#and i'm accompanying the church choir too

[fiddler-sticks]

Remind me to never again agree to play a flute accompaniment part on the violin in 4 flats that goes up to like 5th position ever again. I either have to figure out how to play fuckin little runs that shift in the middle up high, or put in the work to transpose it down an octave which wouldn't sound as cool. fml

[anmaje]

S&Co Sherlock recommended Vivaldi to John and I Lost My Mind

The fact that our Sherlock Holmes recommended Vivaldi to John so suddenly and apruptly is something SO personal! When I read a transcript of the mailbag episode (thank you @eardefenders ) I could NOT stop thinking about it, and have been listening to his many wonderful concertos since. I work in a church choir and am therefore somewhat classically trained, I have also played violin for many years as a child, and still do at times, so allow me to go on a geeky tirade about Antonio Vivaldi and Sherlock's understanding of John.

🎻🌱🌻🍂❄

In the second mailbag episode, a question is asked "If you could make a Spotify playlist for eachother of your own favourite songs, what would some of the highlights be [...] ?"

John answers with the rockband Elbow, who use orchestra and especially strings in their music. Which is why he recommends it to armature violinist Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock says that he would probably never make such a playlist, as he wouldn't find the task fulfilling, but he has an epiphany and IMMEDIATELY interrupts himself, not even finishing his sentence, and he simply says "Vivaldi". I have not heard the delivery of this line(cause I'm poor ✌), but the fact that the answer falls to him so suddenly and it simply MUST leave him immediately so John hears is delicious characterisation. Sherlock also answers with pop, as John likes popculture (a somewhat less personal answer, but still very considerate).

After another question it is established that Vivaldi isn't even a favourite of Sherlock's. He much prefers Mozart, Bach(I will come back to Bach) and Tchaikovsky.  Now Sherlock is a violinist, so there is no way he has escaped the genius of Antonio Vivaldi, like he's escaped pop. And so this recommendation is really because he feels John would like it.

But why does Sherlock think that? What would John Watson, a middle class everyman, like about Vivaldi?

Let me tell you:

When we analyse the symbolic meaning of instrumental classical(in this case baroque) music, we often look at the biography of the composer (Vivaldi gives us a little more to work with, which I will return to). I will start here. Antonio Vivaldi of Venice was taught the violin by his father and was ordained at 25 but didn't work as a priest for long due to illness. He instead became a violin teacher and composer. (Who else do we know that took up a very respected line of work but ended up where his father did? Why John Watson of course!) Vivaldi taught abandoned girls at an orphanage for more than 30 years, and saw immense potential in them and their education. The most talented of the girls stayed into adulthood as a part of their renowned orchestra and choir. He wrote most of his music for these girls and women to perform. He also took the talented singer Anna Tessiseri Giro and her sister under his wing, and Anna became his protégé. What a great guy! Supporting the talents of young women! Of course John would love him.

Going into Vivaldi's musical genius, we have to talk about baroque music. Vivaldi left a huge mark on the late baroque period. Especially the form of concertos which I won't bore you with (🤓), but also the general style of the period. That style is characterised by grand ornamentation (like the baroque in general), driving movement (in rythm) and contrast such as ascending and descending notes. All this produces beautiful an grand pieces. Additionally, Vivaldi used melodic  repetition(his critics say too much), which is what gets the new hit pop song stuck in our heads. Something our John is very prone to suffer under. Vivaldi also took a narrative approach to music. Not only through his many operas, but also in his concertos. Everyone knows his Four Seasons, whether you want to or not. He wrote four concertos, one for each season, and for each season there was an accompanying sonnet(which he presumably wrote). These concertos and sonnets depict both the gentleness and wrath of nature, all beautiful. But also people: herders, shepherds, drunk peasants celebrating the harvest and hunters. These are working people that Vivaldi chose to portray. John has a working class background, despite his social climb, he still shares most empathy with these people. Of course he would enjoy a celebration of their troubles and joys throughout the year.

Now back to Bach. A baroque man that Sherlock enjoys. The baroque ends with Bach, that is atleast what I've been taught. All of the period leads up to him. His complicated polyphonic(2 or more lines of melody at once) pieces are iconic and definitive of the period. And who inspired J. S. Bach? Well Vivaldi of course! Bach adapted several of Vivaldi's works and quoted him directly in his own compositions. Bach used bigger orchestras and different instruments (organ and harpsichord as he played them himself) and his works are generally more complicated than Vivaldi's Italian one-melody-centric works, but Bach is the metaphorical student! And Sherlock must absolutely be aware of this.

To me reading the mailbag episode, Sherlock started out uninterested, but the question had him think through his favourites. All complicated and very much not to John's tastes. But when thinking of Bach he went back to Vivaldi, which you must, and he is different. Vivaldi the sick priest, Vivaldi the teacher, the life long supporter of young womens' and abandoned girls' careers. Creative Vivaldi, Vivaldi the storyteller, which John is also. Vivaldi who celebrates nature and the dramatic lives of incredibly normal working people. Vivaldi and his repetitive melodies, although not in Sherlock's taste, fits John's so well. Vivaldi who inspired Bach. John who inspires Sherlock. ❤🎻

Tirade over! Thank you for reading. If you want to listen to some of Vivaldi's work I recommend The Four Seasons and a spot near a window with a suitable drink for the weather in your part of the world. For Bach you might want to look up whether your local church/music school holds concerts or similar events where Bach features, organ is a thousand times better live (if not, stick to his piano or string work).

[rarilee33]

more Moral Orel headcanons

these are mostly Bloberta/Hymentacts related and were conceived in drafting the story that I'm working on. More info on that when I get further.

Eye colours: Clay has brown eyes, so does Orel but Orel's are more hazel; Bloberta's are blue, and Shapey's are grey-green

2. Bloberta is a few years (like 3) younger than Clay. Her sister Modella is three years older than her and her brother Lunchbox is six years younger. 3. Mrs Hymentact's name is Regina (proud of this one lol) because we know Bloberta's dad's name is Raymond. Clay's parents' names both start with A, Angela and Arthur. Regina makes sense, both R names and since it means 'queen' and she is clearly the matriarch.

4. That piano in the Hymentacts' living room- only Bloberta's mother, Regina, had jurisdiction over lifting the plastic cover on it.

