The rhythm of my Holy week was a bit more intense this year than it has been in recent years. Due to an unforeseen change, my church found itself without an organist or choir accompanist in mid-March. I felt the need to offer my services on the keyboard until a new full-time person could be found, and quickly discovered that being able to do that immediately before Easter in a small community would be difficult. So I became the substitute and after being away from the organ since about 2004 or so that meant spending significant amounts of time up at church getting the "feel" of it back into my hands.
Yesterday at noon, I completed my 8th service in 8 days. From Palm Sunday to Easter is a marathon sprint for church musicians. All total that amounts to about 40 hymns, 6 choir anthems, a dozen or so prelude/offertory/postlude pieces, and assorted snippets of liturgical response music various types. It was a literal buffet of music. Sprinkle in a guest trumpeter who jumped in with 20 minutes to rehearse at 8:10 on Easter morning and you have a picture of how exhilarating it all was. Intense is the best word to describe it. This 70 yr. old is happy to announce she survived. In fact, my fellow parishioners seemed to enjoy it and were most complimentary in their comments. (and if they didn't enjoy it, they most graciously said nothing.) I am grateful.
Suffice it to say, it was a busy, busy week. I slept like a log last night and am ready to get back to 2 services per week. Hopefully, the good Lord will send us a new organist soon, and I can go back to being a member of the choir. Until then, I will keep practicing! After all, it is kind of like riding a bike....you never truly forget how to play the keys!
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