Music's powers

Juliet Chung has an interesting article in WSJ from Saturday on the more obscure powers of music. Researchers believe hearing music increases brain activity and may help restore brain function after a stroke. You can read the whole there here. Thanks to Fred B. for giving me a hard copy of the article.

Welcome the Child carol concert

This coming Sunday the music ministry will present a carol service we are calling Welcome the Child. The title is drawn from a modern Christmas carol by Marty Haugen that will be part of the program. In fact Haugen wrote and arranged an additional 12 or so carols to constitute his own carol service using the same title. I performed that entire program some years ago in Richmond. I've used several of the carols in various settings over the years. This year I am using several, but not all, of Haugen's arrangements for this carol service.

Our Chancel Choir will sing "Welcome the child," "Pat-a-pan," "Good Christian friends, rejoice," "A stable lamp is lighted," "Twas in the moon of winter-time" (all by Haugen), plus Andre Thomas' "African noel." The Prophets of Praise will sing two additional Haugen arrangements: a new carol called "Hodie Christus natus est" ("Christ is born today") and a medley of "Infant holy, infant lowly" and "Silent night, holy night."

Our children's choirs, the Aerie Singers and the Carol Choir will sing Haugen's "Carol at the Manger."

The Tune Weavers will sing a setting of "Lo, how a rose e'er-blooming" and will be the TB voices in an SATB setting of "While shepherds watched their flocks by night," to the tune SHERBORNE in a new arrangement by Winges from OCP. We'll have four SA choir singers to fill out the octet format we'll use for this performance.

The Adult Handbell choir will ring a setting of "In the bleak mid-winter." The youth ringers, Aaron's Bells, will ring a setting of "Good King Wenceslas." We will have a piano/organ duet setting of "Joy to the world."

It will be a great program! It will begin at 7PM and child care will be available. Please join us, and support the hard work and dedication of our church's musicians, and hear some wonderful Christmas music!

By the way, the adult bell ringers and the Tune Weavers will be the musical diversion at an open house at the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat, this Wednesday afternoon from 3PM. Drop by, see the center, nosh, and hear some nice carols sung and rung by some friendly folks!

La posada or Las posadas

The weekday school (preschool) here at BMPCNC has for several years held a reenactment of the search by Mary and Joseph for a place of shelter before the birth of the Messiah, Jesus. Based on a Mexican festival, the preschool's version is very cute, pleasingly multi-cultural and a much beloved part of their year.

However, I made the mistake of poking my nose in about the title of the event. The culture here uses "la posada." For years I have used "las posadas." I raised the difference with Jennifer R. who has striven to find the diplomatic middle way. Alice P. has her sources; Phil C. studied Spanish in school, and I have my precedents. We all have cited our sources and invoked our authorities, to the end that we don't know quite what to call this festival!

I did a bit of research and found a pretty even split. This is the text of an email I circulated today to try to explain the differences and seek peace amongst the church staff!

"It looks like the jury will have to remain deadlocked. After a little bit of research I have found authoritative references using both la posada and las posadas. Not knowing Spanish myself, it seems that the difference is merely a matter of grammar: singular or plural. Shelter or shelters, inn or inns.

It seems to me that because the nine-day festival moves from place to place, including several stops, “shelters” would be more reasonable; but on the other hand, the characters stop at one potential “shelter” per night, making that a reasonable option.

Here are the sites I investigated:

http://www.santas.net/mexicanchristmas.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Posadas

http://www.cinnamonhearts.com/LasPosadas.htm

http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/mexico.htm

Ultimately, if you are willing to concede that I am not insane, I am willing to do that same with you! Go with what you know and/or have become familiar and comfortable with. Just know that as with so many things, there’s more than one way to skin a cat."

I threw that last metaphor in just for kicks and to muddy the issue just a wee bit more!

If you have an informed opinion, please weigh in using the comment button. I'd love to hear your information/sources, and any experiences you have had with this Christmas festival in your community or church. Feliz navidad!

Music for Worship November 23, 2008

This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, a day at the end of the church year when we affirm and celebrate the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all creation. This is also the last of a series of centennial celebration Sundays. Bobbi White, executive presbyter of the Western North Carolina Presbytery, and a daughter of this church will be the preacher. It’s also the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so worship music will have that as an additional theme.

FirstLight worship will begin with a set including “King of kings and Lord of lords,” “He is exalted,” “We will glorify the King of kings,” and “Made me glad.” We will use the song “You are my king (Amazing Love)” for the confession. We will sing Graham Kendrick’s “Go forth in his name” at the end of worship. The Prophets will sing “Thank you Lord” by Dave Jernigan at the offering, with Jimmy Owens’ setting of the Doxology to follow.

