I came as a surprise to my parents. The product of a champagne brunch (must explain my bubbly disposition), I am the youngest of four children and the only girl. Understandably, I was simultaneously spoiled and benignly neglected. I got away with a lot and my parents were never hesitant to pass me on to any willing party.
My mom's best friend is the founder and director of the Children's Chorus of San Antonio. When I was finally old enough to join, my mother promptly signed me up and bought herself a couple of hours of peace and quiet in the dimly lit corridors of the rehearsal space. While she caught up on reading and breathing, I was caught up in a collective of small voices learning how to sing. My memory's ability to perfectly recall words and melodies from eight seasons of music-making reflects the positive valence of the experience and is a testament to the thoroughness of the teaching and the malleability of young brains. Oh, what I would give to absorb and retain as I once could...
But I think words set to a tune attach themselves to memory more readily. Singing is learning that is auditory, visual, and kinesthetic - reinforcement on multiple levels. Why would we eliminate this type of learning from our schools??? I lament, but I digress. I am not a researched defender of the Arts, only a grateful beneficiary of them. What I want to share is a gem of a poem. A text set to music in 1934 by Benjamin Brittan that I learned my very first season with the Children's Chorus. Thanks to the interwebs, I learned something new about this favorite carol.
A New Year Carol
Here we bring new water from the well so clear,
For to worship God with this happy new year.
Sing levy-dew, sing levy-dew, the water and the wine,
The seven bright gold wires and the bugles that do shine.
Sing reign of fair maid with gold upon her toe.
Open you the west door and turn the old year go.
Sing levy-dew, sing levy dew, the water and the wine,
The seven bright gold wires and the bugles that do shine.
Sing reign of fair maid with gold upon her chin.
Open you the east door and let the new year in.
Sing levy-dew, sing levy-dew, the water and the wine,
The seven bright gold wires and the bugles that do shine.
Tonight, I will raise a glass (levez a Dieu = levy-dew???) of the beverage that led to my being here and look forward, with hopeful anticipation, to the joy of newness. Happy New Year everyone!
