Sound Theology by Colleen Butcher

July 4, 2015

I am in the middle of a significant relocation – a cross-continent, cross-border relocation – that involves major upheaval, reams of paperwork, long periods of waiting, and unintended contemplation about the meaning of “home.”

I’ve become accustomed to calling two places home: the place where I happen to be living and the place where I grew up. But for the first time in 30 years, these two places have merged.  For this season, I am settled in my mother’s house. It’s the place where my mom still tends an amazing perennial garden and where she welcomes me with open arms. read more…

Do you think that the triune creator of every creature that flies and swims and crawls and of every colour, shape and size of plant, and of multitudes of organisms that have not even been discovered yet would have created only one kind of beautiful? That seems impossible to me.

The thing about beauty is that it resonates deep in your soul. It reverberates in your personal experiences and reflects your unique loves and life. There’s a “U” in beautiful and “you” get to help choose what beautiful sounds like. read more…

Although this is our fourth week talking about technique, I feel that we have barely scratched the surface of the conversations we could have about its importance. We have talked about practice, magic, and exposure.  And we have discovered that music is never simply a mechanical or functional process.

Excellent music is possible because of the internalization of technical skill. Practice becomes embodied, so that technique looks easy. Technique is necessary but should not be noticeable.

What we as listeners and observers should notice is beauty. read more…

The XV International Tchaikovsky Competition began this past week in Moscow and St. Petersburg.  One of the premiere competitions in the world, the Tchaikovsky invites young musicians in four categories, piano, violin, cello, and voice, to perform to win up to $100,000US and to become one of the most sought after performers on the concert stage.

The first part of the competition was the audition round for pianists. Thirty-six competitors performed, and 30 were selected to proceed to Round 1. For the next two weeks, these pianists will demonstrate for the judges and the public, their desire to create music at the highest level. read more…

A loonie appears from behind the child’s ear. A sword goes right through the box, but the assistant comes out whole. And the classic –a rabbit pulled from an empty hat! We love to see magic tricks performed by the masters. We ooooh and aaaaah. We’re spell-bound!

Technique is the musician’s magic. The trumpeter’s triple tonguing. The violinist’s triple and quadruple stops. And the vocalist’s amazing high ‘C’. Feats of remarkable technique – just like magic. read more…