Prayer for Healing

When I do my prayers, prayer for healing forms part of my daily set. These days we all need some form of healing. In the recent events that happened to our country--the monsoon, the typhoons, the death of an efficient and effective government official, the rise in prices of basic commodities among others--some may feel that it's the end of the world, the end of their lives. So what else is there to live for? Well, this may be an age-old adage, but the only way is to turn our attention to the one and only author of life: Jesus Christ.

 Any form of healing that we may need--physical, mental, spiritual, psychological--let God in and welcome him as he does the one thing he's always been doing since he created us--to heal us of our heartaches, our pains, our sufferings. Whatever it is that we've been through, know that he himself has undergone them too. He became man for us, grew up just like an ordinary human being. To this day, he remains with us in several churches all over the world. Every hurt that we feel, he feels it too. Every suffering we go through, he suffers alongside us to. Despite being the author of life, he did not spare himself of the pain and suffering that we as human beings go through in this world. Shall we not go to this man and ask for his help and learn from him what it truly means to suffer for the sake of loving others?

One song expresses this more than any other. Let's all pray that God may heal our land.

HEAL OUR LAND

If my people will humble themselves 
Humble themselves and pray 
If they seek my face and humble themselves 
And turn from their wicked ways 

[REFRAIN 1]
I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins 
I will hear from heaven and heal their land 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/jamie-rivera-heal-our-land-lyrics.html ]
[CHORUS] 
Lord, heal our land 
Father, heal our land 
Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You 
Lord, heal our land 
Hear us oh, Lord, and heal our land 
Forgive our sin and heal our broken land 

Lord, we vow our knee, we humble ourselves 
Humble ourselves and pray 
Lord, we seek your face and humble ourselves 
And turn from my wicked ways 

[REFRAIN 2]
Father in Your mercy, forgive our sins 
Father in Your mercy, come heal our land 

[Repeat CHORUS twice] 

[CODA]
(Lord, heal our land 
Father, heal our land) 
Hear our cry and heal our broken land 

Recharge In His Heart

A colleague has this Dilbert mug with the following inscription: "Away you demons of stupidity!" Well, so many struggles in our life involve in one form or the other--not just demons of stupidity--but the "daemon" himself. After this gruelling week of training, I remember a song entitled "Daemon Irrepit Calidus" by Gyorgy Orban. It's one of the songs I used to sing with the choir in which I was quite challenged with the pacing, exchange and overlapping lines among the different voices. Also, this song brought back wonderful memories of my first trip outside of the Philippines. It's nice to sometimes go back a relish the good times as a way of recharging oneself and prepare for another possible challenging week ahead. And it's my personal prayer as well as a command in the name of Jesus Christ--away with you "daemons."

Daemon Irrepit Callidus György Orbán
Daemon irrepit calidus,
Allicit cor honoribus.
Quid amabile Daemon dat
Cor jesu minus aestimat
Daemon point frauds inter cantus,
Saltus, Daemon!
Caro venaratur sensibus;
Sen sus adhaeret dapibus;
In aescatur, impinguatur dilatatur.
Cordis Aestum non explebunt, non arcebunt, Daemon! Daemon!


Translation:
The Demon sneaks expertly
Tempting the honorable heart:
He sets forth trickery amidst praise, song and dance.
However amiably the Demon acts,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.
The Flesh is tempted by sensuality;
Gluttony clings to our senses;
It overgrows, it encroaches, it stretches.
However appealing the Flesh is,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.
Though the Universe may confer
Thousands upon thousands of praises,
They neither fulfill nor put out the desire of the heart.
However appealing the whole Universe is,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.

Madrigal Week: Chase Them Away!

Some madrigals feature stories of ordinary life. I remember one madrigal that was fun to sing especially when the second line of text comes in--Vechhie Letrose.

Composed by Adrian Wilaert (1450-1599), it's a short text that tells of a person getting rid of "spiteful old hags" in the neighborhood. Imagine yourself walking down the street and seeing all sorts of people along the way--office workers, students, vendors, street children, traffic police, or people simply going to markets and other establishments. We mind our own business until suddenly something or someone catches our attention--the graffiti along the walls, the beggars begging, pedestrians bumping you unintentionally or otherwise, and worse--snatchers! If you could get a chance to get even with them or even go after them, imagine yourself running after them with a baseball bat or a broom stick or even shouting at the top of your vice and say "spiteful old hags, you good for nothing!"

Of course it's just a fantasy. The song I'm about to feature talks about someone shooing away someone (or even something) that irritates him or makes him spiteful. Not to condone any negative forces here, but this song is a delight to sing because once the second line is sung, you could imaging the movement of the voices as though they were chasing someone. The rendition is quite fast indicating a running motion. So if you feel like shooing something away--maybe a negative force in your life--then just sing along and chase them away. Oh, and try to keep up! ;-)

VECCHIE LETROSE

Vecchie letrose, non valete niente                                 Spiteful old hags, you are good for nothing,
Se non a far l'aguaito per la chiazza.                             Only for lying in wait in the thicket.
Tira, tira, tir'alla mazza,                                                Beat, beat, beat with your canes,
Vecchie letrose, scannaros'e pazze!                              Spiteful old hags, murderous and mad!

