What is in Kelvin's Head?

The Past Tense

07/10/2013

Sometimes museums are terribly annoying. I found myself getting all worked up about this thurible.

Well, It wasn’t exactly the thurible that got me worked up but the card next to it.

The caption uses the past tense. “Censors were used…”

Censors are used. It somehow felt so frustrating to look at an object that I could pick up and use in my daily work and which seemed to me to be in as good a state as when it was first made and yet see the caption speaking about the use as being something in the past.

As I looked around the same gallery, all the references to anything liturgical were expressed in the same way:

“Music was important in the Christian liturgy…”

There’s no was about it.

thurible of the week

10 responses to “Yesterday”

David

18/02/2008

Just to say the link to the BBC website is broken.

Reply
asphodeline

18/02/2008

The Sunday morning service on R4 is my regular church for now and it was brilliant to find it was with you yesterday.

Loved the service and the music, as always, was wonderful.

Reply
kelvin

18/02/2008

Thanks for the comments – the link is fixed now.

Reply
Andrew

18/02/2008

Lovely to know that Bernard Porter is still about. One of the kindliest and most tolerant musicians this ex-tv producer ever worked with. He provided superb accompaniment to at least 4 major choral programmes, and an exuberant and beautifully played Voluntary in Holy Trinity, Ayr- in 1973. I can still hear it in my head.
Thanks, Kelvin for a happy reminder.

Reply
Victoria

18/02/2008

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed listening to the service on BBC 4 on Sunday – meaty stuff with good quality music. Was pleasant listening when normally just want to reach for the ‘off’ button. But then I’m biased going to a SEC church myself with social justice and ecumenical concern at its centre and being a choral singer!

Reply
Harry Monroe

19/02/2008

What a wonderful tribute to a real gentleman. Sang under him over 30 years ago at Diocesan Festivals. Minimum criticism and maximum praise seemed to be his maxim…. something we could all use as a way of life.

Reply
Tom Allen

21/02/2008

Interesting review of Sunday morning here:
http://irenelancaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/the-bbcs-even-h.html
from the increasingly fantasy driven adviser on Jewish theology to the Archbishop of Canterbury!

Reply
Jay Vos

22/02/2008

Yes! I’m over in Vermont USA. Ain’t internet grand? It was to listen to the internet broadcast on R4. Thanks.

Reply
Kenny

22/02/2008

So sorry I missed “BJ’s” do! I remember traipsing round Scotland with him and the choir, singing in all seven main cathedrals in 18 hours! Boy did we have stamina then!

Reply
Dr. Irene Lancaster

26/02/2008

Hi, Tom! Glad to see that you haven’t changed. The fantasy is, as ever, all in your head! Although I’d be very pleased to take on this auspicious role at Lambeth Palace, as far as I know they have no plans to take on such a person as you suggest – for the present at least. All a figment of the imagination, then!!

I’m also terribly sad to have to inform you that I’ve just been invited to talk on the subject of my blog (to which you’ve kindly directed bloggers) at one of Britain’s most distinguished universities in the next few days (alas, not in Scotland, although I have lectured before now at Edinburgh).

Reply