4,5. One time Regina invited Bloberta to participate in the choir and she was ecstatic, but Regina just wanted her to play the piano for accompaniment and this made Bloberta feel invisible, to be sat behind the piano at church while her family sang in front of everyone. So that didn't last long.

5. In the first few years of her being married to Clay, Bloberta would meet with her father in town (usually at the pub), to just talk, but that fell off- mostly, Regina wasn't a big fan of the almost clandestine meetings and would rather Bloberta do things 'properly' and invite both her parents to the Puppington's house for dinner and to meet her husband and son.

6. Most of Bloberta's clothes are hand-me-downs from Modella.

7. While Bloberta likes rock and metal music, Modella is more into pop songs, as well as classical pieces. Bloberta was a teenager in the eighties and so listened to a lot of artists from that era, like the Cure, Judas Priest, Cinderella, etc, while Modella was into Madonna and Blondie and such, maybe Cyndi Lauper. They both had Walkmans. Bloberta had to mostly hide her music tastes from Regina who wouldn't approve. This is somewhat a plot point in my story but has more context there.

8. When Bloberta was 15 the Hymentacts took a trip to Manhattan for some choir related excursion. They took Bloberta since it was such a big trip. It was her first time on an airplane and all; she felt in awe at seeing the city skyline and then all the buildings, all this life, around them, as they emerged from the Lincoln tunnel.

On the trip she either trailed behind or just interacted with Raymond- Regina was more occupied with Modella (18) and Lunchbox (9). She wondered if Regina would even notice if she suddenly got lost... still, Bloberta has some nice memories of being there, seeing the Radio City Music Hall and other iconic buildings and nothing like she'd seen before. Modella had a camera to document the trip, and Bloberta wished she did, too, but she couldn't afford one and didn't want to ask.

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will elaborate!!

@medievalcat

[aquareegia]

so I heard you were looking for Ghost song recs

I also took a long time to get into Ghost because metal's not a go-to genre for me, and quite frankly some of their stuff just sounds downright goofy (there's a reason the phrase "Scooby Doo chase music" exists). But I ended up giving them a chance & now I've given them my soul & half my bank account.

Cirice is easily one of their best (I mean, it won them their Grammy!). That entire album, Meliora, is fantastic. It's probably my favorite in terms of overall aesthetic (Metropolis-esque) and theme (the absence of God, religious guilt/trauma, etc.). It also, imo, the best Ghoul uniforms & masks to date.

I would also like to mention that, like Sleep Token, Ghost has lore, but unlike Sleep Token, the lore continues to expand (at least more concretely) as the years go on. Each new album has a new frontman (well the last 2 are the same guy but now he's ascended but anyway), and starting with the 4th album there are also now "Chapters" on their Youtube channel further expanding the lore. And it's some wild as shit lore. I think it was the lore, the antics of the Ghouls, the overal theatricality of their performances, and the creativity of the fandom with some of the vaguer parts of the lore that ultimately made me give Ghost a chance.

ANYWAY, actual song recs sorry:

Mary On A Cross. Yes, the tiktok song. It's actually a damn good song about smoking weed and going down on a girl. What's not to love?

Faith. Probably my favorite of their last album, Prequelle. It goes so hard and for WHAT

Square Hammer. The first Ghost song I ever heard. Also very pop-like & annoyingly catchy. I was humming this song at work and my coworker whipped around and was like "YOU LIKE GHOST?" and it's all been downhill since.

Year Zero. I'm always weak for a choir accompanying metal, and there's something so damn ominous about this all-male choir calling upon the six Lords of Hell. It's definitely one that sounds better live - anything from the first two albums generally sounds better live because of the early recording conditions the band had to go through, especially on this album.

He Is. As someone who grew up in a contemporary Christian church having to hear & sing a lot of generic af pop ballads with Jesus lyrics, He Is is the ultimate in blasphemy. It's beautiful, it sounds like something your cool pastor with his acoustic guitar would make the youth ministry sing every Sunday and that they'd make you teach hand motions to the VBS kids to...and then you realize it's about the Devil.

Hunter's Moon. This was written for Halloween Kills, and a different (unfinished lol) version appeared in the credits for that film. It's just a fuckin' banger, idk what else to say.

Call Me Little Sunshine. Similar to Cirice in a lot of ways, it's lyrics carry double meaning & it has a sinister undertone.

Dance Macabre. It's very 80s rock and again, very catchy. The Carpenter Brut remix is also a banger.

lastly, a personal favorite that isn't one people usually recommend...Deus In Absentia. This one's one of the goofy-sounding Ghost songs (in my head I compare it to something out of Repo! The Genetic Opera), but it has easily the most devastating bridge section I've ever heard.

You might notice I skipped a lot of the first two albums. Idk your tastes in metal/music, but I personally found it easier to start at the end and work backwards. It made the, well, silliness and simplicity of the first two albums easier to stomach and eventually enjoy. Lots of great songs on them as well, they're just not what I usually recommend as a starting point.

Christ this was way too wordy. Sorry about that. Hope this helps!

Damn that's thorough! The detail!! The links!! Are you an actual angel? 🥺 Thank you, I really appreciate that! I'm gonna sit down this evening, make myself cozy and go through all your recommendations! ♡

[fizzingwizard]

Growing up I disliked piano music so much. I took voice lessons for a little bit and my teacher was insistent that I learn to play. I liked learning to read music, but only hated the piano more. Never learned much. If I can find middle C, I can single-digit my way through Heart and Soul, buuut that's it.

As an adult, I listen to piano music all the time to relax. It's always on in the background when I'm writing or cleaning. When I first realized that I wanted to listen to just the piano, I was totally shocked. How have I changed so much?

But I know what the reason is. When I was a kid, the only "just piano" music I ever heard was 1) hymns at church, 2) piano accompaniments for a choir, and 3) lullaby-like ballads which move quite slowly and repeat the same phrase over and over. The first two I heard way too often to enjoy it. The third put me to sleep. (These days I don't mind them as much but I'm still not super into ballads. Ex. I love "Vivo Per Lei" but not for the piano, lol) I don't think I ever heard an example of what a piano is capable of by itself.

