Religious Music

What does that even mean? Well, for me, it means any music that brings me closer to God and helps me reflect on Christian ideals and values. I had one of those moments today. We were singing Sibelius' "Finlandia Hymn" in choir today, and it struck me as especially poignant. We're singing the "This is My Song" version, and it's all about peace and love -- something I think we all need to be reminded of the day after elections. The version below is the best vocal version I could find, but it's a little fast. I think they only sing one verse. I'll post the other lyrics, and bold the lines that pull at my heartstrings.

This is my song, oh God of all the nations,

a song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;

but other hearts in other lands are beating

with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too and clover,

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

This is my song, thou God of all the nations;

a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms:

Thy kingdom come on earth thy will be done.

Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,

And hearts united learn to live as one.

Oh hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;

Myself I give thee; let thy will be done.

Another tear-jerker for me is the song cycle, I Never Saw Another Butterfly. The text is from poems children wrote while they awaited death at Terezin. It is one of the most haunting pieces of music I have ever encountered. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for you, there are not any decent renditions on YouTube. I highly suggest you listen to the version Anna Owens performed on her senior recital. She transposed the score for cello, and it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. 

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I've been trying to think of a segue out of the Holocaust that's not completely depressing, but I'm beginning to think that's not possible. Let's just make a clean break, shall we?

Christmas music. There. Doesn't that just make you want to smile? One of my favorite carols is "O Holy Night."

I'm also a big fan of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. I didn't used to like it! However, I've come to appreciate it the more I listen to it. I especially love the last movement and the fifth movement. They are about the eternity and immortality of Jesus, and I feel like Messiaen embodied those concepts in this work.

I. Liturgie de cristal (Liturgy of Crystal) [0:10]

II. Vocalise, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (Vocalise, for the Angel who Announces the End of Time) [2:45]

III. Abîme des oiseaux (Abyss of Birds) [7:49]

IV. Intermède (Interlude) [16:10]

V. Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus (Praise to the Eternity of Jesus) [17:58]

VI. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes (Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets) [25:24]

VII. Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (Tangle of Rainbows, for the Angel who Announces the End of Time) [31:32]

VIII. Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus (Praise to the Immortality of Jesus) [38:54]