PSALM OFFERING 5 OPUS 10: Ballade (In memory of Harold and Evelyn Evenson)
The inspiration of this Psalm Offering comes from a psalm that is beloved to many, Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long. (Psalm 23, NRSV)
This psalm has that remarkable quality that quiets and calms people during even the most catastrophic of times in human lives. Rabbi Harold Kushner’s book, The Lord Is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom Of The Twenty-Third Psalm, is devoted to the healing power the words of the psalmist has on people.
The music, comprised of two very simple melodies, is meant to evoke the peace the psalm brings to people. The two melodies undergo subtle variations in accompaniment to a melody that never really changes.
Harold and Evelyn Evenson were Ruthie’s Aunt and Uncle on the maternal side of her family. In fact, Harold and Ev were the first relatives of Ruthie that I came to know. When Ruthie went to St Bernard’s High School (on Rice Street in St. Paul), she boarded during the week with Ev and Harold who lived in the old family house on Marion Street, two blocks from the High School. When I first dated Ruthie, I always picked her up at Ev and Harold’s house. At first, I thought that Ruth was an orphan and Ev and Harold were her guardians. It wasn’t until Ruthie’s high school graduation open house at the family farm in Scandia, Minnesota that I knew Ruth had parents.
Ev and Harold were unable to have children, however, many nieces and nephews spent time with them, especially when crises arose with the Burg/McNeely families. Ev had a sardonic wit and at time an acerbic way of expressing herself. Harold was extremely kind and generous. Their generosity was often repaid by other members of the family in helping fix and maintain the family home. Ev and Harold were extremely generous to Ruthie and I and our children when we were poor.
Psalm Offering 5 Opus 10: A Ballade in memory of Harold and Evelyn Evenson (c) 2018, Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved.
