Widor "Toccata"

Lightning didn't strike when CollageMama attended a beautiful wedding of two precious, gentle, wise, talented young adults yesterday at First Baptist Church of Dallas. I love this sincere couple, and celebrated their happiness together that I first saw when we attended the Santa Fe Opera's "Don Giovanni" together last August at the time they became engaged.

Their wedding recessional was Charles Marie Widor's "Toccata From Symphony No. Five". The First Baptist pipe organ was fine, but I was instantly transported to my personal Wonder Years church choir career of 1967-1973. The "Toccata" is a jubilant get-yourself-on-up-the-aisle-shake-hands-and-eat-fried-chicken-with-biscuits-and-gravy uplifting experience. I wonder what would happen if Lyle Lovett and Charles Marie Widor could collaborate...

To the Lord let praises be
It's time for dinner now let's go eat
We've got some beans and some good cornbread
Now listen to what the preacher said
He said to the Lord let praised be
It's time for dinner now let's go eat

And the moral of this story
Children it is plain but true
God knows if a preacher preaches long enough
Even he'll get hungry too
And he'll sing

To the Lord let praises be
It's time for dinner now let's go eat
We've got some beans and some good cornbread
Now listen to what the preacher said
He said to the Lord let praised be
It's time for dinner now let's go eat

I grew up attending First Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska. The pipe organ behind the screen was dedicated in 1968. Our Minister of Music, C. Richard Morris could play a dandy Widor Tocatta that made the members of the junior and senior high choirs want to march up the aisle, snag a donut and some juice in the fellowship hall, and head out to Pioneers Park to enjoy God's gifts of sunshine, green grass, Frisbees, and good friends.