Feast of the Enunciation

A liturgy that sprang to mind whilst listening to new choral music in the car yesterday. 

Feast of the Enunciation

A service for the start of a new choir season

Director:

            Gather ye singers, with all your might,

            And let us sing with joy this night;

            And joy give ye to all that hear,

            Without an over-labored ear.

Chorus:  Who washed Washington’s white woolen underwear, when Washington’s washerwoman went west?

Director:

            The Maker gave us all we need

            To make a sound that others heed,

            To sing with clarity and verve

            And not get on our list’ner’s nerves.

Chorus: The lips, the tongue, the tip of the teeth.

Director:

            Though there be grace for every ill,

            And words be printed, even still

            I shall insist on clarity

            And that your words please even me.

Chorus: Poppy, petunia, poppy, petunia, gladiola.

Director:

            When singing with the instruments

            We will be taxed, but never spent;

            The vowels will make our sound so dear,

            But consonants make meaning clear.

Chorus: A tooter who tooted a flute, tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two of the tutor, “Is it harder to toot, or to tutor two tooters to toot?”

Director:

            “The people know these words,” we say;

            But still, let’s not get in the way.

            The less they have to work at it,

            The more our message they will get.

Chorus: The sixth sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.

Director:

            I’ll say this many times, you know,

            And you’ll grow weary, even though

            To shut me up all you need do

            Is take to heart, and follow through.

Chorus: Minimal animal, minimal animal, minimal animal, minimal animal.

Director:

             Before we get to work we should

            Catch up, relax, for schmoozing’s good;

            We’ve lots of music yet to make,

            But first let’s take a social break.

Chorus: A cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.

[Here at the Director’s discretion, s/he may announce the length of a break, along with other notices of immediate and local importance.]

[Let there be ample coffee, according to choral practice at all times and in all places. As circumstances allow, let there also be an assortment of edible goods.]

[After the break, the Feast of the Enunciation continues with the music appropriate to the Proper of the Season.]