Worship at 11AM will include the hymns “Now thank we all our God” (NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT); “Lord, you give the great commission” (ABBOT’S LEIGH); and Come, ye thankful people, come” (ST. GEORGE’S WINDSOR). The Aerie Singers will sing “Jubilate Everybody" as the introit, complete with choreography. We’ll use WESTMINSTER ABBEY at the confession, and “Let all things now living” (THE ASH GROVE) at the benediction. The choir anthem is Allen Pote’s setting of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength.” We will welcome trumpeters Anna McC. And Will S. to help with the performance. Anna is also going to play the Bach setting of NUN DANKET at the prelude. The will be an improvisation on KELVINGROVE at the offering and Paul Manz’ setting of NUN DANKET for the postlude.

Carol Singing

The January 2009 issue of British Heritage magazine has a nice article on carol singing in Britain. It discusses the development of carols and carol singing, their repression under Puritan rule and restoration after 1700. Also discussed are some favorite secular and sacred carols. The article reveals some historical tidbits: the word "waits" associated with carolers is the early word for the town watchmen. Wassail come from two old Anglo-Saxon words, waes hael, meaning "be healthy." The articles of the issue are not yet on-line, but likely will be in a few weeks here. Thanks for Mary V. for sharing the magazine. She wouldn't be satisfied unless I also mentioned that there is an article on John Rutter which includes a picture of the maestro holding a cat, of all things! Choral singers especially will find both article interesting.

Obama's Music

An interesting article about what music President-elect Obama might bring to the White House. Howard Reich suggests that Barack Obama might set a positive tone for the arts and jazz in particular were he to bring a jazz event to the White House following his inauguration. The author makes mention of a famous jazz event during Carter's presidency, and a similar event during Clinton's tenure. Obama's Chicago connection makes the jazz tie-in obvious, but a similar event in support of choral singing would also be most welcome by many.

What a day

From Telemann to Ed Lojeski, and from Buxtehude to Michael Burkhardt. Not every music music program can span the ages and musical spectrum like we did at 11AM this morning. We even managed to have Caribbean and Korean music represented to make it a global celebration. At FirstLight, our rendition of Ken Canedo's "Jesus Christ is Lord" was absolutely mesmerizing. Andy broke in his new drum (what do you call it, Andy?) in fine fashion. We introduced a new (to them) song to someone who had not heard it before and made a profound impart on their faith (Keith Getty's and Stuart Townend's In Christ Alone). The message of the scripture, to put absolute trust in Jesus and to trust in his sovereignty over all things, was manifest in many musical elements in worship. Perrin put his nerves on the shelf and the frozen chosen experienced a significant thaw. Wade set the pace on the choir anthem and everyone of the Tune Weavers soared. We had everything from recorder to double bass, with a little tambourine thrown in for good measure!

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite children's musicals for church (Terry Kirkland's Through the Roof) is, "it was a great day!" That's a most appropriate summary for the music today, and for the entire worship experience at both services. Thanks, everyone, for the hard work and commitment to musical excellence and heartfelt communication of the gospel. Our Lord was honored and the worshiping community blessed by your efforts.

Worship Music November 16

FirstLight will begin with a set including "Jubilate, Everybody" from the Iona Community; "He knows my name;" and "Shout to the Lord." We'll use the Caribbean "Halle, halle" at the confession. Andy G. got a new ceramic drum this week. He's breaking it in with us in worship on a couple of these songs this Sunday. The Prophets will sing a new song at the offering, "Jesus Christ is Lord." It is a setting of text from Philippians, and includes a meditative and captivating refrain with which the congregation can sing. We'll use "We are an offering" as our Doxology this week. Our closing song will be "In Christ alone."

Hymns at 11AM will include "Immortal, invisible, God only wise" (ST. DENIO); "Lonely the boat" (BAI); and "Take my life and let it be" (HENDON). I was explaining to the choir in rehearsal that while HENDON is a perfectly fine tune, United Methodists associate that tune with the text "Ask ye what great thing I know." I shared further that the tune MESSIAH is used for "Take my life" in the UM hymnal. It makes for an interesting comparison. Despite the theological limitations in the hymn "Ask ye...," there's nothing like a few hundred Methodists singing "Jesus Christ, the crucified" to the last musical phrase of HENDON unaccompanied.

The Tune Weavers will sing Hassler's "Cantate Domino" at the introit; we'll use the Caribbean "Halle, halle" at the confession and Dauermann's "Trees of the field" at the benediction. The choir will sing Michael Burkhardt's "The Lord is beautiful" at the readings. This anthem merges a Tanzanian worship song "Nimemwona bwana" with the first stanza of the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus." The choir will also include a stanza of the hymn "Beautiful Savior" in their rendition this week. The Tune Weavers will sing Ed Lojeski's setting of "Just a closer walk with thee" at the offering. They will be joined by Andy G. and Perrin T. to add some color to the accompaniment. As a special treat, Robert Cumming, a retired clergyperson from Montreat, will play two movements from a Telemann string quartet on recorder. Worship will conclude with Buxtehude's "Fugue in C," the gigue fugue for organ.

