Feed Your Ears

[Luigi]

Jean Ritchie was an important figure in the American folk music scene for a very long time. She was born in rural Kentucky, and learned folk songs the traditional way - orally, passed down from one singer to another. She single-handedly made the mountain dulcimer known across the country. And she wrote many of her own songs. Being so steeped in folk music, her songs sound like folk songs themselves. This is "Now Is the Cool of the Day." I post this one because it's be HOT around my neck of the woods lately. 

 

[Luigi]

Bessie Smith was The Empress of the Blues. And lots of the songs she sang were pretty dern blue - lots of double entendre, and some of it not very subtle, either. But she did record a couple of "religious" songs. I don't think they were intended for church services - they were pop songs. But it does show just how popular Gospel music was that a pop star of Smith's magnitude felt compelled to get on the bandwagon. This is "Moan, You Moaners," from 1930, which maybe should be "Mourn, You Mourners," - people in the South don't always pronounce the Rs after vowels. 

 

[little2add]

Instructor of the faithful,
help me to understand Christ’s words.

 

 

 

[Luigi]

"My God, My Freedom (and This Land That I Call Home)" by a young Fontella Bass. She re-recorded it on her last album, too. And her mother Martha Bass recorded it a long time ago. I think Mahalia Jackson recorded it before that, and I can't track down who wrote it. Whatever the recording history is, this one's to celebrate Juneteenth. 

 

[little2add]

O Jesus,

through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer You my prayers, works,

joys and sufferings

of this day for all the intentions

of Your Sacred Heart,

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

throughout the world,

in reparation for my sins,

for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,

and in particular

for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Amen.

 

[Luigi]

Joan Baez recorded a calypso version of The Lord's Prayer maybe 55 or 60 years ago. And since that's today's Gospel, I thought it appropriate to post the song today. I know some folks aren't crazy about Joan Baez, and that's fine, but all the other versions on YouTube are just plain cheesy - university choruses with piano accompaniment, for instance. 

 

Edited June 21 by Luigi

[Luigi]

The Nunc Dimittis is a prayer, also known as the Song of Simeon or the Canticle of Simeon, found in Luke:2, 29-32. It is included in Vespers or Compline, whichever is the last liturgical prayer of the day in a given monastery. And since I post these songs at the end of the day, the Nunc Dimittis seems appropriate to the time.

This setting was composed by the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934). It's eight-part harmony - two parts each for SATB. That, and the lack of a definite pulse or rhythm, give it a floaty, celestial feel. The lyrics are Simeon's words in Latin, followed by a Glory Be in Latin. I include the Latin lyrics and their English translation here because they're nearly impossible to decipher from the singers, even though the singers are very good. That's the problem with this kind of music compared to traditional Gospel songs - you have to already know the words to catch them in a performance... or you have to read along in the program. And you have to know Latin, too. And the English translation of the Latin. But it is beautiful music. 

Latin (Vulgate):
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English (Translation of the Vulgate):
Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace;
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

 

Edited June 22 by Luigi

[Luigi]

Sallie Martin (1895-1988) was a friend of Dr. Thomas A. Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music. She was never as famous as he was, or his student Mahalia Jackson, but she did collaborate with him in establishing a Gospel music convention, selling his music, and so forth. Here she sings "Little Wooden Church on the Hill." It features a recurring them in Gospel music, remembering the simple but honest church experiences of one youth - something we don't hear in Catholic music. Sister Shirley Caesar sings about it, and "Come to the Church in the Wildwood" is another example. Anyway, this is pretty rare because she didn't perform as much as others in her crowd. She starts with a short little preach and then segues seamlessly into the song. Also, there's a sound in here I can't identify - it could be a soprano singing "oooh," but I think it's actually a musical saw! 

 

[Luigi]

I know I've posted a number of songs by Sister Shirley Caesar, but I'm posting another. "Peace in the Midst of the Storm." I thought this was a pretty well-known standard song, and I looked for recordings by other people, but I found only one or two others, and they weren't nearly this good. I found other songs on the same theme, but I like this one much better. 

 

[Luigi]

"Wondrous Love" (also known as "What Wondrous Love Is This) is a very traditional hymn. The lyrics are from around 1811; the melody is a couple of hundred years older than that. It started showing up in the shape note hymnals in the 1820s and following. It's in the Dorian mode, which is a different scale than the typical one we use these days. This rendition is by Blue Highway, a group that is usually classified as bluegrass but which is really more like a roots group. They start with a mandolin intro and then go into a cappella singing, ending with a sort of an a cappella round. 

 

[Luigi]

I've already posted one song by Dorothy Norwood, but here's another, "Victory Is Mine." The words are very simple, the melody is very simple, but that means that everyone can sing along, and you can add your own verses as the spirit moves you. It starts with the chorus three or four times, then goes into verses (which follow the same melody as the chorus). But it's a very joyful song, You'll find yourself humming it. And it fits with today's first reading.

 

[Luigi]

Rosanne Cash signs "50,000 Watts of Common Prayer." The Book of Common Prayer is the standard missal of the Anglican/Episcopal church. Cash considers music a form of "common prayer" - we can be united by singing our hopes, dreams, problems, etc. The 50,000 Watts refers to WDIA in Memphis; it was the first radio station in the South that was intended for Black audiences, and their motto was '50,000 watts of good will.' The lines "son of rhythm, brother of the blues" refers to the kind of secular music they played. 

 

[Luigi]

In today's first reading, King Jehoiachin, his mother, his court, his soldiers, and his skilled craftsmen are carried into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Here's Boney M from 1979 - in some really creative outfits! - singing "By the Rivers of Babylon." 

 

[Luigi]

I don't post much in the way of Contemporary Christian music, but I like this one, "Clean" by Natalie Grant. And it fits with today's Gospel reading. Simple accompaniment - piano, and eventually cello - that sort of crescendos slowly throughout. 

 

[Luigi]

Eric Clapton was apparently raised Catholic. His life has not been an exemplar of Catholic life, but he is apparently still a man of faith. He wrote "Holy Mother" is the depths of his addiction. It could refer to The Virgin Mary, or it could refer to Holy Mother the Church. Whether or not this is a great song, it is impressive to see someone of his stature singing so unabashedly about his faith at a rock concert. 

 

Edited June 30 by Luigi