Welcome to Tuesday and the May 21st, 2018 edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
On occasion, Tuesday's Musical Notes has taken the opportunity to emphasize the contributions of musicians who have died, leaving behind a tremendous impact on the landscape of culture and the history of music. The lives of Tom Petty (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You Don't Know How It Feels"), Prince (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Let's Go Crazy"), and Natalie Cole (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Unforgettable") have been celebrated as the great contributors to music that they were. But dear friends, Tuesday's Musical Notes has been remiss in the celebration of an iconic figure in the music industry whose songs have impacted lives all around the world. Today we make up for that.
He is one of only a handful of musicians to provide vocals albums by jazz great Miles Davis. ("Blue Xmas" from 1962's Jingle Bell Jazz AND "Nothing Like You" from 1967's Sorcerer). He served in World War II as an arranger, pianist, clarinetist, and sax player in Army bands. He recorded 28 albums of his own music and was a player/arranger/contributor on 17 others, most notably the 2 aforementioned Miles Davis albums. He was born in Cherry Hill, Arkansas and in 1998 was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame. He passed away on April 23rd of this year at the age of 94.
He left behind an impressive Jazz legacy but should be best remembered for the heirloom of combining book learning and beat loving...His most important contribution to music was not his Jazz albums, the Jazz legends he worked with, or the worldwide travel that he was able to do because of his Army enlistment and touring. You see, Bob Dorough was one of the creative team members of something that assists me even still today, perhaps it does you too!!! He was one of the first to pioneer the idea that learning is easier when you wrap it in a song... "'cause knowledge is power!!!"
If you happen to be in the United States from 1973 to 2009, there is a chance that you heard one of Bob Dorough's songs. This is the time period that an interstitial segue ran during Saturday morning programming. Ah, the good ol days where you could plan your Saturday by Scooby, JabberJaw, Bugs, Road Runner, and Daffy. In between these great Saturday morning cartoons would come commercials and for over 4 decades, Schoolhouse Rock. "As your body grows bigger, your mind must flower..."
Bob Dorough would write all of the lyrics and music for the first season, Multiplication Rock which debuted with "Three is a Magic Number" on January 13, 1973. He would be a contributor or writer for all of the remaining seasons. (Grammar Rock, (1973,'74,& '76), America Rock ('75, '76, '79, 2002), Science Rock ('78 & '79), Money Rock ('94, 95, & '96), and Earth Rock (2009).
I confess to you that there have been scholastic tests, high school as well as college, where I have sung one or more of the Schoolhouse Rock songs to answer a question. Go on, admit it. You did too!!! And, You have all of a sudden flashbacked to your own favorite Schoolhouse Rock song. I know, I know I should have sent an earworm alert because "Conjunction Junction" or "I'm Just a Bill" are going on in your head right now... As always we assumed you would want a countdown of the best of the series. See where your favorite lands on Entertainment Weekly's countdown of Schoolhouse Rock favorites. 'Schoolhouse Rock!': Our Top 15 list by Abby West, February 6, 2013 Entertainment Weekly
Schoolhouse Rock all began with today's feature song, "Three is a Magic Number" In modern culture, the number three has quite a bit of significance. Who doesn't love a three-day weekend? Ever heard of the Star Wars Trilogy? (that would be Episode 4, 5,& 6. So far all the rest haven't quite honestly lived up to the hype, but I digress) There is the Triple Crown in horse racing (Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes). There is every gambler's dream of winning a trifecta. But more important than all of these are the three that were in the beginning...The Trinity!
Now, if you were paying attention to "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla" when Grammar Rock aired, you know the importance of pronouns. In verse 26 of Genesis chapter 1, the pronoun "us" is very important as it goes to establish that while not magic, Three is still a significant number. There are many in this world that would deny or at the very least doubt the existence of the Trinity in any instance much less the creation account we are considering as our focus today. But who is the "us" to which God refers in verse 26?
To get to the Three-in-One, we have to go back to the first three verses of Genesis. You see, God does nothing without order. As He was getting ready to go "Big" and say "Bang" (Tuesday's Musical Notes "Big Bang" theory)(If God ever said "Bang" it really isn't recorded in the Bible...just a bit of creation humor...yet who would argue that the universe He spoke into existence isn't big, again, we digress) God spoke of Himself, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. Let's unpack that, shall we?
Verse 1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth..." - who needs a Schoolhouse Rock song for that, pretty simple right? God, the Father, creator of all things, was obviously present at the beginning of all things.
Verse 2 "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Holy Spirit was anticipating what God was going to do next. God, the Holy Spirit, the One who communes with our spirit and continues to anticipate what God will do next in our lives, was present at creation.
Verse 3 "And God said, “Let there be Light,” and there was Light." Jesus who was waiting for God to call Him into the darkness of this world appears on the scene at this moment. Oh, but Randy...you're using a dual meaning of words to make Scripture to prove your point, ok, so don't rely on me, let's see what Jesus says. He explains it pretty plainly in The Gospel of Jesus according to John, chapter 8 NIV/The Message/ESV, following this logic, Jesus was present at the formation of what we know of as "everything".
Did you catch that whole "I am the Light of the world" thing? Let's reread it just to make sure we are catching exactly what Jesus is proclaiming: John 8:12-30 NIV/The Message/ESV Remember, the folks to which Jesus was speaking would have been devout Jews who were very familiar with the Pentateuch, the first five chapters of the Bible. When Jesus uses the same word for "Light" that Moses used in Genesis 1, His declaration frames Genesis in an entirely different structure than what they had come to believe. To these devout Jews, One was the only number with which they were concerned. But here comes Jesus, teaching that Three is actually more important than one. No wonder He was called a rebel. No wonder He was called a charlatan. No wonder the crucified Him as a blasphemer.
For a more in-depth analysis of the Trinity at Creation, let's go to the experts, our friends at Answers in Genesis:
"The Trinity and Creation" by Paul F. Taylor, from February 15, 2008, answersingenesis.org
Trust me when I say there is no "magic" in numbers. There are importance and meaning, yes, but no "magic". The principle of the Trinity is the foundation for my belief. For without the foundation of the Godhead Three-in-One, the remainder of the Bible becomes what so many think it to be...a really good storybook.
And in this context, to some, I suppose..."Three is a Magic Number"
Sing it with me!!! 3,6,9 12,15,18 21,24,27 30
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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