Sorrowful: The Pathos Is Palpable

I find it highly appropriate when it rains on Good Friday as it did today. It feels like the Father weeping at the death of his dearly beloved Son.

When I go to the Church on this day and see the tabernacle open and empty, and the light of the Presence gone out, I feel the agony of being without Christ.

The pathos is palpable.

Here is a haunting rendition of the Sorrowful Mysteries by Point 5 Covenant, expertly interleaved with scenes from The Passion of the Christ.  Watch if you can.



Sorrowful
(J. Caderao, K. Werking)
Beat Production by Moses The Black

The 1st Sorrowful Mystery:
The Agony in the Garden


As I venture toward the blessed Lord
He’s torn, mourning,
Praying to see morning
Without the death at dawn
He’s weeping, pleading “Not Me!”
Soon Saints dreaming and sleeping
He’s asking for passing,
Of Life Everlasting,
He knew this time would come
Here comes Judas
Who’s this? It’s the scariest sight to God
Lucifer Himself leads Iscariot’s entourage
All these flaws involved revolve
Around Christ’s life, tonight
The fight, the sight,
The sound of a kiss
To dismiss, assist the Roman fist
He’s the one kissed, the Prince
Of pure innocence, my God…

Chorus:
My God, all Glory to Thee
Father, Son, and Spirit
All Glory to Thee
As it was, is now
And ever shall be
My God, All Glory to Thee

The 2nd Sorrowful Mystery:
The Scourging at the Pillar


They mocked Him and flogged him
And suffering dropped Him
To his knees, and reasoning won’t stop them
The pain starts now, and they wonder how
Any man can withstand the beatings He’s found,
And the loud rings,
The crowds scream seem silent
To the shrieks of white lamb
Caught in the violence
“Stop!” is the cry from the tear that drips down
The tear that rips down the cheek of His Mother
And she watches in fear as her son gets scourged
All the countless wounds and crowd wants more
And they get it
They beat and beat and repeat
And the bleeding won’t stop
And the bleeding won’t cease, My God…

Chorus

The 3rd Sorrowful Mystery:
The Crowning of the Thorns

Unconscious and lifeless,
His body tries to fight this
Despite this, the Romans
Take hold of Him and entice Him
And they recite Him,
Cruel curses and verse the first sin honestly
There’s no end to this mockery
They strip Him down,
Dress Him up as their puppet
They, curse and spit out the view of the public
They, fashion it, a crown fit for a king
They’re advocating racial hating
And the pain that it brings
So sing, songs of sorrow
From the sorrow heart of Mariam
It’s scary that the very God
Had thorns crushed in his cranium
It’s her son, the first One, in verse one
That was crowned for our sins till Kingdom come
My God…

Chorus

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery:
The Carrying of the Cross

Battered and broken, these cowards have chosen
To force Him to carry
The cross that will choke Him
Two wooden beams never dreamed
That they’d be
The scene for the final sacrifice of the King
And He starts up the hill,
Cursed at by the soldiers
Body getting’ colder, cross making him older
Cross breaking His shoulder
tearing right to the bone
Needing light,
Cause tonight the cross will be His home
But He’s not alone,
His mother’s right by His side
As their hearts reunite
And their sufferings collide
Suffering inside,
He presses on toward the prize
Three nails in His body and a sword in His side
My God…

Chorus

The Fifth and Final Sorrowful Mystery:
The Crucifixion

Now the time has come, the Righteous One
Cries wrung from the lungs of the rising son
Some couldn’t bear to watch
As the nails caught flesh ripped
Locked to the Cross
Cross raised up with the weight of the world
Fate of the world slate
Laid patiently still and spill
Another drop of the Blood, unlocking the Cov
Of the New, unleashing the love
Love, love of the One King, hung He
From the one tree setting us free, and we
We nailed Him to His death, took His last breath
Passionate acts for the masses
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust
Let this dust settle down as my soul erupts
But let my soul go up
Just a soul in love
And I will bow down in Mercy
As He holds the Cup

Chorus

http://www.point5covenant.com/

Constantine: The Music Video

What do you get when you combine history, saints, and bad 80's music? A good chuckle.

Must Be Love

We just went to Blynken's first ever band concert where she played the flute. Altogether, it was wonderfully terrible.

I can't wait for the next one.

On Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously

Victor Borge was one seriously funny man, but he didn't take himself too seriously. A happy lesson for us all.

