Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Angela Woodford wrote:From Alan's link!

" NASA-funded scientists suggest that astronauts might prevent bone loss by standing on a lightly vibrating plate for 10 to 20 minutes each day."

It's Power Plate! But gyms and beauty salons use it to firm those wobbly bits.

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Amazing that expensive gyms would use something that is almost medieval. I had a course of treatments with that (it waas under water in a footbath) in the late 1940's to cure flat-footedness.

Given that I couldn't have been more than 5 1/2 at the time I don't know how they thought I was flatfooted.

To get back to the topic ............. I am almost wary of going to church this morning in case I am 'got at' by the harmonics, although little fear of that with our choir! (The trouble with CH music is that nowhere else quite lives up to the standard.) Anyway I suppose it is better than being 'got at' by the vicar!

Fjgrogan wrote:To get back to the topic ............. I am almost wary of going to church this morning in case I am 'got at' by the harmonics, although little fear of that with our choir! (The trouble with CH music is that nowhere else quite lives up to the standard.) Anyway I suppose it is better than being 'got at' by the vicar!

Where else has the lower octave pipes used so loud as in the Trumpet Voluntary? You could almost feel the ground vibrate when the pipes over the door were on full chat.

As for the vicar, mainstream Christian churches haven't discovered harmonics except perhaps in Gregorian Chant. You are safe!!!!

Believe me, there is nothing mainstream about our vicar - we frequently wonder how he came to be in the Church of England. And he loathes Gregorian chant, which I love. Years ago, when I was working as parish administrator, I used to play it in the parish office when I was there alone; the vicar made rude remarks every time he came into the office. I was pleasantly surprised therefore when he bought me two CDs of Gregorian chant for my 50th birthday.

You seem to have a bit of a love/hate thing with this Vicar, Frances?

I'd be interested - just what is his style? Do the parishioners in general like or dislike him?

Angela - it is a long sad story probably best not aired on a public forum.

As for Stockhausen - my CH education was clearly totally inadequate for dealing with the appreciation of such music. I'm sure it is very clever, but way above my head.

Alan P5age wrote:Here is part of one of the very first western classical pieces to be built entirely from vocal harmonics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pzeXBuzl8Q

A single chord sung for an hour by six singers with only the harmonics being used to create melodies etc.

I haven't listened to the whole nine minutes plus of that bit (I'm feeling sensitive today) but two things struck me at the start:

the initial female voices were eerily like two women I heard "singing" a capello (they were there for 4 hours apparently) in Chartres cathedral one Sunday.
At about 1min 44 seconds the male voices are a bit like didgeridoo music.

Stockhausen ?? ---- No No !----- Nurse -- the screens !

I listened to the Huddersfield Choral Society this Morning on Radio 4, and I waited, with Bated Breath for that moment in the Hallelujah Chorus, when the sudden "Pause" occurs.
TBA says that in that Society --- anyone who so much as BREATHED at that point -- would be taken out and Shot !!

I thought that John the Archbish, was good -- as always !

Though not actually our parish priest we used to have fairly regular visits during a recent interregnum by a vicar who always wore white and had long flowing grey hair. A very pleasant man (he Christened my daughter) but we always thought of him as 'the Druid' on the grounds solely of his appearance. We were, however, slightly surprised a year or so later to discover that he had left the Church of England and renounced his vocation to become, you guessed it, a Druid. Who said appearances can be deceptive?

I got a text from my daughter (in Canterbury) yesterday

"I'm standing outside the Cathedral Gate and there is s big parade and some old bloke (he is 59, just 4 years older than I am) with a beard and a purple sash. Looks kinda Archbishopy to me "

Checking on the web, it was the St Nicholas Day Parade and Service.

Lo and behold, pictures on Facebook today.

loringa wrote: we always thought of him as 'the Druid' on the grounds solely of his appearance. We were, however, slightly surprised a year or so later to discover that he had left the Church of England and renounced his vocation to become, you guessed it, a Druid. Who said appearances can be deceptive?

I love it, I love it! Thank you loringa - best laugh of the day!

I am an active churchgoer and a Christian.

I love choral music and singing which CH helped me to nurture... it's hard being the only tenor in the choir though!!

I, also learned to "Sing" in the dhoir at CH --- Treble -- Alto --- and then -- although I was a natural Tenor -- I was cast as BASS !
The result was that, years later, I sould "Do" 3 Octaves -- quite well. This became a useful thing in many activities in which I indulged myself ------ Choirs -- Amateur Opera -- Solo Singing -
I regret that now, with the onset of some disability, which may be described as --- OLD AGE !

I can only get about 2 plus 5 !!
Despite constant approaches by our Choirmaster -- I have refused to join --- Being in a Choir demands Committment, for Services and Practice --

But I still support the Congregation !!

Alan P5age wrote:Just thought I would post this item from a friend's blog which may be of some interest. The discussion is certainly ongoing!!
http://www.themum.co.uk/pioden/2010/01/ ... sion-.html
Sums up my religious views rather well. In a way that may be suprising to some.

Interesting.

Where does Maslow fit into all of this?

Maslow went down in my estimation when I learnt how limited his sample was for the work that led to the Hierarchy of Needs - a handful of "self-actualising" people (by his own definition) and some college students. Not exactly a robust methodology.