Of sacred music in general and organs in particular

For Richard and others who are curious: the monastery.

Today I trundled out to Columbia to pick up the music for Sunday the 25th. It could be worse: the opening hymn is "O God, Almighty Father," a hymn I conducted a thousand times in my last position as conductor. Ah, memories. The closing hymn is something I don't even recall (but it's fairly modern and sappy), but I did get to pick the offertory and communion hymns (which are just instrumental with no one singing). My choices: the chant version of "Ave Maria" and "Panis Angelicus." Heh. And thus the subversion begins.

I played the organ for the first time today. I have to say that it was unlike any other musical experience I've had in my entire life. I've played/sung/conducted in church off and on for about three years (I had one brief stint in seventh grade, but I don't think that counts any longer), but never touched the organ. It was something mysterious and foreign; it had a mystic lure because it was so unfamiliar to me. I played piano some, but in general keyboards still were regarded as the "other."

I ended up playing for an hour without realizing it. I was simply trying to familiarize myself with the instrument and begin learning some of my hymns. I wended my way through the double-manual setup with little trouble, much awe, and something almost mystical. No, I definitley wasn't amazing, heh, but playing touched something in my soul that I didn't know was there. I've done sacred music, I've contemplated it as a life path (God alone knows what's been going through my mind as I try to figure out what I want/am supposed to do), but I never had an experience quite like the one today.

What does it all mean? I wish I knew. I wish I could clearly say that I've found my life calling in that one moment. What it really means, on a very practical level, is that I have a lot of work to do between now and June 25th.