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?

Hilary Hahn

I love Hilary Hahn! She is a great character and fantastic violinist. She has appeared on some for the videos by TwoSetViolin and is totally natural and fun loving.

I guess many Classical musicians look serious but have a sense of humour. Even me!

Society is in a poor way

There is a lot wrong with society at present IMHO. "I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here" is a show set in Australia in which famous English people go to a jungle and are voted - by the public - to undertake humiliating and unpleasant tasks involving creatures of all sorts, often in their hundreds (ants, rats etc.). They may also have the eat really weird 'food' in order to win proper food treats for their camp mates.

Who ever thought this was a good idea?

Don't even get me started on Naked Attraction. Was it thought up by somebody with no brain?

People these days seems to have stupid ideas such as "Let's give every child an iPad". Too many youngsters devote too much of their lives to screen time. Children do not seem to have hobbies any more. Trains sets, stamp collecting, model racing cars, carpentry, model making - gosh I sound like a dinosaur! It is getting harder to recruit choristers, bellringers, musicians (note that I am can only talk from my experience) but I guess that children find other ways of filling their time at some martial arts dōjō or other.

The biggest failure of society is to stop children being children. They no longer think for themselves because they cannot do so; they never have to do so, it seems to me.

The school run. Never in my day. I was only driven to school three times in all my years from Infants' to secondary school.

You reap what you sow! That's all I am saying.

Fed up

This has been another of those days when I wonder, "What is the point?" I shall not write about work issues here, but my job does not seem to get any easier. I had expected that I would get progressively better at my job with time. As I approach retirement I seem to be getting progressively worse at it! Perhaps the world has simply changed and I am past my 'sell-by' date.

The other thing about which I am disappointed is that I wrote a piece of church music some time ago and dedicated it to my late organ teacher. Next year will be 20 years since he died in tragic circumstances, far too early. I felt it would be a nice gesture (not for me but for his widow) were my music to be performed again in the cathedral where it has already been performed in the past, to mark the 20 years.

I emailed the relevant person and was told it would be discussed at half term. We are quite a way past half term and I have not heard anything. I shall not chase it again but I do hope they get in touch eventually.

P.S. Was glad, just now, to find a reply to another post from Laura, which was nice.

James Marriott

I have, today, sent off details about James Marriott to In from the Cold. I am hopeful that he will be officially recognised, but it may take a couple of years!