Holy Tuesday, 2014
15/04/14 05:26
Some people called them work songs. Others called them field hollers. During the days of slavery in America, there were organized shouts and chants that arose from many sources. Rhythm helped to make the work go faster. Singing broke up the monotony of repetitious hand work. The songs gave expression to the groans of an oppressed people. Sometimes the slave masters demanded that that the slaves sing for the entertainment of the masters. In a similar time frame spirituals arose as a way to give expression to faith, to remember the biblical stories and promises and to teach faith to others. The blending of the spirituals and the field songs gave rise to a unique musical genre that has come to be known as the blues. It is music born of oppression, sorrow, sadness and misfortune. It is music that speaks of the triumph of the human soul over the power of human cruelty.
Perhaps no other art form more eloquently expresses sorrow, sadness and grief.
Of course there are those who say that the blues have been corrupted by their popularity. The blues gave rise to jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and role. Country blues prompted urban blues and regional flavors developed such as the Texas blues and Chicago blues and West Coast blues. As acoustic instruments gave way to electronic instruments, electric blues began to be heard in clubs from New Orleans to Chicago, Blues-rock was heard on the radio and television.
Then one night in the late seventies Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi did a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. That was so popular that they brought on Elwood Blues on harmonica and other respected musicians to participate in a real band. The group made an appearance on Saturday Night live. That gave rise to a musical tour, other television appearances and the hit movie, The Blues Brothers in 1980. After Blushi died in 1982, the Blues Brothers continued to perform with a rotation of singers and band members. Blues Brothers 2000 came out in 1998.
The musical form that started among African-American slaves had hit the mainstream and found a decidedly privileged audience. Tom Robbins wrote a book, “Even Cowgirls get the Blues.” The Blues had entered popular culture in ways from which it was impossible to turn back.
These days it is a moot point whether or not privileged people of other cultural and ethnic backgrounds can sing the blues. They are doing it. The blues have become a part of the cultural identity of a large part of the world.
Still it is a pretty long stretch from the parable of the ten maidens in Matthew 25 to a blues concert. Perhaps the five foolish maidens were singing the blues after their lamps ran out of oil and they sat in the dark while the other five, who had extra oil trimmed their wicks and headed with the bridegroom into the marriage.
The story, a parable about being prepared and not knowing when God’s realm will arrive is the traditional text for Holy Tuesday. Faithful Christians are admonished to remember that the timing of our lives is beyond our control. Part of the process of living and dying is understanding that there are many things in life that we cannot manipulate. The time of our own death is one of those things. It is particularly dramatic in our congregation as a member, who was predicted to die a couple of weeks ago goes home from hospice house for whatever period of recovery he has been granted. Not only can we not control the timing, we can’t predict what will happen, either.
In traditional congregations the Matins service for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week is known as the bridegroom service because of a traditional prayer that speaks of Christ as the Bridegroom of the church. In the Orthodox Church, Holy Tuesday is the day for reading the second half of Mark and the Gospel of Luke, although only about two-thirds of Luke’s Gospel is actually read in most congregations. In the western church the focus is more often on Jesus’ predictions of Peter’s denial.
In our congregation, Holy Tuesday is the night of the blues. Last year we had our blues concert on Holy Wednesday and a wake service on Tuesday, but those two events were switched in part due to the popularity of the blues concert and the desire to make Wednesday events centered around families and children with the school’s early release and a partial acceptance of Wednesday as church night.
So our fellowship hall is set up with a stage and a coffeehouse setting for an evening of blues.
Part of what we have recognized is that there are many in our community who are not familiar with the ways of grief. When loss overtakes them they are emotionally and spiritually unprepared for the trials of their lives. Holy Week gives us the opportunity to practice our faith and experience the power of music as a companion in spiritual journeys. It also gives us an outlet to express the grief that arises from the many losses that have occurred which we do not adequately express. The blues concert also gives our congregation an opportunity to practice the spiritual discipline of extravagant hospitality as we throw open our doors to the community and invite our friends and neighbors to join us in an evening of music, refreshment and fellowship.
James Van Nuys is one of the Black Hills best acoustic guitar finiger-pickers. He plays a wide range of traditional music from folk, to Irish to ragtime to blues. His niece Maya is a classical violinist who has a special feel for the fiddle. Together with other hills musicians such as singer and guitarist Bob Fahey, the Van Nuys have provided contemporary blues music to our region. James is heading up the bill of artists for our night of blues this evening.
