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Rites of Passage – A Sibling’s Art: A Summer Festival Anecdote
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t’s a repertoire choice that can be counted on annually at St. Bart’s: Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms sung as part of the Summer Festival of Sacred Music on the Sunday closest to July 4, featuring American composers. Thoroughly modern in its rollicking dance rhythms, tender “Broadway-‐esque” melodies, and sometimes edgy harmonies, it evokes New York City to perfection. Its second movement, a setting of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd,” written for a boy treble accompanied by harp, is one of the most endearing moments of the work. The solo is sung by a treble chosen from St. Bart’s Boy and Girl Choristers. For three consecutive years, from 2012 to 2014, the soloist has been Thatcher Pitkoff, who rendered the music beautifully with a full ringing tone and confident execution. Thatcher turned 13 this past year and, with the onset of adolescence, his treble voice naturally changed to a lower octave, prompting the need for a successor. Peter Barrie, aged 12 and a four-‐year member of the Choristers program, was chosen to sing the solo this year and he proved himself beautifully.
2 An iconic moment in this second movement occurs when the men of the choir suddenly interrupt the plaintive Psalm 23 with the words “Lamah rag’shu goyim?” translated “Why do the nations rage?” from Psalm 2. It’s a sinister moment, the men sounding demonic and wraith-‐like. Above this however, Bernstein juxtaposes the sopranos and altos of the choir with the melody of Psalm 23, signifying the triumph of peace and grace over violence and evil. or the past few years, veteran Chorister Chloe Pitkoff, Thatcher’s older sister and a gifted artist, has created a series of drawings in response to the “Lamah rag’shu” moment entitled “Llama got my shoe,” an amusing take on what the Hebrew words, sung at breakneck speed, sound like. In each drawing, a llama is depicted with a shoe in its mouth, sometimes alongside a visibly annoyed rider with one shoe missing. Chloe’s intent, to the delight of all the musicians involved, was to lighten the burden of quickly preparing this supremely challenging work. In so doing, she created an annual tradition of her own, animated by her keen imagination. Last July 5, as Peter effortlessly presented his solo, Thatcher attended the service, sitting noticeably in the North Gallery in loyal support of his successor, an affirmative “passing of the torch” from an experienced singer to one clearly on his way. Chloe also attended and provided another installment of her “Lamah,” this one not a pencil drawing, but a lush painting, vivid in color, detail and drama. A humorous jest was transformed into a gesture celebrating the rite of passage for two of her choral colleagues, one from childhood into young adulthood and the other toward the blossoming of youth: a work of art illuminated by heartfelt symbolism and rendered with generosity and thoughtfulness. A church music program is a ministry, both to the congregation and, if it is effective, to its participants as well. It too is a community of faith and trust with the human instinct to offer praise at its core. This story of three extraordinary children
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3 inspired and united by the miracle of music is just one of countless others. It could not happen if it weren’t for your support. Thank you. —William K. Trafka, Organist and Director of Music