Messiah

Well, it seems as though it is that time of year again. The time of year where I sing in Handel's Messiah. I have done this for 9 years now, but it seems as though every time I sing in the choir different parts of the Messiah touch me. This year I have really been touched by the part that we sing while Christ is going through the Atonement. This has been a really emotional part for me because the reality of Christ's Atonement has really hit home. I almost dread singing those songs because I know that it will stir up a whole schwack of emotions for me that I don't really want to deal with in front of 700 people.
I love music. Music has always been able to touch my heart the way that no other medium can. I also love Handel's Messiah because I feel as though I am privileged to be able to sing about the Savior's life for 3 hours every weekend. The scriptures in the oratorio have taught me things about the Savior that I probably wouldn't have realized by simply reading them. I don't know why music can make things so clear for me, but it can. I am in constant awe of the power that music has.
Every year, before we perform Messiah, we hold a testimony meeting with the choir before we begin and it really helps to bring the spirit into our performance. Last night, for some reason, I felt strongly that I should bare my testimony. I was shocked when I realized that I had stood up and gone to the front of the room. I really don't fell comfortable baring my soul to a bunch of people that I don't know, and I am still amazed that I managed to do it. The spirit was really strong during the testimony meeting, however when we were singing the Messiah and we got to the Atonement part where it says "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world" and then continues through the Atonement, I was a mess! I had tears streaming down my face and I couldn't really see the words. Thank goodness I have sung in the choir for so many years that I pretty much have it memorized, but I really didn't think that I was going to get through it.
However, as I have found out many times before, just when we think that we can't do something, God opens a door and gives us the strength to go on. I was really thankful that He helped me so much last night because otherwise I think that I would have hid in the back corner of the choir seats and not finished singing the Messiah.
When the performance ended I felt so much happiness and peace and I was really glad that I had sung in it this year. This coming weekend we have our last two performances and I am only going to be able to make it to the Saturday performance so hopefully I will be able to make it through the oratorio without falling to pieces this weekend!

Music

I have written before about how I believe that there is a very special power in music. I believe that it has the power to influence people for good and even for bad. I believe that music has the ability to help people feel closer to the Saviour and to heal the soul. This was reiterated to me this past Sunday.
This past weekend was really busy for me. I had a lot of things to do on Friday and Saturday and even on Sunday. By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around I was exhausted! After church we had choir, and like I wrote last week I love going to choir now that I have Abby to go with me. In fact, we started a trend and now there are 3 other little girls that come out to choir. It was so much fun to see these little girls getting excited about music. Abby is the only one who is singing the alto part, but now she isn't the only child in choir. We even have almost all of our youth in our choir too. I was very happy to see this because I know that music helped me stay out of trouble when I was a teenager. I remember my cousin Michelle coming over and we would get out all of the music that I could sight read and we would sing church songs on a Friday night. I remember my Grandma Lee would be babysitting my family when my parents were out of town and she would come and stand in the room and start crying because she said that she was so lucky because her friend's grandchildren were out drinking and partying on Friday nights and her grandchildren were singing church songs. I didn't realize it at the time, but music really did save me from doing a lot of things.
Later in the afternoon on Sunday I was able to listen as Abby practised the cello. This is only the second year that she has been taking lessons and she is going to be taking an exam in June. I am so proud of her. As I listened to the beautiful deep sounds coming from her cello I felt calm and relaxed. The incredible music that she was able to produce from her instrument just melted all of the tension right out of my body. If I could convince her to do it I would just have her play the cello all day, every day.
Because I had spent so much time away from my family this past weekend I was hesitant to go to the rehearsal for Handel's Messiah. This is something that I sing in every year and this year I was going to not sing in it. Otto told me that I should just go and do it because I really enjoy it and so I did. The feelings of peace and happiness just flooded over me as I sang about the Saviour's life. I felt rested and loved and happy. I always love a good vocal challenge which is why I sing the soprano part in Messiah, and it was fun getting my voice back into shape in order to be able to sing those runs. I didn't try out for a solo this year and so I am able to just go and enjoy myself and have fun singing the music.
So you see, music is a very powerful force in my life. I have always tried to help my children to love music because I know how much it has helped me get through trials and enjoy the happy moment's. Music can uplift me and it can give me energy like no caffeinated drink can!!! I am truly grateful for the wonderful blessing that I have been given to be able to have music in my life.

Music

Every year I sing in our church's production of Handel's Messiah. It may not be the most professional performance that there is, but we do have strings and a chorus of 185 people. Throughout the years I have had many disappointments in the production because I have auditioned for a solo part and didn't get it, or things weren't conducted the way that I would have done it. Yet, I still continue to sing in it, year after year. This year, I asked myself why and here is the answer that I have come up with.
I truly believe that Handel was inspired when he wrote that music. Every word is taken directly out of the scriptures and every word speaks of Christ. When I sing that music and forget about everything else that is going on, I become overwhelmed. The power of the words in Messiah, combined with the music brings a feeling inside of me that I just can't describe. I feel as though I am truly singing praises to my Savior. Every time I sing it, something pops out at me. I learn something new about the Savior's life every year, and every year I am amazed by it.
This year, I am having a hard time listening to the pastoral symphony because that is supposed to represent when the Savior was born. It is just too hard for me because it makes me miss my little baby. But then we start singing the words to the other songs in the oratorio and I soon forget about my own little sorrow and I start to feel glad. I especially have loved listening to the soprano aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth". The part that I love the most about it is that it says that although worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. That reminds me that even though Robin's body was broken and not perfect, when she is resurrected she will be perfect and when I get to see her again, she will be perfect.
That just makes me want to sing Hallelujah.