Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

We all have songs that makes us emote...sometimes one or two chords can stir a dozen emotions. Giving Thanks by Jeff Blumenkrantz is undoubtedly one of those songs in my life. In December of 2017, Katie and I were rehearsing for an upcoming performance at the State Theatre. A father of just a week or so , I was red-eyed and emotionally vulnerable. I remember that rehearsal as if it were yesterday, as it was the first time I heard that song. By the final line, "thank God for fathers who love their children, and most of all, thank God for you..", I was a weeping mess. It was that special moment when a meaningful piece was performed by someone you love, that got you thinking about others that you love; in this case, my daughter and my incredible dad. It's one of the most compelling things about music - the way it can so quickly encapsulate so many feelings and memories. What are some pieces that have a similar effect on you?

Here is my favorite rendition, one Aunt Katie recorded last year at Thanksgiving.

https://youtu.be/KalWE1dGgN0

PS. These questions need not be rhetorical, would love to get a dialogue going :)

Home

There's No Place Like Home

We can all recite the lines by heart..."there's no place like home, there's no place like...Home - it's a remarkable image, but what does it mean? I think the ambiguity in the idea of home, is what makes it powerful, and what makes it so beautiful. Does home mean where you live? Does it mean heaven? Does it mean a sense of peace and comfort? I think in many ways the answer is yes, to all of them. Home is a finite place, yes, but it is also a mentality. For me, it is that serene sense of comfort, often a shared experience with those that you love. Maybe it's at your folks' house, or maybe it's a place where you have a special memory. Regardless of where it is, it's the place, physical or ideological, that we always want to be.

There have been so many amazing musical settings on the word home, but I'd like to share with you one of my favorites, a beautiful setting by Stephen Paulus. Here is the text:

Tell me were is the road I can call my own,

That I left, that I lost, so long ago?

All these years I have wandered, of when will I know?

There's a way, there's a road that will lead me home?

After wind, after rain, when the dark is done,

As I wake from a dream in the gold of day,

Through the air there's a calling from far away,

There's a voice I can hear that will lead me home.

Rise up, follow me, come away is the call,

With love in your heart as the only song;

There is no such beauty as where you belong,

Rise up, follow me, I will lead you home.

Have a listen, your ears will appreciate it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbwhSP3ZIq4

In this arrangement, Paulus sets a lovely tune from 1835 in a hymn texture. The beauty lies in the simplicity, allowing the listener the chance to day dream, and consider the lovely setting.

What are the songs that make you think of home?