#synth lover

I just remembered that when I was devout years ago, I used to go to Evensong, a Protestant church service held at twilight once a week at my church and is a fixture of many churches, particularly in the Anglican tradition. it was various styles each week: vespers, canticles, Gregorian chants, throat singing, Psalms sung, bells and triangles, piano, electronic ambient stuff. all depended on who they got that week. it was held at night in a cold, dark, stone/concrete, stern, austere cathedral with uncomfortable wooden benches, sparsely populated by all walks of life assuming like a dozen walks of life at most lol. lit only by candles on the altar, otherwise completely dark. usually loners in the small crowd, diverse as they were . it was one of the highlights of my week and I practically skipped there.

I really loved the contemplative atmosphere, quiet but not in silence (though I liked that too and still do) … it was a kind of happy place that just made sense and brought me peace, fulfillment, gratitude and I imagined some kind of communion with the Divine and perhaps my conception of self.

anyway we were talking about music and sound and dissonance as a way of soothing distress. now I listen to evil electronic music about control (your term) but at one time I listened to evil electronic music about control and also Evensong.

if my phone was fully functioning, I’d screen record the wiki entry for Evensong for you. if you go to the Music subheading, there are a few midi examples of Evensong songs. I noticed you can play them all at the same time!

played simultaneously, I think they create an interesting sonic tapestry that as it progresses gets more and more dissonant, building to a kind of crescendo that sounds like a chaotic, stressful and potentially sinister cacophony: apocalypse via dissonance. or the soundtrack to apocalypse. but dissonance created by human voices ostensibly praising something, well, ostensibly good.

I thought it was interesting how something (once so) soothing could become sinister, how even soft music or sound and anything really good could become evil or at least unsettling in another context. minimalist stimuli becoming maximal until it implodes

anyway side note for shits n gigs: as I was on the wiki page playing with the music, my phone is so fucked and glitchy, the screen froze and became unresponsive so I couldn’t click out or lower the volume or hit stop on the midi players. putting my phone to sleep didn’t stop the music either. I just had to sit there and wait for it to run its course.

also: none of uploaded examples sounded like what Evensong sounded like in my old church. ours was more diverse, abstract, ambient etc versus like, opera or whatever the stuff on the wiki is. I probably wouldnt have even gone to Evensong if it sounded like the provided music.

love,

me <3

ninwiki warrior and part time Wikipedia dabbler

In reply to The Wonderful Miercoles,

This sounds so cool!! My church is far less eclectic. We have one organ that my grandmother plays. No throat singing, no bells (whistles) or triangles, just organ and singing voices. Hymns have always been my favorite part of church, I think this might be where my love for music started.

(Other notable parts of my musical awakening include Amy Winehouse; who was my first favorite musician [my interest piqued at her song "Valerie", which is my name], Black Sabbath; who I have vivid memory of sliding around on the freshly stapled hardwood floor to, and Florence and the Machine; who was my First band I paced around and maladaptive daydreamed to for hours.)

I remember sitting next to my grandma when I was very little, and playing an "air" organ in synch with her when she played. I would sing the words out of her hymnbook. I was told by a few members much older than I that I had a beautiful voice and Perfect pitch. I felt flattered by this, and I guess I still do because I remember it. It might have been one of the first signs of a young artist.

After services I would climb onto the piano bench and mess with each setting on the dash. I'd hear the ambient whir of the machine change with each click of the switch. Then I would press the keys, releasing some sound that could be compared to a noise rock band of the 90s. My legs were too short to reach the foot pedals, but I would try anyways, nearly scooting myself off the bench to reach my tip toes to one pedal.

I love that organ very much. My second favorite part of church was ringing the bell. (Very Musical, I know)

My church also had very uncomfortable wooden pews with fold out kneeling benches that didn't have padding until a later date. There were (are) no projectors, no microphones, no technology. I appreciate that to this day. I think a PowerPoint is the least divine thing to see in a holy sanctuary. We have an altar and a podium to speak at. Some candles and a large imposing cross make for decoration (As pictured Below). I love the simplicity a lot.

I will have to check out the Holy ambient tracks...

With Care

Me!!! :1]

The Wikipedia Warrior