All About The Pentiums

For all you computer guys out there. This guy makes me laugh.

MashetiMoses Revelation Song

Produced by SpiritJuice Studios, of course.

80s Flashback Of The Day

There's only one way to get rid of bad 80's music in your head ... post it online to spread the infection.

For a week I've had Young MC's Bust A Move going on endless loop in my head. So for all you faithful readers out there - sorry.

You're on a mission
And you're wishin'
Someone could cure your lonely condition
Lookin' for love in all the wrong places
No fine girls just ugly faces

Jimmy Eat World: Local Connection

Put this down in the It's-a-small-world or six-degrees-of-separation category.

I went for a lesson at my voice teacher's house for my cousin's upcoming wedding. Her daughter is the model on the cover of the new Jimmy Eat World: Invented music CD. Apparently there are more photos of her on the inside, but you'll have to buy the album to see it.

New release date is  9/28/2010.

Here We Go Again

So we got through my sister's wedding, we sang our song, people were laughing and crying (whether it was our singing we're not sure). But hey, Mom and Sis were happy so who cares?

Yes, I've seen the recording and no, I'm not posting it anywhere. Despite assurances to the contrary, some things are better remembered than revisited. Hey, I'm glad you liked it, just let me fade back into the chorus where I belong.

Alas, not so. Now my cousin is getting married next week and I'll be singing a duet with my brother. Heck, all I have to do is get through The Gift of Love by Hal Hopson and it'll be fine. (It's just that I don't count well, especially when I'm nervous.) It's not like I'm singing the Ave Maria like some people.  I had a taste of public singing back in my high school musical days and that's enough. I can perform if I have to, but other people like my brother got the whole ham bone - they actually revel in it.

I meant to say no, but my cousin is too sweet, an only child, and well, we're family. I should have done it by email, but nooooo, I had to talk to her in person. Too late!

Now I have to learn a new piece by Saturday. A-one and a-two and a - drat! start again ...

Dona Nobis Pacem: Give Us A Break

I must really love my sister.

Not only are we going out of town for her "destination" wedding (she lives locally), incurring the expense of transporting 7 people, blah, blah, blah, but also now I'm singing at the wedding?! I haven't sung in front of people for more than ten years now, except in church.

Fortunately, I'm not alone. My father and one of my brothers are also roped into this shin-dig. All I have to do is sing this simple little round of Dona Nobis Pacem. It's - what - two minutes of my life? How can something so simple take up such a large part of my time and energy? It's nervous energy to be sure.


We're practicing, going to a vocal coach for a few crash course lessons, and working on "blending". Right now, I'll settle for hitting all the notes right. We're doing it a capella, so it's just us and a sheet of music. We're making progress - we went from awful to halfway decent. There's still a week or so to improve a bit more.

I warned her that it might not sound all that good. She says she just wants us to sing as a gift of thoughtfulness rather than ability. OK, Sis, hope you really, really appreciate this, 'cause that's what you're getting. I must be awesome in the thoughtfulness department.

Sigh. Family.

PDQ Bach: Beethoven's 5th

Sticking with our theme, here is a very funny "sportscast" of Beethoven's 5th symphony from Peter Schickele, a.k.a., PDQ Bach.

This is a"listening" gag, so no pretty pictures (except the one). Stick with it though, this is comedy gold!

Dear Dorothy

More good tunes from Spirit Juice and Catholic Underground.

Enjoy this from Greg Walton.

April 09, 2010 — Greg Walton gave an incredible performance at Catholic Underground Chicago of his classic hit "Dear Dorothy". Greg performed that night as two man group with drummer Bill Bleistine. http://gregwalton.com

Peel Me A Grape

Some days are tougher than others; at the end of the day you just want something easy. Time to decompress.

I'm getting hungry -- peel me a grape.



Peel me a grape crush me some ice
Skin me a peach save the fuzz for my pillow
Talk to me nice talk to me nice
You've got to wine and dine me

Don't try to fool me bejewel me
Either amuse me or lose me
I'm getting hungry peel me a grape

Pop me a cork french me a fry
Crack me a nut bring a bowl full of bon-bons
Chill me some wine keep standing by
Just entertain me champagne me
Show me you love me kid glove me
Best way to cheer me cashmere me
I'm getting hungry peel me grape

Here's how to be an agreeable chap
Love me and leave me in luxury's lap
Hop when I holler skip when I snap
When I say 'do it' jump to it

Send out for scotch call me a cab
Cut me a rose make my tea with the petals
Just hang around pick up the tab
Never out think me just mink me
Polar bear rug me don't bug me
New thunderbird me you heard me
I'm getting hungry peel me a grape

Quasimodo Sunday

Any party that lasts for 8 days must be a fairly big deal.

