Dissonance

The texts for Sunday, April 1, 2012 (Palm/Passion Sunday): Isaiah 50:4–9a; Psalm 31:9–16; Philippians 2:5–11; and Mark 11:1-11

Audio of sermon:  Palm-Passion-B.2012

… The music: the tones and harmonies and melodies
communicate in complex yet seemingly simple ways the tone of each service,
each movement in Holy Week
each part of the drama of the cross
—the entry into Jerusalem,
the intimate meal in the upper room and the betrayal that same evening
the heart-wrenching crucifixion,
the stunning, amazing, glorious resurrection.

And, I have to say, that it always seems like the music for Palm/Passion Sunday
is by far the most distinctive

because it generally has this gloriously triumphant or cheery sound
but with really strange, discordant moments
crazy high parts that always sound a little sharp
and lilting melodies
that could be viewed as a little darker than they seem at first.

Kind of like the choir anthem for today:
The Palms: an old classic, from what I understand
with a carnivalesque kind of sound
the kind of sound where you could imagine a parade
—more of a circus parade, though, rather than one of victory.

And the interesting thing about carnivals is that, while they have this sort of happy,
cheeriness to them,
there is something a little odd about the cheeriness
Something not quite right…

Hear “The Palms” by Jean Baptiste Faure