Tuesday 4~Music and You

 

Music and You


Tuesday 4 is hosted in memory of Toni Taddeo who started it a few years ago and I hope you will join in with us each week. It is a great way to visit new bloggers, make friends and discover new and interesting things about your friends.

The topic for this week's Tuesday 4 meme is Music..


1. Do you play a musical instrument?

No, sadly, I never learned to play any instrument, except for my voice! I do sing!  Does that count? Oh, and I once was the choir director at one of our former churches. That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much.  Now I am happy to just sing in our church choir and leave the hard work to our wonderful choir director.

2. Have you taken music lessons? What kind. If not, is there one you might enjoy learning. It is never too late to start. You might be surprised at how accomplished it will make you feel.

 I wish I had learned to play the piano, but when I was a child I was too busy playing outside and doing other "fun" things and couldn't sit still long enough to take piano lessons. We did have a piano in our home, but the only notable thing I ever did on it was when I was 2 years old, I tried to climb up to the top of our upright piano to reach something up there, and I fell and hit my teeth on the keyboard cover, and knocked them up into my gums and had to go the dentist in the middle of the night (or so it seemed to a 2 year old) and have them pulled out!  Therefore, for the next five years I would sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!". It was a rather traumatic experience that, even though I was only two, I can remember being forced to be put under ether, and that triggered many unpleasant reactions throughout my childhood and beyond if anyone ever tried to put anything over my mouth or face...so there's that...  That's probably why I never really wanted to learn to play the piano...too many unpleasant memories connected! LOL.   However, I truly have always wished I could play, and you can often see me playing my "air piano" when listening to beautiful music. LOL.  Now, at the age of 75, I think it is too late to start for me. Being a lefty, I tend to do most everything backwards...

3. Is there music in your home as background to your day's activities or do you have music playing in your car, etc.? If so, what kind of music do you enjoy hearing?
What kind of music do you NOT like?

Perhaps if I lived alone I would play music in my home throughout the day, but when there's other noise in the house, like hubby watching sports or YouTube videos on TV all day long, what I really want is just some peace and quiet.  When I used to commute back and forth 45 minutes one way to work through the Ocala National Forest I would listen to music on the JoyFm  Christian radio station, and one could often find me singing along as I drove. It helped pass the time and also lifted me up and helped to prepare my heart for a challenging day at work.  May favorite music is Gospel, Sacred, Hymns, and occasionally I love to listen to the oldies from the 50's-60's.   I Do NOT like rap music or other loud heavy metal type music.

4. Do you have a favorite composer or genre of music that you like most? Maybe you like several. Please share with us your thoughts?

Composer: Handel, as in "Handel's Messiah"...I love to listen to that especially the Christmas portion at Christmas, and the Easter portion at Easter. You can often find me singing along and directing the music as it plays. I've often thought that I would love to conduct the Hallelujah chorus someday in Heaven with Heaven's choir singing. Wouldn't that be amazing???

The Hallelujah Chorus, Royal Choral Society

Here's the words, so you can sing along:

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world is become

the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ,

and of His Christ;

And He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords.

King of kings, and Lord of lords.

King of kings, and Lord of lords,

and Lord of lords,

and He shall reign,

and He shall reign for ever and ever,

for ever and ever,

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign for ever and ever, for ever and ever.

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

And He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of kings! and Lord of lords!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Well, that's it for today!  Now I'll be singing that all day long! Not a bad way to start the day!

Click here to join in the fun!

Advent Day 10....With a Surprise (again!)

I know if you followed my Advent Calendar last year, (and the year before) you may see that I have repeated a few here and there (more than a few).  But...sometimes it is good to repeat things year after year...because we humans tend to forget and need to be reminded!  So, here is last year's open Advent Window for the 10th day of Advent (and THIS year, 2016, today is the 19th day of Advent!) .  I love this particular window because it has a special surprise tucked into the scripture readings...so be sure to click on the verses when you come to them.  I find as I read from God's Word these particular verses I always break out into singing them the way I've heard them sung so many wonderful times before. I wish I could say that I sound as good as these musicians...but it is the melody in the heart that matters, not the quality of the vocalist.  So, as you read along, please feel free to sing along with me! Might as well practice! Someday we will be in the heavenly choir where we will ALL have voices like the angels! Won't that be grand????

Okay, Open this window and enjoy...
Due to busily preparing for Christmas, (I've been shopping non stop for the past three days...) I've been too busy to write about the preparation!  Oftentimes that is how it goes with us humans...we get so caught up in our whirl of activities that we forget the whole purpose and meaning of the activity we are pursuing.

This Christmas card says it all...This is what Christmas is all about...

I pause in the middle of my hectic pace to remember the true meaning of Christmas...and to reflect on ways that I can be more like the Christ of Christmas...

• More willing to give than to receive...
• To be a cheerful servant rather than expecting to be served...
• Never doing things just to please myself...but to give of myself so that others might have a pleasant life.

Today's scripture readings reinforce these thoughts: (Click on each section of verses for an Advent Surprise:)

"O Zion,

You who bring good tidings,

Get up into the high mountain;

O Jerusalem,

You who bring good tidings,

Lift up your voice with strength,

Lift it up, be not afraid;

Say to the cities of Judah,

"Behold your God!"

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

and carry them in His bosom.

And gently lead those who are with young."

Isaiah 40: 9, 11

(The above links are compliments of George Frederic Handel and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus)

I hope you enjoyed this little mini-concert.  For the complete concert, click HERE

May this help set the tone for your Advent mid-season.  Only 17  10 days until Christmas!  Take some time to relax and enjoy...and pass on the blessing to someone else.