Dear lovers of music, mystery, and meaning,
⚾ There’s a slight chill in the air, and there’s baseball on TV every night. It’s one of my favorite seasons. And Monday night’s near-grand-slam turned double play in the Dodgers vs. Brewers game was just plain wild — not just for the Major League Baseball postseason, but for any time. It left players and commentators alike unsure what was happening.
🎓 There’s another kind of weirdness on display at Washington University in St. Louis. The organ in Graham Memorial Chapel was originally built in 1909, and I have to assume the ornate case dates from that time.
When I stopped by last week, I really enjoyed studying the many little wooden figures in the organ case (which are mostly visible only to the organist and others at the very front of the chapel). For instance, this guy has been around for over 115 years, so one has to assume he has tenure:
📕 David Sims is the music editor at Augsburg Fortress, an ELCA Lutheran publishing house. Five years ago, Augsburg Fortress published All Creation Sings, a supplemental resource to the current Lutheran hymnal. David was recently interviewed by Living Lutheran about the book:
So much of our lives involves seeing fleeting images on screens or encountering disposable, temporary media. Worship books ask us to consider that God and God’s people have a longer story, one that is grounded and available to all.
I highly recommend following David on Instagram, especially for his weekly Saturday multiple-choice hymn quizzes. Each Saturday, David gives you a small cross-section of a hymn, maybe just a measure’s worth of notes and words. I’ve learned about some hymns this way. Hymnological nerdery at its finest!
Until next week,
-David
