I am now officially a college graduate...

Scary thought, no?
Top is my family, next to last photo is my (good Lutheran) organ teacher.

Tagged

Pastor Weedon has tagged me for a meme...

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

The nearest book is a collection of writings by St. Augustine. Pg. 123 is in the middle of the Confessions.

Here are the next 3 sentences after the first 5:

"For if there be as many contrary natures as there are conflicting wills, whether he should go to their conventicle, or to the theatre, those men at once cry out, "Behold, here are two natures - one good, drawing this way, another bad, drawing back that way; for whence else is this indecision between conflicting wills?" But I reply that both are bad - that which draws to them, and that which draws back to the theatre. But they believe not that will to be other than good which draws to them."

Very long sentences. ;-)

And just to be contrary, I'm not going to specifically tag anyone, but if you feel like doing this, consider yourself tagged.

I still live.

I'm graduating this semester, and my honors thesis will be on the Te Deum. An actual blog post will be forthcoming as I get further along in my research and analysis. Have dug up some interesting information on Lutheran use of the Te Deum thus far.

Junior Recital

Recording of my junior recital. Listen at your own risk.

Frescobaldi - Toccata Prima

4 Settings of Christ lag in Todesbanden
Christ lag in Todesbanden (I) - Boehm
Christ lag in Todesbanden (II) - Boehm
Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 718) - Bach [b](lots of mistakes.)
Christ lag in Todesbanden - Pachelbel

Langlais - Suite Medievale
I. Prelude
II. Tiento
V. Acclamations

Mozart - Andante

Messiaen - Dieu parmi nous (from La Nativite)

Christ is Risen!

Χριστος ανεστι!
Христос воскрес!

And now, to make you all chuckle, a video from this morning. :)

New Photoshop Piece

I thought I'd try my hand at some non-abstract stuff. I think it came out pretty decent.

More Photoshop stuff

This was a really quick picture. It took me about half an hour.

The Stoning of the Organist

I got this in an email forward and couldn't resist:

ACTS 29
1 A ND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN PAUL WAS AT
Corinth, he and certain disciples came upon a
mob that was stoning an organist. 2 And Paul
said unto them, "What then hath he done unto thee that his
head should be bruised?" 3 And the people cried with one
voice, "He hath played too loud. 4 Yea, in the singing of
psalms, he maketh our heads to ring as if they were beaten
with hammers. 5 Behold, he sitteth up high in the loft, and
mighty are the pipes and mighty is the noise thereof, and tho'
there be few of us below, he nonetheless playeth with all the
stops, the Assyrian trumpet stop and the stop of the ram's horn
and the stop that soundeth like the sawing of stone, and we
cannot hear the words that cometh out of our own mouths.
6 He always tosseth in the variations that confuse us mightily
and playeth loud and discordant and always in a militant
tempo, so that we have not time to breathe as we sing. 7 Lo,
he is a plague upon the faith and should be chastised. 8 Paul,
hearing this, had himself picked up a small stone, and was about
to cast it, but he set it down and bade the organist come forward.
9 He was a narrow man, pale of complexion, dry, flaking thin of
hair. 10 And Paul said unto him, "Why hath thou so abused thy
brethren?" 11 And the organist replied, "I could not hear them
singing from where I sat, and therefore played the louder so
as to enourage them." 12 And Paul turned round to the mob
and said loudly, "Let him who has never played an organ cast
the first stone." 13 And they cast stones for awhile until their
arms were tired and Paul bade the organist repent and he did.
14 And Paul said unto him, "Thou shalt take up the flute and
play it for thirty days, to cleanse thy spirit." 15 And afterward,
they returned to Corinth and sang psalms unaccompanied and
then had coffee and were refreshed in the faith.

The Stoning of the Organist
GARRISON KEILLOR

Where's Maria?

Where's Maria these days? Maria is writing a long paper on the Cantatas of J.S. Bach, learning two programs full of organ music, studying for the MCAT, and brushing up on her Latin. Her brain has turned to mush and she cannot think of any good blog posts.

For Holy Cross Day...

...I am reminded of the Dream of the Rood.