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Behind the Music: Roots hold me close, wings set me free

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This morning Reverend Alex invited us to reflect on desire as a spiritual quality. How can we learn to recognize and trust the spiritual desires within ourselves? When we learn to notice how our spiritual longings take shape as well as to honor the spiritual desires of others, our lives and the lives of those around us will become richer with meaning and purpose.

Massenet’s famous Méditation from Thaïs has been played at weddings, funerals, and all manner of occasions that call for a moment of beauty, emotional depth, and reflection. The opera Thaïs is centered upon Thaïs, a hedonistic courtesan whose life is filled with shallow pleasures and transactional relationships. Thaïs is jaded and nihilistic, living for luxury and the moment, without any substantial meaning to her existance. The monk Athanaël – whose motives aren’t entirely altruistic – warns Thaïs that only focusing on the good life and other superficial indulgences is ultimately empty and destructive. Thaïs is resistant to Athanaël’s urging, but while the intention behind his words isn’t pure, his message forces her to take a look at herself and as the Méditation is performed, Thaïs comes to the realization that she wants something deeper and real. After this revelation, Thaïs abandons her old life and her soul feels fulfilled when she dies at the opera’s conclusion.

Carolyn McDade’s beloved UU hymn “Spirit of Life” carries an astonishing amount within its six brief lines and can be sung in connection with compassion, justice, community, freedom, nature, and the mystery of being. Today, it served as an expression of desire in the form of openness and receptivity, especially in light of Alex’s explanation that desire sometimes comes in a form that we don’t recognize. The original hymn is beautiful as written, but for this service I used slightly altered chords to evoke a stronger sense of yearning, along with an open-ended cadence that suggests hope and continuation rather than a neat and tidy conclusion.

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is such a wonderful example of really good song-writing. The melody is lovely and actually goes somewhere (rather than a repetitive phrase that depends on the lyrics or artist’s voice to make it enjoyable), the text is honest and vulnerable, the beautiful harmonic progressions underline the meaning of the lyrics, and the stark transparency of the accompaniment lets the well-crafted melody, words, and harmonies shine, rather than gilding the lily. I can think of no song that better expresses desires that are wistful and deeply human with this level of emotion and simplicity.

Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” served as today’s postlude and while fast and fun, it still highlights a different facet of spiritual desire: a bright, declamatory longing for connection with something larger than ourselves. Greenbaum wrote this song after being inspired by a gospel music performance; he didn’t share the theology behind the music, but was profoundly moved by the joy and conviction he experienced. “Spirit in the Sky” captures a particular sort of desire so wonderfully – an energetic pull toward meaning, invigoration, and clarity – not to mention a wildly catchy guitar riff! May this postlude serve as a reminder to move toward hope, toward transformation, and toward whatever “sky” or horizon holds meaning for you.

Behind the Music: Solid stone is just sand and water, baby

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Dave Eckert from the Canoe Family Project and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition shared his reflection, “Learning to be a Neighbor in the Land of the People of the River” for today’s sermon. Dave’s message invited us to contemplate how we acknowledge and respond to the history of land stolen from Indigenous peoples, and the music in today’s service is meant to mirror that same journey, moving through awareness, intention, action, and transformation.

The prelude drew from the UU hymnals, including “There’s a River Flowing” and “Shall We Gather at the River”, in keeping with the sermon’s river theme. After “Shall We Gather at the River” got us in the mood for some gospel music, our first song for gathering – “Hush, Hush, Somebody’s Calling My Name” – followed, serving as an invitation, both into the sanctuary as we began our time together, and also an invitation to listen to the land, to the rivers, to history, and to voices that have too often been silenced. Our second song for gathering, “I’m On My Way”, got our energy flowing and helped transition from the idea of listening to getting started. What can we do? How can we deal our feelings about stolen land and the injustices of the past? What opportunities are available to help us learn and grow?

“We’ll Build a Land” became a call to action when paired with Dave’s sharing of the performances, activities, and opportunities available that have helped him learn, grow, celebrate cultural exchanges, and pay his respects as a way to acknowledge the wrongs that were committed and contribute to a more harmonious future. If we all look for ways to repair, make amends, and live and learn together peacefully, we can build a world that honors all people and the earth.