Now I think the sound of the piano is so lovely and have playlists of just piano. But I still don't like listening to the piano at church :P

[fundielicious-simblr]

(Adalynn's pov)

Newcrest Baptist's music camp was a success! It was a weekend of great teaching and learning for everyone who attended. Macie and Annette were visiting friends near Willowcreek just before the camp started, so they drove in and we split the kids up for the drive into Newcrest. Mason wasn't able to join us due to his work schedule and other commitments during that weekend, so i'm thankful my sisters were able to help.

I enrolled the boys in various classes, I focused on piano since that's what we spent time learning at home but I also enrolled them in some beginners violin classes. When I was younger my parents had us learning both simultaneously, but since violins are expensive I've put off violin lessons until recently. My parents gifted the children with 2 violins for them to use, so I figured the lessons would be a good foundation. I'm also thankful that Newcrest Baptist thought about parents with multiple children learning at the same time, they have a discount for every additional child after you enroll two children meaning that Aaron and Paul got discounts on their lessons.

My aunt Claire was the coordinator and ran a lot of the classes, growing up she'd teach all of us, as well as her own children and other children from our church who needed lessons. Valentina and Zoe also taught classes, both for adults and for children. Valentina's speciality is the violin, so she taught all children's and adults classes spread out over the weekend.

Zoe did lessons in various stages of composition, she composes music that can be played either on the piano itself or with a full church choir. I was able to assist with the piano accompaniment for some of her classes as she wanted to showcase ways to compose songs that can be played on more than one piano. I was able to help in various classes that needed a piano accompaniment for them, it was especially nice to be able to help at the kids classes and watching the kids learn about music that truly glorifies the Lord.

Us girls got a picture during the fellowship on the sunday after the church service. It’s so good being able to see my sisters again, the older we get and the more of us get married and move away means that we truly appreciate the chances we get to be together. Priscilla came down too and was able to surprise us with the news that she's pregnant! Her son Andrew is almost 2 years old so this is exciting, Priscilla has always loved children and ever since she was young has said she wants a lot of them. As for Kyleigh, Zoe, and me, we've just had our babies whilst Valentina is on the home stretch with twin girls! Who would've thought when we were all young girls that we'd now have 25 (but almost 2) children between us!

It was great for all the cousins to get together too, I always love seeing my nieces and how they've grown over the years. The boys also loved getting together, usually they see each other on video chats or in person at various family events during the year, so it was great for all of them to be together for a weekend. Having only boys means I rely on my nieces for that girly association that I don't get much. The other girls and I were watching all the kids interacting and were reminiscing on the days that we used to dream of this. We agreed that our parents were right to stress that the way you raise children is important, raising this next generation to have the Lord front and center in their lives is the best thing for them.

It was also great to meet my newest nephew Jefferson! Due to the distance I end up meeting Kyleigh's new babies and she ends up meeting mine when they're a few months old rather than getting to be there at the newborn stage. No matter how many children I have, I'll never get over that newborn smell. Children truly are a blessing from the Lord!

[sojourner-between-worlds]

I was tagged twice and I finally have my laptop on for once so I guess I'd better do this one 😂 Thanks to both @awfullybigwardrobe44 and @theboredandkindaweirdhisotrian for the tags!

Favorite Carol to sing at church:

When the accompaniment isn't too fast, then O Come Emmanuel but it's usually too fast, haha. Otherwise...maybe Angels We Have Heard on High? I don't really know. I love too many of them. 😅

Favorite for Door to door caroling:

We go caroling every year, always with the same songs, haha, so that makes this easy: either Good Christian Men Rejoice or God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Carol you wish was sung more often:

I had literally never heard this one until we pulled it out to sing as a special so: O Sing a Song of Bethlehem. It's in our hymnal so it's a crime that we don't sing it, lol.

Carol you love that is most likely to have recordings you don’t like:

O COME O COME EMMANUEL. It is not supposed to be upbeat and peppy. It is not supposed to be fast. It is best when mournful and melancholy! That is why I love it: it’s so unique in expressing the joy of Christ as our ultimate gift but also the ache we feel as we await for him a second time.

^^^This is commentary from @awfullybigwardrobe44 and I'm just gonna leave it because I agree 100%. For the love of all that is good, I am begging artists to stop making it pop or rock or anything other than what it was written to be.

Favorite recording of that Carol:

The only arrangement with lyrics that I accept is the one that my high school choir sang one year. I think I may have found a professional recording of it, like, one time and I spent hours looking for it then, so I don't have a link to share, and I was going to share the really low quality recording I have from that concert but since the file isn't hosted anywhere online, tumglr won't let me. Boooooooo.

Runner ups for favorite recording (that you can actually find online, haha) are the Piano Guys for instrumentals, and Peter Hollens for vocals (I know I said I only accept one but his is decent, haha).

Favorite Christmas album?

I don't really listen to full albums tbh, but if I chose one, Relient K's Let It Snowbaby, Let It Reindeer will always be a fun one.

Tagging: I think most of the people I usually tag have already been hit, haha, but.... @getting-used-to-different @as-a-letter-to-you @real-truth

[the-music-keeper]

I have some time to kill before I walk to church for Monday night small group. I've already practiced for about three hours today and I had a coaching session and a choir rehearsal to play for too, so I really don't want to put more stress on my hands than I already have. So I decided I was just going to sit on the benches in front of the Music Building, enjoy the fall weather, and do some Spanish practice on Duolingo.

Well, I got distracted before I could even pull up Duolingo. I was just looking around the Quad, at Wilson, at Forbes, at Wampler, even behind me at the Music Building, and a fun memory popped into my head. There's a tree at the Music Building that's good for climbing, and one time a couple years ago, one of the vocalists I accompanied got stuck up in the tree. "How did I get here?" he asked from his perch. "What choices led me to this?"

And now I find myself wondering the same thing, but with a much more positive twist. How did I get here? How did I make it through making a major change that set me back two and a half years, through losing my InterVarsity small group, through failing two auditions, through depression, through a global pandemic, through organizing recital rehearsals while I was sick with the illness that caused the pandemic, through death after death after death over the past year? How am I sitting here on the verge of graduating with two concentrations and a minor in my music degree, at the point where I'm prepping the materials for grad applications?

How did I get here? And how did I come to be so blessed?

[priestess-of-ra]

shoot-of-corruption:

Mariku’s gaze strafed towards Ryo, calculating. He could feel the fear in him getting stronger in worryingly intense waves as soon as they passed the threshold.

