Taking communion - hygiene

I have never particularly liked taking Holy Communion. It just happens that, as an organist or choir director, I have usually managed to receive communion early; before the congregation and the choir. This has meant that the chalice has not passed many lips and not too much saliva can have found its way into the communion wine. I have not had communion for a very long time as it is not celebrated at the school chapel where I preside.

When I fill in as an organist during the holidays (wherever it is) I do not go to receive, but that is another story.

This post has to do with advice read out at the church where I played today and all over the county, if not the country. The last time anything like this happened it was as a result of the fear of AIDS. Back then there was the silly advice that 'germs' cannot live on the silverware from which communion vessels are made. I ask you!

Today the advice has reasonable parts: no tincture, the host NOT to placed directly into the mouth of receivers but into their hands. Also, when exchanging the Peace (which I hate anyway!) the right hand is to be used for shaking hands, reserving the left one for receiving the host at communion. This is silly. I am right handed. Were I to receive communion I would - as I have always done - place my right hand over my left.

I am afraid that I do not trust people and hygiene. Stay away!

Tuba Skinny

Over the last week or two I have discovered Tuba Skinny and I cannot stop watching them. How I wish I could play like that. Shane Cohn is superb and the clarinet parts are always exciting. In fact they are all great. They also feature Erika Lewis whose voice is really cut out for this style of music.

Visit TUBA SKINNY

Diction

I listen to Radio 4 Extra a great deal. Yesterday they had a programme (Funny you should ask - but that link may not work after a while) featuring some old comedians (Sid Colin {who he?} John Junkin, Barry Cryer).

I was struck by the clarify of diction and superb pronunciation of all their words: a real joy to hear. It got me thinking.

I regularly say to my choir at school (and to the school as a whole during hymn practice) that the letter 'T' is falling out of fashion. If you listen to the radio of TV you will noticed that t's are often dropped within a sentence but often at the end. Thus, "Get out" becomes "Geh ow". It is called T-glottalization.

Later I heard some programme in which 'modern' people were having a discussion and it struck me that my brain was actually working overtime to decode what they were saying; so poor was their diction. I guess we do not notice this (well, I do) from day to day but the juxtaposition during the day of 2 radio programmes made this clear to me. What will diction (and the English language) be like in 50 years time? I shall not be here to find out.

Don't get me started on 'the' (thuh) becoming 'thee' before a vowel. Others have noticed!

And where have Blogger put their spell checker?