It was really good last night to be shepherded by Carlos through to the end of the Nelson Mass.  However much we may rehearse or listen to recordings at home, there is nothing like singing it at rehearsal, under Carlos’ guidance, to really begin to understand the music.

And what music it is!  As Carlos said last night, it is beautifully crafted, very singable and tuneful.  That does not mean to say that it is easy, and the Sopranos might have a quibble or two about the number of top As and top B flats which are required of them.

But these are details.  We always think of Haydn as composing bright, sunny music, most often in bright, sunny major keys.  He is affectionately known as “Poppa Haydn”, reflecting a warm, friendly personality.

The Nelson Mass is something different.  Its sub-title gives the first indication:  Missa in Angustiis.  I can’t be sure, but I reckon there is a connection between our word angst and the Latin angustiis.  Haydn must have been going through considerable angst at the time.  Napoleon, then at the height of his powers, was expected to invade Austria at any time.  Church authorities had severely restricted the use of music in regular services.  Haydn’s employer had been forced to sack several members of his court orchestra for a combination of political and financial reasons.

Haydn’s world was falling apart around him, as was that of his employer and potentially the whole of his beloved homeland, Austria.  His response in the Nelson Mass is remarkable.  The music is so different to what we expect.  Can you think of another Mass where we almost shout the invocation “Kyrie eleison”- “Lord have mercy”?  or where “Donna nobis pacem”-“Lord grant us peace” seems more like an instruction than a request?

And that’s not all. In the Credo, most composers set the words of Christ’s death in a sombre minor key and his resurrection in a bright major key, for obvious reasons.  But in the Nelson Mass,  Haydn reverses the sequence.  Following a gentle G major laying to rest in the tomb, there is a striking B minor sequence to announce the resurrection – most unexpected and most effective as a precursor to D major for the remainder of the Credo.

I like to think that the Nelson Mass shows the true deep inner personality of Haydn.  Yes, a cheerful man in the main, but someone with deeper beliefs, feelings and emotions than he often permitted himself to display.

We are most fortunate to have Carlos conducting us for this work.  He forces us to think about what we are singing, and about how the composer is using music to communicate ideas and feelings. The combination of Haydn and Carlos is indeed compelling.

I learnt a new word this week.  Numinous. Do you know it?  The word has been in use since 1647, so I was taken aback that I had not come across it before.

Where did I find the word?  In the programme of a concert I was not able to attend, but did however manage to listen to the subsequent broadcast.

Arvo Pärt and JS Bach were the main composers featured in a concert given by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Choir.  The music was mesmerizing; the singing and playing well up to their extraordinarily high standards.  Even on the radio, something of the magic of the occasion came through. By all accounts being at the live concert was electrifying.  For an amateur choral singer, to hear the choir sing for ten minutes a cappella and then be perfectly in tune for the orchestra to join them, was most impressive.  But that is mere technique.  There was something else about this concert which raised it above the usual.

Arvo Pärt and JS Bach come from different musical eras and from almost opposite ends of the religious spectrum.  Pärt is a devout Orthodox Christian, having converted from Lutheranism as an adult, whereas Bach was a staunch lifelong Lutheran.  Bach’s music is richly woven with patterns both visible and invisible, in contrast to Pärt’s music which often borders on the minimalist.  Both Bach in the 1700s and Pärt today aim to make a profession of their faith through their music.

In the concert the music from the two composers was sewn together seamlessly.  It segued from Pärt to Bach and back to Pärt and so-on with breaks for applause only at the end of each half of the concert.  It was indeed magic.

The concert programme contains the usual notes about the music, and also two thought-provoking articles about the place of religious music, especially in an age when more people than ever profess no particular religious affiliation.  It suggests that music and other art forms can be “numinous”.  The dictionary definition of “numinous” is, “revealing or suggesting the presence of a god; inspiring awe and reverence”.   This reminded me of a comment by a Choir member (I am ashamed to say that I cannot remember whom) after Messiah last December, “Whoever or whatever your god, somewhere in Messiah you will encounter them.”   

Maybe that is true of all music.  Maybe “numinous” is a term to describe what we are all seeking for in music, whatever our individual faith or religious affiliation.  Maybe what binds us together as members of the Choir, is the common aim of seeking the “numinous” for ourselves and, having found it, to communicate it, as best we can, to our audiences.

It could be said that this all sounds a bit grandiose for a community group such as the Manly Warringah Choir.  But I like to think that there is at least a grain of truth in those articles, and that it explains why we do so much more, under Carlos’ inspired direction, than just have a pleasant sing-along every Thursday.