Latin 301

The Tune Wavers are working on Hans Leo the Hassler's Cantate Domino. One of the lines is "Et benedicite nomini ejus." One of the singers (Lamar W.) asked why it's "nomini" with an "i" instead of "nomine" with an "e." He states that it seems to be a plural form in the present instance ("and bless his {God's} names"). We know that it really translates as, "and bless his name." I assured him that it likely has to do with how the word is being used in the phrase, but I am not up on my Latin enough to be specific. Anyone else have a precise definitive answer?

Boy did I get what I asked for! Thanks to colleagues in America, Canada, Italy, New Zealand and Finland! I have gotten permission to add the more detailed replies (and the most humorous) in the combox. You really need to read through the comments. Thanks everyone for writing! And thanks, Lamar W., for asking!

Chirst the King Sunday 23 November

We will celebrate Christ the King Sunday on November 23. This particular day is one of only two Sundays in the church year that are not based on the life of Christ or an event in Jesus' life (the other being Trinity Sunday). Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year, the last Sunday in the ordinary season that began after Pentecost and the last Sunday before Advent begins.

In his Companion to the Book of Common Worship, Peter C. Bower has this to say about our observance of Christ the King Sunday:

The day centers on the crucified and risen Christ, whom God exalted to rule over the whole universe. The celebration of the lordship of Christ thus looks back to Ascension, Easter and Transfiguration, and points ahead to the appearing in glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ reigns supreme. Christ rules in peace. Christ's truth judges falsehood. As the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Christ is the center of the universe, and ruler of history, the judge of all people. In Christ all things began, and in Christ all things will be fulfilled. In the end Christ will triumph over all the forces of evil.

What a powerful statement of faith, as well as a concise summary of the theology implicit in our celebration of this day in the church year!

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat

What do you think about church

I recall an article sometime ago that researched the general impressions non-church folks had of church. The rather ambiguous question was something like, "what comes to mind when you think of church?" Among the top three answers was something like, "they hate gay people." Also up there was a sense that churches fret over money too much. All of the replies were negatives: "they're against..." "they don't..." You get the idea.

There is a neat article at Church Marketing Sucks that adds another layer: "churches are tax-exempt." The imaginary dialogue goes one, "I don't ever really think about churches." The corollary is, when "they" do think about church, it's negatively.

None of those impressions of church really makes me excited about church, and I suspect that not many members of BMPCNC would claim any of these three as taking pride of place at our congregation. Yet this is the impression that all too many folks have of church. What are we doing about it? The adage, "actions speak louder than words" comes to mind. Is it time for the dramatic, extravagant expression of love of neighbor that will begin to change our public image?

No Youth Rehearsals this Sunday

I'll be away Sunday, so enjoy your afternoon off. Be ready to get back to work soon!

Facebook

I have finally caved and signed on at Facebook. I am thinking of starting a BMPCNC group there. Become my friend at Facebook and I'll add you to the group. You'll get new on church stuff first, even if you're not a part of a music group, or even a member of the church.

Presby Hymnal site

A new site for the Presbyterian hymnal committee and the hymnal project is up and running. Lots of information here. Be sure to poke around and visit often to keep up to date on developments on the committee's work and the hymnal project. Also, Adam Copeland, a member of the committee has a blog; you can keep up with his reflections on the project by checking here in the coming months (and years!). He graduated from St. Olaf in Minnesota and is currently at Columbia Seminary in Decatur. Here's a nice picture of Mel Bringle, chair of the committee.

Worship Music November 9

FirstLight worship will begin with a medley of "Father, I adore you," "Sanctuary" (including a second verse popular among youth), "As the deer," and "More love, more power." We will sing our familiar "Celtic Alleluia" at the confession. Our closing song will be Betty Pulkingham's and Donald Fishel's Easter hymn "Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord." Melissa C. will sing one of her own songs at the offering. At the Prophet's retreat last summer each participant shared a piece of music meaningful to them. Melissa shared this song, which she had written, and for which she accompanied herself on guitar. It's a powerful statement of faith and hopefulness. We will use the folksy Avery and Marsh Doxology.

Hymns at 11AM will include "Ye servants of God" (HANOVER); "Today we are all called to be disciples" (KINGSFOLD); and "God whose giving knows no ending" (BEACH SPRING). The choir will sing text by Isaac Watts at the introit and benediction, to the tune ST. THOMAS. Noah Allen will be the guest organist this week. He will be playing Bach's little Prelude and Fugue in C at the prelude; Walther's setting of "O God thou faithful God" at the offering, and at the prelude an improvisation on CORONATION.

Organ Informance

The Western North Carolina Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is bringing Cj Sambach to the area for an "informance" (organ education) event and a concert. The informance will be Friday November 21 at 1:15 PM at St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville. Sambach will present a concert on Saturday November 22 at 7PM at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Asheville.



Sambach is nationally known for his captivating, educational and unique explanations of how the pipe organ works. Kids especially will enjoy the Friday afternoon event. Sambach goes into detail about how the organ produces sounds, and the variety of sounds the organ makes.

