December 9, 1999
FEATURES
Choral gifts of song brighten
nine lessons of Christmas
BY WENDY BYERLY
On Dec. 2 and 3 melodic
voices rose into the balcony and
rafters of the sanctuary of the First
United Methodist Church of Brevard
with songs celebrating the coming
Christmas. This is the second con
secutive year that the members of the
Brevard College Concert Choir and
Chamber Chorale have done “A
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,”
a program which was taken from the
traditional service presented at the
King’s College Chapel of Cambridge,
England.
More of a worship service,
the concert is appropriately held in a
church rather than in the fairly new
Paul Porter Center. In the program,
the composition supports and cel
ebrates the lessons telling the story of
Redemption, originating from Arch
bishop Benson’s research.
Before one or two beautiful
Christmas pieces are performed by the
Choir or Chorale, a Bible verse is
read explaining one of the nine
lessons. The lessons begin with
Genesis 3:8-15, when God announces
in the Garden of Eden that the seed of
woman shall bruise the serpent’s
head, and end with John 1:1-14, when
St. John unfolds the great mystery of
the Incarnation. In these lessons the
prophecy of Jesus are read as well as
excerpts from the birth of Jesus.
The choral pieces performed
by both the Choir and the Chorale
were extraordinarily wonderful. The
words were easily understood even
over the difficult music supported the
lessons that were read. The singers
used their voices well and made the
walk across the street to the church
through the cold night very worth
while. Every note was on pitch,
whether sung with the organ or
accapela. There were beautiful solos
done by Andrea Cox, Tera Carter,
Donna Pimental, Joshua Sellers and
Christan Rax ter, as well as descants
by the high tones of the first sopranos.
The service also involved the
singing voices of the congregation,
participating with the choirs during
four traditional Christmas carols.
These songs were “Once in Royal
David’s City,” a less known carol,
“God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen,”
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing.”
The service was free to
everyone and was full both nights.
The second night there was no seating
room available though, because it was
a Friday night and more people were
able to attend.
Since the service was consid
ered sacred the congregation was
asked to not applaud, although there
should have been a standing ovation
and a few encores as well. The choirs
consisted, not only of voice majors,
but also of many students, faculty and
staff not in the music department. A
few community members also partici
pated.
If word gets around that the
service is to be performed for a third
year in a row, they might have to hold
it three nights rather than two to
accommodate all of the people who
enjoyed it so well and who will bring
friends with them next time.
if/ i "
/ ' ^
Take a trip of a life-time
FEA'l'UKES COLUMN
BY RYAN BAUSLAUGH
I would like to believe at
some point in every person’s life they
get an opportunity to see some of the
things I saw while traveling through
Greece in the Summer of 1998. It
is not just the location or the build
ing and architecture that is so
fascinating but also what transpired in
these places - the rich history. In
my eyes, very few places in the
world captivate my mind more.
Greece is the birthplace for some of
man’s finest hours. Democracy,
Philosophy, Mythology, Architec
ture and the Olympics were corner
stones of this once flourishing
empire.
I wish I could truly put my
experience of traveling around this
beautiful country into words, but I
really can’t. However, as fortune
would have it I don’t have to. This
summer Anne Chapin and Brad
Kimzey will lead a group of
Brevard students on the adventure I
had the privilege of being a part last
year.
If this information interests
you then please read further, maybe I
can spark your enthusiasm a bit more.
Although I must tell I am slightly
biased because this is my kind of
trip ■ If you are. the type ,of. \
who loves rugged mountains,
hiking and outdoor adventure
(without any humidity) then this is
your gig. If you are the type of
person who likes ancient building
and ruins, then this is the trip for
you. If you are more interested in a
cultural experience, then you will
find it in Greece. And if you like
history, well, you won’t want to
miss out.
Greece is full of history, but
not the kind of history thrown at
you since the second grade. Unless
you have taken a course on ancient
Greece, nothing can prepare you
for how engulfed in it you will
become. City states like Athens,
where democracy was bom and
where the Acropolis rises above the
city to remind the world of a golden
age, and the Bronze Age cities of
Mycenae and Tiryns, with their
Cyclopean masonry and the Minoan
palaces on Crete, show where an
entire civilizations of people flour
ished and then just disappeared.
You will go to these places, Corinth,
Delphi and more. You may not
have heard of them now but if you
go you will never forget them.
This trip to Greece is open
to all Brevard College students.
Take some time and think about it.
' it.is.23 days.atthe'end of spring
mm
mm
mmm
Aegean
Ionian Sea
semester. I can honestly say you
will cherish the memory of this trip
as I do today. I strongly encourage
you to watch your email for the
opportunity and privilege to let
yourself go. a life experience
and it will stir your intellect and
spirit unlike anything you can
dream.
For example my favorite part of
the trip was on the island of Santorini.
The island is actually an active
volcano. In about 1627 BC the
volcano erupted collapsing half the
island in the sea and burying the
ancient city of Akrotiri in ash,
leaving it preserved for archaeolo
gists to discover more than 3000
years later. The island is truly
breathtaking, with some of the most
beautiful beaches I have ever seen.
Clubs and restaurants in town are
world famous and a lot of fun. The
group sailed out to the active
volcanic core where you could light
a cigarette on the ground; and in
our free time we even rented a sail
boat and sailed around to one of the
most beautiful beaches on earth. It
was great!
For more information contact:
Anne Chapin (chapin@brevard.edu)
or call 883-8292 ext. 2329.