way to get the tunes is to link, for example, to the website, cyberhymnal.org, and openhymnal.org (I recommend the mp3 version). I'm sure to have missed more. Which of your favorite hymns have I missed?

Lang Lang Excels at Rimsky-Korsakov----April, 2010 San Francisco

This video shows Lang Lang unexpectedly demonstrating the Flight of the Bumblebee on an iPad.


courtesy:charissalui

From the Emmy Award Show:

Here's a clip that made me smile. Well worth watching, this video from the Emmy Award Show last night gets better after the start with terrific singing, dancing and acting.

Help a Friend - "7 Simple Ways to be Happier": Health.com

Seven suggestions collected from an article in Health magazine should help you and your friends be happier and healthier. First letters are arranged to spell cap:
______________________________________________________
1) Sing and Dance - literally
2) Practice Being Happy - through states of mind such as generosity, kindness and gratitude
3) Exercise - physical activity tends to lift spirits
4) Live in the Moment  and Find Joy - make yourself feel better now
5) Lighten Up - smile, laugh, relax
6) Clear your mind. Take up prayer and meditation if you haven't already
7) Add Positivity not negativity to your life. Friends should be Positive. Surround yourself with loyal supporters, not people who consistently bring you down
 _____________________________________________________

A Beautiful American Concerto: "American Coastlines"

"American Coastlines: Concerto for Piano, Orchestra and Choir" would make beautiful background music for a movie.

It is rare indeed to find such beautiful music born and bred in the United States by an American composer. Reminiscent of the music of some of the greatest and most ambitious American movies past and present, these songs on the piano are clearly discernible and majestic. The added overlay of the orchestra adds fullness and richness of texture. The entire performance is marvelously imaginative and innovative, truly an American masterpiece of which to be proud.



It is rare indeed to find such beautiful music born and bred in the United States by an American composer.  Reminiscent of the music of some of the greatest and most ambitious American movies past and present, these songs on the piano are clearly discernible and majestic. The added overlay of the orchestra adds fullness and richness of texture. The entire performance is marvelously imaginative and innovative, truly an American masterpiece of which to be proud.

Haunting and mellifluous melodies interweave with background music of an orchestra and choir composed and conducted by Tim Keyes, with piano music by Darlene Popkey. This stunning performance was recorded live at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, New Jersey in four movements.

1. Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey: July

2. Long Boat Key, Florida: October

3. Galveston Island, Texas: January

4. Big Sur, California: April

Darlene Popkey, for whom the concerto was written, has enjoyed numerous international  musical awards and honors. Darlene has played with the Tim Keyes Consort such masterpieces as Dvorak's Symphony no. 9 (From the New World) and Saint Saens Symphony no. 3 as well as other new symphonic compositions.  In this 79 minute-long concerto called "American Coastlines" musical notes blend and continuously melt into each other. Dignified, memorable melodies take after Chopin and Rachmaninoff and show off her command of glissando. Darlene's schedule continues with live virtuoso solo and orchestral musical performances.

Tim Keyes is a New-Jersey-based composer, conductor and director of his eponymous orchestra of instrumentalists from Central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

It is really quite extraordinary and refreshingly reassuring to be able to hear soothing and majestic new American compositions.

It's wonderful to play on the computer or in the car. This would also make wonderful music for ecclesiastical settings, school plays and would be a terrific present to buy as a gift. Everyone would love it. It is available from Amazon and iTunes.

Here is video link to a description of the CD on Youtube.

Darlene Popkey has an audio CD called "Small Town" also available at Amazon.