blog.sinden.org

Lent, 2024

27 June 2012
Brooks, David - on why Anglican church music helps form our identity

It makes you appreciate the tremendous power of particularity. If your identity is formed by hard boundaries, if you come from a specific place, if you embody a distinct musical tradition, if your concerns are expressed through a specific paracosm, you are going to have more depth and definition than you are if you grew up in the far-flung networks of pluralism and eclecticism, surfing from one spot to the next, sampling one style then the next, your identity formed by soft boundaries, or none at all.

The whole experience makes me want to pull aside politicians and business leaders and maybe everyone else and offer some pious advice: Don’t try to be everyman. Don’t pretend you’re a member of every community you visit. Don’t try to be citizens of some artificial globalized community. Go deeper into your own tradition. Call more upon the geography of your own past. Be distinct and credible. People will come.

Brooks, David. "The Power of the Particular". New York Times 25 June 2012. Emphasis added, and quote taken rather out of context.



Update 28 June 2012: Unbeknownst to me yesterday, another blog of an Anglican persuasion had already picked this up. A more liturgical take on this can be found at Sed Angli: Springsteen vs. the Church

Labels: , ,

 
17 June 2012
Philadelphia - Anglicans Musicians in

I'm excited to be attending the Association of Anglican Musicians conference in Philadelphia this week. You can see the latest tweets with the hashtag #AAMPhilly below (#AAM2012 is about museums).

Update: Here are the tweets for posterity (in reverse chronological order)

sinden RT @sinden: “Everyone who works in a church is a pastor, teacher, and performer, in that order” –Alec Wyton #AAMPhilly
4:12 PM Jul 6th 

sinden RT @anglobaptist: RT @sinden: After that Buxtehude thinking about changing my name to David Sünden. #AAMPhilly // Dork.
1:12 PM Jul 5th 

sinden I'm in Alexandria Va. It seems like every other person I met at #AAMPhilly was from here.
6:50 PM Jun 22nd 

sinden Ray Glover, my illustrious predecessor offering a toast to Gerre Hancock who died earlier this year #AAMPhilly http://t.co/0M71cEIZ
12:28 AM Jun 22nd 

sinden A whole shrine to Lincoln. This just wouldn't fly in the south. #AAMPhilly http://t.co/7FiSKBxf
10:08 PM Jun 21st 

sinden #AAMPhilly (@ The Union League of Philadelphia w/ 2 others) http://t.co/PtftqqYc
9:58 PM Jun 21st 

sinden damn it's hot outside. #AAMPhilly
5:10 PM Jun 21st 

sinden Breath as circle or airport people mover. Voice just steps on. #AAMPhilly
12:46 PM Jun 21st 

sinden Healthy vocal technique by Stephanie Tennill #AAMPhilly
12:39 PM Jun 21st 

sinden Strauss, Wagner, Elgar, Hancock. Wanamaker. Incredible! #AAMPhilly
11:40 PM Jun 20th 

sinden This is new. Fun! #AAMPhilly (@ Macy's w/ 3 others) [pic]: http://t.co/7S96gOVf
11:21 PM Jun 20th 

sinden #AAMPhilly (@ St Mark's Church) [pic]: http://t.co/DJMqeEwg
8:12 PM Jun 20th 

sinden Connect people coming in through music with others in the parish. Create links. #AAMPhilly (she's not on the panel, but should be)
7:33 PM Jun 20th 

sinden I think this session isn't going well because no one has made the case that church growth isn't a direct goal of what we do or #AAMPhilly
7:31 PM Jun 20th 

sinden Not to say that anyone is against growth, but are we after numbers or disciples #AAMPhilly
7:31 PM Jun 20th 

sinden THIS SESSION IS NOT ABOUT CHURCH GROWTH. It's about something else. New music? This is weird and poorly executed. #AAMPhilly
7:22 PM Jun 20th 

sinden What is she talking about? #owenburdickispissedoff #AAMPhilly
7:22 PM Jun 20th 

sinden A contentious afternoon session that inadvertently began as an open-mic critique of our morning worship. #AAMPhilly
7:02 PM Jun 20th 

sinden “Everyone who works in a church is a pastor, teacher, and performer, in that order” –Alec Wyton #AAMPhilly
6:07 PM Jun 20th 

sinden #AAMPhilly is watching a video featuring two members of the Diocese of Va.
5:50 PM Jun 20th 

sinden Panel discussion on music and clergy stuff #AAMPhilly
5:19 PM Jun 20th 

sinden #AAMPhilly (@ Church of the Holy Trinity) http://t.co/GXljatSE
2:14 PM Jun 20th 

sinden There are 118 ranks in this tiny room at Curtis! #AAMPhilly
12:43 PM Jun 20th 

