Sitting with Kathleen out in the audience, Brother Chandler suddenly felt a sharp pain in
the palm of one of his hands. At almost the same time, the words \"I AM\" were spoken to him by
the Spirit—a reverberation of another kind, as though the Lord was saying \"Hello\" to him. It was
a very intimate and sacred moment; an experience of life to be written down and treasured
forever. Like Brother Hancock, he had grown accustomed to hearing these exact words (or some
form of them) repeated often by the Lord, having heard them hundreds of times in recent years.
Besides the fact that each occurrence was a separate and distinct witness of the existence of God,
these words, repeated often, were pleasant reminders of how closely the Lord was watching over
them and supervising them, involved in their thoughts, desires, and daily activities<\/span>. <\/p> <\/p>
With so much going on, there wasn't time to ponder this further at the moment, so he
stored the incident in the back of his mind to enjoy later; he didn't want to miss out on this
marvelous feast of apple treats and beautiful music filling the Conference Center! It would have
been handy to have some kind of high-definition \"spiritual gift recorder\" to capture these
operations of the Spirit for his journal. But lacking that, he relied upon his mind and soul to
record everything and, hopefully, not forget important details that might be diminished by time.<\/p>
<\/p>
So much is happening<\/i>! <\/i><\/p>
Et in terra pax<\/i> was sounding even better to him in the live performance than it did in
rehearsals, if that was possible. Thus, we can see that the Spirit of the Lord is also an excellent
big game performer.<\/p>
<\/p>
What<\/i> <\/i>makes music so beautiful? <\/i>he asked himself.<\/p>
<\/p>
Can sacred and beautiful music<\/i> bring men to Christ? <\/i>Isn't it a gift of the Spirit in its own
right?<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
What can music alone a<\/i>ccomplish towards the<\/i> three<\/i> primary missions<\/i> of<\/i> <\/i>the Church<\/i>?
Does it have any limitations<\/i>?<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
He thought for a while, but no limitations came to mind. Music seemed to offer a
limitless frontier of possibilities in the gospel, literally able to change the world in combination
with all of the other spiritual gifts given to man. <\/p>
<\/p>
And what about this great Tabernacle Choir on stage? Is it being <\/i>fully <\/i>utilized? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
The world hardly seems to notice it<\/i>,<\/i> and we in <\/i>the Church<\/i> have become complacent,
spoiled, and past feeling, taking t<\/i>his important music of the C<\/i>hoir for granted and often ignoring
it in our lives.<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Is the Lord limited to one Tabernacle Choir? Why not have two or three? Was <\/i>the
Church<\/i> preordained from the foundation of the world to have just one? One Lord, one faith, one
baptism—yes; but only one Tabernacle Choir? <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
The second and third <\/i>C<\/i>hoirs could be formed by members called to full-time missions,
regularly touring gatherings of saints throughout Utah, and gatherings of saints and
nonmembers alike throughout the world—a couple of traveling Broadway or USO shows in a
sense.<\/i> This would also give many more members the chance to volunteer and participate in the
Choir.<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Certainly, hearing the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square in person is a
totally different experience from hearing them on TV or the internet. The power of the Spirit can
be almost overwhelming in a live performance. It would be tragic for someone to hear the <\/i>C<\/i>hoir
in person only once or twi<\/i>ce in a lifetime. M<\/i>usic this inspirational should be more of a regular
thing in <\/i>the Church<\/i>. <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
The traveling <\/i>C<\/i>hoir groups might also be used to build up and mentor stake-level choirs
and orchestras, leaving behind<\/i> them<\/i> a trail of breadcrumbs to Zion at stake conference centers. <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Just for fun, Brother Chandler ran some numbers in his head: 360 choir members and 100
musicians called for two- or three-year missions plus administrative and technical staff on
salary—some 500 people in total. Instruments, bells, different sets of apparel, touring buses,
food, lodging and other travel costs, special stage and decorations––$15 to $20 million per Choir
per year perhaps. Surely, we could find a successful Latter-day Saint businessman or two with <\/p>
deep pockets willing to fund this effort year after year? For what would they do instead with
their money? Or we could even set up a special donation fund if no such righteous wealthy men
or women in the Church can be found. And certainly, regular touring of two additional Choirs
