The Sunday closest to July the 4th presents an annual ‘crisis of planning’ in the lives of conscientious and liturgically minded people. How do you reconcile the militaristic viewpoints of most of the ‘patriotic’ musical literature with the Gospels’ core pacifism? What about ‘Separation of Church and State?’ What about the very real need we have to express our National Identity as integral to our faith[fulness]? Aren’t we ‘one nation under God…?’ Why worry about it at all? Aren’t these points a bit precious and properly the realm of over-educated navel-gazers…?

Well, no. It’s important.

Although my own hard-line point of view […render unto Caesar what is…] has moderated considerably over the years, I still find myself having to carefully balance, annually, a variety of opposing pulls…not the least of which is my own integrity.

This years’ happy solution is a Jubilee Sunday! Bill Poe’s description above stands clear… And so, this morning:

First up, Vivaldi. Nicknamed ‘il Prete Rosso,’ the Red Priest, a man of flame-red hair and fragile health, Vivaldi remained an inactive member of the Roman Catholic clergy while working as one of the justly celebrated composers of early 18th century Europe. Always playful and extroverted in style, the full breadth of his colorful whimsy is only now becoming clear… And there’s more to discover; his over 500 concerti, 46 operas, and hundreds of other works are currently coming to light. Look for some of the newer recordings on Amazon.com.

F. Pratt Green’s hymn ‘When in our Music,’ from 1971, has become the core ‘Anthem’ of church musicians everywhere. Realizing that each and every one of our voices, raised or not, qualifies as an instrument… Let them all be ‘tuned for praise!’ Please join us on the last stanza…

For the full story on ‘Transforming Grace,’ written, words and music, by my MO-Ranch Teen Leadership Conference 2008 Music Team, please refer to this weeks’ Philip-Eye…

We all know and love the ‘Laudate Dominum’ movement from the ‘Solemn Vespers’ of Mozart... Well, today Lynelle Rowley brings us the same text, but in a wildly different and stunning setting, also of Mozart, from the so-called ‘Dominican Vespers,’ a large-scale work for orchestra, organ, soloists and choir, commissioned by Archbishop Colloredo in Salzburg in 1779. Matthew plays the solo organ part as I play the string parts, both, or course, transcribed for two pianos. Jubilee, indeed!

Sousa? In CHURCH? Of course! There’s no mistaking the genuine patriotic rush we all get from hearing ANY Sousa march… and this, his magnum opus, is finely-crafted music to boot! Written on Christmas Day in 1896, upon the news of the death of his band manager, there do exist stock-triumphant words, never used and quite unnecessary, written by Sousa… look them up online if you’re interested!

Thanks to John Lemen and Sue Mitchell for making this continuing St. Philip tradition possible.

-Keith Weber