Choir

Music, especially choral music has a most profound effect on my state of mind. When I heard the choir yesterday, I was feeling rather joyous at the end. Yes, I thought, the Lord is risen! It is cause for celebration! Music invokes emotion, and allows us to better understand the issue or event at hand. Oh no, what am I saying, this is beginning to sound like Theory of Knowledge already.

I would like to give a great Shabash (Bravo!) to Zhiqing, Chrisll, Jeshrei and the rest of the choir for doing supremely well yesterday, the response was rather good, and all the effort did indeed pay off. Praise God!

I was rather intrigued to hear the tune of the last song, which was composed by Gustav Holst. It is also used for the hymn "I Vow To Thee My Country", which is often sung at Remembrance Day services. It turned up in The Right Stuff (film) to act as background music to John Glenn's flight. It is therefore fascinating, that Holst's tune is used for celebration, remembrance and inspiration. A true masterpiece.

When our church choir was preparing for their event on Christmas 2007, I remember being at one of the rehearsals in the sanctuary and I had just finished watching Band of Brothers that year. I remember the time when Easy Company herded into the chapel at Rachamps after the Battle of the Bulge and the choir performed for them. In the series, it was Plaisir D'Amour. For me, sitting in the back pew and listening to the angelic voices up front gave me a hint of the feeling of the men at Rachamps. I remember I was due to fly to Hong Kong the next day (for a holiday, no less). I was pretty nervous about long-distance flight as I don't fly that long a distance too often. I was thinking - If I were to die tomorrow over the South China Sea when my kite's engine blows up, at least I had accepted Jesus as my Saviour, and had listened to that magnificent choir.