would dramatically increase DVD, Blu-Ray, and CD sales to diversify the funding avenues.<\/p>
<\/p>
Out in the auditorium, the marvelous gathering of Church leaders in attendance, men and
women both, were greatly inspired by the music:<\/p>
<\/p>
How amazing this is! <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Here we <\/i>are in<\/i> the middle of <\/i>summer<\/i> enjoying a Christmas-like festival. Christmas in <\/i>
June<\/i>! <\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Music seems to have a bigger and more important role to play in <\/i>the Church<\/i> than we had
previously thought. It's not just<\/i> to be used as<\/i> rest period<\/i>s<\/i> <\/i>between lon<\/i>g and sometimes
wearisome talks of speakers. We need much more of this, not less, in our stakes. I think we have
discovered something very important here today. The road to Zion <\/i>in <\/i>the Church<\/i> <\/i>begins with <\/i>
music!<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
The pace of the music in this piece was already slow to begin with, but about halfway in,
it became slower still. The conductor's movements slowed, causing the musicians and members
of the Choir to also slow down. Each measure took several seconds to complete as though time
itself was slowing, and in the process, bringing this first ever session of Zion Conference to a
halt. It was like the early hours of Christmas Day when Carolyn and Coco had listened to the
\"Hymn of the Poor\" playing over and over in a loop. Et in terra pax<\/i> <\/i>was doing that now. Caught
in a slow, endless loop, nobody in the auditorium seemed able to stop it. But nobody really
wanted to either. <\/p>
<\/p>
The audience thought, Why not let this fine piece play <\/i>on for<\/i> another hour or so?<\/i> It is
good for us to be here<\/i> and enjoy this<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>
<\/p>
Looking at the music pieces mentioned in Brother Williams' talk thus far from a technical
perspective, the first movement Gloria in excelsis Deo<\/i> is mainly homophonic, meaning that
everybody sings the melody at the same time, forming chords in succession. Et in terra pax<\/i>, in
contrast is mainly polyphonic. Polyphony is a type of voicing texture where voices act
independently, singing the melody at their own time; there is no soloist and accompaniment, and
each voice is like a catalyst or leader. Et in terra pax<\/i> <\/i>reflects an individual's inner feelings––each
person praying and communicating to God on their own––and is more intimate to the listener,
whereas Gloria in excelsis Deo<\/i> reflects the state of mind of the assembled group. We need both
of these––inspired efforts as individuals, and inspired efforts as a group––to create Zion in our
stakes.<\/p>
<\/p>
Et in terra pax<\/i> is also very intense while it ascends, but this ascension happens gradually;
each segment is just one gradation. The listener may perceive the gradation only when the music
is about to reach its culmination. If you listen closely, you can feel the tension rising all the way <\/p>through. These gradual ascendings constantly reach new heights, taking the listener to the top of
the mountain where a vision of Zion can be seen. <\/span><\/p>
<\/p>
Desire and humility, present in the prior movement, are also found here. Humility is
represented by the slow pace of the music––the sadness, the tragedies, the difficult trials of life,
and the need to stay close to the ground on our hands and knees as we move forward through the
mist of darkness. Desire is the gradual ascension, the hope for the bright light off at a distance.
Humility causes us to be cautious in our assessment of our abilities and to move at a slower pace
when seeking to do big things in the gospel. It reminds us of our weaknesses. Yet humility is also
a principle of power. It is the means by which our weaknesses can become strengths. Like desire,
it stands ready to help us put our shoulder to the wheel and press forward with a perfect
brightness of hope<\/span>.<\/p> <\/p>
Awakened from a short nap, time itself was ready to move forward again, to quicken the
pace of the music. Soon the last procession of male and female voices had arrived. The music
ascended in both volume and pitch, sounding fully harmonious and vibrant, and building terrific
energy throughout the auditorium. The effect of the music was overwhelming!<\/p>
<\/p>
The glory of Zion was felt, but not completely seen by the audience. Desire and humility
were coming together in a beautiful marriage for the listeners, leading them up to the highest
realms of this makeshift cathedral in the Conference Center. The music had started a chain
reaction where one thing triggers another, unleashing an avalanche of new blessings. There was
no new doctrine of the Church being introduced here by the music. It was simply making use of
everything that was already good in the Church and good in the world<\/span> to raise us higher and
higher towards perfection. <\/p>"}