WORSHIP THEME PLAYLISTS

Drew Collins, Music Director

There are many connotations to the word "ritual." Depending on the context, we might associate it with words like rite, ceremony, sacrifice, repetition, commemoration, honor, return, habit, acceptance, holiday, and healing. There is a LOT of music used in rituals, but most of this month's playlist is music that addresses the list of words above. I have highlighted a few below. Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/ playlist/0D9aKlCY7boKiojg1kbFqN

Ceremonies

I included Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from his suite of incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream . We usually only get to hear it played by organ, but I have selected Mendelssohn’s original orchestration. I have also included the original versions of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin and Pachelbel’s “Kanon & Gigue” (the second half is usually left off when accompanied a bride’s entrance...most brides don’t want to dance a jig upon arriving to the altar!). Similarly, I have included the original version of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance No. 1,” a portion of which is traditionally heard at graduations. The 23rd Psalm is an oft-requested reading at funerals and memorials; I included a setting by Howard Goodall for chorus and orchestra.

Holidays

Other than “Auld Lang Syne,” the US does not have many New Year’s Eve musical traditions. However, several other countries do. Attending a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony has been a New Year’s Eve ritual in Japan since World War I. In Austria, the Vienna Philharmonic plays Johann Strauss waltzes and polkas, one after the other. I included a couple on our list, and some other champagne-y songs for good measure, including Strauss’s own “Champagne Chorus” (from Die Fledermaus ).

Mindfulness

“Méditation” from Massenet’s opera Thaïs is an entr’acte performed between two scenes. The title character, a courtesan, considers abandoning her hedonistic and luxurious lifestyle to take holy orders. It is during this time of reflection that “Méditation” plays, the solo violin symbolizing her meandering—but ever-ascending—thoughts as she chooses her path forward.

“May the long-time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you guide your way on” is a text often sung at the close of a yoga practice. There are several melodies, and I have included recordings by Satkirin & Ferenz and Snatam Kaur. I invite you to seek out the original recording by The Incredible String Band (“A Very Cellular Song”), but have opted to not include it on the playlist.

Bobby McFerrin’s album Circlesongs is remarkable because of his use of repetition, which can produce a trance-like effect in the listener. I included one track from it but commend the entire album to you. I also included McFerrin’s rendition of the spiritual “Ev’rytime I Feel the Spirit,” which talks of returning to a state of prayer frequently.

Passages

I have included the entirety of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring . Stravinsky wrote of the work’s conception, “I saw in my imagination a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watching a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of Spring.”