I hope you will be able to attend. Email me for more details.

Music for Worship November 2

FirstLight worship will begin with "Fairest Lord Jesus" in an arrangement that includes a new bridge section.  We'll also sing Chris Tomlin's "How great is our God."  Caroline P. will sing "For the glory of your name" at the offering.  We'll sing "One bread, one body" at communion and close our service with "The trees of the field."

Hymns at 11AM will include "Arise, your light has come" (FESTAL SONG) and "We are all one in mission" (ES FLOG EINS KLEINS WALDVOGELEIN).  The choir will sing "I song a song of the saints of God" at the introit, the familiar Greatorex "Gloria Patri" at the confession and "The trees of the field" at the benediction.  The choir anthem (at the offering) will be John Ferguson's setting of "Hymn of Promise."  Organ music at the prelude and postlude will be Johann Pachelbel, a Fantasy and a Toccata.

In Advent we will be introducing a setting of the "trees of the field" text by Mary Louise Bringle. A paraphrase of Isaiah 55, Bringle brings out the very pastoral sense of the text.  Matched with music by William Rowan, the hymn is a compelling contrast to the jubilant version we are singing this week at both services.  I hope to have the up-beat setting fresh in everyone's minds when we begin using the new setting in Advent.

Bandwagon, anyone?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) published a new hymnal last year, a successor to the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) of 1978. That hymnal began a whole round of hymnal revision projects among Protestant denominations.

It seems they have started it again. I have previously discussed the new Presbyterian hymnal project, including most recently the personnel selected for the committee. Last week we got the names of persons to constitute a hymnal revision committee for The United Methodist Church, and this week the chairs of that group. The UMC book is scheduled for publication following the 2012 General Conference meeting of the denomination (similar to the Presbyterian General Assembly).

Here is the initial release from last week:

UM Hymnal Revision Committee Named

Nashville, October 9—The Hymnal Revision Committee, authorized by the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, is announced today.

The committee is charged with preparing and presenting to the 2012 General Conference a hymn and worship resource for adoption as an official hymnal of The United Methodist Church for congregational use in the United States.

As the first comprehensive resource since publication of the initial United Methodist Hymnal in 1989, the new resource will aspire to

• reflect the changes that are occurring in music and liturgy throughout the connection and the larger Christian world
• enable United Methodists to sing and worship in ways that honor God and transform persons and congregations toward personal piety and social holiness
• provide a common language of prayer and song
• remember and celebrate the rich Wesleyan (Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren), sacramental, evangelical, and diverse theological traditions
• incorporate expressions of worship in new and revitalized congregations to engage all persons, including new, younger, and diverse people
• hold broad appeal across cultural, geographical, age, and congregational settings
• incorporate the newest technologies and ways of communicating the music and liturgy of the Church
• offer a clear expression of hope that The United Methodist Church is growing in its love of God and neighbor to transform the world
• enable all who use it to express their own heart-language for God and to hear the heart-language of others

As provided for in action by the General Conference, a total of 27 voting members were named by the Council of Bishops, The Order of St. Luke, The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, the General Board of Discipleship, and The United Methodist Publishing House.

The first meeting of the Hymnal Revision Committee will be held from January 20-22, 2009, in Nashville. The voting members are as follows:

Bishops

William W. Hutchinson

Deborah L. Kiesey

Ernest S. Lyght

Lay Persons

Neil M. Alexander

Beverly Clement

Mary Jo Dahlberg

Stacy Hood

Heather Josselyn-Cranson

Jorge Lockward

Raquel Martinez

Marcia McFee

Shannon Meister

Mark Miller

Clergy

Laura Jaquith Bartlett

Grace Cajiuat

Patricia Farris

R. Carl Frazier

Karen Greenwaldt

Trey Hall

Hyoik Kim

Walter Kimbrough

Andy Langford

Robert H. McMichael III

Donna Strickland Smith

Eric Smith

John Thornburg

Mark J. Webb

The committee includes 13 women and 14 men. Three of the members are bishops, 7 female and 9 male clergy, 2 male clergy candidates, 6 female laity, 3 male laity. A further breakdown shows 17 Caucasians, 5 African Americans, 2 Hispanic/Latino/Spanish/ Portuguese, 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1 Korean, 1 Native American. Members bring a vast array of experience to this new task, including work on the first United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, Zion Still Sings!, and Mil Voces para Celebrar.

And here is information about the chairs announced this week:

Nashville,
October 17—Neil M. Alexander, President and Publisher of The United Methodist Publishing House, and Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship, The United Methodist Church, announced today that the role of editor of the new hymn and worship book authorized by the 2008 General Conference will be shared by Dean B. McIntyre and Gary Alan Smith.

