{"id":58679,"date":"2018-03-30T19:27:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-30T19:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zenpundit.com\/?p=58679"},"modified":"2018-04-04T03:17:21","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T03:17:21","slug":"music-and-the-friday-curiously-called-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenpundit.com\/?p=58679","title":{"rendered":"Music and the Friday curiously called Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

[ by Charles Cameron<\/strong> — ffor whom the music lingers longest in the soul ]
\n.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, Maundy Thursday<\/strong> in the western ritual calendar, the Christ washed the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper<\/strong>, and instructed them to do likewise. Today, the day called Good Friday<\/strong>, the Christ, scourged and bone-weary from dragging the wood chosen for his cross uphill to a place called Golgotha <\/strong>or Skull<\/strong>, is finally nailed, hand and foot, hands and feet. and raised up with a mocking inscription above his head proclaiming him King of the Jews<\/strong> in three languages -\u2013 and in his almost final gesture on earth, forgives the soldier who has just applied hammer to those terrible nails. He dies \u2013 \u201cgives up the ghost\u201d \u2013 and then the three days of a prophesied and clearly impossible return from the tomb<\/strong> open before us \u2013 a cliff-hanger like no other.<\/p>\n

The suspense!<\/p>\n

Our western civ loses a lot if we are unable to have, in the cycle of our 24\/365 lives, such a moment of suspense, which IMO cuts deeper than any doctrine. Deeper than doctrine, too, is music, which reaches far beyond the bounds of verbal belief. Thus one of western music\u2019s greatest treasures: Bach<\/strong>\u2019s telling of Christ\u2019s passion, as written by Matthew <\/strong>in his gospel. Pause a moment \u2013 pause a couple of hours \u2013 pause at least long enough for Bach’s great finale <\/strong>\u2013 and then wait, if the Christ story can still move you, wait with aching, with dread even \u2013 or as Bach suggests, rest with the resting Christ, take consolation in the promise of his resurrection.<\/p>\n

**<\/p>\n

Bach\u2019s finale, Wir setzen uns mit Tr\u00e4nen nieder<\/em><\/strong>, WIki explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The work is closed by a grand scale chorus in da capo<\/em> form, choir I and II mostly in unison for the first part Wir setzen uns mit Tr\u00e4nen nieder<\/em> (We sit down in tears), but in dialog in the middle section, choir II repeating Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh!<\/em> (“Rest gently, gently rest!”), choir I reflecting: “Your grave and headstone shall, for the anxious conscience, be a comfortable pillow and the resting place for the soul. Highly contented, there the eyes fall asleep.” These are the last words (before the recapitulation), marked by Bach himself: p pp ppp<\/em> (soft, very soft, extremely soft).<\/p>\n