The Saxophone and Sacred Longing

Qtz2009 Last night I was writing a responsive liturgy for one of our Baptist communities. It’s intended to invite all those who work and serve within the church to rededicate their gifts of time, energy and ability – and to seek the blessing and strength of God. While all this was happening I was listening to Christian Forshaw’s CD, Sanctuary. I first heard this during advent two years ago, sitting outside Parcel Force while Sheila collected our mail, with Classic FM on. The track that was played was ‘Let all mortal flesh keep silence’.

I sat transfixed. It was one of those brief interludes when something other than the music is heard, but which can only be heard through the music. It was as if the Holy Spirit pulled up the blinds, and left me with my eyes screwed up against early streaming sunlight. And that moment was recpatured last night, as again this stunning piece of music simply opened my eyes – the eyes of my mind, the eyes of my imagination, the eyes of my soul – whatever part of us it is that needs to be opened in order to see the glory and beauty of what always lies beyond our senses.

Christian Forshaw is the Professor of Saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. One of his great passions and current interests is music as an experience of purity and intensity, particularly as music within the context of worship.

‘I first began working with the church organ in 1995. I was intrigued by the way the saxophone could sit within the sound of the organ, but could also add a far more expressive dimension. The sound of the organ is static once the key is pressed, whereas the sound of the saxophone is ever changing and moving.’

On this disc the combination of human voice, church organ and saxophone make possible enormous variety and subtlety of mood, of pace, of sound. There are episodes of rumbustuous joy and passages of gentle, persuasive assurance; at times I find the invitation to worship which is inherent in this music, an irresistible grace, and at other times the longing and yearning conveyed in tones ranging from the shrill to the plaintive, is more reminsicent of the flickering sun and shadows of the Psalms at their most poetic and disturbing.

The rendering of Come Down O Love Divine, ends with a passage of saxophonic improvisation that expresses my spiritual longing more authentically than any words I could ever write. This is a track of the most sublime sacred music – by which I mean music that makes the sacred not only plausible but audible, not only imaginable but desirable with that desire that is fuelled by the eternity that God has put in our hearts.

The CD can be found on the Quartz website here. You order it from them as it isn’t easily available in High St megastores. (Which makes me feel unreasonably and sniffily superior!)

Comments

10 responses to “The Saxophone and Sacred Longing”

  1. Ruth Gouldbourne avatar
    Ruth Gouldbourne

    Jim, I love this CD – I also found it a couple of years ago, after hearing Let all mortal flesh on Classic FM when I was in the car. I had to draw into the side of the road to listen, and then hunted down the CD. I’ve almost played it out. It’s wonderful. So glad to hear somebody else putting into words what it means to me.

  2. Ruth Gouldbourne avatar
    Ruth Gouldbourne

    Jim, I love this CD – I also found it a couple of years ago, after hearing Let all mortal flesh on Classic FM when I was in the car. I had to draw into the side of the road to listen, and then hunted down the CD. I’ve almost played it out. It’s wonderful. So glad to hear somebody else putting into words what it means to me.

  3. Andy P avatar
    Andy P

    This sounds good. Have you come across Officium where the Hilliard Ensemble and the saxophonist Jan Garbarek make music together exploring chant, polyphony and renaissance motet? Hearing the saxaphone soaring over these four voices touches my spirit in a profound way.

  4. Andy P avatar
    Andy P

    This sounds good. Have you come across Officium where the Hilliard Ensemble and the saxophonist Jan Garbarek make music together exploring chant, polyphony and renaissance motet? Hearing the saxaphone soaring over these four voices touches my spirit in a profound way.

  5. Jason Goroncy avatar

    ‘It was as if the Holy Spirit pulled up the blinds, and left me with my eyes screwed up against early streaming sunlight.’ … Jim, what a great gift you have with words.

  6. Jason Goroncy avatar

    ‘It was as if the Holy Spirit pulled up the blinds, and left me with my eyes screwed up against early streaming sunlight.’ … Jim, what a great gift you have with words.

  7. Margaret avatar
    Margaret

    Yes Jim, your ability with words is amazing. I read in awe everytme I visit your blog!

  8. Margaret avatar
    Margaret

    Yes Jim, your ability with words is amazing. I read in awe everytme I visit your blog!

  9. Rosana Hart avatar

    I’ve recently been steeping myself in all things saxophone while creating my saxophone site you can get to by clicking on my name. This sparked a desire to expand my collection of saxophone music, but I hadn’t taken the time to look around. I was wanting something I could steep myself in, and when I stumbled across this page, I went and listened and immediately bought the mp3 download version. Thank you so much! I will be linking to this page from my own site later, when I do the music section.

  10. Rosana Hart avatar

    I’ve recently been steeping myself in all things saxophone while creating my saxophone site you can get to by clicking on my name. This sparked a desire to expand my collection of saxophone music, but I hadn’t taken the time to look around. I was wanting something I could steep myself in, and when I stumbled across this page, I went and listened and immediately bought the mp3 download version. Thank you so much! I will be linking to this page from my own site later, when I do the music section.

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