sinden At the Curtis Institute of Music with Alan Morrison #AAMPhilly http://t.co/xtBPSotb
12:42 PM Jun 20th  

sinden I just won a bottle of wine in a raffle on the bus #AAMPhilly
12:25 AM Jun 20th 

sinden This is how we roll #AAMPhilly http://t.co/PMKDKPu5
11:30 PM Jun 19th 

sinden We started this evensong at 4:40, as it's almost 6:15. I like evensong as much as the next guy, but really? #AAMPhilly
10:15 PM Jun 19th 

sinden After that Buxtehude thinking about changing my name to David Sünden. #AAMPhilly
7:19 PM Jun 19th 

sinden Busy day. No cell signal at St. David's, Wayne. Now Princeton Seminary Chapel to hear TENET. #AAMPhilly
6:59 PM Jun 19th 

sinden Morning Prayer (starting a bit late now) #AAMPhilly (@ St. David's Episcopal Church) http://t.co/twEp0vkN
1:20 PM Jun 19th 

sinden Running quite late now as buses do not have a direct route to the church due to small bridges. #AAMPhilly
1:16 PM Jun 19th 

sinden Famous, well-published church musician in row ahead of me on bus talking about his enjoyment of True Blood #AAMPhilly
12:04 PM Jun 19th 

sinden Young adults are not looking for the church to entertain them. They're looking for something transcendent. #AAMPhilly
1:06 AM Jun 19th 

sinden Okay, this is boring. Necessary, but boring. #AAMPhilly
8:14 PM Jun 18th 

sinden @bwv552 is not at #AAMPhilly
7:19 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Jacket comes off for the Reubke. #AAMPhilly
6:46 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Nobody applauded after that Gerre Hancock improvisation transcription. I think we're all okay with that. A prayerful moment. #AAMPhilly
6:39 PM Jun 18th 

sinden This organ is thrilling and the perfect vehicle for this transcription of Lenare tr. Brahms Academic Fest Overture #AAMPhilly
6:22 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Cruelty on the part of the conference organizers. Neither Twitter nor Facebook penetrate these thick marble walls #AAMPhilly
6:22 PM Jun 18th 

sinden One sad note. The retired bishop of New Hampshire the Rt Rev D Theuner has had a fall here. He is in hospital Should be OK Pray. #AAMPhilly
6:22 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Mark Laubach performing in seersucker at Girard College Philadelphia. #AAMPhilly
6:22 PM Jun 18th 

sinden #AAMPhilly (@ Old City Coffee) http://t.co/cxSvF1dF
4:42 PM Jun 18th 

sinden I'm in the ballroom at the City Tavern where the very first Independence Day was held. #AAMPhilly
3:26 PM Jun 18th 

sinden “@DanaTMarsh: After a wonderful recording and then tour to DC in the space of 9 days, now en route to Philly via Amtrak for AAM" #AAMPhilly
2:43 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Did I mention that I exchanged the peace with Benjamin Franklin? He was in the pew behind me. #AAMPhilly
2:39 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Judith Hancock is playing a transcription of one of her late husband's improvisations. #AAMPhilly beautiful.
2:33 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Wonderful opening Eucharist at Christ Church. Hearty hymn singing. Now Judith Hancock plays the concluding voluntary. #AAMPhilly
2:32 PM Jun 18th 

sinden Pedal cadenza! #AAMPhilly
3:56 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Alan Morrison is playing BWV 552 from memory at 11:30 at night. Showoff. #AAMPhilly
3:29 AM Jun 18th 

sinden @ChurchSnobTEC did I mention we've all just been drinking? #AAMPhilly
3:25 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Really, nothing makes you feel so alive as sneaking into a big hall late at night and listening to really badass organ music #AAMPhilly
3:23 AM Jun 18th 

sinden I am sitting 2 seats away from Joel Martinson! #AAMPhilly #Organnerd
3:13 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Unintended lighting effects as organ has shaken something loose #AAMPhilly
3:11 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Tournemire 'Victimae paschali' with Alan Morrison #AAMPhilly improv = dedicated to Gerre Hancock's memory
3:10 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Organ was voiced at night, so 23:00 is like "going to work". #AAMPhilly
3:08 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Free reed in Positif! #AAMPhilly
3:06 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Organ is leaning out at a 4° angle (by design) #AAMPhilly
3:05 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Afterparty!!! Kimmel Center (acoustics don't sound as good as Dallas, but I think they're supposed to). #AAMPhilly http://t.co/Tlijs5mE
3:03 AM Jun 18th  

sinden #AAMPhilly http://t.co/l2DiRCPr
1:01 AM Jun 18th  

sinden And now time for a @gjackson3 piece! "Now I have known O Lord" #AAMPhilly
12:17 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Acknowledging the sense of scale at the end. Smart move. #AAMPhilly
12:13 AM Jun 18th 