Dean B. McIntyre is the Director of Music Resources at the General Board of Discipleship, where his responsibilities include development of music and worship resources, planning and leading field events related to music and worship, and continued development and expansion of GBOD’s music Web site. A native of New York City, McIntyre holds a Master of Music from Eastern New Mexico University and a Ph. D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University. He is a composer, author, and teacher and chaired the General Conference Music and Worship Study, 2004-2007. McIntyre chaired the national introductory event for The Faith We Sing and served on editorial committee for Zion Still Sings. He is a member of ASCAP and a Life Member of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. He will continue as Director of Music Resources while serving as co-editor.

Gary Alan Smith is Senior Music Editor at Abingdon Press. A native of Milwaukee, Smith holds a Master of Sacred Music from Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a Master of Theology from the Perkins School of Theology at SMU. He is an author, speaker, composer, clinician, and church music director and served as editorial manager of the Hymnal Revision Project that resulted in The United Methodist Hymnal; editorial manager of Mil voces para celebrar; sponsoring editor of The Faith We Sing; and consultant for Zion Still Sings. Smith will also serve as project director for the new hymn and worship resource.

Some dish on the UM committee members: Carl Frazier is a pastor in eastern NC; Andy Langford is a published author who is now pastor of Central UMC in Concord, NC; in additional to being a clergyperson, John Thornburg is a published hymn text author (his "God the sculptor of the mountains" appears in Sing the Faith #2060); Mark Miller is a composer of some reknown especially in Methodist circles.

It will be interesting to see how the two concurrent hymnal projects proceed and what similarities will be evident in the scope and design of the projects.

Understanding All Saints Sunday

"American Presbyterians have been observing All Saints Day/Sunday for at least 50 years." That statement is found in a 1982 article in the Presbyterian Associations of Musicians' journal (Reformed Liturgy and Music, XVI.4, p 154.) Twenty-six years further on, we still should remind ourselves of the "whats" and "whys" of All Saints celebrations.

Whenever we state the Apostles' Creed we affirm our belief in the "communion of saints." Far more than having "something to do with the Lord's Supper," this statement lies near the heart of an understanding of All Saints observance. "All Saints is a time to rejoice in all who through the ages have faithfully served God. It reminds us that we are part of one, continuing, living communion..." (ed. Richardson, et. al., The Westminster dictionary of Christian theology, Westminster, 1983). The communion of saints draws on the message of Hebrews 12, that there is a great company of witnesses surrounding us like a cloud. The death of God's disciples does not end their relationship with God, but indeed they enter into a fuller fellowship in the glory of God. The family of God is "united in heaven and on earth, as one body, in which all members are 'alive unto God.'" Our communion is not interrupted, let alone ended, but is merely changed.

Important to Presbyterians is the notion of the "priesthood of all believers." This is right in line with how we understand All Saints Sunday. We acknowledge the Godly lives of our spiritual ancestors and by drawing the example of their lives of faith and worship and mission to mind, we seek to emulate the same in our own lives. Veneration and adoration can be taken to extreme, hence the on-going Protestant re-interpretation of the doctrine surrounding All Saints. The meaning is captured fully and quite simply in the line from Lesbia Scott's hymn "I sing a song of the saints of God:" "I mean to be one too."
To celebrate the Lord's Supper at an All Saints celebration is singularly appropriate. "This service is a deep remembrance in which we encounter anew the most profound dimensions of what it is to be the church. There is a clear eschatological vision and tone to this celebration, since it reminds us of those for whom the battle is over, the victory won, and also of our continuing pilgrimage toward God and heavenly banquet" (Hickman, et. al., Handbook of the Christian year, Abingdon, 1986). The service is meant to be solemn without being sad, a service of remembrance not dwelling on persons but rather on the grace of God evidenced in persons' lives and encouragement to seek similar attitudes of devotion and service in our own lives.

In the weeks between now and All Saints, be reminded, each time we say what we believe, that in a few weeks we will have a wonderful opportunity to enact and live out our faith as we "rejoice in God's saints."

Rejoice in God's saints, today and all days!
A world without saints forgets how to praise.
Their faith in acquiring the habit of prayer,
their depth of adoring, Lord, help us to share.

Some march with events, to turn them God's way;
some need to withdraw, the better to pray;
some carry the gospel through fire and through flood:
our world is their parish: their purpose is God.

Rejoice in those saints, unpraised and unknown,
who bear someone's cross, or shoulder their own:
they shame our complaining, our comforts, our cares:
what patience in caring, what courage is theirs!

Rejoice in God's saints, today and all days!
A world without saints forgets how to praise.
in loving, in living, they prove it is true:
The way of self-giving, Lord, leads us to you.
Fred Pratt Green, 1977

Worship Music October 19

First Light worship will begin this week with "Sanctuary," "Jesus, name above all names" and Chris Tomlin's "Forever." We will use our familiar "Celtic Alleluia" at the confession and Jimmy Owens' "Doxology." Andy Gwynn will play a guitar solo for the offertory. Worship will close with Karen Lafferty's "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."

