I have been practicing a jig by Alice Parker for the organ all week. I thought it was scheduled for my prelude this morning. But, when I checked the bulletin yesterday I found I had my weeks confused. This is good. One more week to prepare the Parker.

This is Alice Parker. She is wonderful. She has written a ton of choral music as well as organ music.

Interestingly enough today’s postlude is “Canzon on Martin Menoit” by Andrea Gabrielli “Martin Menoit” is a choral piece by Clement Janequin. I was checking out the meaning of the original tune and found this info at the website of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society:

“… in Janequin’s narrative Martin menoit, Martin’s amorous interlude on the way to market is interrupted at the moment of truth when the pig, tied to his lover’s leg for safekeeping, understandably takes fright.”

I circumspectly changed the title in the bulletin to Canzon on a theme by Janequin. Heh. It’s a great piece.

And Gabrielli has also written a Ricercare on the same theme. What a guy. (That’s actually the composer Hassler in the picture but I still think it’s kind of a cool pic).

My prelude today is “Meditation” by Barry Cabena, am Australian composer. (For some reason I always thought he was Canadian but poking around on the web this morning taught me differently.)

I told Mark this week that I felt a bit like Father Mackenzie in Eleanor Rigby “…. writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear… no one comes near…” except I’m practicing the notes to a prelude and postlude no one will hear…. heh….

This afternoon my church community is burying a woman who was a pillar of the community. I am playing for that also.