Here is a fine flash mob, a beautiful tribute to Nelson Mandela
I read about this performance in a Yahoo article. The Soweto Gospel Choir posed as shoppers and store workers, and performed Johnny Clegg'sAsimbonanga. According to the Yahoo article, the song was written during Mandela's incarceration as a call for his freedom. The article provided these words:
Asimbonanga [we have not seen him]
Asimbonang' uMandela thina [we have not seen Mandela]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'ehleli khona [in the place where he is kept]
Asimbonanga
Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina [we have not seen our brother]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'wafela khona [in the place where he died]
Sithi: Hey, wena [We say: hey, you]
Hey, wena nawe [Hey, you and you]
Siyofika nini la' siyakhona [when will we arrive at our destination]
This choir, this music is stunningly beautiful. I have no words to add...
Nephew N, who lives in Plymouth, Michigan, posted on his Facebook page today:
So there are these construction workers outside my house singing opera. I'm honestly not sure whether to be more surprised at how cultured they are or how incredibly stupendous their singing is
My immediate response? I was jealous, that he got to enjoy such a magical, spontaneous, unexpected pleasure. At least he shared it with us, and I'm grateful for that.
His experience reminded me of a story Mom shared with us. She & Dad were in Italy - he was traveling on business, and Mom, finally, was traveling with him. She was sitting in a plaza one day, and watched as various workers came out to enjoy their lunches. An opera was playing (on big screens? small TVs? I'm vague on this detail), and the lunch crowd was watching.
What astonished and touched Mom was this: the workers were crying. "Those constructions workers were crying as they watched," she exclaimed. "They were moved by the music. Who would have thought...?"
I remember once - years ago - attending a craft show with my mom. (I think it was in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, but who knows for sure.) Anyway, there was a trio of trumpeters, playing wonderfully clear notes; I imagined them cresting over the top of a hill. We listened for a bit; it was magic.
The Washington Post article about Joshua Bell quotes William Henry Davies (from his poem, Leisure), and I share their quote:
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
When there is music to be heard, it's time to stand and stare and listen, time to be amazed and delighted.
Last year, I shared a video of a flash mob performing Handel's Messiah. That is still one of my favorite clips, but the other day, I came across this one. It is well-choreographed, well-filmed, captures the delight of onlookers and the enthusiasm of the performers, and simply makes me smile.
This flash mob performance of Handel's Messiah is extraordinary. Watch it. Watch the expressions of the surprised audience, and the joy on the faces of the performers. Listen to the inspiried music, and listen for your own stirrings of emotion.
When I was growing up, my parents had an RCA Victor recording of Messiah, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham: four records, plus a book containing the libretto, illustrated with paintings by Botticelli, Durer, Van Eyck, El Greco, and others. I have their recording now; in this day of CD's and DVD's and iPods and YouTube, we don't play the LP's, but the set reminds me of my parents.
The family story is that my parents bought a stereo system before they bought a bed, and slept on a mattress on the floor. That stereo system consisted of two large cabinets, containing the turntable and the speakers. By 'large' I mean waist high, and 2 or 3 feet long (is that right? or is that the memory of a small child?). Anyway, my parents' recording, via this stereo system, was how I first heard Messiah.
I suspect that most people are introduced to Messiah via the Hallelujah Chorus. Certainly that was the piece I initially recognized and enjoyed. From there, I grew to know For Unto Us a Child is Born. This was my mother's particular favorite; she always claimed to have worn out that section of the record.
Over the years, I listened to Messiah in various settings, with different performers, and the more I listened, the more I grew to love all of it. The Trumpet Shall Sound became one of my favorite pieces, and always made me think of my Uncle John (although I never actually heard him perform it, and could only imagine his music).
I attended performances of the Mendelssohn Choir with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Sometimes, I was able to attend sing-along performances, where the crowd made up in enthusiasm what it lacked in skill. Here in Kalamazoo, I attended a performance of Messiah in beautiful Stetson Chapel at Kalamazoo College (one of my favorite settings). And in Chicago, I watched my brother Dave perform Messiah with the Apollo Chorus, in Symphony Hall.
I love this music. It has become a year-round favorite, and an essential part of my Christmas celebration. Spencer J Condie wrote in his article Handel and the Gift of Messiah,
Upon completing his composition, he [Handel] humbly acknowledged, “God has visited me.” Those who feel the touch of the Holy Spirit as they experience the overpowering testimony of Handel’s Messiah would agree.
Are you looking for a new Christmas tradition? I recommend Handel's Messiah, for the spirit it will bring. And frankly, if you're new to Messiah, that flash mob video is as good a place to start as any.