sinden This one's good, but it's awfully dense, and it's running a little long #AAMPhilly and just when I say that it changes. Pott knows.
12:10 AM Jun 18th 

sinden "CRUCIFY!" #AAMPhilly
12:02 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Beautiful, wandering setting of "My song is love unknown by Francis Pott. I think I dig his music. #AAMPhilly
12:00 AM Jun 18th 

sinden Did I mention that I was on the first bus, and yet one of the last to arrive? Not an ideal seat on the side of the church. #AAMPhilly
11:59 PM Jun 17th 

sinden How do you get six sopranos to sing like one?! The Crossing. #AAMPhilly
11:46 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Now I'm hearing something by Gavin Bryars live for the first time. #AAMPhilly
11:45 PM Jun 17th 

sinden More Tulev. The composer who opened. I'm listening. #AAMPhilly
11:32 PM Jun 17th 

sinden The composer is in the house! #AAMPhilly
11:30 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Sublime. Well crafted. Beautifully conceived. Spoke clearly, effectively. Never above mp #AAMPhilly
11:29 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Subdued, pleasantly meandering piece by Francis Pott on Ecclesiasticus. It's not too long yet, but it could be. #AAMPhilly
11:27 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Unfortunate motorcycle timing at #AAMPhilly
11:17 PM Jun 17th 

sinden The Crossing is one of this country's great choirs. Scott Detra is tearing up the organ part. #AAMPhilly
11:16 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Electrifying first salvo. This is a concert of all modern works. Would have much rather heard real chimes then the organ's. #AAMPhilly
11:11 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Concert by The Crossing at St Clement's #AAMPhilly
11:04 PM Jun 17th 

sinden @DanaTMarsh hope evensong was grand! I thought good thoughts as my train rolled through Washington this morning. See you soon #AAMPhilly
9:37 PM Jun 17th 

sinden Train is arriving in Philadelphia. Excited to be here for the Assoc. of Anglican Musicians conference! #AAMPhilly
6:53 PM Jun 17th 

sinden I can't remember the last time I haven't been in a church somewhere on a Sunday morning. Weird. But I'll be in church all week. #AAMPhilly
2:08 PM Jun 17th 

sinden I'm headed to Philadelphia for the Association of Anglican Musicians 2012 conference. #AAMPhilly
12:36 PM Jun 17th 
 
14 June 2012
Day - Flag

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,
Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;

Bravest of all in Frederick town,
She took up the flag the men hauled down;

In her attic-window the staff she set,
To show that one heart was loyal yet.

I invite you to read "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier on this Flag Day.

Honor to her!

 
07 June 2012
Bradbury, Ray - on creativity

The seance, which is to say the typewriter, computer, pen, pencil, and paper are there to catch the ghosts before they thin out in midair…

What I'm trying to say is that the creative process is much like the old-fashioned way of taking photos with a huge camera and you horsing around under a black cloth seeking pictures in the dark. The subjects might not have stood still. There might have been too much light. Or not enough. One can only fumble, but fumble quickly, hoping for a developed snap.

Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. From the 1997 Introduction "Dancing, So As Not to Be Dead"

Labels: ,

 
06 June 2012
Britten, Benjamin - Noye's Fludde as inspiration for Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom


GROSS: Wes Anderson, welcome back to FRESH AIR. Now, I've read that the first germ of the idea for "Moonrise Kingdom" was in the recording of Benjamin Britten's "Noye's Fludde," which translates to "Noah's Flood." What's the connection between this music and the concept of "Moonrise Kingdom"?

WES ANDERSON: Well, I don't know Benjamin Britten's work that well, but I have always had a particular affection for it, because this play, "Noye's Fludde," or however you say it, he wrote to be performed by mostly amateur church groups, with a couple of professionals thrown into the mix. And it's meant to be performed in churches, rather than auditoriums or opera houses or anything else. So anyway, I was in a production of it, along with my older brother, when I was 10 or 11 years old.

So many of the - I've been sort of humming these, you know, these hymns and things from that play/opera all my life, and I had a thought that I wanted to incorporate somehow into this, which I didn't know how I was going to do for quite a long time. But somewhere early on I sort of thought the movie should be set to Britten, and we use not only the "Noah's Flood" pieces, but also we kind of tapped into his - into the whole body of work.

Wes Anderson, Creating A Singular 'Kingdom', NPR's Fresh Air

Update 6 June 2012 11:45 a.m. via Twitter:





Labels: , ,

 

©MMXVII Sinden.org: a site for fun and prophet

Organ and church music, esoteric liturgics, and a site that changes color with the liturgical year.