Pop Week: A Capella Style Macarena

This week I'll be featuring Pop Songs--I use the term loosely here. I'm talking about songs that we hear over the radio or tunes that we dance to. But I won't be featuring the group or singer that popularized it. What I'll be presenting instead are choral groups singing these pop songs.

I guess the reason is obvious. Choral groups also get into the grove of contemporary and modern times and sing in a capella style songs that the modern generation has come to recognize and love. When these songs are sung, the impact on the audience is one of amazement--as long as the rendition was executed beautifully. You could say that it's better to watch these performances live rather than on video. As with any type of choral music, watching a live concert is always the best way to appreciate a choir's performance. Here, I hope to give you what we in the world of choral performers, composers and arrangers have to offer to you, our beloved audience.

Do you remember Macarena? I remember it quite well because a lot of youngsters seem to just want to dance to this music. I'm not a good dancer really, so I love it when I see dancers just sway and shake their bodies to the tune of this song. Have you seen a choir perform this song? If not, then here is the University of Visayas Chorale performing Macarena.

Incidentally, show choirs have blossomed over the years. Some of them would sing pop music with choreography and instruments. I'd prefer those who sing it a capella style--and some little choreography if possible.

Choral Singing Crosses Barriers

As I was looking for a Filipino folksong in YouTube, I couldn’t find a nice version of the song. (I’ll reveal this song in another blog.) Anyway, after searching long and hard for the song, I stumbled upon another folk song--a Latvian folksong.

And then it hit me...I remember this one quite well. This song symbolizes two firsts for me: my first trip abroad and my first... I’ll let the video explain to you the second. But for your reference, here are the lyrics and it’s translation. It’s a touching song...I hope the young man still gets to marry the maiden promised to her. ;-)

Put Vejini
                   
Put, vejini, dzen laivinu,           Blow wind, drive my boat,
Aizdzen mani Kurzeme.         Drive me to Kurzeme.
Kurzemniece man solija         A woman from Kurzeme promised me
Sav' meitinu malejin’.              Her daughter as a bride.
Solit sola, bet nedeva,            She promised, but didn’t fill the promise,
Teic man’ lielu dzerajin'.         Calling me a drunkard.
Teic man’ lielu dzerajinu,        She called me a drunkard
Kumelina skrejejin’.                And a horse racer.
Kuru krogu es izdzeru,          Where is the tavern in which I drank too much,
Kam noskreju kumelin'?        Whose horse did I run down?
Pats par savu naudu dzeru,   I drink for my own money,
Pats skrej' savu kumelin’       And ride my own horse.
Put vejini, dzen laivinu           Blow wind, drive my boat,
Aizdzen mani Kurzeme.       Drive me to Kurzeme.
(Translation cited from this resource.)

The one who bowed is none other than yours truly. :-D Incidentally, it is the most memorable solo performance I’ve ever done. I remember singing this song in Preveza, Greece. Ah, the memories of Greece are coming back...forever to be cherished.

The choir and I met other choirs mostly from Europe. There was a choir there from Latvia. We sang "Put Vejini" and luckily, they were quite appreciative of our singing. It just goes to show how universal choral singing can be. Choral singing can cross barriers in time and space. It also brings unity and friendship to people from different countries all over the world. 

The Choir Rocks!

Ah, the weekend! My time to rest and enjoy what I want to do the most. Usually, I just stay at home and read a book--yes, I'm a bookworm! I have so many books at home: fiction (including some classic literature), non-fiction (academic, inspirational, history, etc.) Nowadays, I simply want to read action, adventure, suspense thrillers, and mystery novels. Sometimes you just want to take a break from the serious, intellectual, and reflective topics found in many non-fiction books as well as some classic literature pieces.

The same is true when you watch a concert featuring choral groups. The whole range of songs arranged and composed for choral singing is so vast and plentiful. From church, to international folk, to pop, there are just as many genres to enjoy in choral singing. Sometimes it's hard to get people to watch a choral concert. Some say it's not their thing especially when the choir sings songs in a different language like "Latin"--which is characteristic of many sacred music choral pieces. Or even international folk songs from Europe and Asia...one of these days, I'll share some favorites. For now, let me give you a break from all these "serious" pieces.

Have you seen a choral group sing "We Will Rock You"? I have! The first time I saw this, I had no idea just how flexible and extensive choral singing can be. Choral composers have a lot of choices out there when it comes to creating their next choral piece. Well, on the lighter side, some composers would make arrangements for popular music genres like rock and jazz.

Here is one of my fave choral groups performing "We Will Rock You."

Awesome indeed! This song has not failed to capture its audience.