The practice of observing an eight day period, or octave, of celebration for major liturgical feasts has its roots in the Feast of Tabernacles in the Old Testament (Leviticus 23:36) and with Constantine I circa 300 A.D with the dedication festivities of the basilicas at Jerusalem and Tyre.

There have been many octaves celebrated in the Catholic Church, but since the 1955 decree by Pope Pius XII the Roman calendar only observes 3: Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

[Wikipedia] The term Octave of Easter may refer either to the eight day period (Octave) from Easter Sunday until the Sunday following Easter, inclusive; or it may refer only to that Sunday after Easter, the Octave Day of Easter (sometimes known as Low Sunday). That Sunday is also known historically as St. Thomas Sunday , [Divine Mercy Sunday], and Quasimodo Sunday.

The name Quasimodo came from the Latin text of the traditional Introit for this day, which begins "Quasi modo geniti infantes..." ("As newborn babies...", from the First Epistle of Peter (I_Peter 2:2). ^[1] Literally, quasi modo means "as if in [this] manner".

(And yes, the Hunchback of Notre Dame takes his name from this day.)


The Global Chant Database lists several other arrangements for the Introit for Quasimodo Sunday.

The full Introit line is translated, "[L]ike newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation."

Can't Stop The Jingle

My alternate career would have been as a commercial focus group tester. I don't have a degree in Media or Marketing. I know nothing about Business or Economics. I don't even watch much television as a rule, because I am highly impressionable. What I do have is an uncanny inability to forget a truly obnoxious jingle.

The most annoying commercial from back in the day is one for the Purdue Oven Stuffer Roaster: Pick, pick, pick. I still hate it -- but it's hard to forget the jingle.



The original Outback Steakhouse radio spot was awesome back in the 1990's:

Koala climb high to the tippy-tippy top,
Hungry for a taste that he just can't stop.

Kangaroo can survive in the desert--How 'bout you?
Just like the boomerang comes back -- you will too.

Outback. Outback Steakhouse. Steakhouse from the land down under.

Today's obnoxious commercial is just right for Lent: the McDonalds Filet-o-fish.



And the #1 worst commercial of all time -- so bad I wouldn't use their product if you paid me to -- the Woo Hoo song used by Vonage.


Don't thank me; it will now be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

L'Angelus Rocks

It's bright, it's fresh. Mmm, that's good: Ca c'est bon.

L'Angelus opened up Season 2 of Catholic Underground Chicago with a topnotch performance that blew the audience away. They combine the best of Louisiana's music traditions: cajun fiddle tunes for the dance crowd, saxophone driven swamp-pop, and New Orleans influenced R&B. http://langelus.info

Auld Lang Syne

Lyrics to that old faithful tune: Auld Lang Syne. And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.