It was as we were circling for the second time somewhere over Goulbourn, waiting for the storms over Sydney to abate sufficiently for a safe landing, that the young lady in the seat next to me said, “Flying half-way around the world in under twenty four hours is an absolute miracle, but do you realise that none of the several million components of this plane can actually fly by themselves?”

Indeed, I thought, that is true.  From the smallest individual components, such as screws and rivets, to the largest, such as aluminium spars and panels, not one can fly in its own right.  Even the components made up of other components are flightless by themselves.  The wing, which produces the lift to keep the plane in the air, is useless on its own, and an engine, powerful as it might be, will sit firmly on the ground until it is fitted to the rest of the airplane.

I was reminded of this exchange last night, particularly when we were rehearsing the fugue “In Gloria Dei Patris, Amen.” We each rehearsed our own part, which sounded OK, up to a point.  Then pairs of voices sang together, and it felt a little bit more like music.  But it was only when all four voices got together that Haydn’s intentions were met and the notes made sense, both musically and, with the words, artistically.

Just as the individual screws and rivets which hold a plane together seem trivial but are in fact fundamental to its successful operation, so each member of the Choir, however experienced or novice a singer they may be, is fundamental to delivering a quality performance of which the composer would be proud and which excites and enthralls our audiences.  And what is more, unlike the inanimate rivets, screws and the like in the plane, we ourselves will derive huge satisfaction from playing our part in the Choir.

Let me explain.  Yesterday was a stinking hot day when physical activity was severely limited.  So, when a link appeared on our email to an Australia Day Address by the social commentator Hugh Mackay, it seemed a sensible, non-physical, activity to sit down and read it.

It proved fascinating.  It was more than a nostalgic look back at the Australia of yesteryear, when people worked together and played together and seemed generally more contented.  Rather it was an analysis of what has changed over the years to make us less contented, more individualistic and less community minded.  There followed some suggestions, not for politicians and business leaders, but for us ordinary folk, to get things back on track.

I then had to walk up the road to the shops.  On my return, very lightly loaded, I happened across a lady of roughly my age carrying two heavy shopping bags.  Mackay’s suggestion to engage with people in the street seemed appropriate.  “Hello,” I said breezily as I usually do.  Then I added, “Not a good day for doing this, is it?” She turned to me with a look of surprise, astonishment and possibly even alarm. From the few sentences of some Eastern European language, possibly Russian, which followed, it appeared that she did not speak any English.  Even the words “hot” and “heavy” seemed outside her limited vocabulary.  We smiled and went our own ways.  At the time, that did not seem like a “win” for Mackay’s approach, more, I thought, like a “loss”, although on reflection that might be too harsh a judgement.

The certain “win” was coming to Choir rehearsal.  Another of Mackay’s suggestions for creating a more cohesive society is for people to join choirs, for their own benefit and that of the wider community.  Of course, we in MWC know that he is absolutely right.   And so it proved last night.  After the break and my enforced absence last week, it was wonderful to be back amongst familiar faces, sharing experiences of what had happened over the past few weeks, looking forward to the next concert and sharing plans for the future. Some people who we had missed last year were back in good voice, making the evening especially enjoyable.  And then there was the singing itself, using mind and body in a collaborative exercise, truly amongst the best of human endeavours

And now we have the whole rehearsal period to look forward to and the concert at the beginning of May.  And from the experience of the first two weeks, what fabulous music to be singing!

If you would like to read the whole of Hugh Mackay’s article, click here.

Which excerpt from Messiah is buzzing around your head today?  For many it will be the Hallelujah Chorus.  For me it is so many things, mainly choruses, but perhaps most unexpectedly the sound of the Alto and Tenor singing “O death, where is thy sting?” so sensitively and with an understanding their few years each belie.

What a weekend, for Choir members and audience members alike.  So many people were singing snippets of the Hallelujah Chorus as they left, we could have held impromptu auditions – and there were some good voices evident.  I encountered someone just outside the Chapel in tears after Saturday’s performance, they were so moved.    And on Sunday a Choir member said to me, “Whoever or whatever your God, you are bound to encounter them somewhere in Messiah.”  So true, and a sentiment which I suspect Carlos would embrace.

M W Choir is more than just a choir – it is a community.  People look after and feel for each other.  It was touching that for these concerts the tenors commemorated their colleague, Les Davies, who died a few months ago, by following his example of wearing unmatched socks.

So that’s it for this year.  Thank you to everyone who has responded to my random musings.  It will be great to be back at Choir in the New Year, after a hopefully Happy Christmas and safe travels for everyone.