Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Christopher Ryan Leggett - Concert Program

The final Bach's Lunch recital of the Fall 2007 Semester featured Christopher Ryan Leggett, a senior Organ Performance major at UNC Chapel Hill, studying with Dr. Susan Moeser. He is also the Assistant Organist at University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, NC. He gave a wonderful recital, and is yet another young organist who I'm sure will be making his mark in this area and beyond in the future.

With that, here is his program:

J. S. Bach: Three settings of Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (BWV 662, 663, 664)

César Franck: Chorale No. 3 in a minor

Monday, November 19, 2007

Ellen Williams and Tim Sparks - Concert Program

Mezzo-soprano Ellen Williams and tenor Tim Sparks gave a wonderful program yesterday afternoon at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra under the baton of Scott Tilley, Williams and Sparks presented the Schönberg orchestration of Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Six poems from Die Chinesische Flöte (The Chinese Flute, tr. Hans Bethge) were set to music. These poems were imbued with a sense of nature: a certain, almost imperceptible uneasiness developed into a resigned acceptance of man's mortan condition, finding consolation in the intimate contact with nature. Mahler made a personal connection to these pieces, thanks to his ailing health. Mahler completed this work in 1909, two years before his death.

Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
  • Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of the Sorrow of the Earth)
  • Der Einsame im Herbst (The Lonely One in Autumn)
  • Von der Jugend (Of Youth)
  • Von der Schönheit (Of Beauty)
  • Der Trunkene im Früling (The Drunkard in Spring)
  • Der Abschied (The Farewell)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

A Cheese Plate

It's fallen to me to create a Cheese Plate for a post-recital reception for tomorrow as the person who usually does this is out of town this weekend. After having done a bit of research on how to put one together, I decided on the following 5 cheeses. Let me know what you think.

Champagne-flavoured aged cheddar cheese
Soft, unripened goat cheese topped with roasted red pepper jelly
Brie, stuffed with cranberry and walnut (will be heated shortly before serving)
Manchego
Borough Market Stilton

I've heard the following rule of thumb works for putting together a cheese plate:

Something old
Something new
Something goat
Something blue

Well, at least I got 3 of the 4 ... not sure just how new the brie is; the manchego has 8 months on the label.

I will be arranging the cheese plate with green and black grapes, and will have a good amount of crackers nearby. Someone else is bringing the wines; I heard a chardonnay and something red, maybe a Shiraz or something similar.

At least I learnt something new today. I've never put together a cheese plate before, and I had fun poking around Whole Foods, looking for the cheeses for this plate.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Catholic Carnival 145

Catholic Carnival 145 is up and running at Adam's Ale. Fr. Valencheck does a wonderful job of summing up all the posts he's received.

I've discerned that these Carnivals can only be as good as the entries you bring to the party. Please feel free to submit your thoughts to future Carnivals. A handy-dandy form may be found by clicking here. In addition, a list of past and future Carnivals may be obtained by clicking here.

Laurie Ryan - Concert Program

The fourth Bach's Lunch recital of the Fall 2007 Semester featured Laurie Ryan, Minister of Music at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington, NC. She gave this recital on the Dobson organ in the Antebellum Chapel.

Here is her program:


  • Felix Mendelssohn: Fantasia und Fuge
  • Samuel Scheidt: Cantico Belgica: Ach du Feiner Reuter, Theme and Variations
  • Johann Jakob Froberger:
    • Toccata VII
    • Ricercare V
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, BWV 656

Monday, November 12, 2007

Pope Benedict to visit US in 2008


I just noticed this on the AP newswires. Pope Benedict XVI will visit the US in April, 2008. According to Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Pope will visit the White House, ground zero and speak at the United Nations. He will be in New York and Washington, DC over a 5-day period in mid-April.

Click here for more information.

David Arcus - Concert Program

Yesterday, as part of Duke Chapel's organ recital series, Duke Chapel's own David Arcus performed on the Flentrop (Benjamin N. Duke Memorial) Organ. As usual, David gave a brilliant recital. Again, I came in a little late, and ended up missing the first three pieces, thanks to playing an afternoon service.

