Images from the Pharisaios Journal (except for the wee tree, which is mine).
From the Canon Precenter:
O Sapentia! O Adonai! O Radix Jesse! O Gamba! How you supple fingers ripple in this glorious musical season! From the processional joys of Advent Sunday through the offices and masses, and, oooh! I could just flick my Early English scores and bathe myself in yellow cream custard! Sorry, what was I saying? Ah! Advent music in Wenchoster Cathedral exposes the very best of our choir, and of course Jeremy (butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth) Gamba at his glorious organ. The trebles excel as ever after rigorous discipline, the tenors and basses never cease to thrill me, and the counter-tenors? Well, don’t start me on the counter-tenors especially that Luke. Only vicar-choral I’ve met who does breath fresheners in the Lesser Litany and dabs eau-de-cologne on his music folder. All a bit obvious as we used to say in school. If I pursed my lips like that they’d make me an American bishop! And I can mince with the rest of them! Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes. I think the Dean was very pleased with my arrangements of the French carols and cantatas this year. He visibly glowed when I proffered Vierce and Dupre, although at my mention of Alain he just stared out of the window. Well! And Jeremy couldn’t believe it when I told him!
May music delight you this Christmas, and may your ears be soothed by the airs of the season!
Canon Augustus Dewdrop MA
Here's one last Christmas carol from Wenchoster:
Midi link. Reduce to the taskbar to sing along!
A GREAT ALMIGHTY BLUNDER
A great almighty blunder
Seen by a candle’s flame.
The choir torn asunder,
The crucifer’s to blame.
Let’s start the mass again.
And get it right for certain,
Then we can all say ‘Amen.’
When he approached the rood screen,
Rather then walking straight.
He took a sudden right turn,
Which made the choir irate.
Let’s start the mass again.
The tenors sat in protest
The basses roared with ire.
The trebles simply whimpered,
One set his cotta on fire.
Let’s start the mass again.
(German Carol Melody)
Good-bye little tree. Until next year.
Again, there's much more at the diocesan website. Do pay a visit.
Thanks, Grandmere. I'm glad I took our tree down on Jan. 1.
ReplyDeleteOur tree came down on 1/1 because it was deader than dead!
ReplyDeleteMy nativities are still out, they will go back into their hibernation on Sunday.
I went to mass with my friend who lost her husband and we did not go to our parish church. A priest friend of hers was filling in nearby, so we went there.
He gave a brilliant homily about how God uses the outsiders and the Magi were just that- God uses the outsiders to bring us in.
Rahab, Ruth, Samaritan woman, Pharoh's daughter, the Roman centurion and so many others.
It was truly beautiful.
Well, you see, what I do with my little tree is take it off the table, carry it upstairs to the closet, put a big plastic bag over it, and - voila! - it's ready for next year.
ReplyDeleteFran, it's lovely of you to spend time with your friend. the sermon sounds brilliant. "...outsiders to bring us in." I like that.
My husband has Ukranian ancestry. When we were first married we celebrated their Christmas Eve on Jan. 6 so our tree stayed up until then. With his parents aging, the children moving away, and none of learning how to cook the meal we no longer celebrate Christmas Eve but the habit of leaving the tree up remains. This year it won't come done till sometime next week as we are too busy over the next few days.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's boyfriend is Ukranian. He will not eat meat today. The twelve dishes traditionally served tonight are meatless. Some may serve fish but that's it.The big meal is served Christmas Eve and, traditionally, the people would go caroling on Christmas Day.
My theory is that we could celebrate our main Christmas on Ukranian Christmas and then we could buy double the gifts at the Boxing Week sales (though I refuse to shop on Boxing Day itself). Unfortunately for my pocket book, no one else in the family thinks the same way.
Love and Prayers,
Ann Marie
Anne Marie, it's interesting to hear about the differing customs, and especially the food. What foods were served at a Ukranian holiday meal?
ReplyDeleteI think your idea of celebrating the Nativity on Jan. 6 is brilliant. Everything is on sale! I could never get my family to go along.
I took the nativity set to church today to illustrate Epiphany. Grown-ups love the childish. Other than that it's all long gone. This, is of course why the Brits don't get Epiphany: It's all lumped in with Christmas and it's our loss.
ReplyDeleteDP, I love it when bloggers do the twelve days of Christmas to remind us that the Christmas season doesn't end until today.
ReplyDeleteAround here, Carnival season begins on Twelfth Night. In New Orleans there's a carnival ball every night - sometimes two - until the final week of all out bacchanalia which culminates in the super-bacchanalia of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and then we're in the Lenten season.
Y'all are such serious partiers down there in and around the Big Easy that the rest of us can only hang our heads in shame.
ReplyDeleteGREAT! We took our tree down yesterday, because we are leaving actually in a little while! (can't believe I am reading blogs)
ReplyDeleteI hate to take our tree down because it is still so fresh. I will probably put everything away sometime this week. I think I am a druid at heart!
ReplyDeleteAnn, full disclosure: mine may not get taken down today, either, but not because it's fresh, but because I may not get to it.
ReplyDeleteOur tree came down today, my(and I should emphasize MY, since my wife and daughter take no part in the drudgery)usual Epiphany task. Next year I may follow your lead, Mimi, with a modest bush.
ReplyDeleteWhatever, I love this new season, with wise women(see the +KJS Christmas card), the Baptism of Our Lord, and, sure to be the favorite of Louisianans: the wedding feast at Cana.
Surely Jesus has saved for us the best wine, for last.
Hilarious, as usual.
ReplyDeleteHe visibly glowed when I proffered Vierce and Dupre,
But I think Canon Augustus meant "Vierne"... the famous organist at Notre Dame in the early years of the last century.
Of course, the English *are* prone to butchering continental names and pronunciations, so perhaps that "alternate spelling" should be seen in that light.
John D, can you believe the umbrage taken at the card? Some folks seem to be ever on the prowl searching for something to be in a snit about.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I never noticed, but the English are not good with French names. We're better about them here in south Louisiana.
OT...Mimi, did you see the ABC's Christmas message at the Mulled Wine portion of the DioW's website? They have him pegged, I tell you whut!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I did see it. I leave lots of good stuff out. Here's the link to the ABC's message.
ReplyDeleteGrandmere Mimi,
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since we had that meal. I remember it starting with a boiled wheat dish with cream, then a cornmeal dish, perogies, cabbage rolls, and a mushroom dish. I can't remember any of the others.
I don't know if it was a family tradition or a tradition from the old country but if the first perogie you cut into had a different filling you would have good luck in the new year. There was only one perogie in the bowl that had the different filling so it was not an easy thing to have it as the first.
The table centrepiece was a braided loaf of bread. It was round and held three red candles.
Each region of the Ukraine had their own way of doing things. It was interesting listening to my mother-in-law and my daughter's boyfriend. Even the names for some of the dishes differ.
Love and Prayers,
Ann Marie
Anne Marie, thanks for the menu. I looked up the recipe for the perogies, and they sound delicious. Not exactly slimming food, but tasty.
ReplyDelete