First Semester - Home Stretch

I can hardly believe that the end of the first semester is close at hand. I thought I had just arrived in Ireland! But here it is, almost Thanksgiving and only two more weeks of classes. This weekend I have been working on papers that are due. One is a fieldwork study project that I undertook with the Dublin Jewish community and the other, that I literally just completed, well at least the first draft, is on the reconstruction of the Mass for the Day of Ascension. The later involved writing about how the rite would have been preformed in pre-Reformation times by following a very elaborate directions called the Use of Salisbury.(Salisbury England) It is highly ritualistic and prescriptive depiction, somewhat like the rubrics of a stage drama. The instructions include the colors and nature of vestments, who stands where and says what and what music is to be chanted, by whom, and so forth. I wrote in an earlier blog posting about the Cathedral of St. Mary, in Limerick. That is the setting of this reconstruction. I have to admit that this assignment was quite a challenge.

And now I am on to the music. I have a chant exam this week. I must sing two Gregorian chants, two world chants of my choice, and one Irish traditional song in the Irish language. So I have chosen Oportet and Osanna Filio David for the two Gregorian piece, Egg Chriost an Siol for the Irish piece, and Shalom Alecheim, Hebrew and Om Mane Padme Hum, Tibetan, for my world chants. You can find versions of these on YouTube. Thank heaven for this website. I have found it very useful for listening to unfamiliar pieces and learning to chant them.

I am looking out at the full moon as I write. I understand that this a blue moon, though it is not the second full moon of the month. It is aparently an additional full moon for the season, but not matter what it is it is spectacular. The beautiful evening follows a beautiful day in Limerick, though with all the work, I never took the time to venture out. Tomorrow is another day. As for today, I am going back to work. Besides the music, I have to get started on an elective paper on Jewish Ritual Chant. I think I am in good shape concerning my work and trying to stay ahead of it all. Ask me in a another week if that plan worked!

Love from Glocca Morra.