A Capella

I love a capella, especially when accompanied with piano or guitar.

 

Barbarian.

 

How 'bout french horns performing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables?

 

Beautiful. Like so many wonderful compositions. And I played various versions of the clarinet and saxophone over the years.

I have sung in choirs that have performed Vivaldi's Gloria, Poulenc's Gloria, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah (many times), John Rutter's Gloria, and thousands of hymns and anthems and cantatas, all with accompaniment or a full orchestra. They were all wonderful experiences. (And I learned a bit of church Latin and German, to boot.)

But there is nothing that can compare with a capella for sheer beauty. I have a wonderful recollection of our mixed quartet singing How Great the Father's Love for Us without accompaniment. Every note mattered; you couldn't count on the piano to cover the chord.

Part of this, it is true, is the result of my early experiences. As teenagers we had limited time with the pianist, so we sang for hours upon hours a capella in my dad's truck as we took my the Red Bomb on excursions. We refined harmonies that the accompanist had no knowledge of and only sometimes could replicate.

My favorite time of the song service is when the leader tells the band to stop and it's just the voices of the congregation. It's raw, it may not be musical, but everyone knows that he or she is expected to sing and not rely upon the instruments to carry the load. That, to me, is heavenly music.

 

I enjoy music, whether instrumental or a cappella. My ringtone is Par les rues et par les chemins (my favorite from Images). But everyone at work seems to think it's a Disney song (which one I can't imagine). And my son plays the french horn.

I can worship either way. I've had amazing times of worship simply listening to instrumental performances and meditating on the words unsung, and wonderful experiences listening to a cappella. My personal "style" is making a joyful noise as I can neither sing nor play an instrument.

A few years ago I was asked to preach at a church and they had me all mic'd up at the start of the service. I remember sitting on the front row and the thought hit me - "I hope they don't turn this thing on while I'm singing".

 

Next up....Volbeat.