We may have drifted a long way from the roots of the historic church in our holy week observances. We may have drifted a long way from the field songs and chants of African-American slaves. But we are aware of our roots and sometimes the music reaches farther than our intellect is able.
Talking and writing are inadequate. The blues have to be experienced.
Perhaps no other art form more eloquently expresses sorrow, sadness and grief.
Of course there are those who say that the blues have been corrupted by their popularity. The blues gave rise to jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and role. Country blues prompted urban blues and regional flavors developed such as the Texas blues and Chicago blues and West Coast blues. As acoustic instruments gave way to electronic instruments, electric blues began to be heard in clubs from New Orleans to Chicago, Blues-rock was heard on the radio and television.
Then one night in the late seventies Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi did a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live. That was so popular that they brought on Elwood Blues on harmonica and other respected musicians to participate in a real band. The group made an appearance on Saturday Night live. That gave rise to a musical tour, other television appearances and the hit movie, The Blues Brothers in 1980. After Blushi died in 1982, the Blues Brothers continued to perform with a rotation of singers and band members. Blues Brothers 2000 came out in 1998.
The musical form that started among African-American slaves had hit the mainstream and found a decidedly privileged audience. Tom Robbins wrote a book, “Even Cowgirls get the Blues.” The Blues had entered popular culture in ways from which it was impossible to turn back.
These days it is a moot point whether or not privileged people of other cultural and ethnic backgrounds can sing the blues. They are doing it. The blues have become a part of the cultural identity of a large part of the world.
Still it is a pretty long stretch from the parable of the ten maidens in Matthew 25 to a blues concert. Perhaps the five foolish maidens were singing the blues after their lamps ran out of oil and they sat in the dark while the other five, who had extra oil trimmed their wicks and headed with the bridegroom into the marriage.
The story, a parable about being prepared and not knowing when God’s realm will arrive is the traditional text for Holy Tuesday. Faithful Christians are admonished to remember that the timing of our lives is beyond our control. Part of the process of living and dying is understanding that there are many things in life that we cannot manipulate. The time of our own death is one of those things. It is particularly dramatic in our congregation as a member, who was predicted to die a couple of weeks ago goes home from hospice house for whatever period of recovery he has been granted. Not only can we not control the timing, we can’t predict what will happen, either.
In traditional congregations the Matins service for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week is known as the bridegroom service because of a traditional prayer that speaks of Christ as the Bridegroom of the church. In the Orthodox Church, Holy Tuesday is the day for reading the second half of Mark and the Gospel of Luke, although only about two-thirds of Luke’s Gospel is actually read in most congregations. In the western church the focus is more often on Jesus’ predictions of Peter’s denial.
In our congregation, Holy Tuesday is the night of the blues. Last year we had our blues concert on Holy Wednesday and a wake service on Tuesday, but those two events were switched in part due to the popularity of the blues concert and the desire to make Wednesday events centered around families and children with the school’s early release and a partial acceptance of Wednesday as church night.
So our fellowship hall is set up with a stage and a coffeehouse setting for an evening of blues.
Part of what we have recognized is that there are many in our community who are not familiar with the ways of grief. When loss overtakes them they are emotionally and spiritually unprepared for the trials of their lives. Holy Week gives us the opportunity to practice our faith and experience the power of music as a companion in spiritual journeys. It also gives us an outlet to express the grief that arises from the many losses that have occurred which we do not adequately express. The blues concert also gives our congregation an opportunity to practice the spiritual discipline of extravagant hospitality as we throw open our doors to the community and invite our friends and neighbors to join us in an evening of music, refreshment and fellowship.
James Van Nuys is one of the Black Hills best acoustic guitar finiger-pickers. He plays a wide range of traditional music from folk, to Irish to ragtime to blues. His niece Maya is a classical violinist who has a special feel for the fiddle. Together with other hills musicians such as singer and guitarist Bob Fahey, the Van Nuys have provided contemporary blues music to our region. James is heading up the bill of artists for our night of blues this evening.
We may have drifted a long way from the roots of the historic church in our holy week observances. We may have drifted a long way from the field songs and chants of African-American slaves. But we are aware of our roots and sometimes the music reaches farther than our intellect is able.
Talking and writing are inadequate. The blues have to be experienced.