Palm Sunday - Madison, WI

I knew that one of my sabbatical stops had to be Luther Memorial Church in Madison Wisconsin, and if possible, spend time with my colleague and friend , Bruce Bengtson - the musician there.

This is a parish quite similar to Mount Olive liturgically. They have "held on" and do liturgy well with high quality music. The choir does an enormous amount of good literature, all in the context of the liturgy. The people own what happens, and I felt a very healthy atmosphere there. It clearly wasn't about them - it was about God, and what the people were there to do: worship God. No insider/outsider atmosphere, no "visitor" hunt for new membership meat. Very refreshing.

The Palm/Passion liturgy was lovely - very similar to what we do at Mount Olive, beginning in the narthex, processing to the hymn "All Glory Laud and Honor" - changing of the vestments, reading of the passion to the Eucharist. Very tastefully done, a variety of ages involved, people singing in the pews, fabulous leadership from the organ (which encouraged singing), and a wonderful postlude by Langlais - for which many stayed to hear. The choir sang two anthems, one by Richard Proulx, the other "Ubi Caritas" by Durufle - one of my favorites. I was completely drawn into the liturgy, could sing, could bow and not be alone - it truly felt like home.

Time with Bruce always changes me. I'd like to tell you about this man, who I revere to be one of the finest Lutheran church musicians in the country.

Bruce has been here for 30 years. Here is a person who's life is: 1. GOD, 2. MUSIC, with an intrinsic and intense love for both and in that order. He lives simply, alone in the same small one bedroom apartment he's had since I met him well over 20 years ago. (We met through the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in 1986,m both of us about 5 years out of school, the young bucks starting out. ) It's enough. Why would he need more?

Spending time with Bruce is always an eye opening experience, in a number of ways. He loves music in such a deep way, he can't help but share his latest discovery or passion: literature on a CD, or a score he's come upon. He hunts for interesting choral literature through CD's, friends recommendations, or through his travels (He particularly enjoys Scandanavia). Finding one piece usually leads to another on a CD, or through a publisher hunt in locating a piece. In any case, I know no one who finds things like Bruce does. And he actually uses the literature he finds in the context of the litturgy. His choir is one of the luckiest that way. One of the choir singers told me: "We'll get a score with eight to ten staves - wondering how in the world.. but then he'll tell us how, and it works. Now we don't even think about that when scores are handed out..." They clearly feel very good about what they do: it makes it worth their time.

The choral library at Lutheran Memorial is phenomenal because of Bruce's quests. While I was there, he went through the file drawers to show me some of his finds. He kept stopping going "OOh, have you seen this?! It's so lovely" and would loose himself for a minute as his mind played the music. If he had found a lovely piece but in a foreign language or non-so-appropriate text for liturgy, he'd translate it into English, or find a text with a meter that could fit the piece. Drawer after drawer the enthusiasm never waned, and we wound up with a stack of music for me to take home to study, locate or copy, then send back. I have music by Sweelinck, Kverno, Otto Olsson, Chesnokov, Healy Willan, Georg Schumann, Reinberger, Praetorius and man y others. It's choral music from around the world.

After taking me out to diner, we went to his apartment, where the CD listening began. "Have you heard this?! Ooo - you're going to love it" And we would. Being with him in this is a lesson in music appreciation, and learning what to listen for as he points out a wonderful phrase, cadence, or line of text. (I noticed there was no TV in his apartment, but hundreds of CD's - hmmm, I have a feeling I know what goes on instead of TV)

Most of the CD's he has are from traveling, or catalogues he's found on line, or from special order. Many are CD's of all the music of a particular composer that a European Choir took to doing. Few are mainstream CD's the rest of us find at Barnes and Noble.

For example, Georg Schumann, a 19th-20th c German composer of church music - mostly choral. Many of us know one or two of his pieces (Such as "Yea Though I Wander). Bruce would ask, what else has he written? Is it on CD with other pieces we can find? In this case, quite a bit. He found an English Choir who had recorded all the works of Schumann. On these CD's were several other pieces of great interest, so he hunts for the scores. "From Heaven Above", or a piece I'll be using: "With Peace and Joy I Depart". This composer wrote quite a bit - and much of it quite useful for either the church choir, or the National Lutheran Choir. To find more from this composer is exciting.

It was Bruce who years ago had me listen to Langlais' Messe Solonelle over which I totally flipped. Since then I've recorded it, and have discovered the entire line of similar literature from France. Widor, Vierne, Dupre - all composed similar things before Langlais. All of terribly exciting. It changed my life. And now I "retreat" to Paris. It was Bruce who first told me about "Musica Russica" a company who makes Russian Choral available and accessible with transliterations and pronunciation guides. It was also Bruce who introduced me to Alice Parker who changed my life. Alice taught me to appreciate melody, and to notice from whence a tune cometh and bring that out in musical treatments of the melody.

Another eye-opening dimension to spending time with Bruce: his aspirations are simple. Love God, and be God's faithful servant where you are plopped. He only has what he truly needs. He doesn't seek fame, or a bigger and more hip parish, or academic blessing - he simply loves God and music, and making the music with the people where he serves; Luther Memorial. The parish has been through ups and downs during the time I've known him, but he remains steadfast. He doesn't ask the question about life: "Can there be more" He simply is satisfied: "It is enough". Except, of course, when it comes to choral literature, which he savors, searches and shares. This is grace, compassion and living the love of Christ.

What a gift to us all, what a gift to God.