Here is his program. He did an all-Buxtehude recital, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Buxtehude's death.

  • Toccata in F Major, BuxWV 156
  • Ein fest Burg ist unser Gott, BuxWV 184
  • Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, BuxWV 221
  • Auf meinen lieben Gott, BuxWV 179
    • Allemande
    • Double
    • Courante
    • Sarabande
    • Gigue
  • Te Deum laudamus, BuxWV 218
    • Præludium
    • Te Deum laudamus
    • Pleni sunt coeli et terra
    • Te martyrum
    • Tu devicto
  • Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist, BuxWV 208
  • Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein, BuxWV 210
  • Ach Gott und Herr (Two Verses), BuxWV 177
  • Magnificat Primi Toni, BuxWV 203
  • Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BuxWV 223
  • Toccata in d minor, BuxWV 155

Thursday, November 8, 2007

A nice All Saints/All Souls Reflection

Admittedly, I wish I saw this early enough so that I could have incorporated this in my Catholic Carnival post. This comes from Fr. Stephen Cuyos, MSC. Fr. Stephen gives a nice historical background to both All Saints' and All Souls' Day, and encourages us to "remember the dead, the people of our precious, personal past in prayer." He continues, "We pray to the saints while we pray for the departed. Prayer is our strongest link to each other wherever we may be."

Beautifully stated, Fr. Stephen.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Organ Hero I

I'll have to admit this is not an original post, but one that I felt I had to share! The Curt Jester is reporting on the latest craze to hit Praystation 3. Check out Organ Hero I - a game where you can pretend to be a church organist, put your fingers to the keyboard and produce awesome church-filling organ music.

Try it, you might like it! :)

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Reasons why All Saint's Day in the Philippines is better than Thanksgiving in the US

Just for fun, here is a Top Ten List. As alluded to in my Catholic Carnival post, I present the Top Ten Reasons why All Saint's Day in the Philippines is better than Thanksgiving in the US. Note that this is a bit dated because of the reference to Erap (former President Joseph Estrada).

This was originally posted at Synthesis Online's Top Ten Archives. (Note: Synthesis Online is the official website of the Ateneo Chemical Society.)

10. You're not obliged to serve turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie to your family and they can't complain if you just hand them out kornik and kropek.
9. You get to hang out in the cemetery.
8. There's no football here so you won't miss anything if you go to the cemetery.
7. Family reunions--deceased members included.
6. You think you're in Lollapalooza when you reach the cemetery except that instead of rock and roll, you hear cheesy, bakya music, Britney Spears, the current hits remade into dance tunes or some drunk man singing off-key to a karaoke song.
5. Collecting candle drops so you can either sell them or use them to wax your floor.
4. We have none of that "I'm so thankful for yada-yada-yada" stuff those Americans are so full of; heck Erap's already a handful.
3. You get to hit on girls/guys in the cemetery and people won't think you're some sort of sick weirdo.
2. You've always wanted to have a picnic in an exotic place, well here's your chance; the local memorial park's waiting for you.
1. You don't have to be actually thankful for anything.

Catholic Carnival 144

Welcome to Catholic Carnival 144! This is my first time hosting the Catholic Carnival.

Considering how close to All Saints/All Souls Day we are, I decided to do a Saints-Themed Carnival. Before I introduce you to the other bloggers who have submitted their entries, I would like to share with you the way Filipinos celebrate All Saints Day.

On November 1, Filipinos observe All Saints' Day (Araw ng mga Patay). During this time, Filipinos remember the dead by visiting the cemeteries, cleaning the graves of their deceased loved ones, and decorate them with flowers. It is a somber occasion, but also a joyous time, full of merry-making and laughter, as a way to honour those who have gone before us. If Filipinos schedule family reunions, All Saints Day is generally the day for that as it truly is a reunion of family, both living and dead. Families gather together, share food, stories, and games. It's kind of like a big picnic at the cemetery. I've not personally experienced this, but my cousins have sent me photos of celebrations and picnics at the gravesites of my grandparents, and they'll spend the whole day there.

