How many arms does the “Armed Man” have? by Natasha Regehr Sadly, the answer is often, “too many.” Ah. I see you looking at me quizzically, asking why a choral singer would have an interest in a gentleman with extraneous appendages. Well, that’s why the Peterborough Singers have chosen to focus on the second half of the title, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, in their concert promotions. Context, of course, is everything. The first half of the curious title is taken from a 15th century French folksong called “L’Homme Armé,” in which trembling citizens are warned that fearsome soldiers are arming themselves for impending battle. The text has been used for hundreds of years in both secular and sacred settings, and it forms the nucleus of Karl Jenkins’ contemporary choral masterwork about the hopes and horrors of war. Other texts are drawn from sources as diverse as the Hindu Mahabharata, the Muslim Call to Prayer, the Christian Bible, and the historical writings of various poets. Ever respectful of these distinct traditions, Jenkins weaves the image of the Armed Man throughout his dramatic retelling of a story that has repeated itself across the globe for countless millennia: Conflicts arise. Hearts are stirred. Preparations are made. Battles are fought. Atrocities are committed. Griefs are multiplied. A haggard remnant survives. Peace is promised. Hope returns. Memories fade. And all too often, the story begins again, or simply never ends. We see this story played out around the world today, as recent events in the Ukraine and elsewhere so aptly illustrate. Everywhere we see the call to arms. Troops are relocated. Citizens rally. Economies are manipulated. Diplomacy falters. Saviours and idealists make proclamations. Treaties are reinterpreted. Armed and unarmed men and women yield or die. Why, then, would you want to spend your Mother’s Day weekend immersed in the sounds and symbols of warfare? Why not simply eat brunch, buy daffodils, and support the ever-sentimental Hallmark empire? Are not the maternal images of spring more endearing than those of living torches in a city under siege? What good does it do, anyway, to willingly expose oneself to such discomfort? What could a group of placid singers possibly do to avert such large-scale violence? You may be surprised to learn that it has happened before. Revolutions have happened peacefully, fueled not by bullets, but by the enduring influence of art and culture in societies determined to maintain their identities in the face of oppression and subjugation. The annexed nation of Estonia, for instance, achieved independence from the USSR in 1991 after a series of peaceful protests later referred to as the “Singing Revolution.” For fifty years, beleaguered citizens had hidden their flags and traditions from Stalin and his successors, but their music had remained intact. Tens of thousands of cautiously determined people made the annual pilgrimage to the national song festival, and brazenly sang the forbidden anthem of their homeland as Soviet informants looked on. What harm could there be, after all, in letting the people sing their little songs? But the music kept something alive in a people group deemed marginal and inconsequential by its oppressors, and in time, a bloodless revolution brought those people freedom. Their song festival continues today as a testament to the power of a communally voiced thirst for peace. It is this thirst for peace that Karl Jenkins seeks to incite in his listeners today. The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is both a declaration and a plea, and it has been performed in countless communities around the world by singers intent on reiterating the chant-like strains of the closing text: “Better is peace than always war, and better and better is peace.” This May, the Peterborough Singers and the Kawartha Lakes Singers join their voices in a uniquely collaborative call for an end to war and violence. The work is initially haunting, always electrifying, and ultimately exultant; join us as we trace the path from horror to hope in the disarming of “L’homme Armé.” Natasha Regehr April 5, 2014 Join us for Mass for Peace on May 10th: peterboroughsingers/tickets/buy-tickets/
Posted on: Thu, 08 May 2014 14:30:00 +0000
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