Hello from the lab at Buckhorn,
After my long day in Urgent Care and ER, I have spent a few days laying low and guzzling sugar-free Gatorade and getting in a lot of protein and veggies. I am feeling substantially better than last Thursday, but I am not completely out of the woods yet. I did more bloodwork this morning, but do not have results yet. I spent more time than usual, in spite of my regular interest, watching college and professional football. It was a happy weekend for me as a Hawkeye and Packer fan. As the saying goes, “Da Bears still . . .”.
As I’ve noted recently, the autumn colors are beginning to peak, and for me walking amongst the leaves, the solitude and the rustling in my ears, the wind that seems more evident in the soon to be bare trees, and yet a sun whose rays still offer some light and warmth, allow me to pause. When I gaze around, perhaps it’s the susurrus symphony that provides such comforting relief or calm. During the past two days, from the varying mountains and valleys of Pennsylvania, it’s easy to imagine what the summer was like as I witness the colors, brilliant in some places and already past peak in others, but the continuous reminder of nature’s beauty is not lost. The other time I am reminded of such beauty, of the stunning wonder of our world comes from something very different, and yet, for me, integrally related.
Music has been a significant influence in my life from the time I was a small child. My grandmother loved to sing along with the transistor radio as she worked, from making dough to decorating cakes. My adopted mother had a strong and enjoyable alto voice, and she listened to music around the house (often in the form of 33 LPs), and all three of us were in church choirs from early life. I would also be in school choirs and a city-wide children’s choir. Both in high school and at various levels of college, I participated in choirs. I traveled for a year on a Lutheran Youth Encounter team, which is where I learned to play guitar and did the bottom part vocals. Playing guitar and singing was a significant part of my life through my 30s, and the photo used here was a promotional picture on my poster when I did my own solo gig. So perhaps it’s not surprising. While my appreciation for music and the genres is both broad and wide, there is a particular style and classification that creates a reverence and connection spiritually that makes me feel God is present. It’s chorale music. The lyrics, the intricate harmonies, and the ways the music is arranged and the sound a good director can pull from a group of college-aged singers moves me in ways unlike anything else. It matters not whether I am singing or listening, it creates shivers within me. And as an aside, the only other music to do that is incredible organ music in a church and I am sitting there in solitude.
When I reflect on those moments in my life, those memories that pulled me more consciously into the presence of God, there are two specific instances. The first was in January 1981, and I was traveling with Dr. John W. Nielsen and Dana students. We were in Lübeck, a city in Northern Germany known as the Queen of the Hanseatic League. It is where the Danish composer, Dietrich Buxtehude was known for helping create what was known as the Northern German School of Organ musical style. This 17th century composer was known to influence both Bach and Handel. I sat in the Cathedral in Lübeck listening to an organist practicing some of Buxtehude’s music in the very place he had served. That January morning as I sat in the pews and listened, eyes closed and breathing slow, I felt like I was floating as the music enveloped me. The second time was in Leipzig, sitting in the Thomas Kirche, where Bach is buried. The church is profoundly beautiful; and in 1985, when Germany was still divided, I had the opportunity to take a class in seminary where we spent time in the places Luther lived and traveled. While visiting the Thomas Kirche, we were blessed to listen to some of Bach’s Organ Concertos, performed by an organist named Herr Holm Vogel. He was commissioned by the DDR to record the concertos. To listen to him play in the church of Bach was, again, profound (and additional point is that Herr Vogel was blind from birth!). Sitting and listening to his unparalleled music was heavenly. It simply was. Closing my eyes and blocking out everything except him was like nothing else I’ve experienced. Here in the states, there are two musicians I would love to spent that time in similar ways: Mark Sedio and Michaela Gifford.
Back to chorale music – when I decided to attend Dana College, it was somewhat of a given I would join the choir, but when I was given a scholarship to do so, it was a certainty. Participating in Dr. Neve’s choir is one of my favorite college memories. From the late afternoon practices in AMA to choir tours, special concerts in Omaha, the music he helped us create was one of the central pieces of my time in Blair. Anyone who was a chorale participant of Dr. Neve will remember his admonitions like “in the mask!” and his body motions to show what that should feel like. I think it is both the message and the delivery of choral music that makes me felt such a closeness to the eternal. The number of Lutheran liberal arts colleges in the upper Midwest is notable, and it seems every one of them has a music program that puts them on the map when it comes to their own recognition. The rivalry between the various schools is also well storied. The Christmas programs are extravaganzas that people travel hours to attend, and the work that goes into every aspect of the program is unlike most any other event on campus. I can still feel the excitement that Sights and Sounds of Christmas created at Dana. From Luther’s hymns to the arrangements by John Ritter, there is something created that makes me feel like the heavenly host has landed in that venue. The blends, the dynamics, the sounds that come from such committed musicians and their director make me believe in the presence of God not only in general, but where I am.
Thank you as always for reading and blessings in your listening too.
Michael
