Monday Music Appreciation #50: Laudate Dominum

Wow, we're up to 50 music appreciation moodlings! And I've chosen this particular piece because we had such a great time singing/praying it last night at our local ecumenical evening prayer.

If you're a regular moodlings follower, you'll know that for the past 14 years or more, I've been organizing an almost monthly prayer evening because of my love for the music of Taizé and the Taizé community's very simple style of prayer. Silence, scripture and song, with no preaching, just a chance to let God's voice ring in our hearts. And last night's Prayer for the Marginalized was extra special somehow... 

When I arrived to set up at the church that was hosting us, the pastor told me that the furnace wasn't heating the church sanctuary, so we'd have our prayer in the basement where it was warmer. So we rearranged some chairs and tables and set up in a low-ceilinged hall, and people filed down to the basement to pray with us. Somehow, I had no matches to light our candles, but God provided a friend with a lighter last minute!

It was a cozy and intimate prayer space, and because we were closer together, the sound was incredible, as was the silence for meditation. There were many heartfelt prayers for all those being marginalized in our society and world, and I felt a very strong sense of community in praying with the people who came, many of whom are familiar faces from different churches in our area and beyond.

We ended the evening with the chant below, and it filled me with so much joy that I couldn't stop myself from singing the Alleluia descant with Mackenzie, who certainly didn't need my help! The musicians in our little Taizé group have been playing together long enough that they seem to intuit exactly what should happen next. When we got to the last ostinato of Laudate Dominum, Mackenzie glanced over at me, we dropped volume together, then ended the last half at full volume and with big smiles. Such a rush!

If you live in our city, and have yet to join us for our evenings of Ecumenical Prayer, our Lenten Prayer will be held at Spirit of Hope United Church (7909 83 Ave) on March 16 at 7 p.m. Bring friends and neighbours if you like!

The version of Laudate Dominum I am sharing today is in French, but it has gorgeous nature scenes and amazing French descants that outstrip the English ones we have by miles, praising God's greatness for restoring us to life, saving our feet from stumbling, and so many other good things you can say when praising God!

Because I can't send this video via the mailchimp program (sorry, email subscribers), here is the link to it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAgT4bPJ5W4

But if you are looking directly on www.simplemoodlings.blogspot.com, you should be able to see it below. Have a wonderful week and stay warm!

A man and his flute

My hubby and I have just returned from a conference he attended at the Chateau Lake Louise. Yesterday morning while Lee was at a session, I decided to take a solitary walk along the lake. As I passed a few Chinese tourists taking pictures, I heard the sound of some sort of flute, so I back tracked to where a man sat on a frosty bench playing a recorder. Giving him a thumbs up sign as I meandered past, I moved a little further, taking pictures and listening to see if I could identify what he was playing.

After a few moments, I picked up on the chorus of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," and a few moments later, a few Alleluias from a song I can't quite name reached my ears. My eyes misted as I looked at the gorgeous scene in front of me. I couldn't help but think how perfect an Alleluia was for the location, though I suspected no one present but the musician and I would recognise it for what it was. When I turned back toward him, he was gone, only an unfrosty patch marking where he had been sitting.

Twenty minutes later on my walk to the end of the lake, I recognised the man on his way back, walking with an almost military precision. I said, "You're the man who was playing the recorder. It sounded lovely, and I recognised an Alleluia or two."

He smiled and said, "I can't think of a better place to offer praise."

Neither can I.