Splutter

Today

It's that time of year again and I like to start the day with a few carols. Rutter's "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" (AKA "Shepherd's Pie Carol")  came on. It's very lighthearted, maybe too lighthearted.

In My Day

It's 2005 and it's the Cantilena Christmas concert. We were performing in Somerton Parish church. Beautiful location and I managed to persuade Paul and the girls to come.  We had a beautiful Christmas miscellany planned, including Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on Christmas Carols" and Finzi's Magical "Et in Terra Pax".

I don't know what possessed the music director to stick in the Rutter; maybe he needed a filler and thought it would do. 

The church filled up. Paul and the girls found prime seats at the front and off we went. All went very well until we started the Rutter. I noticed the girls begin to nudge each other and start to giggle. Soon the giggling went out of control. Becky turned her face away, but her shaking shoulder were still visible.

Lizzie was less well placed, and anyway, Lizzie's is very good at laughing. While she tried to suppress the giggles, she spluttered, snorted and began to turn an interesting shade of red. The choir continued to sing, slightly bemused by this commotion and even Paul began to chuckle.

Thankfully, the concert came to an end before there were any casualties. I spoke to the girls about the event and they told me that the little jingling tune that starts the Rutter had reminded them of the tune for "Playbus" a children's TV show they remembered. And once they'd started they couldn't stop.

Ah well, Christmas is supposed to be a time of merriment, but is it necessary to splutter?