There is an interesting Top Ten List explaining why celebrating All Saint's Day in the Philippines is better than celebrating Thanksgiving in the U.S., but I will save that for another post.

Let the Carnival begin!

First stop: All Saints/All Souls Reflections.

Elena at My Domestic Church writes about the Annual Cemetery Mass that takes place in her diocese. On the first Sunday of the month, Mass is said among the graves for a real celebration of life and resurrection. She also gives some other traditions associated with All Souls’ Day celebrations.

In her All Saints reflection, Jean at Catholic Fire lists ten things saints have in common.

Finally, Seth at CatholicLand! makes the following request of his readers: he would like to know some good book recommendations on Purgatory.

Second stop: Reflections on the First Reading from the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday 4 November).

Both Christine at Domestic Vocation and Heidi at Streams of Mercy give their reflections based on the first reading from Ordinary 31 (Wis 11:22 – 12:2). Christine's reflections are here, while Heidi's reflections are here.

Third stop: Reflections on other lines from the Bible or Prayers/Praying.

Joe at Ho Kai Paulos writes a reflection based on the line, “the meek shall inherit the earth” (Matt 5:3-10; Ps 36:11).

Amanda at Pajama Mommy gives her reflection on the Serenity Prayer. She analyzes this prayer, line by line.

Finally, Red Neck Woman at Postscripts from the Catholic Spitfire Grill shares her response to someone’s questioning why she, or anyone else, should pray for Jesus. She states that she “prays for Him, as well as thank Him and praise Him for each terrible step He took, for enduring the scourging, for enduring the mocking and the shame, for the pain, and the horror of bearing [all our] sins.” Beautifully stated.

Fourth stop: Reflections on Children and Parenting, and Life in General.

This week's blog entries yielded some very nice stories and vignettes.

First up: Kate submitted a very beautiful post: she has no regrets about having children, unlike a French mother of two children who wrote a book explaining why she regrets having had children. To all the mothers out there, this is worth the read.

Heidi’s second submission is a follow-up on her 40 reasons to adopt that is targeted specifically at those interested in foster parenting.

Matthew’s brief post is a cute vignette on the priceless things that kids say. This involves a bookshelf, books, and eight-year old girl, and her eleven-month old sister. This should bring a smile to your face.

Finally, Melissa at A Third Way relates the story of the lessons she learns from her front steps while she’s praying the Rosary. It’s a beautiful story of how important it is to be there for your friends.

Fifth stop: Reflections on Parish Life, including Faith Formation, Liturgy, and Worship.

Denise at Catholic Mom explores the effects a parish school has on the overall religious education of a parish, and discusses whether or not it is an asset to the parish, or does it drain the parish of resources as related to the faith formation program of the parish as a whole.

In the meantime, Brian at Christus Vincit – the BLOG! echoes the sentiments of many a Catholic Music Director as he questions why it is that English speaking Masses get the short end of the stick when it comes to liturgy and music. My friends who have attended Mass in various churches in Europe relate similar stories to me, how the French, German, Italian liturgies and music lend themselves to a sacred environment during the Mass, whereas the English liturgies and music do not. Apparently, Americans aren’t the only ones afflicted with this problem.

Sixth and Seventh stops: Miscellaneous Reflections.

Okay, so I like the number seven. The last four entries range from the political to the satirical.

C. E. H. Wiedel at Kicking Over My Traces believes there is a legitimate question as to whether Mormons can be considered Christians in the orthodox sense. She quotes Fr. John Neuhaus in trying to answer this question. She then brings the argument that perhaps the question ought to be, can a Mormon effectively govern the United States? This will be a question that will be asked over the course of the next year as Americans prepare to choose the next President next November 2008.

Jay at Living Catholicism explores the new movie, The Golden Compass, which is the first book from the His Dark Materials trilogy, written by Phillip Pullman. He discusses, with citations, the anti-Christian themes that comprise this book and the series in general.