“Yeah... maybe next time we can be adventurous somewhere that doesn’t look like an abandoned dump...” He whispered, trying to make Ryo laugh a tad... he really wanted to scare him, but his date was obviously not scared by anything he did... there was something else. Something had scared the other one badly... was continuing to scare him and he didn’t even understand what exactly had caused this.

And suddenly something happened that cause a feeling in him, so VILE, that he almost shattered the place into rubble himself. The choir boomed with an unnatural singing, he wasn’t even certain how that had happened... but the worst thing was that it scared Ryo so badly, that he practically tried to bury himself into his body and a cloud of fear slammed into him, like he had gotten hit by a train.

His eyes darkened immeasurably and something deeply inside of him chittered, crawled under his skin, needed, wanted... hungered-

Something wanted to jump out of his skin, reaching and he forced it down with so much sudden aggression that it left his teeth rattling. He had a feeling this was something orchestrated (HA) for the both of them and the plan wasn’t going to work. “Ryo.” He said lowly, trying to overpower the other ones panic, keeping his arms around the other. “The choir is singing.” He kept talking lowly. “You are not alone, wherever you are, I am here, too.” This seemed to be something traumatic, he had probably lived through something that just came back to haunt him. “I’m getting you out of here.” He tried to pick Ryo up and take him outside again, while the choir was still booming with noise. This wasn’t going according to plan at all and it made him mad.

Mariku picking him up was exactly what Ryo had been hoping for... if he wasn't busy being utterly terrified of the clearly haunted church. His life was flashing before his eyes as the choir just kept going. He was not having fun. It's okay, Ryo, it's okay. Mariku is here. He's right here. He's right here. It's okay. It's okay. The minute he felt Mariku lift him up, he slung an arm around the other's neck to at least try and support himself. Feeling the other's arms around him was helpful in calming him down, but he'll be damned if this wasn't utterly terrifying. He'll apologize to Mariku when they get out of this utter nightmare. 

Or he would if the doors didn't slam shut. 

The color drained from his face when those creaky doors slammed themselves closed in their faces. It really was that last time in the church repeating itself before his very eyes. If this was anything else, anything else at all, Ryo would be excited and ready for the challenge. But it just had to be a church, didn't it? The one place that put actual, honest-to-god fear in him. And by god, did Ryo start panicking. 

"Oh come on!" Ryo cried out, pressing himself closer to his date. "I'm so sorry, this was a bad idea, I shouldn've have let you come here!" He should've warned Mariku, he should've listened to his heart and suggested they go somwhere else, he should've done something! Even for things out of his control, Ryo always felt a burden of guilt. They were stuck here with it or them or whatever it was, and it was all his fault. Everything was his fault. That was just the nature of things.

He couldn't even pretend to be brave right now. The utter terror going through him was overwhelming. And was it just him or did there seem to be a growing musical accompaniment with the choir?

[msilwrites]

(A 3AM Update) A True Gentleman, Chapter 19 - Taking back her life

A/N: Hi guys, Chapter 19 is up! Some lighthearted comedy here and there too. Not really much of a plot device, but we're approaching how to handle the reality of Diana's situation as she tries to take her life back. Tell me what you think in the comments below, and Enjoy reading!

NINETEEN

Taking back her life

Diana looked at the dating app on her phone and read the exchange of messages with her date. After the first time, in a long time, she was finally going out on a 'date'.

The guy who she had been chatting with seemed kind enough. In fact, she had chatted with him for a few weeks before even deciding to go out with him. She definitely does not want some asshole. Once bitten, twice shy. She has learned her lesson after all the years of being in an abusive relationship.

Again, sadly, she left the house through her bedroom window, not wanting to see Isaac. It had been weeks since they have seen each other. The only thing she heard was his voice and the sound of his footsteps around the house. In fact, he tried knocking on her bedroom door, only to be met with silence. She had been pretending to not be around for some time now, and the only time she talked to him was through phone messages, telling him that she had already paid the rent.

His attempts of communicating further were also met with silence on the other side of the line. If he was lucky, she would give him a late response as she was determined to cut herself from him emotionally.

**********

When Diana arrived at the place that she and her date agreed upon, she saw the open park theatre filled with orchestra musicians, packing their instruments. It appears that they had just finished their rehearsals.

She looked to her side, and there on one of the benches, seated, was a handsome man, reading through countless music sheets. She walks in his direction and clears her throat to get his attention.

"Maestro... I'm Diana Rutherford..."

**********

It was a funny reason why Diana had agreed on this date in the first place. First of all, it wasn't for something romantic. Her date is actually a music executive, composer and orchestra director who went to the dating app, only to find a replacement singer who can sing opera in alto-soprano for a small formal charity benefit to be held at the park. Second, she needed someone to talk to, and he and she happen to get along well. Nothing more.

Diana, with opera training, and whose voice happens to fall under alto-soprano, agreed, with a bit of hesitation, of course, thinking if this was legit or not. Furthermore, there was a promise of payment, which made her finally give in. Taking on a part-time job was not so bad after all, especially that she needed some extra funds.

"Uhhmmm, how do I address you?" was her first question. Of course, she knows his name. An epitome of tall, dark and handsome, he carried this air of quiet respect. So she wanted to be polite.

"By my name would be great" was his reply, accompanied with a disarming smile.

" Alright, Aedan... " she cleared her throat and sat up straight.

"Well, I'm just curious, what were you doing in the app with a fake profile? You don't look like you needed to do that" he states, seeing that she was nothing like the way she describes in her profile.

"I was looking for someone to date... no erase that, I was hoping for someone to talk to... the app was a convenient tool, especially, with the anonymity that the internet provided, but then I found you and that weird ad/ profile of yours." was her straight and honest answer.

He laughs at how honest she was. "Can't you afford a therapist? " he asked playfully.

" I can, but I can't afford to book a session with him every day... that will drain my funds" she reasons, and he chuckles at how direct yet funny she sounded.

"Don't you have friends?"

"Of course! I have friends! But..."

"But?"

"But I can't possibly worry them enough and stress them out. I can't be dependent on them for everything. There are also some things I can't discuss with them, you know? there are limits..."

