Kanon "Die zal leven" = Canon "They Shall Live", 1972 - 2021

Mark's Gospel falls into two sections: the first, 1:1 - 8:30 introduces Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who first stakes his claim then proves it. He presents external evidence of his power to heal and make whole, and to give evidence that God is already among the people. He is a peripatetic wisdom teacher defying the Institutions of his day, which had lost sight of this reality. The second section, 8:31 - 16:20, reveals the Messiah as the Son of Man, a coded refernce to one who must die on behalf of the people. Here, the evidence presented is internal, a call to inner turmoil necessary for clariity to emerge. The turning point between these two sections is in mid chapter 8, the hinge as it were, where Jesus is interrogating his dsicples, to see if they were ready for the next stage of revelation. "But who do you say that I am?" and Peter spoke out, in words attributed to the Early Church, "You are the Messiah!", the Christos, the expected One. Of course, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, they never did get it - how could they?

Jesus is still preaching outside of Galilee, as Mark turns to addressing in counter-cultural terms the cost of discipleship. This requires self-emptying (kenosis in Paul's terminology) so as to come closest to Jesus' own experience of completel slef-emptying, physically surrendering his life as the fulfillment of his ministry.

This taut poem of Huub Oosterhuis sees Mark in his 'in your face' mode. There will be no prisonners, the reality is stark. If you don't share, give of what you have, then you're not alive, and will be forsaken. But if you do give up everything, share with everyone, you will be deveoured by everyone, as Jesus is in the bread of eucharist, and only in doing so will you be truly alive. This is a non-negotiable truth, it is axiomatic that if you want to live, you have to die., If you want to be filled (pleroma, again from Paul), this may be accomplished ony by a total emptying of oneself.

In shaping this melody, Huijbers was influenced by fellow Dutch composer Lassus, whose 16th Century late Renaissance mature polyphany represented the Franco-Flemnish school, and felt all across Europe. Huijbers is paying homage by producing his own polyphonic arrangement of the piece, not as a linear score but as a circular piece with canonic entrances for up to 4 voices. He has provided sepearate models of accompaniment to accommodate the entrance of each number of voices. - Tony Barr