I played Beth Nielsen Chapman’s “Sand and Water” for today’s offertory, which in itself is a beautiful song, but also felt very appropriate for today’s message. Its poignant text (excerpts below) holds space for grief and change – both subjects that were prevalent in Dave’s remarks. The removal of Indigenous peoples was more than just the taking of land; it was the deliberate destruction of these tribes’ physical, spiritual, cultural, and ecological world, which has caused lasting damage and trauma for centuries. This history is tragic and shameful, but just like water can shape sand into stone, our actions today can make for a better history by carving paths for growth, respect, and deeper connection.

All alone, I didn’t like the feeling
All alone, I sat and cried
All alone, I had to find some meaning
In the center of the pain I felt inside.

All alone, I came into the world
All alone, I will someday die
Solid stone is just sand and water, baby
Sand and water, and a million years gone by.

Our final hymn was “Be Ours a Religion”, encouraging us to, in words heard often over the years at the Fellowship, “Let everything we do be done with love”. A religion that “goes everywhere” helps us become the kind of people who love freely, honor the land and its original people, build communities of respect, and move toward justice and healing.

The postlude “As I went Down to the River to Pray” is a tune I played somewhat recently, during the Gathering of the Waters. I normally try keep my musical rotation large and varied so there is a wide range of music for Sunday services, but the imagery of cleansing, community, renewal, and of course a river made this song feel like an apt ending for today’s service. Through these songs and messages, we’re invited into a living practice of neighborliness; one that listens deeply, springs to action, builds courageously, and returns again and again to gratitude and respect. Here in the land of the People of the River, may we keep learning how to be good neighbors to one another, and to this place we call home.

Behind the Music: Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation

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If “work” is the body exerting physical and/or mental effort to affect change in one’s environment, and if “labor” is work that we are paid to do, how can we live our lives so that work is sacred and labor is just? These are questions that Rev. Alex posed to us, and below are the piano selections from today’s service connected to the dignity of work. These pieces hail from different eras and genres, but all speak in their own way of finding meaning, wellness, or peace in our work and labor.

While many of us are familiar with Fields of Gold,  Sting’s pop/rock song about love and the passing of time, I find myself drawn to Eva Cassidy’s stripped down and vulnerable folk rendition rather than the original. Regardless of which version is preferred, once one looks past the surface ideas of love and the passing of time, this song is rooted in imagery of scenes from a certain type of work: fields, laboring outdoors, harvests. When listening to Sting croon about the shared time and effort of a romantic relationship, parallels can be found with the meaning in collaboration and valuing others within our work and labor. And of course, the lyrical melody and lovely harmonies of Fields of Gold are a gentle, lovely way to welcome our community into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning.

Coldplay’s “The Scientist” is filled with a number of poignant lyrics, but the most crucial words of all are “Nobody said it was easy”.  We encounter this concept every day, in both our personal and professional lives. Even if the task at hand is “easy”, there are always challenges and struggles that can arise, be it with work or labor, practical or creative endeavors, large tasks or small. The song’s message to persevere, be accountable for our mistakes and pursue growth is an important one.

Normally a buoyant, upbeat song from Pete Seeger, If I Had a Hammer is a piece of music that inspires us to clap our hands, tap our toes, and sing along – but it’s also a call to action. As we sing about a hammer, a bell, a song, we are really singing about standing for justice, fairness, and hope, and our singing serves as a reminder that what we do matters most when it builds equity and uplifts others. (David Servias was originally slated to play the piano today, and If I Had a Hammer was originally his idea for the offertory!)

Let the River Run was not the planned postlude for today – some of the options I considered was to play the more traditional version of If I Had a Hammer or perhaps the Beatles’ Come Together! But after hearing Rev. Alex’s sermon, a different song came to mind, a song that represents possibility, dealing with disappointment and injustice, striving for change, and the hope for personal peace.  While a lively finale of “If I Had a Hammer” would have been fun, “Let the River Run” just seemed very right for the end of today’s service.