"Like how you had been in love with their father for a long time?" he adds, remembering that she mentioned this to him before when they chatted in the app.

" Yep... see how that sounds like? 'Daddy Issues'. I mean I do admit, I have that. I will definitely get disowned by my friends if those issues come to light..." she sighs. "Oh, by the way, where are your other singers? and why did you have to find a singer using the dating app?" she adds.

He sighs, " One is currently busy with her children, a few of them preparing for their final papers, the others are currently overseas, travelling, no one is available on the date of the performance..."

"Oh... yes, that is a problem..." she nodded in agreement. " But why the app? It's unconventional..." she reasons.

He laughs " It's unconventional, but it was fast and it worked! I found you! You do realize that the app isn't only about dating!" he says, referring to the 'social' part where you find people or groups of like-minded people.

"Err... so do you plan to continue dating ?"

"No... I've deleted the app,"

"Ha? But why?"

"I didn't like some messages I've received from some..." he said, shaking his head and feeling the hair on the back of his head, stand. It creeped him out just remembering those inappropriate messages.

"Well... I can only imagine..." she said, understanding that he must've received some 'thirsty' messages that anyone will be uncomfortable reading, due to how attractive he is.

"Why did you click my profile?"

" Well... obviously, I swiped right because you're an attractive man... you look like a clean-cut version of 'Ross Poldark', other than that, I would have not talked to you, if not for what you've written in your bio."

" I like your honesty!" he declares and threw his head back laughing.

"Thank you..."

"Did you really have opera training?" he asked, still in doubt.

"Yes, I started during the sixth form, my grandmother sent me to lessons to build my confidence and voice...It even became my elective back in university... Then I joined choirs, sang oratorios... so on and so forth... I sang with the choir in church and there were times I sang part-time as a soloist in some events. I enjoyed those times, "

" What made you stop? Singing I mean?"

"I... I..." she paused for a moment, finding a clear way to explain what happened. " I got into a relationship... "

"Let me guess... he was either possessive or abusive?" he guessed, already knowing which was it.

"Both actually... he didn't like me being looked at when I sang... I guess he wanted the audience to close their eyes during a song..." she recalls, remembering the incident with her ex, Jesse.

Aedan laughed and nodded in agreement. Hearing such situations wasn't new to him. He had a few incidents before where a soloist came to a rehearsal with a black eye. Abusive people demand the victim's attention solely focused on them, and try to cut off the victim from the activities they love.

"I do hope you are no longer with that man... I don't want another soloist coming to a rehearsal unable to sing properly because she is injured... don't get me wrong, I may want the performance to be perfect, but I do care for people, and I do feel the pain when I see such situations..."

"Yes... don't worry, I've broken up with him a long time ago," she assured.

"Good!" he exclaims and after a while, remembers something and looks at his watch. "Rehearsals resume in an hours time. Let's have lunch, and we will test your voice later"

**********

"What made you want to sing again? If I may ask?" Aedan said, waiting for the orchestra to return to their seats.

"It's just... I want my life back, Aedan... I just want to go back to what I used to be" was her answer, and he understood.

"Alright..." Aedan taps his baton on the podium, signalling everyone that they were about to start rehearsal. He calls in another person, and another man enters the stage.

"Diana, this is Max, your duet, Max, this is Diana, your new partner!" Aedan introduces.

Diana looked at Max and her mouth hung agape in admiration. if Aedan is handsome, so is Max! Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome, bearing a fleeting resemblance to Hugh Jackman. She smiled, and giggled to herself, thanking her lucky stars for being surrounded by handsome men today. This would definitely be a good step to move on.

"Diana," Max stretches his hand out for a handshake and she gives them a tight squeeze, whilst smiling like a schoolgirl at him.

"You can ogle at him later, all you want, if you pass the 'audition', Diana!" Aedan teased, earning him a grimace from her. He chuckled at her reaction but quickly asked her to stand straight and get ready for vocal warm-ups.

Aedan sits adjacent to the grand piano and plays the keys for the duet to warm up. After the vocal warm-ups, he goes back to his podium and the orchestra sat in position.

"We have a tradition in this group, every time there is a new singer... as a welcome, she is to sing-" Aedan waves his baton and the began to play the introductory part of the song 'Libiamo ne' lieti calici' which was followed by Max baritone voice, singing the first verse and turning to Diana with a smile.

"How appropriate," she smiled, knowing that it was quite a welcoming song and felt the excitement in her heart to sing once again. And when her turn came, she took a deep breath and without hesitation and care of the possibility of singing out of tune, she gave it her all.

When the song was about to close, the orchestra plays increases their tempo, so as the two duets and then together, they hit the high note with their voices, closing the brindisi.

Diana catches her breath, it was definitely a struggle for her to hit the note, how long has it been since she sang? Years. However, she was met by applause by the orchestra musicians, her duet partner, and the director, Aedan, which came to her as a surprise, because she knew she didn't hit every note right.

"Welcome to the group, Diana!" Max smiles, giving her a squeeze in her hand.

"Thank you, Max!" was her response.

"Welcome to the group, Diana! you've missed a note here and there, but I believe that can be improved with practice" Aedan says, as he approaches. The way he said 'practice' already scares her.

**********

"Oh, my, my, Diana! you are glowing, recently!" Mrs Chambers greets Diana as she goes back to her reception area after lunch.

"Thank you! But what do you mean glowing?" she asked, a little bemused.

" You lively! Happier?! no longer gloomy liked you used to be, no offence" was Mrs Chambers direct answer.

"None taken..." she smiles, knowing that Mrs Chambers has a point. She looked like a pale, gloomy flower.

"Is this a new skincare? beauty routine? activity, a new man?"

Diana laughed at the last part of what Mrs Chambers said. "No, unfortunately, not a man... It's probably because of having clarity of the mind now," she said, knowing that Mrs Chambers was also aware of the past depressing incidents that she had gone through.

"I am glad for that!" Mrs Chambers smiles at her.

Earning the clarity of the mind was one of the things Diana was grateful for. Especially now that she was trying to take her life back.

She looks at her schedule on her phone. On Thursday evenings, she takes JUDO classes, and on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon were rehearsals and additional training with Aedan. He wasn't kidding when she told her how strict he is. Heck, he knows when one didn't practice the song. There was a wee bit of regret in her for agreeing to take JUDO classes and joining the orchestra as one of their singers, especially now that she had to follow strict discipline. But gratefulness, enjoyment, and the contentment it gave her overweighs the regret.

