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This is a gathering-place for my writing. I am curious about many things, and you can see the main categories in the menu above. I hope you will find things that interest you too!
Waters of Babylon – CD Review
Waters of Babylon, compositions of the Pacific Northwest composer Jeff Junkinsmith, is the latest release by the Byrd Ensemble, a Seattle group directed by Markdavin Obenza; they recently celebrated their 20th anniversary and are becoming known on the international scene for their performances of music of the Renaissance and of contemporary composers. The five pieces […]
Prayer to Jesus
Jhesu, since thou me made and bought, Be Thou my love and all my thought, And help that I may to Thee be brought; Withouten thee I may do nought. Jhesu, since thou must do thy will, And naething is that thee may let;* With thy grace my heart fulfill, My love and my liking […]
A Memorable Concert
I recently had a recording of a 1993 concert digitized, and wanted to share some of the music with you. I felt a bit sheepish for letting it languish for so long (29 years!) – but it was a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) and I put off converting it to a CD. Probably another reason […]
Ascension – an update
Today’s the 26th of May, but I would rather go with the liturgical calendar, which makes it Ascension Day. I decided to update this post, which I wrote two years ago. That was in May 2020, when COVID was relatively new to all of us, and I spent a couple of paragraphs lamenting my own […]
A Journey with Julian
On Saturday, May 14, 2022, I will be presenting one of the “Zoom” series of programs offered through the Spirituality Center at St. Placid Priory in Lacey, Washington. Called “Julian of Norwich: Wisdom for our Time.” This is the third program I have presented on Julian at the Priory, where I am a Benedictine Oblate. […]
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A Hymn of Faith
On January 30, 2022, the Compline Choir at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, sang an anthem composed by Gregory W. Bloch (b. 1977), a member of the choir. The text is taken from the poem “No Coward Soul Is Mine”, written by Emily Brontë (1818-1848) – the last poem before her death. Several stanzas (below in […]
Genealogy Wall Art Using Free Image Editing Tools
In July 2021 I worked on what had been a goal for a long time – producing a family history display on one of the blank walls in our downstairs hallway. I had found out about how to produce files on PowerPoint that could be sent to a company called mixtiles.com which turned the images […]
- Music
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Compline Re-Opens to Attendees!
On Sunday, August 22, 2021, the doors of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle opened again to attendees – the first time since March 7, 2020. For 76 weeks (almost a year and a half), the choir sang in an empty cathedral, due to COVID-19. In March 2020, churches were closed to in-person congregations; many started […]
“Faire is the Heaven” at Thirty
In 1925 composer William Henry Harris (1883-1973) set to music some lines from the poem “An Hymne of Heavenly Beautie,” by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599). Scored for unaccompanied double chorus of four voices each (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), Faire is the Heaven is one of the most sublime pieces in the English choral repertoire. I’ve […]