Archetypes

Looking for Carol Spreadsheets?

Hungry? Try the Liturgical Guide to Altoids Consumption

Thirsty? Try the Tibia Liquida

The Eric Harding Thiman Fan Page: The greatest composer you've never even heard of.

Infrequently Asked Questions

picture of a chicken

Questions? Problems? email the sexton.

Archon

The author of this website is an organist whom the New York Times calls “repeatedly, insisting that he pay for his subscription”. He likes to read parking meters, music, Indianapolis Monthly, and weather forecasts in Celsius, particularly whilst wearing cassock and surplice. He serves lasagna, overhand, as an example to many, and on ecclesiastical juries. He mixes salads, drinks, and metaphors. He takes photos, lots of dinner mints, and a little bit of time to get to know.

about

contact

Archbishops

Anglicans Online
Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise
Book of Common Prayer
Brain Pickings
The Daily Office
The Lectionary Page
Sed Angli
Ship of Fools
The Sub-Dean's Stall
Vested Interest - Trinity Church in the City of Boston

Archenemies

Andrew Kotylo - Concert Organist
Aphaeresis
Anne Timberlake
Bonnie Whiting, percussion
conjectural navel gazing: jesus in lint form
Friday Night Organ Pump
Halbert Gober Organs, Inc.
in time of daffodils
Joby Bell, organist
Musical Perceptions
Musings of a Synesthete
My Life as Style, Condition, Commodity.
Nathan Medley, Countertenor
Notes on Music & Liturgy
The Parker Quartet
Roof Crashers & Hem Grabbers
Steven Rickards
That Which We Have Heard & Known
This Side of Lost
Wayward Sisters
Zachary Wadsworth | composer

Archenemies Aviary

@DanAhlgren
@dcrean
@ericthebell
@jwombat
@larrydeveney
@nmedley
@samanthaklein
@sopranist
@voxinferior

Arches

Advent (Medfield MA)
All Saints, Ashmont (Boston MA)
All Saints (Indianapolis IN)
Atonement (Bronx NY)
Broadway UMC (Indianapolis IN)
Cathedral of All Saints (Albany NY)
Christ Church (Bronxville NY)
Christ Church (Madison IN)
Christ Church (New Haven CT)
Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis IN)
Christ's Church (Rye NY)
Church of St. Stephen (Hamden CT)
Congregational (Belmont CA)
Coventry Cathedral (UK)
First UMC (Lancaster SC)
Gloria Dei ELCA (Iowa City IA)
Immanuel Lutheran (St Paul MN)
Immanuel Lutheran (Webster NY)
John Knox PCUSA (Houston TX)
St Andrew (Marblehead MA)
St Andrew's, Oregon Hill (Richmond VA)
St Bartholomew the Great, (London, England)
St James's (Lake Delaware NY)
St James's (Richmond VA)
St James Cathedral (Chicago IL)
St Mary's Cathedral (Memphis TN)
St Matthew and St Timothy (NYC)
St Paul's (Cleveland Heights OH)
St Paul's (Indianapolis IN)
St Paul's Cathedral (Buffalo NY)
St Paul's, K Street (Washington DC)
St Peter's (Lakewood OH)
St Peter's ELCA (NYC)
St Stephen's (Richmond VA
St Thomas (New Haven CT)
St Thomas ELCA (Bloomington IN)
Second PCUSA (Indianapolis IN)
Towson Presbyterian Church (MD)
Tremont Temple Baptist (Boston MA)
Trinity (Indianapolis IN)
Trinity on the Green (New Haven CT)

Auraling

BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong
New College (Oxford, England)
St John's College (Cambridge, England)
St Thomas (New York NY)

Argyle

Like the site? Buy the shirt.

Areyou . . .

selling diphthongs?
Yes, but they're not the kind you buy on Wheel of Fortune.

the owner of a bower at Bucklesfordberry?
Full daintily it is dight.

interested in touch lamps?
And fountain pens.

Archives
this site used to be better:

March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
December 2012
January 2013
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
July 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2013
November 2013
December 2013
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
August 2014
September 2014
October 2014
November 2014
December 2014
January 2015
February 2015
April 2015
May 2015
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
June 2016
July 2016
August 2016
September 2016
October 2016
November 2016
December 2016
January 2017
February 2017
March 2017
April 2017
May 2017
June 2017
July 2017
August 2017
September 2017
October 2017
November 2017
December 2017
January 2018
February 2018
March 2018
April 2018
May 2018
June 2018
August 2018
September 2018
October 2018
December 2018
February 2019
March 2019
October 2019
December 2019
September 2020
December 2020
January 2021
September 2021
October 2021
December 2021
November 2022
December 2022
March 2023
July 2023
March 2024