posted on May 11th 2009 at 12:00am by Lori Tennenhouse
Iraqi Peace Song
Sallahmun, Shalom, Shanti, Salaam, Peace.
Our next song, arranged by GRWC Director Lori Tennenhouse, takes the words from an Iraqi lullaby and sets them to a beautiful though mournful melody. It simply and powerfully expresses the universal love of family and home as it emphasizes our common human bond. The underlying melancholy reminds me of a stanza from the Robert Lowell poem "Waking Early Sunday Morning":
Pity the planet, all joy gone
from this sweet, volcanic cone;
peace to our children when they fall
in small war on the heels of small
war - until the end of time
to police the earth, a ghost
orbiting forever lost
in our monotonous sublime.
Iraqi Peace Song is a sublime, timely and timeless dream of peace and harmony despite the reality of perpetual war. The soloist is Hilary Mol. Cello part is performed by Anne Thompson. Drums by chorus members Sue Brown and Barb Pitcher. (intro by Toni Perrine)
SAKURA, SAKURA
I'd like to ask you a question: How many of you know the national flower, or the national floral emblem, of the United States?
Great! Yes, it’s the rose. And the state flower of Michigan? It's the apple blossom, soon to bloom here, which will awe us.
And the bees - for a short while, then carpet the orchards for few days as the trees go about the business of preparing their fruit,
intended to carry its seeds to new places and the next generation.
Sakura, the cherry blossom, is Japan's national flower. So we may be floral cousins?
The cherry blossom has for years appeared in the country's poetry, paintings, and music, as well as on its craft, clothing, and other commercial items.
From January through June each year, there are numerous cherry blossom festivals held throughout Japan.
This popular traditional song, Sakura, Sakura (Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom), is commonly sung to celebrate the national flower.
Its melody and text may date back to Medieval times, and the song has been popular in Japan since at least the eighteenth century.
The melody is simple and well-known to Westerners. As such you could say, in keeping with out theme,
that it is well-traveled. It has been recorded by Yo Yo Ma, Jean Pierre Rampal, Vienna Choir Boys, and many others --
even by Susan Scott on Celtic harp. It has been used in movies to evoke the charm of the Japanese countryside or a deep sense of tradition.
It has certainly found a home in the heart. That's how it is with flowers.
The arrangement we are performing for you tonight is a musical collage, painting a delicate picture of mountainsides in bloom
with wind sounds, melody, harmony, text and spoken haiku. As you listen, may you experience the
beauty and serenity of some of life's evanescent moments. Is it a mist or clouds?
(intro by Donna Clark)
Dandelion
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
We remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We will remember them.
In the opening buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
We remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We will remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We will remember them.
When we are lost and are sick of heart,
We remember them.
When we have Joys we yearn to share,
We remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
For they are now a part of us,
As we remember them.
- Hebrew Union Prayer Book
I am Willing
I do not separate my music from my heart nor do I separate my ideas from my daily life. I open my self up to learning as much as I can about humanity and this mysterious life experience, but I do not relate to political work as a series of "causes." Moment by moment, I integrate what I learn into my personal life, personalizing my politics. It is from this personal place that I write my songs.
- Holly Near
Near's career as a singer has been profoundly defined by this unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity. She is a both skilled performer and an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage an integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality. When asked how she keeps her energy for this work, she smiles: "I am selfish. I reach for the world I want to live in. And I believe in leaving our best efforts as a gift to our children."