**********

Diana enters the restaurant and looks around for Aedan. He told her that they would meet at this restaurant which was, near her office, before they head for practice.

She smiles and waves at him, upon seeing him seated at a table near the window. He smiles back and waves at her to come over.

"Hello, Aedan"

"Good Afternoon, Diana! I sure do hope you practised the song."

"Ahehehe... I did!..."

He narrows his eyes on her.

"I swear I did!, though it was a struggle, I made sure I did, every day! In full voice!" she says in her defence.

Aedan laughs. "Don't worry, I understand, you don't want your 'crush' to hear you singing! By the way, do you still leave the house using your bedroom window?"

She looks at him sheepishly and that look she gave was enough to answer his question.

He throws his head back laughing. "Oh, Diana! How are you going to leave the house on the day of the performance? Do you want me to rescue you from the tower and fight the dragon?" he teased.

"What the heck! Aedan! Dr. Skovgaard isn't a dragon!"

"I never said that!" he says, hand up in surrender, still laughing.

"Diana?!" a familiar voice calls her name, she looks around to find Allegra seated at the nearby table.

"Allegra!" she greets, a little nervous, as if she was a little girl caught in a misdeed.

"You're here! I haven't seen you in a long time! Look how glowing you are!" Allegra says, echoing the same thing Mrs Chambers had said and gives her friend a tight embrace. "You wouldn't join us for dinner, what have you been up to?!" was her next question.

"Ahehehe..."

However, before Diana could think of an answer, Allegra turns her attention to Aedan. She looked at him suspiciously which made Diana nervous.

"And may I know who is this? care to introduce me to your new friend?"

"This is Aedan, Aedan, this is Allegra, my best friend..." she introduces, and Allegra immediately takes the seat beside Diana, still looking at the man suspiciously.

Aedan beams at her and stretches out his hands, offering Allegra a handshake, which she took.

"Hi, I'm Aedan McInnes... Diana's date" he says, followed by his disarming smile. Knowing that Diana didn't want to tell anyone of her current activities.

"What?!" Allegra's eyes widened in shock. "Since when? You've never told us anything, Diana!" she says, turning to Diana.

"Oh! it's just recent! I didn't want to tell anyone because everything happened just recently! Plus, I didn't want to worry you, also... Aedan's a great guy!" she reasons and gives the grinning man a quick glare.

"I see... well... Of course, I'd be worried about you, and Aedan, what do you do?" was the beginning of Allegra's interrogation.

" I am a music producer," was his reply, which is part of the truth.

Diana sighs, as the interrogation continued.

**********

"Out of many things you could think of! Aedan! you told Allegra, that you're my date..." was the first thing that came out of Diana during the rehearsal break. They were almost late for rehearsal because of it. "We barely made it out of there!"

However, the only reply Aedan gave was a hearty laugh. "Tell me, Diana, what are you exactly worried about? By right, we are not doing anything wrong,"

She paused for a moment and thought about it. What was she worried about " I... I don't know... Dr Skovgaard finding out?" the reason just carelessly slipped out of her lips.

"Aha!" Aedan exclaimed, causing Diana to jolt in surprise.

"What?"

" You're worried about your crush finding out!" he declares.

" Wait...what? I said that?! I-"

"Diana, look, you should not worry, in fact, you should be glad! If your Dr Skovgaard reacts, then it means he cares for you!"

"Of course, that man cares for me! I told you he sees me as his daughter! "

"Uh, uh , uh, that will depend on how he reacts!" he adds, making her a little hopeful. However, she knew that it was impossible.

**********

It was a Sunday when Allegra met her father for brunch. She excitedly jogs upon the small staircase that led to the front door of the restaurant. She had been wanting to tell her dad what she had recently found out.

"Woah... Allegra, what is all this excitement about?" was the first thing Isaac said to his daughter, the moment she arrived at their table, looking a little too excited. He chuckles and calls for the waiter, thinking that it was some sort of good news.

"Guess what I've found out yesterday dad!" her tone and expression turning into 'worry'.

"What is it?"

" Ross Poldark! he's dating her!!" Allegra declares. Describing how Aedan, her friend's date yesterday, has a fleeting resemblance to the character.

"Wait... what? " was his reply, unable to comprehend what his daughter was saying.

" Diana is dating again!!" she declares, clearer this time.

Isaac's expression changes from 'worry' to something darker. Which his daughter didn't notice as she continued telling what she found out.

A/N: I probably made some grammatical errors here and there, so I'd do some soft editing from time to time. Why do you think Isaac's expression darkened? tell me what you think in the comments below.

Also;

Brindisi - is a drinking song.

A number of Opera Singers / Choral Singers / Soloist / Orchestra Musicians have day jobs.

My face claims were; Aidan Turner and Hugh Jackman for Aedan and Max (Because Hugh can sing). I also want to assure you, they're not rivals of Isaac, but plot vouchers for the next chapters. These characters are there to give clarity and support to Diana.

[tellmeamiveryfar]

The power went out in the middle of the early service. That's ok though because as my pastor said, the electricity may have gone out but the church of God has power!

It was actually kind of nice having a service lit by only candlelight and sunlight. Today we are doing our All Saints celebrations so it seems appropriate. The children's message even included a bit about stained glass windows. He said that people are liked stained glass windows because we are more beautiful when God's light shines through us. Then God was like... you're right! Let's get these florescents outta here we don't need them.

The only thing I'm a bit worried about is the choir song in the second service. This is the one week I was going to use recorded music to give myself a bit of a break. The accompaniment is a bit too tricky for me to just play, but it does have chords so we will still be able to sing if the power doesn't come back on. Just gonna be a bit of a boring, clunky accompaniment but that's ok.

[thecuriouspianist]

Hi, I'm applying for a church accompanist job and I'm wondering what I should expect for the interview. I seem to meet all the qualifications they're looking for and the director is going to call me for a phone interview this week(the church is kind of far away). I already have a job accompanying a community choir, but I only got that job because the director knows me. But for this job, what kinds of things might they ask and do you think there's anything particular that might help me stand out?

Hey! Here’s some of the common things my friends and I have encountered.