Worship at 11AM will include the hymns "Rejoice the Lord is king" (DARWELL’S 148^TH); "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God ((LAFFERTY); and "The church of Christ in every age" (WAREHAM). The choir will sing Erik Routley's "Let all the world in every corner sing (468.1) at the Introit, the Greatorex "Gloria Patri" and Marty Haugen's "Three-Fold Amen" at the benediction. The choir anthem will be Paul Sjolund's setting of the hymn "My Jesus, I love thee." The guest organist will be Noah W. Allen, III, who will select the organ prelude, offertory and postlude.

Her Other Life

Our own Keithie Knowles keeps a busy performance schedule. A violinist with the Asheville Symphony, Keithie also has other gigs on the side. When she's not with us on Sunday mornings singing in choir or playing violin, very often she is in Bristol, TN living her other life. Here's a link for the Paramount Players a chamber ensemble with whom Keithie plays in her "spare" time. They recently finished a performance weekend, and I thought it was time to give a shout out to one of our own. Keithie has also enjoyed a long relationship with the folks at First PC(USA) in Bristol including musicians Steve and Vickie Fey. Steve recently was selected to be on the hymnal committee of the PC(USA) which will prepare a new songbook for our denomination.







That's Keithie, second from the left.

Music for Sunday October 12

FirstLight music will include these Gathering Song(s): "This is the day," "I will call upon the Lord," and "You are holy (Prince of peace)." We will sing "Amazing love (You are my king)" at the confession, including for the first time the bridge, creatively employed as the introduction to the song. We will once again dance the Peace the the Israeli worship song, "Shalom chaverim."
Mike and Melissa will play Ned Rorem's "Mountain Song" at the offering, and lead "Give Thanks" as our doxology. We will be welcoming Glenn Bannerman as our centennial celebration guest preacher. He has chosen to help us dance to "I danced in the morning" (SIMPLE GIFTS) as our closing song.

Worship at 11 AM will include Hymns: 482, Praise ye the Lord the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN); "I danced in the morning" (SIMPLE GIFTS); and "All things bright and beautiful" (ROYAL OAK). We'll sing together our Introit, Garrett's "This is the day"
our response after forgiveness, Hopson's "We are forgiven;" and the popular though anonymous Benediction response, "Rejoice in the Lord always." The Choir anthem will be Phillip Deitterich's "Followers of the lamb." This Shaker hymn has been set by many, but I think Deitterich's really captures the exuberance of the original.

O brothers ain’t you happy…
O sisters ain’t you happy…
Sing on, dance on, followers of Emmanuel…
I mean to be obedient…
I’m glad I am a Christian…

We will enjoy the violin playing of our own Keithie Knowles this week at the prelude and offertory: Prelude: Albert Becker, Adagio, Opus 20; Offertory: Charles Callahan, Valediction; Postlude: Joel Martinson, Miriam’s dance. That last organ piece is a toe twister in 10/8, 4/4, 5/4 and probably a couple of meters I have repressed at the moment! It's a raucous interpretation of what the dance might have been like after our ancestors crossed the Red Sea.

Hymnal Committee Personnel

Persons selected for the committee to create a new hymnal for the PC(USA) have been announced (September 15). Among the names are Mary Louise Bringle, on the faculty at Brevard College and Steve Fey on the staff at PFC Bristol, TN. Mel Bringle is professor of religion at Brevard, and a prolific writer of hymn texts. She presented at Montreat W&M Conferences in 2008. Steve and his wife Vicki have been fixtures at the Montreat conferences for years. Our own Keithie Knowles has worked with them extensively.

If anyone can point me toward the news release online, I'd be happy to link to it here.

In the comments, Bob references this article from the Presbyterian News Service. It's good, but doesn't have the bios of the committee members that the PPC release has. But FWIW you can take a look at it.

Looking for some mentors

I had a first rehearsal with youth bell ringers and youth choir singers yesterday evening. It was very exciting: There were 8 ringers for bells. Double what we had last year. Problem is the new four are totally new to ringing. We had 9 singers for youth choir. Lots of enthusiasm, but, especially among the boys, not a whole lot of confidence.

Thus began a note to our adult musicians this morning. I continued with this:

I would like your help in identifying some mentors to help me with these groups. Bell ringers for the youth bells (1 person, no more than 2) and singers for youth choir (one male; one female). These persons need to be pretty solid in their own abilities and be able to guide and lead new talent. A big part of the job is yucking it up with the kids and being pals with them while also modeling good rehearsal behavior.

In bells it will be a matter of helping mark up music and tap out beats and correct technique; maybe some subbing when someone is away. In singing it will be a matter of learning notes quickly and leading the section(s) vocally. Especially in choir the mentor needs to be comfortable with and facile at contemporary music as well as traditional church anthem fare.

These are the future church musicians, so mentoring them at this stage is vital. As director I can do quite a bit, but nothing compares with having a sympathetic partner in music-making right beside the young singer or ringer.

Please help me think who might be interested and qualified and willing to help out in this way. Notice I am not explicitly asking any of you to take this on. You can volunteer yourself, but be mindful of your own prior commitments.

