Adorning the Dark - A Review

The world can be a very dark place. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the evil that surrounds us. It invades every corner of our existence. Sin is ever with us and peace can be elusive. The news, our social media, the way people treat each other in our presence are a constant reminder that on this side of Genesis 3, things are not the way they are supposed to be.

And yet, there is beauty. Common grace exists. We see wonder that remains in the created order around us. There is order to be observed and delight to be found in God’s goodness, resounding like echoes in a quiet canyon.

Amid the darkness of this world, we have the responsibility to adorn the dark with grace-filled art. We have a duty to bear the flame and adorn the dark.

Andrew Peterson’s recent book from B&H is, as the title implies, about Adorning the Dark.

Summary

This is much less a how-to book and much more a memoir of how the Rabbit Room, Hutchmoot, Behold the Lamb of God, and the multiple other projects that Andrew Peterson has played a part in have come to pass. For those who enjoy Peterson’s music and the network of musicians and artists that he celebrates, this is an engaging account of how one man and his friends are working to make the world a more beautiful place.

For those who are seeking a collection of thoughts on how to replicate Andrew Peterson’s vision or reproduce exactly what he has done in his several decade career, this book will not meet that desire. However, those who have been blessed by what Peterson has done will find this an engaging and encouraging read.

There is some theory in this volume, but there is much more story. Readers will get a sense of the importance of place, the need for story, the vital need that we have for friendship and cooperation. All of this is carried along in Adorning the Dark. There is a real sense of love for God and his creation that is apparent on every page.

Critique

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, but it is not a highly theoretical book. That is likely to make some people very happy while frustrating others. Peterson is a gifted artist and storyteller. He is not a scholar or theoretician. This is a book that digests and recasts the intellectual work of others, but it does not till new ground. At the same time, Peterson shows how the theories of others can be worked out in our time and culture.

The degree to which one appreciates Adorning the Dark will depend significantly on what the reader is looking for. Fans of Andrew Peterson will find this encouraging and enlightening. There will be a significant number of creative people who will find this inspiring and instructional. The practical and appreciative will gain the most pleasure and benefit from this short volume. Those seeking an advancement of the philosophy of art or beauty will do better to look to the sources Peterson lists in the back of the book.

The most important thing this book teaches readers is that our pathway to adorning the dark will be different than the authors. Our goal may be the same, but we are not all called or gifted to be independent musicians who write children’s fantasy novels. The Rabbit Room is a ministry specific to Peterson’s time, place, and community. Our task is not to reproduce what Andrew Peterson has done, but to make the world beautiful in our own way.

Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making

By Andrew Peterson

Buy on Amazon

NOTE: I received a gratis copy of this volume from the publisher with no expectation of a positive review.

The Choir Member's Lexicon

As you probably know already there is nothing that a church choir is typically more in need of than tenors.  Second only to that is some knowledge of music.  We see the little booklet of black dots and lines in front of us every Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon, but all those symbols do is make neat boundaries around where the words are; that’s all we really use it for.

The previous paragraph isn't entirely true: some of the choir doesn't make it to both morning and afternoon sessions on Sunday.  For those that do, and those that are reading this who have some knowledge of music theory, you will forgive any typographical errors which may cause definitions of certain words to be expressed in ways that you are not familiar with, or cause definitions to appear to be factually incorrect.  Also, for the more rigid lexicographical purists, you will note that I have disposed with the usual alphabetical organization of things because I felt like it.  

As to my choice of words, I have chosen only the words most important for a Biblical understanding of church music: I have trimmed out all the fluff and developed what is a basic guide to choir membership.  Anyway, let’s begin...

A Flat – n. The reason that half the choir was late to the Easter cantata.

Crescendo – v. To increase the volume of one’s voice, e.g. What happens in the Soprano section when the choir director is working with the Baritones.

Bass – n. One of the group of men who couldn't be a Tenor. Synonym: general population. 

Soprano – 1.  n. Women who sing the top set of notes in choir music.  2. n. Choir members who can comfortably sing the Tenor line in a David Clydesdale piece.

“Okay, let’s try it again” – 1. Uh, Oh. 2. We’re singing this Sunday? 3. What else do we know that we could sing Sunday?

“This may not be your best gift” -  1. What the choir director tells you at auditions to encourage you in your children’s ministries. 2. A sign that a recording contract isn't in your future. 3. Even Carol Cymbala might not want you.

Alto – n. A popular brand of mints.

Fermatta – n. A soft Greek cheese usually associated with pitas.

A Natural – n. The note that is a step above the range of some Sopranos.

B Flat -   Colloquialism referring to the nature of the Tenors, i.e. “You B Flat.”

Solo – n. A section of music in which only one person miscounts the number of measures rest.

Decrescendo – v. What happens abruptly after a solo.

Duet – n. A solo for two people. See also: Solo.

Ad Lib – v. What the praise team does when the words get messed up on the projection screen.

Mass Confusion – n. Congregational Ad Lib.

Forte – 1. Adj. The median age of the altos. 2. Adj. Ten greater than the admitted median age of the altos.

Tenors – 1. n. The blessed ones. The elect. 2. Adj. The first half of the phrase indicating a value slightly greater than nine, i.e. What time did you go to bed?  I don’t know, tenor ‘leven.

Pianissimo -  n. The Italian word for Big Piano.

Mezzo Forte – Adj. The admitted age of the gray haired altos.  See Also: Forte.

Quarter Note – n. One of those little black dots we don’t look at anyway.

Baritones – n. Fence sitters.