They’ll probably ask about what other choirs/churches/ensembles you’ve played for and what kind of music you’ve played.

They’ll probably go through your resume with you, like any other job interview.

They’ll ask about your current community choir job and what you do there. They may ask for a reference from your director there.

The denomination and worship style of the church will tell you a lot about what to expect for your musical responsibilities. For instance: they may ask if you can play organ too. You may need to be able to read from lead sheets. You may need to prepare preludes/postludes.

Find out if you’ll be accompanying a church choir or just the general congregation. If it’s a church choir, do they sing 4 part Rennaissance music for formal Catholic of Anglican masses? Do they sing unison praise songs for a contemporary Protestant service? This variety requires different piano skills and therefore different prep.

Brush up on your sight reading. I do a lot of sight reading and short notice prep at my church jobs and so do my friends.

They might ask about your religious history. Of my 2 church jobs, one priest asked about my personal religious beliefs/upbringing and one friar did not. The big Methodist church in my town requires formal statements of faith. I’ve never heard of anybody being turned away because of their religion, but it’s a good idea to have some kind of answer prepped if you’re not used to talking about religion.

To stand out: be on time, be courteous and professional, dress well, communicate clearly, show that you truly care about creating a beautiful musical product for their services, show respect for their faith and traditions, sight read brilliantly, and follow up with a thank you note. Some musicians, particularly right out of college, have trouble with these things. Optional for a small job, mandatory for a competitive job: have an impressive solo piece ready to play as well.

Last…don’t get down on yourself for “only” getting your current job because the director knows you. That’s how you’ll get at least 98% your jobs. I have NEVER gotten a job without knowing somebody in the organization.

That’s everything that comes to mind for now. I’d be happy to answer any other questions. Best of luck on your interview!

[rusticrevivals]

"What's the best of country life?" Many ask us daily "Is it the scenery, quiet, nature, veg?" Nope - it's celebrating gaily With our small communities, Like Perth or New Den-Mark It's singing, acting, being part Last week - we're angels! HARK! You've heard about the mass choir To mark 150 years You've read about the nursing home, And Pastor Ralph's old dears You know about the pageant And the summer's Founder's Days You've heard bits about Still Standing... (But in spring, to coin a phrase You'll hear lots more, for 'teasing' Is how telly's publicized- And as we're in the 'teaser' I'll be keeping you apprised.)

teaser screen shot for Season 4 of Still Standing, Julie, Leanne (visiting from Scotland) and Mom/Joy, beside the CBC logo. Ironically, Richard, who insisted we take these reserved seats for ‘Founders Day Organizers’, is out of shot to my right!   To see the full trailer/teaser, look at the Still Standing FB page, 2nd video, or try this link: https://www.facebook.com/stillstandingtv/videos/692295784304421/

I'd like to speak in detail About our church's 100th year And the celebration for it That many came to hear. And then I'll show you fun From the last two weeks of song With the Perth-Andover choir And the concerts we've put on! Back in the mid-summer, I was asked to c'ordinate The entertainment portion Of St. Peter's-at-the-Gate, Our little church up on the hill That I've shown you before (But will remind you once again With these photos I've in store:)

The Danish herring-bone wood designs covering every inch of the interior of St. Peter’s Lutheran on top of the hill just next to us

You’ve met her before in several blog postings. This is an amazing shot taken just after St. Peter’s 100th celebrations this fall, by our local professional photographer, Tiffany Christensen. St. Peter’s is on the right, just across the road from the slightly-older Anglican church called St. Ansgar’s.

To make up the fun night After a catered Danish meal We all put in our off'rings Of creative zest and zeal! It started with the Danish band That played some peppy tunes Then the "Minstrels" (or a handful of...) Sang a hymn with their soft croons, Then added another song I'd written for the night As a tribute to St. Peter's And its builders' strength and might.

Then Richard, in his debut Stepped up alone to sing Another piece I'd written Called "Where the Bells do Ring"

Thanks to Mom/Joy for taking most of these photos. To hear “Where the Bells Ring”, Richard’s first full solo (I add some background harmonies as well as the piano accompaniment), go to this link, which we recorded at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStOMmr8WYs

After this bit of song, The pastor had a word About the history of the church -Then, something quite unheard! We came out to do a sketch As if from 100 years from now! (So, the 200th anniversary- It gave the crowd a WOW! Not because I'd written Such a finely-honed & gifted script, But rather, 'cause our costumes Were wild, and long - Zeb tripped! As 'teased' before, back in Sept., We all wore togas white With sashes of sparkly colour And dyed sheep wigs delight!

Richard, Zeb and myself at the meeting of the 200th Anniversary committee (sketch)

Curtain call for the 200th anniversary of St. Peter’s sketch, Pastor announcing. L to R Richard, Zeb Godbout (playing my son, Ned Kram, which is Den Mark backward) Peter Jensen, and seated, myself and Barb Christensen.

We’d had many rehearsals in our living room/meeting room at the farm and while we didn’t actually have all our lines memorized, the oddness of the skit got quite a few laughs, and the pretended ‘frustration and violence’ between us as our sketch showed that meetings don’t change much from century to century, really hit home for those in the community who sit on several boards and committees!

While we changed back out of costume The band once more would play The fiddler, 93, was sick Had been in ER all that day!

But like the true-blue Danes He would not back down, be weak There he was at suppertime To fiddle with his up-beat streak! And then some poetry I'd gathered About the early N.D. times Were read by Miss New Denmark With good old-fashioned rhymes:

But for the big finale Of this 100th year divine I asked some pastors, two from past And our current Ralph, to SHINE. Miss N.D. Megan spun the wheel That Richard made that day And the crowd laughed hard as at "Pastors' Trivia" we would play I'd written 70 questions From categories galore Like Church History, Pete the Saint, General 1917, and more... The pastors, how they struggled To come up with answers right But in the meantime, they were FUNNY And the crowd enjoyed their fright

Pastor Ralph appears to ‘give up’ on the question, as the others have a giggle…

They rang in on their buzzers (One was Smitty's squeaky toy!) But often they'd not get it, And that was JUST my ploy!

