THE MUSIC BOX
JULY 31, 2022
Janneke Hoogland, cello
Jubal Joslyn, tenor
Melinda Coffey Armstead, piano & organ
Prelude: MUSIC OF J. S. BACH
Meditation on Prelude in C by Bach-Gounod
Arioso Air on the G string
Sonata for Viola da Gamba No. 2 in D
- Adagio, Allegro
- Andante
Offertory: Wondrous, Perfect Love . . . 15th C. text, Southern folk hymn
arranged by Lynda Poston-Smith
Postlude: Fugue in X ,WTC I . . . J. S. Bach
When I am deep-down tired, the music of the cello can lift me up into a higher realm. Janneke has the genius and has never stopped applying it to her mastery of the instrument. She does not rest on her laurels or on anything else, as nearly as I can tell. “Cello players, like other great athletes, must keep their fingers exercised,” says cellist Julian Lloyd Weber, younger brother of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Being a perfectionist and a great athlete must cast a fine cellist into a challenging internal tension.
The cello, perhaps because it closely resembles the human voice, gives many listeners a frisson, even those who don’t know what “frisson” means. Incidentally, the word “cello” is from Italian, meaning “little big viola,” and here I kid you not.
The offertory duet for voice and cello was written for the pastor at Broadway Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, where my parents were members. His name was Stephen Shoemaker and I remember him as a deeply thoughtful and kind man. He also played the cello well. I was fortunate to hear him perform this with the composer singing the vocal part at a Sunday service in 1999. I complimented her after the service and asked if I could have a copy of the music. She generously handed me hers on the spot. You will hear it today for only the third time at CitF. EnJOY!
MCA/RLA
