MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

Well m'dears, this is number seven, the last of the 'desert island discs'. Based upon a venerable and ancient BBC Radio programme, and prompted by a comment by Bertie's Gail on a piece I hinted would be on my list.

'What was that first one again?' do I hear you ask? Okay, a quick review (and note that I have given these their very own bloggy label - yes I DIDs!);

• Song For Athene (John Taverner)
• Dies Irae (Guiseppe Verdi's version)
• Summertime (George Gershwin)
• Heavy Horses (Jethro Tull)
• Vedic Chant - Vishnu Sahasranaama (15th Batch Sandeepany Sadhanalaya)
• Brandenburg Conc.#4 Gmaj. - Allegro (J S Bach)
• Psalm 121 Gregorian Chant (Cistercian Order)

The thing is, if playing to 'the rules', one is supposed to say what is the single luxury item that one would have on the island (as in, useless for building escape planes or refrigerators). That's easy. My Sanskrit prayer book. Actually, to me that is not a luxury. The music itself would be the 'bit of fluff'. Which brings me to the point that it is necessary also to make one final pick, from the existing picks, as the one and only piece which would stand above them all. You know; in case of seagull raids or tsunamis, which would be the one piece to be grabbed from the pile?.. (then it occurs that the luxury would have to be the equipment to make it play but this is gagaland, so let's not get tied up in such details.)

Well folks, I have left the ultimate piece till last. Vedic chanting one can always do for oneself. Summertime, too. Also know a fair few of the Tull tunes by heart, so could run them through memory. Also the DI - one of the reasons for choosing the Verdi, is the full force of that choral magnificence, etching it into the brain fibres. I am sure I could manufacture a recorder-like whistle out of some strong grass or palm frond, so the Bach is a possibility for self-production as well. Admittedly, the Taverner piece would be sacrificed in case of the mentioned catastrophes. However, the one piece that could never be recreated by oneself, and could never be sacrificed if indeed it were to hand, you will now hear. Put the earphones on and crank up the volume peeps. This one's truly worth it.

Spem in alium nunquam habui            I have never put my hope in any other

Praeter in te, Deus Israel                     but in You, O God of Israel

Qui irasceris et propitius eris               who can show both anger and graciousness,

et omnia peccata hominum                 and who absolves all the sins

in tribulatione dimittis                         of suffering man

Domine Deus                                      Lord God,

Creator caeli et terrae                          Creator of Heaven and Earth

respice humilitatem nostram               be mindful of our lowliness

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

In the mix of 'desert island discs' there simply must be some Gregorian chant. Any chant will do. Haven't heard a bad one yet. ... Bad performances, perhaps, but no bad chants.

That's all I need to say on that, I think.

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

It has been mentioned already, that I am not - despite having a keen interest in technology - all that quick to adopt it at first run. There was a healthy dose of the cautious and sceptical engineered into my dee'an'ayyy. In part this is the 'if it ain't broke, why replace' attitude inherited from the high-thrift war generation immediately preceding my own. In part it is the Luddite saying 'it will lessen the experience and diminish mankind'. A large part of it is the logical me saying 'give it time to work out its bugs. Give it a decade.'

By the time I am buying the 'new technothumpery', it has joined the ranks of the obsolete. Well. Maybe not that bad, but you get my meaning.

My first ever CD player was presented to me by the father in Sydney in 1991. This meant having to purchase a compact disc to be played upon the dratted thing. The very first CD I bought, was the digitised issue of a cassette tape I had just about worn out anyway.

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Now, I feel about Bach the same way I feel about Jethro Tull; too much is never enough. So what on earth to pick for this little challenge ... (thank you Gail...{8~/) Actually, not so very difficult. Being a recorder player, this was one of the all time favourites.

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

Next on the list of 'desert island discs' would have to be Vedic Chanting. Not the stuff which has been tamed and tizzied for the Western ear (though, to be fair, some of it is very good), but the right and proper, rhythmic and tonal. It is one of the great benefits of the technological age, that all of our Vedanta lectures, a significant amount of our chanting and satsangas and even some of our entertainments were recorded whilst at Sandeepany. There is a small irony to this, actually.