Complete lyrics

Old Long Syne, by James Watson (1711)	Burns’ original Scots verse[3]	English translation (minimalist)	Scots pronunciation guide (as Scots speakers would sound)	IPA pronunciation guide
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon; The flames of Love extinguished, and fully past and gone: Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold, that loving Breast of thine; That thou canst never once reflect on Old long syne. CHORUS: On Old long syne my Jo, in Old long syne, That thou canst never once reflect, on Old long syne. My Heart is ravisht with delight, when thee I think upon; All Grief and Sorrow takes the flight, and speedily is gone; The bright resemblance of thy Face, so fills this, Heart of mine; That Force nor Fate can me displease, for Old long syne. CHORUS: Since thoughts of thee doth banish grief, when from thee I am gone; will not thy presence yield relief, to this sad Heart of mine: Why doth thy presence me defeat, with excellence divine? Especially when I reflect on Old long syne CHORUS: (several further stanzas)	Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne ? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne, we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp ! and surely I’ll be mine ! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. CHORUS We twa hae run about the braes, and pu’d the gowans fine ; But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot, sin auld lang syne. CHORUS We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn, frae morning sun till dine ; But seas between us braid hae roar’d sin auld lang syne. CHORUS And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere ! and gie's a hand o’ thine ! And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught, for auld lang syne. CHORUS	Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne ? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you’ll buy your pint cup ! and surely I’ll buy mine ! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine ; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. CHORUS We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine† ; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. CHORUS And there’s a hand my trusty friend ! And give us a hand o’ thine ! And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. CHORUS	Shid ald akwentans bee firgot, an nivir brocht ti mynd? Shid ald akwentans bee firgot, an ald lang syn? CHORUS: Fir ald lang syn, ma jo, fir ald lang syn, wil tak a cup o kyndnes yet, fir ald lang syn. An sheerly yil bee yur pynt-staup! an sheerly al bee myn! An will tak a cup o kyndnes yet, fir ald lang syn. CHORUS We twa hay rin aboot the braes, an pood the gowans fyn; Bit weev wandert monae a weery fet, sin ald lang syn. CHORUS We twa hay pedilt in the burn, fray mornin sun til dyn; But seas between us bred hay roard sin ald lang syn. CHORUS An thers a han, my trustee feer! an gees a han o thyn! And we’ll tak a richt gude-willie-waucht, fir ald lang syn. CHORUS	ʃɪd o̜ːld ə.kwɛn.təns bi fəɾ.ɡot, ən nɪ.vəɾ brɔxt tɪ məin ? ʃɪd o̜ːld ə.kwɛn.təns bi fəɾ.ɡot, ən o̜ːl lɑŋ səin ? CHORUS: fəɾ o̜ːl lɑŋ səin, mɑ diːɾ, fəɾ o̜ːl lɑŋ səin, wiːl tɑk ə kʌp ə kəin.nəs jɛt, fəɾ o̜ːl lɑŋ səin. ən ʃeːr.li jiːl bi juːɾ pəin.stʌup ! ən ʃeːr.li ɑːl bi məin ! ən wiːl tɑk ə kʌp ə kəin.nəs jɛt, fəɾ o̜ːl lɑŋ səin. CHORUS wi two̜̜ː heː rɪn ə.but ðə breːz, ən puːd ðə ɡʌu.ənz fəin ; bʌt wiːv wɑn.əɾt mʌ.ne ə wiːɾɪ fɪt, sɪn o̜ːl laŋ səin. CHORUS wi two̜̜ː heː pe.dlt ɪn ðə bʌɾn, freː moːɾ.nɪn sɪn tɪl dəin ; bʌt siːz ə.twin ʌs bred heː roːrd sɪn o̜lː laŋ səin. CHORUS ən ðeːrz ə ho̜ːn, mɑ trʌs.tɪ fiːɾ ! ən ɡiːz ə ho̜ːn ə ðəin ! ən wiːl tak ə rɪxt ɡɪd wʌ.lɪ wo̜ːxt, fəɾ o̜lː laŋ səin. CHORUS

Musical Notes From Nod-girl

I am delighted with Nod-girl these last few weeks. With some one-on-one time recently, I decided to first teach her Do Re Mi. She got it. I then had her learn it backwards. She got it. I held up 8 fingers and wiggled one at random. She can tell you which note it is.

Nod-girl is only six years old.

I taught her the names of the notes on the piano, A-G. She can pick them out by herself. I asked her where the H was. Silly Daddy, there is no H.

For fun, I taught her what sharps and flats were. She knows that A sharp and B flat are the same note. I asked where the B sharp was. Dad, you're trying to trick me, there is no B sharp on the piano! I am stunned.

We tried to give Blynken piano lessons, but she has a hard time with the boring foundations. We also discovered that Blynken is terrible at math; no small coincidence. On the flip side, Nod-girl is relatively good at math and basic music theory.

We may have found our pianist!

Catholic Underground

More music from Catholic Underground and Spirit Juice Studios.

Pope: Recording Star?

This seems to be a trend with the New Media: the Pope's gotta sing.

First it started with JPII's Abba Pater, which turned out surprisingly good and was received well. Since nothing succeeds like success, some thought a follow up was in order.

[SMH] Pope Benedict has agreed to a deal with a record company to release a CD of him singing in the Vatican.

The album will feature the pontiff singing litanies and chants in honour of the Virgin Mary, as well as reciting prayers in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German.

The recordings were made in St Peter’s Basilica and the Pope was accompanied by the choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome.

Tracks will be blended with modern classical recordings by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and released as a CD on November 30 by Universal’s Geffen label.