My Wednesday night choir rehearsals returned last night after an almost 2 week hiatus. As much as I enjoy the breathing room of a few nights off, I still really miss my weekly music fix! We are just starting work on the Brahms Deutsche Requiem.. one of my absolute "desert island" pieces. Here is a wonderful link to the Wikipedia article on it with some musical excerpts as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_German_Requiem_%28Brahms%29
Betsy, our choir director, really enjoys this work and spent a fair amount of time woodshedding the details but also giving us some inspirational stories for the bigger picture. I loved hearing that the very first words of the first movement were written to comfort the bereaved.
"Selig sind, die da Lied tragen, denn sie sollen getröstet werden."
"Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted".
The return of that same musical theme at the very end of the work with a triumphant eternal flare just seals the deal for me.
"Selig sind die Toten, die in demm Herren sterrben, von nun an."
"Blessed are those that die in the Lord from henceforth."
I am not a particularly religious person but this music speaks to the spirit in us all.
Wonderful words to sing shoulder to shoulder with my fellow Mendelssohnians after a day of dealing with families in anticipatory grief.
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