Vox Lucens

As a non-profit executive, I love brilliant fund-raising schemes.

As a student of the English language, I love a chance to test my vocabulary.

How about both at once?

Check out www.freerice.com. Using ad revenue from the site, FreeRice will donate 20 grains of rice for every word that you choose the correct definition for.

Ingenious.

So far, I’ve gotten all of my Basic Seminar words right–licentiousness, concupiscence, and iniquity, for instance. But I’m ashamed to say I haven’t gotten all my legal words right. Did you know that a “droit” was a “legal right”? I managed to make it up to level 46 before slipping back down…

[HT: The Point]

When I got home from holiday travel, my monthly CD from yourmusic.com was waiting for me. It was a little like a Christmas present to myself, mostly for the reason that I couldn’t remember what was in my queue for December, and when I opened it I was delighted at my ability to purchase the perfect gift for myself.

You see, I have always loved Medieval music, and while I have nothing against composers like Praetorius who worked primarily with instrumental settings, I love the vocal music. (Who can resist composers with such names as Giovanni Perluigi de Palestrina or Abbess Hildegard von Bingen?)

Music is my emotional release, and somehow, in a way I can’t even begin to explain, the beautiful polyphony that comes out of the middle ages captures my emotions like little other music can. So over the past couple of days I have enjoyed a little personal musical renaissance back into the music I have loved so long, and I thought I’d share some of my favorites.

Third Book of Lamentations

This was the CD that waited for me when I arrived at home, and after listening to it a dozen times or so in the past two days, it has arrived at the top of my medieval list. The music is unbelievable, and the vocal interpretation pristine. The harmonies are lush and well-balanced, and I can’t get enough of it.

Magnificat

Chanticleer in all of their a capella brilliance. Pulling from a variety of composers, this CD never ceases to amaze me with its depth. It was easily my favorite until I got the first CD on this list…

Evening Prayer

OK, so Henry Purcell is not specifically medieval. But he, more than many other early Baroque composers, seems to pull in the beauty of medieval music into a more modern Baroque sound. This CD is the setting of Psalms into absolutely uplifting beauty. This is one of my older CDs–I have had it for a number of years, and never tire of its powerful elegance.

A Christmas Present from Polyphony

This one hit my collection just in time for the Christmas season, and as such, I was initially disappointed in it–there’s not actually a lot of what we generally consider to be “Christmas Music” on it. But what there is, is amazing.

The Glory of Gabrieli

There has to be one instrumental CD on my top 5 list here, and this would be it. Gabrieli was a master of organ music, and this CD reflects that excellently. Actually, this CD helped me get through my last set of finals–while Bach is generally my music of choice to make it through tests, I put some Gabrieli on this last round and found it excellent.

And so on…

Not all of my medieval CDs could hit the top 5, I’m afraid, so here are some others that I love.

Over the holidays, there has been a lot of news of persecution. In Orissa, India, for instance, Hindus have used the Christmas season as a pretext for massive rioting, killing many and causing untold damages to churches. And that is but one story of many.

I follow so many of these stories that I sometimes get lost in the tragedy. And then something will come out that reminds me just how much I take for granted. That story, for me, was one that broke yesterday:

US Diplomat Killed in Sudan

The United Nations had recently warned its staff in Sudan that there was credible evidence that a terrorist cell was in the country and planning to attack foreigners.

That could have been me. I was there just a couple of weeks ago. I avoided riots just miles from where I was staying. I was called there, I know that, and knew that I was in God’s hands, but now this–I was taking my safety for granted.

Just this morning, I stumbled upon the work of a documentary photographer in Sudan. He appears to have traveled primarily to the south of Sudan, a different area than I have been to, but the people are the same, and the needs, and the reminder of just how much I take for granted. As I watched his video and fought the tears, I couldn’t help but pray and praise.

And so, at this annual season of reflection and planning, I am reminded of those two things. Praise, praise for the things both large and small that I take for granted, praise for the trials that only work to show me my need and bring me closer to Christ. And prayer–though I say it every week, I cannot say it enough. Prayer is power, power that I take for granted and thereby fail to take advantage of.

Prayer and praise. I want to build 2008 on those two things.