We'll talk about it in rehearsal. Thanks very much!

One of the most important parts of my music career was playing in brass ensemble as a teenager at my church. The other players were adult men. Most were a whole lot better than I, but everyone of them wanted the best for me as a musician and as a young Christian. I still reflect on that experience from time to time. It motivates considerably my collaborative methodology of church music practice. I'll keep you posted on what shakes loose.

A French organ history primer

My recent performance of the Final-Marche from Leon Boellmann’s Second Suite for organ generated considerable interest in Boellmann and French organ music of the mid-nineteenth century in general. Herewith is a bit more information compiled from various sources (with healthy dose from Wikipedia). I can’t claim to be any sort of authority on any of this material and heartily encourage anyone who wants more detail to investigate more in-depth presentations of the material that are abundant.

The dramatis personae for this article:

Cesar Franck (December 10, 1822- November 8, 1890)

Charles Marie Widor (February 21, 1844- March 12, 1937)

Eugène Gigout (March 23, 1844 – December 9, 1925)

Leon Boellmann (September 9, 1862 – October 11, 1897)

Louis Victor Jules Vierne (October 8, 1870-June 2, 1937)

The grand-pere of French Romantic organists and organ music is Cesar Franck (1822-1890). He was of Belgian and German origin, though he ultimately made his home in Paris. In 1858, he became organist at the newly-consecrated Saint Clotilde Basilica, where he remained until his death. Here he began to attract attention for his skill as an improviser. (The art of improvisation amongst French organists cannot be overstated; it was and is expected that an organist of any stature be able to improvise on any theme with great skill and artistry.) His first set of organ compositions, however, was not published until 1868, when he was 46 years old, although it contains one of his finest organ pieces, the Grande Pièce Symphonique. From 1872 to his death he was professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory. (The history of the Paris Conservatory is a rich and vibrant tale in and of itself, with considerable drama between the various departments at key points in French music history.) His pupils included Vincent d’Indy, Ernest Chausson, Louis Vierne and Henri Duparc. (It is through Vierne that we can make the jump to Notre Dame and its rich musical history.) As an organist he was particularly noted for his skill in improvisation, and on the basis of merely twelve major organ works, Franck is considered by many the greatest composer of organ music after J.S. Bach. His works were some of the finest organ pieces to come from France in over a century, and laid the groundwork for the French symphonic organ style. In particular, his Grande Pièce Symphonique, a work of 25 minutes' duration, paved the way for the organ symphonies of Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne and Marcel Dupre. Other of his compositions are found in the collection, L’Organiste, which pieces can be performed on organ or harmonium; these do not have an independent pedal part notated (due to being written in part for the harmonium) which is why they are not counted among the organ works proper. Notice that Franck was never at Notre Dame nor Saint-Sulpice himself, but at the relatively obscure (only to non-organists) Saint-Clotilde. In 1890, Franck was involved in a serious traffic accident. It was after this accident that he wrote his Trois chorals for organ. Franck died as a result of complications from the accident very shortly after finishing the chorales.

Ste. Clotilde is known for its Aristide Cavaille-Coll organ (although it is no longer in original condition) and the succession of famous composers who have been Organiste Titulaire:

Cesar Franck 1859-1890

Gabriel Pierne 1890-1898

Charles Tournemire1898-1939

Jean Langlais 1945-1987 (went blind at the age of 2; see discussion of Vierne below)

Jacques Taddei 1987-

Here is a beginners’ guide to understanding musical life in large French churches and cathedrals. The organist titulaire had responsibility over all the cathedral organs and recitals while being able to devote more time to teaching, recording, writing and lecturing. The choir organist was a slight step downward in the hierarchy. This person had responsibility for accompanying the choirs and playing congregational song.

Somewhat contemporary to Franck, but truly a generation apart was Widor. Charles Marie Widor was born in Lyon, France to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there with his father, who was an organist himself. The French organ builder Aristide Cavaille-Coll, reviver of the art of organ building, was a friend of the Widor family: he arranged for the talented young organist to study in Brussels, with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens for organ technique and with Francois-Joseph Fetis, director of the Brussels Conservatory for composition. In 1870, with the combined lobbying of Cavaillé-Coll, Charles Gounod and Camille Saint-Saens the 26-year-old Widor was appointed as organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, the most prominent position for a French organist. The organ at St-Sulpice was Cavaillé-Coll's masterwork; the instrument's spectacular capabilities proved an inspiration to Widor. Widor remained as organist at St-Sulpice for 64 years until the end of 1933. He was succeeded in 1934 by his former student Marcel Dupre. Meanwhile, in 1890 he succeeded Cesar Franck as organ professor at the Paris Conservatory; he later gave up his post in organ to become composition professor in 1896. Coming later than Franck, Widor was part of a next generation in organ composition, and in the area of organ-building. His later works reflect this development in musical language. Where Franck was a true Romantic, in the seeming austerity of his organ works (compared to music of the Baroque era), Widor was a prime mover in the era of the symphonic organ music school.

