Perfect biscuits

Best Loved Hymns; Choir of King's College, Cambridge; Stephen Cleobury, conducting

It's very difficult for children to truly appreciate the work involved in preparing their food. "My hot dog has too much ketchup." "My macaroni is gloppy." "The biscuits are burned." That last one must have touched a nerve with our mom when I once voiced my opinion that the biscuits could be less burned, and would then be perfect. After that whenever Mom would wake us up with, "I've made perfect biscuits," she was actually saying, "Call me out on my biscuits, will you, you ingrate!" But she was wrong. I WAS grateful. Perfect biscuits. MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm.

One of my favorite ensembles is the King’s College Choir from Cambridge, England. You, reader, will hear about them many times on our sojourn. The ensemble is notable for many reasons. But, today, on my iPod, they are singing simply grand arrangements of significant hymns of the Christian Church.

This is the way you would like to imagine singing hymns in church should be: knowing your part, knowing when to wait for the harp, knowing when the brass plays a fanfare. No need to think. It just happens. And we can be mindful of the words we’re singing. It’s perfect.

Credits: To church musicians everywhere: It’s honorable work to lay down a musical superstructure over which the masses can call to God with passionate song.