Our processional hymn in Children’s Chapel is always Hymn 409, “The Spacious Firmament on High.” We’ve invited parish musicians to play the song on different instruments and today, a mother and son play a duet with a piccolo and double bass.
“But wait,” you might be saying, “I’ve got questions.”
What is a “spacious firmament” ? Spacious means wide and open. (If you’re trying to keep distance between you and other people, a spacious place is a good place to be!) Firmament means sky, or outer space, or the heavens above us. So the spacious firmament is the wide open, ethereal sky above us. “Hold on!” you would be right to ask, “nobody told me what ethereal means!” It means something precious and perfect, but something that’s hard to catch in your hands. A blue ethereal sky is beautiful but hard to hold on to. Have you ever been able to catch the sky?
Let’s move to the instruments. “What’s a piccolo?” A piccolo is a small flute. It’s a member of the woodwind family – like bigger flutes, clarinets, oboes, saxophones and bassoons.
What’s a double bass? Some people call it an upright bass or just a plain bass. In an orchestra, it’s usually played with a bow. But it can also be slapped with a hand and played in jazz or country or bluegrass bands.
The piccolo and the bass sound really good together, don’t they?
If you want to hear more music, today’s 9:00 AM service will include the organ and an opportunity to join in the service hymns from home. Your grown-ups can find the Facebook Live Stream at the @cotcchapelhill facebook page or at http://www.thechapelofthecross.org. If they subscribe to the parent emails, there is a children’s bulletin in their In box especially for today or they can download the one at the link below.
Wow. What a wonderful duet. The music and setting are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your talent in such a delightful way.