As I prepared to leave OZ, Emm had - almost at the last minute - placed in my hands a small music player. You know the kind I mean. Bless, her. She has always tried to ply me with gadgets. Not an easy job with a Luddite like the YAMster. I love music, yes - but on the computer or disc player. I am not one for sticking buds in my ears. It hurts. So I was perhaps a little less than entirely grateful at having another bit of equipment I thought might be left forgotten and unused.

It was; for about a month. Then I saw a fellow brahmacharin with their mini recorder and it suddenly twigged that, perhaps, I might have such a thing!

Whilst not strictly a disc, this offering, it may pacify the critics a bit if I mention that there is an official chanting disc brought out from our batch - again the issue of not really being a 'single'... but a CD is a single disc. Isn't it? Anyhoo, this bit I have cobbled together from my personal recordings and images; the latter being there to encourage you to work through the entire four minutes. The Sahasranaama as actually about 20 minutes to chant (at least, at the speed we did it), but didn't want to stretch your acquaintance too far.  Sadly, when holding such a recorder, it is impossible not to be the dominant voice; so yes, that is me scaring seagulls again.

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

Thinking on about the 'desert island discs'; it struck one that everything in the collection is actually an 'album'; singles, as such, were never bought. One or two were given, when black vinyl was still the playing medium (Mack the Knife... The Mighty Quinn... oh yeah, they were the songs....). Picking just one item from an album is, therefore, fraught with the risk that by the time this goes to air, it might be thought that another would be a better representative.

Oh the angst.

As an aside, you did realise that virtually everything I have 'played' you this year represented something out of my personal collection??? I do try to only provide here something that I have already paid money for. Not everything, but most. Thus, in a protracted way, you have already been seeing my DIDs. This is not an excuse to wriggle out of the challenge. No, am just dawdling for time as I muck around in the back of my head which, out of the 27 Jethro Tull albums (you read that right - 27) would be my pick and then which song..................... sigh................ sigh again................ I love Tull for their strongly environmentally and socially aware lyrics which stand as poems without the music. Then with the music, they have an enduring and classic quality. This is borne out by the fact that several  Symphony Orchestras have taken up Tull items in their repertoire.

I have attended no less than three Tull concerts, two in Edinburgh and one in Sydney (it would have been four, but the last one was cancelled due to Ian suffering a major DVT incident; he wrote at length about it on his website (definitely worth a read - very entertaining and informative!) They have always been wonderful and giving performers and on all three occasions, we got at least half an hour more than was scheduled.

Right-oh. Going the Heavy Horses. This clip is brill as it also provides the lyrics (though Ian's always very good in diction, it is nice to read as it goes).

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

When working on the 'desert island discs', it seemed to me that all ought also to have some specific attachment in terms of one's own history. Last week's foray into the various renditions of the Dies Irae held relevance in this respect, insofar as the Verdi Requiem was one of the scores sung during choir days. Was lamenting recently to a blogpal that those days are far behind now and the voice has become wretched indeed; I knew it wasn't good when, down on the promenade on one of our nearly-summer days, I frightened the pinnas out of a seagull with my spontaneous outburst of "Summertime"... blame the nearly 20 degree heat.

...and, yes, that was a segue into the second of my discs. I have sung it many times over the years (::blush:: even on stage), but never so poorly as a few weeks back beside the terrified gull. There are some, of course, who would now wish to employ me for that purpose alone, the poor ol' gulls having set up a gang culture in some towns... but I digress.

I hope you enjoy this rendition from the 1959 Otto Preminger movie of the Gershwin masterpiece.

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Oh, Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But until that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mammy standing by

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

You may recall, back in August, I gave you Song For Athene, by John Taverner, which I declared would be one of my desert island discs. Bertie and Gail posed the question as to what the other seven would be.  I have included a couple since, which might have made the cut. However, as of today and for the following six weeks, you will find out my final choice. (Of course, this is all providing I get to a desert island and have no option to return. If that doesn't occur within the next...ohh.... 87 weeks? - then all choices are subject to change. Jus' warnin' &*>)

ALL SAINTS DAY

How do I fit my desert island pick into this?  Well, I am generally fond of requiem masses; one of which I am particularly fond is Verdi's. Of all the elements in these masses, without doubt the Dies Irae is the most affecting. The one I would take with me for my eternal collection would be the Verdi. Today, in the first frame, you have the original Gregorian chant and then, you will subsequently hear, in ever decreasing antiquity, the Dies Irae of Bach, Mozart, Verdi, Kreek and Jenkins. For the really keen, the text is given below. (Playing all in the sequence will total approx. 35 mins.) Please enjoy this historical journey of the DI.