Behind the Music: Golden Slumbers

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As I heard Jill speak about the roles and impact that poetry holds in today’s world, a very faint memory arose in my mind, growing stronger as she continued describing how poetry can touch, comfort, and inspire us. My daughter has been watching the delightful animated film “Sing” recently, which opens with a soulful rendition of “Golden Slumbers” sung by a grand old diva, voiced by singer Jennifer Hudson. Anyone with children knows how a favorite movie will be played on repeat again and again, and will understand why this song would be floating around my head! But until this morning’s poetry “sermon”, I had forgotten that the lyrics of this wonderful work by Paul McCartney have roots in a very old poem by Elizabethan dramatist and writer Thomas Dekker. In his youth, Paul found the above poem set to music sitting on his father’s piano; unable to read music notation at the time, Paul sat down and created his own melody for the poem, adjusting the text to fit his tune.

“I liked the words so much. I thought it was very restful, a very beautiful lullaby, so I just sat at the piano and started playing with it.”

—Paul McCartney (from Many Years From Now, Barry Miles, 1997)

Such a universal and timeless sentiment, wanting to soothe and urge rest for those we love, especially in times of trouble and discord. Upon recalling this memory, I couldn’t not play this piece of music with poetic origins for the offertory, especially when it paired so beautifully with our choir anthem, Billy Joel’s “Lullabye”.

Behind the Music: To everything there is a season

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A heartfelt farewell took place today as the Fellowship gathered to say bid adieu to some of our beloved trees which have graced the grounds for generations. The three solo piano works played were selected for their messages of gratitude, closure, and acceptance.

Today’s prelude was Ombra Mai Fu, a well-loved classic from Handel’s opera Serse. Serse, the king of Persia, sings this aria at the opera’s beginning to express his thanks and admiration for a plane tree and the shade it provides. Our feelings for the UUFC trees are mirrored in this aria’s lyrics:

Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.

Never was a shade
of any plant
dearer and more lovely,
or more sweet.

The anthem “Time to Say Goodbye” seemed appropriate for an offertory following the honoring of the trees. This powerful anthem, made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, encourages us to embrace life’s inevitable changes with courage and grace. With tomorrow’s cutting of the trees, this work is also a gentle reminder that while farewells can be bittersweet, they also pave the way for new beginnings.

As the service drew to a close, we adjourned to the timeless tune of “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds. This adaptation of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 beautifully illustrates life’s ever-changing rhythms, urging us to find peace and acceptance in the ebb and flow of existence. The song’s poetic verses remind us that there is “a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to gain, a time to lose.” We have celebrated and said goodbye to the trees…let us now celebrate the new birth of plants, flowers, and trees that will begin their time with us.

~ Lauren Servias

Behind the Music: Lovely sky and sea; well, it used to be.

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The earth has been a subject of inspiration for composers across the world for centuries; each of the musical compositions below were used for today’s service with this Sunday’s theme in mind: building relationships through care for our earth.

The choir’s first anthem, “Emerald Stream” (by Seth Houston) is a rollicking tune reminiscent of a sea shanty or drinking song, but while toe-tapping and moving to the beat, careful listeners will have caught the warning the song offers: 

So, now, my people beware,

You’re in charge of the seas and the earth and the air,

You’d better take extr-odinary care

Of the earth, our only home.

 “Earth Song”, the choir’s second anthem, originally started as an instrumental work, but Frank Ticheli stated “this music is just begging to be sung by a chorus”.  “Earth Song” beseeches the world for kindness and peace, while praising the healing power of music and song.

Sing, Be, Live, See…the scorched earth cries out in vain.

Today’s offertory “Look Around” hails from the 1991 musical The Will Rodgers Follies.  Alone, the music of “Look Around” is lovely and poignant, but only when the song lyrics are known is the sadness of this beautiful song understood.

Look around, the world’s a lovely place, lovely sky and sea; well, it used to be.

Look around, the world is shining bright, watch the green grass grow; well, that once was so.

Where’s the spring that loved the rain?

Where’s the grove down Lover’s Lane?

Look around, they vanish overnight

Where’s the lovely world we used to see.

And finally, Joni Mitchell’s beloved “Big Yellow Taxi” reminds us of the consequences of our actions on the environment and the need to take responsibility for protecting our planet.

Today’s service will hopefully inspire us to take action to care for our planet and build stronger relationships with each other and the earth. We can reflect on the importance of preserving our natural resources, taking responsibility for our actions, and fostering appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the world around us. By doing so, we can build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world for all.