The Week of July 31, 2022 |
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Join us this Sunday at 9:00AM in person in the Dining Room.
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Reflections on Johann Sebastian Bach
Today, July 28th, we mark the 272nd anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, who died in 1750; in honor of this occasion, Andrew has asked me to reflect on this most singular of composers. What a joyful task for me! So much of my musical life has centered around the works of J.S. Bach, who is universally acclaimed as the greatest classical composer in western history. As a pianist, I have played many works by Bach as preludes and postludes, most particularly from The Well-Tempered Clavier, the English & French Suites, and the Partitas. And of course, we are most especially fortunate to have Mark as our organist; I never cease to marvel at his extraordinary technique when he plays even the most difficult of the great master’s fugues.
Even so, I know that Bach is something of an acquired taste—or even more sadly for me, a taste that is considered elitist. (Who could forget the best example of this, when in a M*A*S*H episode from the 1970s, Radar is trained to appear intelligent by saying “Ah, Bach” and “I’m partial to the fugue”?) But Bach himself was actually very much down to earth, and his orchestral works in particular are very accessible. If you are interested in listening to more Bach, you could do no better than to start with two of his six Brandenburg Concertos—numbers 2 and 5. Like most of his orchestral works, these were written for a court orchestra, and they were meant to be entertaining for general listeners, even as trained musicians can marvel at their complexity.
For those of you who like puzzles, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Bach’s music is that it contains a universe of hidden meanings. I spoke to Denise Wade’s Bible Study on this subject last month, where I played clips of Bach’s choral music and explained some of the code that is embedded in his musical vocabulary. It is a little like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code; just as artists in the Renaissance and Baroque used various symbols that would have been recognized by their contemporaries (like a dove representing the Holy Spirit), so too did musicians encode their music with symbols. It’s just much harder to find them, partly because the information about that tradition disappeared from view for a while, and partly because it’s much easier to see a symbol than to hear it.
But such symbols abound in the music of Bach. For example, you might have a descending musical line to represent angels coming down from heaven; or Bach might use instruments such as recorders (instead of the more expensive flute) to represent shepherds in the field; or he might use trumpets to represent God as King, since trumpets always heralded the arrival of an earthly king. Once your eyes (and ears) are open to this symbolic tradition, you can see anew just how brilliant Bach was. He is the musician’s Shakespeare—the figure whom all subsequent composers have measured themselves against. Even when they revolt against all that Bach stood for, he is still there, at the center of it all.
So next time you wonder why Mark and I play so much Bach, keep all this in mind! In the meantime, look for those Brandenburg Concertos, which are available for free on many platforms. And for those of you who are already Bach aficionadi, if you haven’t listened to the B Minor Mass for a while, I recommend that you dust it off and have another listen. Of all works, this is the one that most perfectly shows that Bach’s music encompasses all possible musical and emotional expression, from the most abject sorrow to the most exhilarating joy.
Chris Shepard
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Farewell to Fr. Eddie Lopez |
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The Rev. Eddie Lopez, who served since 2012 as priest-in-charge of Iglesia Betania, has accepted a new position as canon missioner for Hispanic ministries for the diocese of Southeast Florida and priest-in-charge of All Angels Church in Miami Springs. His last day with Iglesia Betania was Sunday, July 10, and we wish him godspeed in his ministry with and among the people of southeast Florida in the years to come. If any member of the parish would like to send Fr. Eddie a note of congratulations, he may be reached at: Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida, 555 NE 15th St, Suite 934b, Miami, FL 33132. |
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Special thanks are due to all those who made last Saturday’s Garden Party a tremendous success: to all those who donated the delicious food and wonderful decorations; to those who helped set up and clean up; to the Over 60s Club for assembling the party favors; to Paula Thompson for preparing the raffle baskets; to Sandra Clarke for MCing the hat contest and raising the spirits of the women of every generation who participated. Particular thanks go to our sexton, Dante Ibanez, and to Olive Grant, who superintended the whole event.
Every person who attended the Garden Party commented on how delicious and delightful the food, desserts and drinks were and on the wonderful time they had. And in our midst we hosted a retired president of the Episcopal Church Women of Connecticut, who sent a message saying how much she enjoyed the event and her intention to return again. It is a reminder of what Scripture teaches: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrew 13:2)
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Sunday Service: CHANGE OF VENUE |
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This Sunday, our service will be held in the Dining Room due to high heat this week and weekend. The service will begin at 9:00 am.
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Our parish administrator, Kathy McBride, will be out of the office for the next couple of weeks. If you need to stop by the office, please reach out to Fr. Andrew in advance.
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Volunteers from St. John’s and the Over 60 Club have worked diligently to create the flower cross. The finished product is absolutely stunning and is on display in the rear gallery of the church. |
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Inspirica Women's Shelter Monthly Meals |
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On the last Friday of each month, various teams or families from St. John's provide a meal to a small group of women at an Inspirica women's shelter. Our next available date is tomorrow, July 29. If you do not have a “team” to prepare the meal, but would like to do part of the meal, that's great; we can coordinate! Please contact Caroline Smit at csmit@optonline.net or 203-912-6661 to sign up now or in the future.
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St. John’s Community Foundation Press Release |
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St. John’s Community Foundation has granted more than a quarter of a million dollars to more than forty organizations serving the Stamford community which provide for educational and economic opportunities, as well for those in crisis and those requiring basic needs. Click here to read the Foundation’s most recent press releases.
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Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study |
During the summer months, Tuesday Bible study will take place on the last Tuesday of every month. The regular weekly schedule will resume on the first Tuesday after Labor Day. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
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Open Thursdays and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Community Thrift Shop welcomes new, almost new, and gently used clothing, home goods, and jewelry donations. All proceeds from the Thrift Shop are donated to nonprofit charities serving those in need. Please note: Starting in June, the Thrift Shop will be open every Thursday 10:00-3:00 and the first and third Saturday of each month from 10:00-3:00.
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Recent Prayer Requests for Healing of Body, Mind and Spirit. |
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Please keep these persons in your daily prayers:
Ben, Carol, Daniel, Ed, Kedley, Lloyd, Marc, Terrence, Jon, Ann, Henri, Sharon, Erin, Dante, Anthony, Marie-Anne, Martha, Nessa, Angela, Gweneth, Toni, Jordan, Gabriella, Cindi, Barbara, Andrew, Jeffrey, Theadeen, Latoya, Christine, Murdena, Aidee, Anthony, Mitch, Jacob, Roslyn, Collin, McKenna, Andy, Errol, Emman, Bill and Verna.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer: the Church of the Province of West Africa
In the Episcopal Church in Connecticut: Good Shepherd, Shelton; St. Paul’s, Shelton; St. Alban’s, Simsbury
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To give to St. John's Episcopal Church, you can make your donations electronically or you can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving doing the banking.
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Forward Day By Day is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve. Available online for-free!
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