Musician Malcolm Kogut has been tickling the ivories since he was 14 and won the NPM DMMD Musician of the Year award in 99. He has CDs along with many published books. Malcolm played in the pit for many Broadway touring shows. When away from the keyboard, he loves exploring the nooks, crannies and arresting beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, battling gravity on the ski slopes and roller coasters.
Last Sunday, the phone calls and emails started
coming in saying "We're canceling Tuesday." Even some of my Wednesday
appointments have been canceled. You see, a once every hundred years,
storm of the century, snowmagedden was coming and people were canceling
appointments, meetings and life in general to prepare to be socked in
and and thusly pounded by Mother Nature.
Well, let me
tell you, the storm was so bad, that the plows haven't even been down my
street yet. I live at the end of a dead end street so we are always
the last to be plowed so, here is a picture of my street Tuesday morning
at the height of the blizzard.
The weather forecasters are so
embarrassed (none have yet to admit or apologize for their error), that
they are showing footage from cities over 300 miles away in an effort to
justify their "sky is falling" mentality. It's all about the ratings,
isn't it.
For a series of cantor workshops, I
complied a video of cantors singing the responsorial psalm. These clips
were culled from the Sunday morning Roman Catholic televised Mass in my
diocese.
As you listen and watch, don't judge the singer.
Don't judge their training or quality of voice. Instead, listen for
inflection. Do you beleive what they are proclaiming? Do you think
they beleive what they are proclaiming? Are they proclaiming? Are they
preoccupied with performing? Do they appear warm and welcoming? Do
they seem nervous? Are their gestures on the beat? Do they have any
unnecessary movements? Do they make eye contact with everyone? Do they
stare at their music? Does it seem like they are proclaiming the Word
of God or singing a song? Do they look happy to be there? Are they
dynamic? Do they smile?
I had a conversation with a singer
regarding the subtle difference between a cantor and soloist. Here are
some of the thoughts I shared with her.
A cantor proclaims. A soloist sings. A cantor looks at the congregation during the introduction. A soloist looks at the music, floor, pianist. A cantor has part of the music memorized (like the refrain) and looks at the people while singing it. A soloist stares at the music. A cantor gestures and cues the assembly. A soloist just stands there. A cantor (during the Psalm) doesn't sing the refrain but looks at the people as they respond to her. A soloist sings her own response. A cantor prayed the text during the week that she is going to proclaim on Sunday. A soloist learned the song she is going to sing. A cantor has people come up to them after the service to tell them how the text spoke to them. A soloist has people come up to them after the service to tell them how beautiful they sang.
I
demand that all my cantors memorize part of the Psalm so that they can
look out at the people. If a cantor sings from Psalm 27, "The Lord is
my light and my salvation, of whom shall I be afraid." and looks out at
someone who is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, it can have a huge impact
on that person.
If a cantor sings from Psalm 42, "Why should I
mourn and toil within when it is mine to hope in God?" and looks out at a
teen thinking about suicide, it can make a difference in their life.
If
a cantor sings from Psalm 63, "As morning breaks, I look to you to be
my strength this day." and looks at someone starting a new job tomorrow,
it could make a difference for that person.
If a cantor sings
from Isaiah 43, "I have called you each by name. I love you and you are
mine." and looks at someone who is lonely, it might make a difference
in their life.
A cantor, if they do all those things, will grow by leaps and bounds. A soloist, may grow through years of repetition.
"Octave" is a Latin word
meaning eight. According to the first creation story, God created the
world in seven days. The resurrection of Jesus was called the "eight
day" by early Christians because now life was to be lived in a whole new
dimension of freedom.
Many churches have forgotten that we are
all one body and all are welcome. We are quick to judge, deny, exclude
and ostracize others under the banner of our own brand of
Christianity. Some churches love to hate.
I played at the
funeral of a Protestant minister's mother. In attendance were several
clergy including a Roman Catholic priest. He both received and
distributed Communion. Afterward he asked me not to tell anyone. I
thought it was a beautiful ecumenical example of brotherhood,
Christianity, communion, passion and breaking of the bread.
So
during this octave, we are to pray that all may come together, not
judge, put aside our differences and celebrate our commonalities. The
Church Unity Octave ends on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of
St. Paul. If Paul, Saul of Tarsus, the crazed terrorist and murderer of
Christians is welcome . . .
Today, January 17, is the memorial of one of my favorite
saints; St. Anthony of Egypt. At the age of 20 both of his parents had
died and he inherited a fortune. He gave it away to the poor and then
went to live in the quietest place he could find which was a tomb in a
cemetery in the desert. The only people he spoke to were other hermits
and outcasts of society.
He later moved to an abandoned fort
high in the mountains where for 20 years he didn't see another person.
He was the legendary Holy Man in the mountains whom people began to seek
for counsel. It was said that his face glowed with radiant happiness.
When Christians were being persecuted and thrown into
prison he left the mountains to comfort them and because of who he was
and the holiness he exuded, he himself was never arrested. He then
returned to the desert and founded a monastery where he took care of his
pets and garden for 45 years, living to the age of 105. He read no
books saying that it was nature which spoke to him of God.
I
have an elderly friend from Mexico who told me that on St. Anthony's
feast day, when my friend was a child, they would paint their pets,
animals and livestock, dress them up in clothes and wreaths of flowers,
then bring them to the church for a blessing.
In my state, if you painted your pet, you'd go to prison for ten years under Buster's Law.
Here is a brief section of the Fonda, Johnstown & Gloversville Rail-Trail (FJ&G). This video of the bike path (once a rail line) passes through the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville. The trail passes by and behind many derelict houses, factories and warehouses which I find to be historically romantic and dolorous, full of wonder, dreams and surprise of a time gone by. These once opulent but now ramshackle properties give off an aura of opportunity to the right investor.
An octogenarian friend used to tell me stories about growing up on this rail line when it and the cities were thriving with industry and commerce. "Bums" were always knocking on their back door asking for food or water. Years later my friend found out that his house had a marking on it designating it as a place where assistance and compassion may be had.
My friend Cy told me how he and his dad buried 300 feet of pipe and installed a water fountain near the tracks for those thirsty souls walking the rails. Although poor, Cy's mom never turned anyone away without a sandwich.
They found out about the marking when the police knocked on their front door looking for someone wanted for questioning. Cy's mom asked how come the rail walkers were always knocking on their door and the police took her to the back yard and showed her where their house was marked. The police asked if she would like for them to remove it and she said no. I beleive at the time, the man they were looking for was actually in the kitchen and Cy's mom didn't turn him in. Cy's mom - Saint or guilty of aiding and abetting?
Cy grew up to be a wonderful and generous man filled with infections joy and optimism. His final ten years were spent giving away everything he owned and sadly, being taken advantage of, which he acknowledged but still freely gave. He was a war hero and a recipient of the Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Victory Medal, European Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Expert Marksmanship Badge and a shoulder patch of the 30th Infantry Division. Lest we forget.
fj&g, rail trail, gloversville, johnstown, fonda, malcolm kogut, bike path, nathaniel cyrus ingram,
