August 25, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Friday, August 25.
In the summer of 1983, 40 years ago now, I had a memorable musical moment. I got to sing a choral piece written and conducted by one of the greatest musicians that America has ever produced. Today is his birthday, and his name was Leonard Bernstein.
That name is on many lips this summer, as the premiere of a biographical movie approaches, starring Bradley Cooper. I'm looking forward to seeing it. But 40 summers ago, I saw the man himself. I was a college student in Houston, and was singing with the Symphony Chorus, that was performing a Bernstein work called "Chichester Psalms".
Bernstein wrote many pieces with religious themes. His first symphony, also including a choir, is called the "Jeremiah Symphony", and retells the story of the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah for his people in exile. He wrote it in 1942, as millions of Bernstein's people were exiled to Hitler's death camps. In 1963, right after JFK's assassination, he wrote "Kaddish," based on the Jewish ritual of mourning. And in 1971, to open Washington's Kennedy Center, he composed an amazing work called "Mass", based on the Catholic ritual.
Chichester Psalms, the piece that I had the chance to sing, features lyrics from five different psalms. And all the words are in Hebrew (that was fun!). These include the Shepherd's Psalm, and the famous 100th - "Make a joyful noise all ye lands."
But the final lyrics of the piece, written in 1965, during the Vietnam War and at the height of the Cold War with Russia, are taken from Psalm 133.
"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity."
I'll never forget my musical moment 40 years ago, and those words ring just as true 40 years later.
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