The crowd would hoot and holler, And eventually THEY won By answering the questions That the pastors hadn't done. One of the questions I best liked "1917" was the 'try'... This painting of a church was done So like our own, up high:

This painting by Georgia O’Keefe was done the same year our church was built, in 1917, and is very representative of how St. Peter’s towers over rivers and valley and nestled Appalachian homes.

    So, it's my belief that all had fun, That sweet September night When St. Peter's turned 100 With audience delight:

At this table, Megan Bach, Miss New Denmark, her grandparents,  as well as Richard sitting beside Leanne (in gold top), and across from them, Mom/Joy. Being too busy and too nervous of everything to come, I am standing in the background having some punch. Behind me is the old piano, on top of which I had made a 1917 lady’s church-going display.

The 1917 Lady's Church-Going Display:

a variety of hats from my drama trunk, along with gloves, a fan, a lace hankie, a turn-of-the-century scarf and matching hand-bag, and a special contribution from Pastor Ralph – a hymnal actually FROM 1918!

There I sit, 200 years in the future, wearing a toga and some of Mom’s sheep’s wool on my head, with the full program for the Entertainment Portion of the night written out on the wall behind me.

And so, that last event was done And while the harvest kept us crazed We still went to Perth each week To practice for our concert days. The first series, in fall, was with The Youth Orch-EST-ra grand! A full 80-piece symphony Where we joined the "150 Expand" (The same voices with which we sang For July 1st's big event. They come from towns all o'er the vale And it's Glorious, Heaven-Sent!)

Richard’s bald head 4 in at back, and I’m far left, hiding behind the curtain. We sang the Howard Shore piece Shore to Shore, which was WRITTEN for this New Brunswick Youth Orchestra for the 150th, as well as our old favourite We Rise Again (also sung July 1st for the big celebrations). We sang for school groups with a chamber orchestra, on the day before, then had this enormous concert over the weekend. You can hear a small part of We Rise Again at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEezCOAVgXE     An interesting bit of trivia, and to prove how small the Atlantic provinces are, when the conductor moves aside at 0:44, you’ll see a dark, curly-haired lad playing in the first row of the 2nd violin section. My sister started him in violin in St. John’s, Nfld 15 years ago! A neat connector!

  The choir in quaint Perth-Andover Is directed by the mayor A lovely lass from Leamington; There's many here from there!

Our Perth-Andover choir director (and mayor, and Book Club Organizer, and…) Marianne Tiessen Bell, from Ontario, warms us up before a performance.

Our Christmas series started Just at November's end. The hospital in Perth Has become our new best friend As both Mom and Richard twice a month Have teleconference talks And oncological care, so - We sang for Womens Aux.! Then just last week-end, 'Angels' sang 6 hours in the snow To raise some funds for Food Bank. "Bethlehem"'s winds did blow For this interactive nativity That's now a big crowd-thrill We entertained the masses Lined up for miles on the hill

While I’ve been in all kinds of performances in my life, I’ve never actually been able to witness my audience approaching from this far away! Police, firemen, traffic controllers and a radio station were all involved in keeping an orderly pathway to Bethlehem!

To get a really great feel for what this whole night was about, see: LIVE DRIVE-THRU:

or, slightly less exciting – the slide show:  https://www.facebook.com/perthandoverbaptist/videos/1682963368441021/

These productions were both done by the hard-working and energetic Rev. Michael Fredericks of the Perth-Andover Baptist Church.  WHAT A SHOW IT WAS !

We sang as angels in the heavens Pointing to the stable, close While Richard posed beside the inn And I got my daily livestock dose:

I'm not sure even Bethlehem Had as many farm-yard critters Some were small, like geese and hens And some were really heavy hitters!

That's right, a choir of angels sang Beside Alpaca's Paddock And beside THAT were market stalls Of bread, and tools, and haddock!

Marianne Bell front row, far, I’m right behind her. We are both ‘gettin’ down’ kinds of angels. Richard and Marianne’s husband are a little more unbendy in near back row. Notice all the alpacas are staring up at the star over the stable. Just as they should do.

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We know not where she finds the time But Mayor M.B. also made that bread! And still remains relaxed and calm As she chats with King Herrod!

  On the Sunday night’s performance at the nativity, the snow was falling beautifully and romantically and it wasn’t even that cold! I’m crouching because we’re dancing about, not freezing – plus we had a lovely barrel of fire beside us both nights!

On Tuesday night, in Johnville, We hooked up with a choir That came from just 'downriver' In a church that did aspire To give us but a chance to sing From choir lofts above As we sang in echo'd refrain To Vivaldi's Gloria of love

more amazing totally-wood-panelled church work (like St. Peter’s) in the Johnville St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic church, where we sang opposite Peter McLaughlin’s Tuesday Night Singers from the lovely choir loft. (Vivaldi’s Antiphonal Gloria)

Finally, our last big gig Was filmed upon a Woodstock pew- (How strange that in Ontario I lived near Perth & Woodstock too!) My camera propped on hymnals On the first of many pews 'Neath Saint Gertrude's glor'ous arches Marianne led our cues: Youtube wasn't working But we hope you'll link up-- though It's hard for some not on FB- Still, we think it's 'quite a show'!

Saint Gertrudes is the lovely big church in which we sang last night, in Woodstock, along the Saint John river.

    me with hat, far left, Richard with men, far right

  stunning choir loft arches of St. Gertrude’s

the sanctuary of St. Gerts 

Like our concert Tuesday night in Johnville, we sang again with/opposite The Tuesday Night Singers, Peter McLaughlin’s choir. You may remember from reading back in July that it was he who directed us all in the mass choir (150 voices)  on July 1st in Perth-Andover.

part of our choir warming up last night. We had a strong men’s section (4 is STRONG for small town N.B.!) and 3 of the 4 are all spending a lot of their spare time with horses out in the bush! What is the connection, you ask, between men singing and horsemen? Have you an answer?

Thank you to Marianne Bell and Peter McLaughlin – some brownies I made for the wrap-up party

And so, this Christmas season, But actually all year long We owe a debt of gratitude To those who led in song. For what a year it's been Full of music, drama, prayer To get us off the farm, And join pastor, teacher, mayor!

Cast of Thousands "What's the best of country life?" Many ask us daily "Is it the scenery, quiet, nature, veg?" Nope - it's celebrating gaily With our small communities, Like Perth or New Den-Mark It's singing, acting, being part Last week - we're angels!