James at WORDS – A Prophecy Fulfilled writes on the difference between Truth and Lies. Money quote: “There is no reward for a lie that one can obtain that is forever: no not one reward. The reward for becoming Truthful and the image of our Lord and Saviour, although not always manifested for earthen eyes or ears, is always eternal!”

Finally, last, but not least, The Therapy Doc at Everyone Needs Therapy gives a lighthearted account of two angels and The Old Mighty arguing about giving humans the gift of speech, among other things.

Thanks to those who submitted their entries for this week's Carnival! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have in writing this!

I've discerned that these Carnivals can only be as good as the entries you bring to the party. Please feel free to submit your thoughts to future Carnivals. A handy-dandy form may be found by clicking here.

Until next time, I remain
Yours faithfully,

Lyn F.

Josh Dumbleton - Concert Program

The third Bach's Lunch recital of the Fall 2007 Semester featured Josh Dumbleton, recently appointed Organist/Associate Director of Music at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC. He gave a wonderful recital, and it featured a piece that, to Van Quinn's knowledge, has never been played on the Kleuker until now. Josh is a wonderful organist, and I'm sure he will be making his mark in this area and beyond in the future.

With that, here is his program:


Prelude in C Major, BWV 547 - Johann Sebastian Bach

Two Settings on the Chorale In dir ist Freude ("In Thee is Gladness")
  • Prelude on "In Thee is Gladness" - Dale Wood
  • Afro-Cuban - Johannes Matthias Michel
Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue - Healey Willan

Monday, November 5, 2007

Thomas Brown - Concert Program

Yesterday, Thomas Brown of University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill gave a nice program titled "300 Years of Music from Paris: An Evening of French Organ Favorites." Amazingly enough, he gave the entire program from memory.

Here is his program:

François Couperin: Four movements from Messe pour les Paroisses
  • Plein chant du premier Kyrie, en Taille
  • Fugue sur les jeux d'anches
  • Tierce en Taille
  • Offertoire sur les Grands jeux
Eugène Gigout: Scherzo (from Dix Pièces)

Charles-Marie Widor: Andante sostenuto (from Symphonie Gothique, Op. 70)

Marcel Dupré: Variations sur un Noël, Op. 20
  • Noël Nouvelet - Moderato
  • Larghetto
  • Poco animato
  • Cantabile - Canon à l'octave
  • Vif
  • Vivace
  • Plus modéré - Canon à la quarte et à la quinte
  • Vivace
  • Cantabile - Canon à la seconde
  • Animé
  • Fugato - Non troppo vivace; Presto
Louis Vierne: Impromptu (from Pièces de Fantaisie, Op. 54)

Maurice Duruflé: Toccata (from Suite, Op. 5)

Saturday, November 3, 2007

4 November - Ordinary 31

I'm cantoring the 7.45 am Mass tomorrow morning. Here is the music list:

November 4: Ordinary 31 (Sun. 7.45 am)

Gloria: Andrews
Alleluia: Hughes
Sanctus, Mem. Accl., Amen, Agnus Dei: MOL

Pro: 646 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (KINGSFOLD)
Psalm: 137 Ps 145 (Haas)
Off: 625
Where Charity and Love Prevail (CHRISTIAN LOVE)
Comm: 840 Shepherd of Souls (ST. AGNES)
Re: 714 God, Whose Purpose Is to Kindle (HYMN TO JOY)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Catholic Carnivals!!!

Catholic Carnival 143 is up and running at The Scratching Post. My contribution was YouTube for Catholics (h/t Fr. Stephen Cuyos).

In other Catholic Carnival news, I'll be hosting #144, and it will be my first time doing so. Considering how close to All Saints/All Souls we are, it might be interesting to do a Saints-inspired Carnival. Just a thought, of course. It's all dependent on what submissions I receive. Please feel free to give your submission. A handy-dandy form may be found by clicking here.

I'm looking forward to it!

Happy and Blessed Saints Day to All!