It is the wee small hour of 5 something here in the cloisters of St Anthony's Harpertage and the bell has just rung for prime. Brother Richard is leading the homily this morning (ok, it's Radio 4 thought for the day) and the gossip of the refectory is that the bendy buses are banished from the streets of Nodnol...
"Father, let us not be shackled by the mistakes and errors of the past"
Manflu day 3 hath begun.
Rehearsing last night with Medici and JMB and Luci Briginshaw. What a lovely voice she has - really looking forward to tomorrow. Dear Sheri Bankes of the Peter Kerswell Fanclub (Christmas Card branch) emailed last night very kindly to say she had a prior. Now; Sheri sends Christmas Cards. That's almost all I know about her. This year's is another triumph, the first card to arrive at the Harpertage. I'm not sure whether it's a Christmas Card or a Xmas card - they're certainly in a league of their own... (see photo)
The chatter of the postulants on the transistor is saying there's a food shortage on the Isle of Man. They have their own Parliament and Manxness and I understand that it's a major financial centre. How easy it is for us to think that island identity is weird and not perceive our own oddness. I have a vague theory that the English character (whatever that means - probably identified by red trousers and brown leather loafers, navy blue Blazers, thermosk flasks, panicking about the weather, chip shop culture, talking disproreasonably about schools one went to 30 plus years ago, Carols from King's College Cambridge and sporting events) is an impossible thing; the jolliness of Merrie England starved of the reason and joy of the substance of the sacraments of the feast and pained into Protestant workaholism by King, empire building vainglory and climate, with our churches full of music 'about' God, but without God in the tabernacle. Our Lady's dear separated dowry. Dear Brother Humphrey is perpetuating and embedulating this weirdness on the crystal, with it's particular BBC slant of Heifferford Univarsities: "A definitive study has shown that there is no impact from abortion upon the mental health of the women involved." Pie Jesu, have mercy! Mater dei, ora pro nobis!
Funeral this morning at St Ann's and an early one at that (in every sense) - the bane of organists everywhere has been requested - forgive me liebe Schubert and dear Lady, but Ave Maria is rather less than playable I find, especially for those of us with limited practise feetling time. Not something that Stephen Cleobury ever had to worry about.
For the first time in writing memory I turned over two pages at once when singing my little (!) solo in the Mass. NOW, that may seem, gentle reader, about as exciting as turning up to the opening of an envelope (or tin can), but there was a lesson in there about knowing the music one is singing. About meaning the meaning. Long shall I remember Father Alan Fudge's newsletter comment that the word 'sincere' derived from sine cere, without wax, as in without the wax masks that the classical actors of ancient Reece and Grome would wear. How many classical musicians understand or mean the meaning of what they say? - many will not know what is engraved over the accidentally turned over page. Here in England, we are not culturally allowed to see the mistakes of the past for what they were, so we have little knowledge of how this part of the story ends - even though none of us know what is over the very next page. We imagine maybe that plucky little David Cameron will bring Etonianism to the 'working classes' and Briton's will never, Ever, EVER, SHALL BE SLAVES!!
"What good is it to make a sweet sound, and remain proud."
Few there are in the perilled pews of Anglicharagelicalism who know that the verse of Ye Watchers and ye holy ones which goes (ahem)
"Oh higher than the seraphim
more glorious than the cherubim
raise the glad strain, Hallelujah!
Thou bearer of the eternal word
Most Gracious, magnify the Lord!"
is about the Lady of Our Lord.
Brother Humphrey is still chatting away, and neither he nor I know what is engraved over the next page, much as we might guess, although some do say they know how the next chapter begins.
"May we not be shackled theologically by the mistakes of our past."
Whether England sends a Christmas Card or an Xmas card to her future generations we're certainly in a league of our own...
And so to Matins.
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