The Oldest Known Christian Hymn?

Thanks to James McGrath for posting on the oldest known Christian hymn with musical notation. 

According to the Ancient Peoples blog, the hymn, discovered on a papyri fragment in a garbage dump near Oxyrynchus, Egypt, reads:

...Let it be silent 

Let the Luminous stars not shine, 

Let the winds (?) and all the noisy rivers die down; 

And as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, 

Let all the powers add "Amen, Amen." 

Empire, praise always, and glory to God, 

The sole giver of good things, Amen, Amen.

There is something bizarre and mystical about the piece. Music has a unique way of connecting us to the past in ways that other media—even the written word!—cannot. To listen to this hymn is to hear what the ancients heard, and to somehow witness a transcendence of time and culture in the worship of God.

The Music the Pope Doesn't Want You To Hear

Okay, so technically it's music that 17th-century Pope Urban VIII didn't want you to hear. Gregorio Allegri's Miserere was Urban VIII's jam—one of the most beautiful pieces of choral music ever composed. The pope loved the piece so much, in fact, that he banned it from being performed anywhere but the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week, punishable by excommunication.

The story goes that a young Mozart heard the piece in Rome in the late 18th century, and was so moved that he returned home and transcribed the entire piece from memory.

The Latin text comes from Psalm 51:

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

To learn more about the piece, check out NPR's 2008 story, "Choral Music for Palm Sunday: Miserere."

A Soundtrack for Holy Week

In over six years of independently observing Holy Week, I've had the opportunity to listen to a lot of Good Friday- and Easter-themed music. By far, however, the best album I've come across up to now has been Bifrost Arts' collaborative album, Come O Spirit. A solid variety of musical styles paired with a consistent solemnity throughout, it perfectly sets the tone for the week. Stream the full album below, and if you like what you hear, head over to Great Comfort Records' website and buy it (free lyrics and chord sheets included!). They're an excellent collaboration of artists worthy of your buck.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Taking a leaf out of my dear friend Jay's book (that is, Jay is my friend, not his book), I've decided to compose a few top-ten lists, just in time for the new year. As is the case with Jay's lists, these are in no particular order. Just a list of favorites. And they may very well change tomorrow.

Movies
The Last Temptation of Christ
Citizen Kane
The Big Chill
Barton Fink/O Brother Where Art Thou (it's a tie!)
Little Big Man
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Gandhi
The Big Lebowski
Pineapple Express (I know, I know...)

Books
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Everything Is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Last Temptation of Christ, by Nikos Kazantzakis
Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri
The Kingdom of God Is Within You, by Leo Tolstoy
Jesus for President, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw
The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Patch Sermons, by Clarence Jordan
The Greek New Testament, 4th Revised Edition, ed. by Barbara Aland et al.

Songs
"Kodachrome," by Paul Simon
"In the Early Morning Rain," by Peter, Paul, and Mary (Gordon Lightfood cover)
"Lost in My Mind," by The Head and the Heart
"Messes of Men," by mewithoutYou
"goodbye, I!," by mewithoutYou
"Grist for the Malady Mill," by mewithoutYou
"Sprawl II—Mountains Beyond Mountains," by Arcade Fire
"Helplessness Blues," by Fleet Foxes
"You Have Never Lived Because You Have Never Died," by Listener
"Rocky Mountain High," by John Denver
BONUS: "Send Me On My Way," by Rusted Root

TV Shows
Lost
M*A*S*H
The West Wing
Sherlock
Game of Thrones
The Walking Dead
Arrested Development
30 Rock
The Daily Show/Colbert Report (it's a tie!)
Seinfeld

BONUS: Bob's Burgers. For a cartoon, it's such a smart, witty show.

Games
Dominion

     -Prosperity

     -Cornucopia
Puerto Rico
Settlers of Catan
Rook
Taboo
The Game of Things
Chess
Scrabble

Poets

Wendell Berry

William Trowbridge

Bin Ramke

Ron Padgett

Gabriel Gudding

Allen Ginsberg

William Blake

Billy Collins (I'm not ashamed to admit it)

Rainer Maria Rilke

Charles Bukowski

Books of the Bible (ah, what the heck—this one's in order)

1. Mark

2. John

3. Luke 

4. Matthew

5. 1 John

6. Revelation

7. Jonah

8. Amos

9. Hosea

10. Isaiah

Running Mix

I put together this running mix on 8tracks, and aside from the utterly asinine fact that I haven't actually gone running since moving into our new place, I think it's a decent little mix.

Cape Women's Shelter Benefit Concert

For those interested, this is a video of my friend Matt, my wife Alyssa, and myself playing a few songs for a benefit concert at the Baptist Student Center back in February.

Tracklist:
1. "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie," by mewithoutYou
2. "The King Beetle on the Coconut Estate," by mewithoutYou
3. "Tik Tok," by Ke$ha (yeah we did).
4. "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around," traditional song covered by the Psalters
5. "White Man," by the Michael Gungor Band

Sorry for the mic topping out. We got a little loud.

Enjoy.

A Theology of Mischief

This is the kind of teaching that got Jesus crucified...