The Catacombs of St Domitilla, July 13, 2008

Our finale musical adventure took us outside of Rome to the Catacombs of St Domitilla, which were created between 120-500 A.D.  There are eleven miles of tunnels and four levels.  The first level is 45-feet below the ground outside, and the temperature inside the catacombs is a consistent 61 degrees F.

We were given a a guided tour of the catacombs, which every Christian should see and experience.  Early Christians were buried here, as it was illegal for them to be buried in Rome, and practicing Christianity at this time was punishable by death.  

As we finished our tour we were fortunate to be lead in worship by Jim Speed, as well as sing. The experience of having worshiped and sung in the catacombs was beyond description.  Of all the fantastic churches, basilicas, and cathedrals we visited in Italy, the catacombs brought us to our roots of our Christianity.  Singing and praying where our early brothers and sisters are buried, and as they lived in persecution for their faith.  It put into perspective how much we take for granted living in a free world, and practicing our faith without persecution.   

We are grateful for the opportunity to be "in the world" as we toured through Italy singing our faith, breaking down the walls of nationalism, race, and religion.  

We are also grateful to our guide in Italy, Vittoria Barni!  She was and is fabulous!!  We can't wait until she comes to Marietta, "to sleep in the hotel with you!"

Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, July 12, 2008

We were scheduled to sing at the 11:00 a.m. mass on Saturday, and we made it just in time!!

We left Sienna at 8:24 a.m. for the 1.5 hour drive by buss to beautiful Assisi, Italy.  What we didn't count on was the 1.2 km walk from the bus to the Basilica of St Francis.  The road to the church was a 20 minute walk and Cal Johnson and I waked very quickly ahead of the others with our Italy guide Vittoria Barni.  It was now 10:50 and we knew the choir would not be arriving until after the mass has started.

The church was packed with locals and tourists, and there was only standing room available when the choir did arrive outside the entrance to the church.  The first piece we sang was Hear My Prayer by Moses Hogan.  You could immediately tell that the acoustics in this grand old church were outstanding!   It was also amazing to hear how quite everyone became when we started singing as they didn't want anything to interrupt the beautiful sounds of the the choir and there singing.

The church was so full we were able to sing three songs during the distribution of communion.

Agnus Dei (Missa Guadalupe)

Rebekah Plowman, soloist

Sanctus (Missa Guadalupe)

Linda Bush, soloist

Precious Lord

Linda Bush, soloist

We sang our finale piece after the finale blessing.  

Hush!  Somebody's Callin' My Name

Margaret Grayburn, soloist

As we starsted to sing our last piece you could hear people being "shhhsh'ed" by everyone in 

the congregation! They responded with loud applause when we finished, and father who led the

was very impressed and expressed his gratitude for the choir to the congregation.

The organ was an old Italian tracker organ, and we were fortunate that Cal was familiar with 

this type of instrument.

Duomo, Florence, July 10, 2008

The cathedral of Florence, popularly known as the Duomo, is over 700 years old.  The baptismal, before the entrance to the facade, is over 1,000 years old.  It has been the canvas of many famous artists throughout the years.  The relief of bronze on the baptismal doors were created by Donatello. The famous dome of the cathedral was created by Brunelleschi and later became the model for Michelangelo to construct the dome in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.  At the inauguration of the cathedral, once the dome was completed in the late 15th century, the famous composer Dufay wrote a famous isorhythmic motet that incorporated the mathematical proportions of the dome of the cathedral, hence it's nickname "Duomo."

We were fortunate to sing in the main altar with Cal at the main organ console (one of four consoles) of this grand cathedral. The interior is considered relatively plain the in towering baroque style. There are two chapels on either side of the main altar. One loses perspective on how large the interior is until one hears that it takes sound twelve seconds to totally decay to silence.  It has the echo that is ten times greater than that of FPC's Great Hall.  When singing in the Duomo, because of its size, one gets a sense of how small we are compared to the greatness of our God.  By coincidence, the frescoes that were directly above us in the main dome emulated perfectly the words of one of our anthems.  

I Have Longed for Thy Saving Health, O Lord.  Thy law is my delight, thy law is my delight, O Lord.  O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee.  And thy judgements shall help me. 

After singing the service at 6:00 p.m. in the evening, the singers were asked what university we represented in the United States.  We are hoping that is a compliment.  

The photograph is taken at the foot of the main altar and the dome loomed above us approximately 300 feet.  

San Marco, Venice Italy; Tuesday, July 7, 2008

We sang at the 11:00 a.m. worship while people vacationing from all over the world flowed in and out of the grand old San Marco.  

In the 16th century, San Marco, Venice saw the likes of Adrian Willaert, Andrea Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, and Claudio Monteverdi.  It is by these outstanding musicians that the course of music was changed at this place and for us to be here, singing in these same balconies as the choirs from the 16th century did in such glorious fashion, is a privilege and an honor.  

I have personally visited San Marco in 1985 and at that time, the church was in desperate need of repair, not one of the three organs worked and you weren't even allowed in the balconies.  With Cal Johnson on the organ and the choir under my direction our music echoed throughout the church as we sang praises to our God.  Many people stood and listened.  Later outside after experiencing the music they told us what a wonderful inspiring sound they heard as the church's acoustics transformed the music into something that was truly heavenly.  The singers claimed to feel that they were closer to God as they sang in this place, more so than singing in any other place.  

Being in San Marco, a church that has seen over 1500 years of daily worship, where you are surrounded by Byzantine mosaics on the ceiling, and when you walk in you can't help but feel the presence of God, is an awesome place!  We were blessed as were the people that heard us, and are grateful for the opportunity and the privilege to sing in this sacred place.

Tuscan Music Mission Choir