Have you ever had something throw your program for a complete loop?
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    I would love to hear any stories where something extraneous happened to completely side rail your programs for Mass. This comes to mind because it is my daughter's 10th birthday today. She was born right in the middle of SARS.

    We live near Toronto, the SARS epicentre of North America at the time. My doctor got SARS. Suddenly it was spreading like wildfire. A week before Easter, my entire tenor section, half of my altos and sopranos ended up quarantined for two weeks. Everything we had been working towards was thrown out the window and we just prayed they didn't get SARS and we wouldn't end up quarantined or catch the disease as well. What a nightmare. It's hard to believe it was ten years ago.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Death of an active chorister on Palm Sunday. Besides the emotional devastation, it added another level of difficulty to the coming services.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,979
    On a smaller scale, I had a significant trumpet piece to play at the conclusion of Midnight Christmas Eve mass - with visiting cardinal as celebrant. The trumpet pipe A above middle C blew out and made a blaring, out of tune noise. No trumpet piece. It was in A, by the way, and I couldn't avoid the note.
    Thanked by 2canadash Gavin
  • Ruth Lapeyre
    Posts: 341
    first orchestra Mass I ever sang at my parish the alto soloist who was pregnant faints. Fortunately we had a doctor in the choir and she was fine. I had to sight sing the alto solos in a Mozart Mass and as most altos know, not too difficult but scary anyway.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    I had a choir member attack another choir member in the middle of rehearsal. Like attack attack. For real. Strangle-hold against a brick wall, four person pull-apart, and having to kick one of my best tenors out of the choir. All because another tenor tried to tell him that he was on the wrong page.
    Thanked by 4canadash Chrism Spriggo Gavin
  • PaixGioiaAmorPaixGioiaAmor
    Posts: 1,473
    Matthew - That's AWESOME. Give the guy my number; he can sing in my choir. Nothing like a little drama and excitement here and there ...

    I can just here people saying ... "He's a character, you never know what to expect!"
    Thanked by 2canadash Gavin
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,979
    That is funny! We only have street people wander in. Nothing that exciting.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    Ruth, that's the stuff my work anxiety dreams are made of. You are my new heroine.
    I'd do it, though no one would want to hear me as an alto. I don't think I'd cut over orchestra.
    Brava!
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • ScottKChicago
    Posts: 349
    A beloved alto suffered an eventually fatal heart attack in the choir loft during Mass in a previous parish. We were singing something (first hymn, I think) and before we knew what was happening, several of us were helping Winifred lay down across several padded choir chairs because she seemed to be fainting. An MD was summoned from the congregation below, and ambulance/EMT called. The celebrant was informed during the first reading and informed the congregation so they wouldn't be alarmed when the EMTs appeared, or when Winifred made disturbing noises. Winifred was having a massive heart attack. The celebrant opted to keep going, after a wonderfully ad-libbed prayer for Winifred and those helping her and some silence for prayer. Winifred died later that day in hospital. Before departing she said how much she was comforted by the readings and singing before being taken to the ambulance, and she was sorry for causing such a fuss. Her last words were, "Thank you, everyone." It was a horribly sad and wonderfully blessed day. I remember hugging the sobbing choirmaster right after the EMTs took Winifred to the ambulance. I guess the lesson learned from that was that continuing the liturgy can be not only NOT insensitive to the stricken person but can deeply minister to that person, and to the whole community as it experiences the shock and sadness.
    Thanked by 2canadash Jenny
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    For the record - the tenor who did the strangling was on the right page and the tenor who got strangled was on the wrong page. Strangled tenor thought strangling tenor was on the wrong page, but he wasn't.

    It still doesn't make strangling okay.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ms40_saturday-night-live-peter-sarsgaard_fun#.UZkJVaLh17w
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,509
    Our choir endured a death of one of our basses. He was at rehearsal on Monday, and died on Wednesday. It was really tough.

    About the tenors:
    In Cologne, too, they pitied [St. Thomas Aquinas], this taciturn pupil.

    So much so that one day when Master Albert was explaining and commenting on a particularly difficult text, a student offered " from pity " to repeat the lesson to Thomas.

    Thomas let him do it. But when the would-be teacher found himself before a very great difficulty, Brother Thomas calmly took up the explanation and even added some very beautiful things that Albert had not said. The student was thunderstruck, but Brother Thomas asked him to say nothing about the matter. He said he would not, but he did not keep his promise. So, at the Studium, or School of Cologne, they talked about nothing else but Brother Thomas.
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    Adam: Can't see the video in Canada.

    I haven't yet had to endure the death of a choir member. I suppose it will happen one day. It's not something I'm looking forward to.
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