Today was a lovely holiday-- a very perfect, merry Little Christmas to end of the Long Christmas. I spent most of the day with my sisters, and there was much singing of carols, much partaking of good foodstuffs, and fine drink, and much jollity in general. Several of the girls made individualised crowns for all of us, from cardstock and glitter, and we feasted whilst wearing them, which did, indeed, add to the occasion.
Before sharing today's song, I would like to share this short little sermon on the feast of the Epiphany. It is good, and beautiful, and interesting, and since I found it to be food for the soul, it seems well to pass it along to other people as well.
Today's song is The March of the Three Kings. I first heard it on the Chieftains' Christmas in Rome CD, where it, like Cazone de Zampognari form one of the reoccurring motifs of that album. I have only ever known it as a tune, nor did I think that there were words associated with it, until this rather satisfying French version of it came up as a recommended video. I nearly posted this version, but wondered if it might be possible to find an English version. So I went searching, and found a very nice -- albeit rather slick-- version of it by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. There were also a good many version of it as lavish orchestra pieces, with much braying of brass, and pomp and deliberation... and one truly weird version, which you should definitely take a short listen to, and which probably takes the cake for the weirdest adaption of a Christmas song I have ever come across. I finally settled on this one, because every now and again, you just really want a pull-out-all-the-stops Italian approach to a song, and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the slightly distorted, scratchy, old record sound very much indeed. And it medleys into Hark the Herald Angels Sing, so you get two songs for the price of one:
3 comments:
Hello Mahri,
As always, since I discovered your postings, I have enjoyed reading what you have to write. They have been informative and thought provoking.
The song included on your New Year’s Day message was pleasant and, I thought, medievally Christmassy. I did get a mental image of a harpist playing within a room constructed of stone and lit by fireplace and candle.
More interesting however is the person singing on the presentation- Therese Schroeder-Sheker.
A description of her from Wikipedia is as follows:
“Therese Schroeder-Sheker is a musician, educator, clinician, and academic dean of the School of Music-Thanatology, which was housed at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana from 1992 to 2002.
Schroeder-Sheker, using voice and harp, works as a music-thanatologist, a relatively new discipline, where the practitioner works with those who are actively dying (24–48 hours) or have received a terminal diagnosis with a life expectancy of less than six months. The goals of music-thanatology include reduction of physical as well as emotional pain, creation of a supportive environment while dying, helping the patient become more conscious of their own death process, and changing the approach to death within established structures (hospices, hospitals, etc.). Schroeder-Sheker was honored by the New York Open Center in 1997 for her "Music Thanatology". Her music has been used in documentaries and released commercially.”
I also listened to an interview with her from 2010 the link of which is as follows: https://youtu.be/gppfjwu4xXk
In the interview she explains what Music Thanatology is. I looked up a few of the terms mentioned in the video and this is where things became more interesting.
First I looked up thanatology and then music thanatology so as to insure I understood the subject matter.
Also was mentioned was Cluniac Medicine as practiced by the Monks at Cluny Abbey in the 11th century. This led me to look up Monastic Medicine. Monastic Medicine led me to Hildegard von Bingen who is of course Saint Hildegard (Feast Day September 17th).
I of course do not know if you know anything about the Singer/Harpist/Music Thanatologist in your posted video but for me it was an unexpected uncovering of a treasure. One of knowledge and an example of people compassionately and empathetically helping others. Music has long been known as a universal language with powers of soothing and healing. I didn’t know it was an entire discipline of medicine.
Thank You once again Mahri
Thank you for that! I had not known any of that about Therese Schroeder-Sheker when I posted her version of Down in Yon Forest. I was merely taken with the lightness and delicacy with which she approached the tune-- as if she understood the imagery and was interested primarily with *it*. I had never heard of musical thanatology before, but reading about it, it seems a very beautiful, vocational type of work.
Aye Mahri, Thank You for your response.
If you haven't already, I would suggest following the link I included to hear her interview. She also has other musical albums out and on the internet.
G'dae
Arthur
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