Dona Nobis Pacem 8.27.2011
Dear friends,
Thank you for a wonderful, joyful day. I appreciate your sharing your valuable time and sacrificing this beautiful Saturday to come together to share this holy space and to continue building our choir. Thank you one and all. For those we missed today, we look so forward to enfolding you on Wednesday night when the beat goes on!
It was good for us to get a glimpse of the architecture and shape of the entire DONA NOBIS PACEM ,which is a poignant ,powerful, intense, passionate work. The musical craft of Vaughan Williams must be appreciated and revered, though it is the inspiration of his coupling of poetry from Walt Whitman with the revelation and promise of scripture that makes the work such a treasure. Singing this piece to celebrate our veterans in the November concert will be beyond meaningful. As you could sense in our reading, there is no shortage of challenge in this music, but there is also great worth to the discipline it will take us all, on our own and as an ensemble, to communicate its rich and powerful message. Begin that journey with a passionate commitment now. You can find on our choir blog (click on the DONA NOBIS PACEM tab) performance markings to copy into your scores. www.firstplymouthchoir.blogspot.com You can find there also a stream-able recording of the work. Another useful tool iswww.cyberbass.com where you can stream part-by-part recordings to help you learn your musical line. November 6 is a good ways away, but how much more beautiful it will be if we receive the gift of this music these next few months gradually, and allow our spirits to grow into expressing and communicating its important and vital message.
On a more practical note, we are awaiting the arrival of more scores for this work, so please be patient with us as we complete our set. In the meantime, you can find all the music printed on the blog to practice from, and we will be in touch when additional printed copies become available.
As is true each and every day, I rejoice that God has brought us together, and I am thankful for your contributions to our choir and our community.
Grace and peace...pacem,
TT