1              Dies iræ, dies illa

Solvet sæclum in favilla,

Teste David cum Sibylla.               

Day of wrath and doom impending.

David's word with Sibyl's blending,

Heaven and earth in ashes ending.         

2              Quantus tremor est futurus,

Quando Judex est venturus,

Cuncta stricte discussurus!         

Oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth,

When from heaven the Judge descendeth,

On whose sentence all dependeth.          

3              Tuba mirum spargens sonum,

Per sepulchra regionum,

Coget omnes ante thronum.     

Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth;

Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth;

All before the throne it bringeth.              

4              Mors stupebit et natura,

Cum resurget creatura,

Judicanti responsura.    

Death is struck, and nature quaking,

All creation is awaking,

To its Judge an answer making.

5              Liber scriptus proferetur,

In quo totum continetur,

Unde mundus judicetur.             

Lo, the book, exactly worded,

Wherein all hath been recorded,

Thence shall judgement be awarded.    

6              Judex ergo cum sedebit,

Quidquid latet apparebit:

Nil inultum remanebit. 

When the Judge his seat attaineth,

And each hidden deed arraigneth,

Nothing unavenged remaineth.               

7              Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

Quem patronum rogaturus,

Cum vix justus sit securus?         

What shall I, frail man, be pleading?

Who for me be interceding,

When the just are mercy needing?    

      

8              Rex tremendæ majestatis,

Qui salvandos salvas gratis,

Salva me, fons pietatis.

King of Majesty tremendous,

Who dost free salvation send us,

Fount of pity, then befriend us!

9              Recordare, Jesu pie,

Quod sum causa tuæ viæ:

Ne me perdas illa die.   

Think, kind Jesu, my salvation

Caused Thy wondrous Incarnation;

Leave me not to reprobation.    

10           Quærens me, sedisti lassus:

Redemisti Crucem passus:

Tantus labor non sit cassus.        

Faint and weary, Thou hast sought me,

On the Cross of suffering bought me.

Shall such grace be vainly brought me?

11           Juste Judex ultionis,

Donum fac remissionis,

Ante diem rationis.        

Righteous Judge, for sin's pollution

Grant Thy gift of absolution,

Ere the day of retribution.

               

12           Ingemisco, tamquam reus:

Culpa rubet vultus meus:

Supplicanti parce, Deus.

Guilty, now I pour my moaning,

All my shame with anguish owning;

Spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning! 

13           Qui Mariam absolvisti,

Et latronem exaudisti,

Mihi quoque spem dedisti.         

Through the sinful woman shriven,

Through the dying thief forgiven,

Thou to me a hope hast given.  

14           Preces meæ non sunt dignæ;

Sed tu bonus fac benigne,

Ne perenni cremer igne.             

Worthless are my prayers and sighing,

Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,

Rescue me from fires undying.  

15           Inter oves locum præsta.

Et ab hædis me sequestra,

Statuens in parte dextra.             

With Thy sheep a place provide me,

From the goats afar divide me,

To Thy right hand do Thou guide me.     

16           Confutatis maledictis,

Flammis acribus addictis,

Voca me cum benedictis.            

When the wicked are confounded,

Doomed to flames of woe unbounded,

Call me with Thy saints surrounded.

               

17           Oro supplex et acclinis,

Cor contritum quasi cinis,

Gere curam mei finis.    

Low I kneel, with heart's submission,

See, like ashes, my contrition,

Help me in my last condition.     

18           Lacrimosa dies illa,

Qua resurget ex favilla,

Judicandus homo reus.

Huic ergo parce, Deus:  

Ah! that day of tears and mourning,

From the dust of earth returning

Man for judgement must prepare him,

Spare, O God, in mercy spare him.          

19           Pie Jesu Domine,

Dona eis requiem. Amen.           

Lord, all-pitying, Jesus blest,

Grant them Thine eternal rest. Amen. 

    

MenoSunday; Life Lived Easy

Gave a mini-lecture last week about early music. There is a movement of the 20th Century, though, which emulated the techniques and sounds of those times. Advocates include the likes of Arvo Pärt, Henry Gorecki and John Taverner. It is called Holy Minimalism. Here is one of my 'desert island discs'...