Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele

After Craig died in Nov. 2007, it was decided to change the cantata scheduled for the following Sunday to something that could serve as an impromptu memorial for him. Lenny and Michael chose BWV 180 as it was one of Craig’s favorites, and also has a sweet warmth and almost elegiac quality to its opening movement.

I think I’ll never hear that opening without remembering that day vividly. Many Emmanuel musicians joined the ensemble and, standing shoulder to shoulder, we were both supported by everyone’s grief and almost overcome by it. It was almost an out-of-body experience, but when the cantata finally ended we had a collective feeling that we had offered something beautiful as a fitting tribute to our lost maestro.