St. John Passion- an experience

By Anonymous -

I did not grow up with any sort of structured religion, but what I did know from a young age was music. I loved to sing and dance to the radio, and my family would get together at holidays and bring multiple guitars so we could make music together. Having been involved with many choruses over the years, I have sung a great number of spiritual pieces, but nothing like Bach's St. John Passion.



I was at once blown away by the first note; the intensity of the piece is set up from the very beginning. Not being able to understand the words unless I focused intently on the program, I tuned in to the music alone. Its complexity and beauty really spoke to me. I did not experience the concert on a spiritual level as many others most likely did; I really had little context for the text itself. However, I can imagine that the musical elements complimented it perfectly, alternating between full and strong choral lines and softer, more warbling solos. Also, being able to focus on the music aspect of the performance made me appreciate all of the work that the performers had to have put into it (Really, how many of them do you think were fluent German speakers?) It takes a great amount of skill and dedication to their craft for the musicians to be able to perform such an intricate piece so beautifully. The fact that the ensemble was comprised of three separate groups only made it more impressive to me. I can only imagine how it would feel to be a part of such a production. If it was that moving to me, someone who had only minimal knowledge of the story and no understanding of the words, singing the passion must have been such an emotional experience.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirpin...
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was...
Read more