Melodic Juxtaposition
18th March 2007
There I was. At the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, quietly enjoying the Vienna Boys’ Choir serenading a hushed, reverent audience basking in their unique brand of symphonic vocal ballads and serene “sacred Austrian hymns”.
As I sat there soaking in the harmonies from the boys’ melodious voices, wild images invaded the peace and quiet of my mind. For wild explosions of a completely different kind of vision burst into my my mind’s eyes and ears as I saw a rowdy group of street hip-hop artist descend onto the stage and start to harmonize themselves along with the Vienna Boys Choir..
Can you imagine that?
As I sank into the comfort of my soft seat, almost fearing that cacophonous spectacle unfolding in the theater of my mind was disrupting the pleasures the gentle folk around me I saw the hip-hop rap hoodlum weave in and out of the picturesque arrangement that was the Vienna Boys’ Choir, all the time keeping up and blending with their music to form something different, something extraordinary, yet something bewilderingly beautiful.
The more I sat and enjoyed the Austrian choir, and the longer they sang, the more I was getting into the clashing and the confluence of the dissonance blending in to produce a strange kind of symphony.
Then I thought to myself, “That is going to be a real treat and someone ought to combine these two into a vocal orchestra-masterpiece.”
“You’re wierd!” I hear you say.
Perhaps. But you can’t really blame me.
Truth is, only this morning, at church our quiet suburban congregation was treated to a rapturous hip-hop fest when our ministry team that goes into Skid Row came in to the service to offer us a gift, and a glimpse into how they do church down at the Row.
It was an eye-opening and heart-broadening experience. The kind that leaves your mascara all messed up (not that I was wearing any, mind you - I was using a figure of something here, you know - cause tears were freely flowing down my cheeks and I was loving every moment of it). It is the kind of experience that leaves your heart all hurting because God spoke to you.
He spoke to me big time.
He used some guys who have the heart to go down to Skid Row to love and some other guys who have the heart to travel all over the world to share their unique musical talent to speak volumes to me.
Those first group of guys were down-to-earth, no nonsense, what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of folks who bore their souls before their Lord, just loving Him and loving people down there at Skid Row. I resonated with that scene like some syncopated drum beats.
That is why when the director introduced the Sacred Austrian Hymns presented by the prim and proper choirboys, my mind couldn’t help but drift to include the rhythmic but raucous hip-hop rapping band who were belting out their brand of melodies in church earlier in the morning, and somehow the two incongruous and contrasting explosions were harmonized in my mind’s eye.
And then I got it.
That is exactly how it is like when God invades our souls. That is what happens at the point that the Extraordinary intersects with the ordinary to transform our vision, our positions, our passions, and our very lives!
It is what I call, “Epiphanication!”
You shall here more about it.
Stay tuned.
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March 23rd, 2007 at 10:35 pm
I love choirs! I just love how things harmonise together … hip hop, classical music etc, it just goes to show how wondrous God’s creation is ..
March 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Hey Messy!
Wow! Thanks for coming back, both here and to the ’sphere! We’ve all missed YOU, and I know I, for one, am overjoyed to have you back with us again!