This is the second piece I have completed, from my “Liturgy of the Fields” inspired by St John Chrysostom’s Divine Liturgy. The Anaphora is the lifting up of our hearts and minds to the Lord. I hope you enjoy it; and ponder the words as you listen:
“A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise. We lift our hearts up to the Lord. It is meet and right to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; the Trinity one in essence and undivided. Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! Amen! We hymn Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks to Thee, O Lord! And we pray unto Thee, O our God!”
This piece, entitled “Time” is the final movement of my ‘little symphony’: The Creature Loves its Creator. I wanted to share it because the message I attempt to convey through it, I think is important—that even within the effects of time—with its losses, sorrows and ultimately death—we can still experience beauty, and even an ecstasy of love!
I call this a ‘Symphonic Poem’ in that the music portrays distinct and vivid images of our progression through time. The piece has three main components: we are first ‘in time’, and then ‘out of time’, and finally we are ‘beyond time’.
‘In time’ the clock is ticking, and the bell is tolling, and our life is passing in toil and struggle. But with hearts and minds kept open to God, beauty exists within and alongside our life’s greatest challenges. Not only can this beauty carry us through, it can elevate us above the pain.
There is a moment in the piece when sound suddenly and abruptly stops—our moment of death, when we transition ‘out of time’, when our soul leaves the body.
And then our soul calls out to God—plaintive, like a lament—but hopeful. And our hope is answered, the angels echo our soul’s call, calling out to us. And their call grows stronger, as they come to us; and our hope, and all of our love is fulfilled, as they carry our soul up into paradise.
The build-up to this paradisiacal conclusion is one of my favorite musical moments. I hope you also will find it comforting, joyful and hopeful.
