Welcome to Gnu tube
This site is the home to much of the Gnu’s musical output and is being built up as a record of Berj’s body of work and in recognition of the scores of people from Christ Church Clifton that contributed their time and talent over the years.
Launched in April 2017 with the content of three “early” albums – Out Of Nowhere, House On The Rock and Rough and Steep – it has since had For All He Gives Us and three volumes of Psalms and Songs added. Other items include the 1989 recording of Candlelit Christmas Carols along with 1993’s All About The Courtly Stable. The Gnu has recently spread his hooves into the realms of orchestral compositions, performed by the LA Philharmonic DLH Orchestra. All of these albums can be found on the Menu along with some Bonus Tracks, new Arrangements and the Gnu’s latest musings in his Blog.
If you are lucky enough to be blessed with fingers rather than cloven hooves you may wish to get in touch with the Gnu via the contact page, alternatively, your Comments are most welcome and provide great encouragement!
The Gnu has his own virtual vestibule on facebook where he provides parish notices and information about occasional updates to the site or his blogs. The most recent posts are displayed below:
The Gnu
It wasn’t until 1966 that the Church Times caught up with the story of this notable muscular Christian and delivered a feature on the rector in question, the Rev William Webb Ellis. He is better known as the man who in his youth, as the inscription on his memorial notes, “with a fine disregard for the rules of football … first took the ball in his arms and ran with it” and is therefore credited as the inventor of Rugby football.
In his new blog at https://bit.ly/3vpv8lb the Gnu muses on the sins of his own youth which led him to disregard the rules of his denomination and experience the worldly pleasure of a televised football match. He also confesses the venial desire to experience first-hand the joy of an international Rugby match and speak in other tongues, joining the chorus of 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'.
Should you wish to indulge a passion for a hymn almost entirely devoid of vowels, listen again to a 1986 performance of “Dyma gariad” recorded live in the Land of My Fathers at https://bit.ly/3Su9pjh
The Gnu wishes to invite “…all the people / Who live in far off lands / In strange and lovely cities / Or roam the desert sands” and others who are unable to join in person, to share in the thanksgiving.
To this end the service will be live streamed and recorded. To follow in real time, please follow this link: https://youtube.com/live/6UguR6lF6oA?feature=share
Please read the blog at bit.ly/3wsOZQA for his thoughts, along with details of a thanksgiving service to be held on 1st March. The post contains information about the time and location of the service, the dress code and catering arrangements.
Human Lives all have an end:
Like morning mists that vanish away.
The word of God will stand for evermore:
To Him a thousand years are like a day.
bit.ly/3ZjQZVH
Candlemas is the common name for the feast of The Presentation of Christ in the Temple that recalls when, forty days after his birth, Jesus was ‘presented’ as part of a purification ritual in accordance with Jewish law. It was on that occasion that Mary and Joseph encountered Simeon and Anna.
Marking the end of Epiphanytide and thus the date on which Christmas decorations should be finally removed, Candlemas is so named because of the traditional blessing of and procession with lighted candles at the mass on this day, reflecting Simeon's proclamation of Jesus being "a light to lighten the Gentiles".
The Gnu based Simeon’s Song on the words of the Nunc Dimittis and its first performance marked a significant milestone in the musical life of Christ Church. The 1993 film Groundhog Day has provided a popular trope based on Nietzsche's idea of "eternal recurrence", so relive the experience of 1979 at https://bit.ly/42mnqnZ
Had Lauren Laverne spent more time brushing up her Crockford’s, she would have known that the appropriate address for her guest throughout the show would have been simply Bishop rather than Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani (late of this parish).
Today at https://bit.ly/3vQvqRT the Gnu turns his attention to the thorny issue of How to address the clergy and his recurring fear of mis-addressing the leader of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
No doubt Bishop Guli was too modest to consider one of the tracks to which she contributed worthy of saving, but for those whose memories require a refresh, listen again to one of Gnu’s most revered hits of the mid-eighties and Give Praise to God at https://bit.ly/3HtHqvg
An American website suggests that the Catholic poet Elizabeth Jennings' life might also be summed up in three words as ///suffering.relationships.religion.
Those descriptors might be shared by many amongst us. Jennings did have difficulty managing some of the practical aspects of her life and career and suffered episodes of poor mental health. She became impoverished and, when awarded a CBE by the Queen in 1992, wore a knitted hat, duffle coat and canvas shoes - accessorised with plastic carrier bags. The Gnu regards this ensemble as perfectly respectable daywear, however the tabloids mocked her as “the bag-lady of the sonnets”.
Jennings’ poem New Year Song describes the current period as:
“… the little space between
The marvellous birth and next New Year”
and continues with the words:
“A little child’s been born in strife
But it is peace he brings to us
And gives our world another day,
Another year to mend our ways
And build our broken world again.”
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If you are not a fan of social media, the Gnu would still like to let you know when significant new content is added to his site. He is an ethical beast and won’t pass on your details or do bad things with your personal information. To be honest, he only knows your name and email address, so there’s not much chance of Google-bots taking much interest, but your address won’t be displayed or shared with any third party. Also, being quite partial to cookies, he won’t be offering them around so they won’t be appearing in your browser any time soon. To add your name to, or remove it from the Gnu’s mailing list, please follow the menu link.
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