h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The phrase "Let the oceans roar, let the heavens sing" may have been inspired by Psalm 96, of which verse 11 reads: "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;" (NIV)

I've just begun a new study of the psalms, & particularly like ones like "96" ~ "145" is another favourite.

You read and like the Psalms a lot don't you Misty. I like that - it shows that you have the heart of a woman of prayer.

Yes ~ I gain a lot from reading the Psalms ~ there's quite literally "something for everyone" there ...

Sorry you weren't able to get to Hebden Bridge this year, but perhaps next year??

When you have come to the end of your current theological study, Misty, you might like to spend a few profitable sessions finding the Gospel in the Psalms...?

Obviously to you and me, the Gospel shines through all of the Psalms, even the imprecatory ones, as you were beginning to see when you studied them a year or so back; but it would be nice to make a presentation of the love of God in Jesus, using ONLY references to the Psalms? Actually thinking about you, you could probably do it without even thinking about it! You often quote the Psalms.

Yes Misty maybe next year, but I hope to make the Tate next year.

Oh, I've already completed my 2-year course "Certificate in Christian Discipleship" ~ and I really miss it now, especially meeting up weekly with other course members & the brilliant discussions which used to go on!

There's to be a presentation of certificates in November, when we'll all get the chance to meet-up again.

Yes, I hope you'll manage to get to the Tate meet. Maybe there'll be others too, a little nearer to you? At Hebden Bridge there was talk of a meet in YORK in November, which I'm hoping to be able to get to.

Interestingly I find myself withdrawing my comment about Diana.

It was her coyness that I reacted to through recognition, not judgement. I didn't realise at the time that there was a real young woman there. It's rather complicated but obviously I admired her fabulousness and her intention, in fact she died a very brave woman I thought, another kamikaze in distress, but she died as classily as she lived I thought. Well better that than like Marylin.

I feel sorry for her children but they are turning out awfully well, aren't they. I hope they're happy.

Bach's achievement in the 48 was to record for us what keys used to be like before they re-imagined tonality, I suppose? So difficult to have ideas sometimes, because they look good inside but when you write them they come over as very pretentious.

The keys have very clearly defined characters, for me, but when I hear something I usually can't easily tell you what key a piece is in, like a chap I used to know at school. He could, immediately. Great gift, he had. I might know it some how or other but I get confused easily by actual phenomena like sounds.

You have the modes of chant, which Max knows about; but the beauty of that is you can start on any note, making any of the 12 notes the basis of the mode. I've started exploring this in a setting of the Gloria from the Anglican Communion Service Rite A. I'm setting it for SATB and organ and making it as simple as possible. It makes no difference to me whether it will ever be performed but the easier it is to sing and play, the higher the likelihood is that I will ever hear it performed.

The last piece I did was a psalm setting for SATB singing mostly in unison with easy lines to sing, but with demanding obbligato parts for violin and cello. The piece hangs together easily but my influences are sometimes rather undigested in that piece. Still it's one piece from what I consider to be the dustbin of the past which I would still like to hear. Someone did ask after it recently but wanted the MIDI file from Sibelius to play to someone, which I had long lost. I did send him the music once though, I mean the sheet music.