Eugène Gigout was a French organist and a composer of European late-romantic music for organ. Gigout was born in Nancy, and died in Paris. A pupil of Camille Saint-Saëns, he served as the organist of Saint-Augustin Church in Paris for 62 years. He became widely known as a teacher and his output as a composer was considerable. Renowned as an expert improviser, he also founded his own music school. (His nephew-by-marriage, Leon Boellmann, was also a fine organist and composer for the organ, though he died very young at age 35.)

Leon Boellmann was an early musical talent and was accepted in 1871—9 years old—at the Ecole Niedermeyer in Paris. His teachers included Eugene Gigout and Gustave Lefevre. After his graduation as organist and cantor, he was employed as organist of the choir organ in the St Vincent de Paul church in Paris in 1881. Six years later he became cantor and "organiste titulaire" of the main organ in the same church. He would work at the church until his untimely death, probably from tuberculosis.

The name Saint-Sulpice is to organists a sacred name with tremendous import and a rich history. The church contains one of the finest pipe organs in the world, constructed by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in 1862, using many materials from the church's earlier French Classical organ built by Clicquot in 1781. The Grand-Orgue of Saint-Sulpice was at the time of its building one of only three "100 stop" organs in all of Europe. Its organists have also been renowned, starting with Nicolas Séjan in the 18th century, and continuing with Charles-Marie Widor (organist 1870-1933) and Marcel Dupré (organist 1934-1971), both great organists and composers of organ music. Thus for over a century (1870-1971), Saint-Sulpice employed only two organists, and much credit is due to these two individuals for preserving the instrument and protecting it from the ravages of changes in taste and fashion which resulted in the destruction of many of Cavaillé-Coll's other masterpieces. The current organists are titulaire Daniel Roth (since 1985) and Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin. This impressive instrument is perhaps the summit of Cavaillé-Coll's craftmanship and genius. The sound and musical effects achieved in this instrument are almost unparalleled. Widor's compositional efforts for the organ were intended to produce orchestral and symphonic timbres, reaching the limits of the instrument's range. With five manuals— keyboards— and boasting two 32-foot stops, organists at St. Sulpice have an incredibly rich palette of sounds at their disposal.

Aside from a re-arrangement of the manual keyboards c. 1900, the installation of an electric blower and the addition of two Pedal stops upon Widor's retirement in 1934, the organ is maintained today almost exactly as Cavaillé-Coll left it.

Louis Vierne was born nearly blind due to congenital cataracts but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. (At age 2 he heard a piano for the first time. The pianist played him a Schubert lullaby and he promptly began to pick out the notes of the lullaby on the piano.) This fact is part of what would ultimately become a very dramatic and moving life story.

After completing school in the provinces, Louis Vierne entered the Paris Conservatory. From 1892, Vierne served as an assistant to the organist Charles-Marie Widor at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Vierne subsequently became principal organist at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, a post he held from 1900 until his death in 1937.

Vierne had a life that was physically and emotionally very difficult, with severe spiritual trials that are occasionally reflected in his music. His congenital cataracts did not make him completely blind, but he was what would be called today "legally blind." Early in his career, he composed on outsized manuscript paper, using "a large pencil" as his friend Marcel Dupré described. Later in life, as his limited sight continued to diminish, he resorted to Braille to do most of his work.

Vierne was deeply affected by a separation and subsequent divorce from his wife, and he lost his younger brother René, as well as his son Jacques, whom he adored, to the battlefields of World War I. Though he held one of the most prestigious organ posts in France, the Notre-Dame organ was in a state of disrepair throughout much of his tenure at the instrument. He eventually undertook a concert tour of North America to raise money for its restoration. The tour, which included major recitals on the famous Wanamaker organs in New York and Philadelphia, was very successful, although it physically drained him.

A street accident in Paris caused him to badly fracture his leg, and it was briefly thought his leg would need to be amputated. The leg was saved, but his recovery, and the task of completely re-learning his pedal technique, took a full year during one of the busiest times of his life. Despite his difficulties, however, his students uniformly described him as a kind, patient and encouraging teacher.

Vierne suffered either a stroke or a heart attack (eyewitness reports differ) while giving his 1750th organ recital at Notre-Dame de Paris on the evening of June 2, 1937. He had completed the main concert, which members of the audience said showed him at his full powers - "as well as he has ever played." After the main concert, the closing section was to be two improvisations on submitted themes. He read the first theme in Braille, then selected the stops he would use for the improvisation. He suddenly pitched forward, and fell off the bench as his foot hit the low "E" pedal of the organ. He lost consciousness as the single note echoed throughout the church. He had thus fulfilled his oft-stated lifelong dream - to die at the console of the great organ of Notre-Dame.

That in a very concise nutshell is some history of French organ music and personalities in its development. The people involved all had “big” personalities and had profound influence on the development of organ music and performance in the last part of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

I heard Daniel Roth perform in concert in the 1980’s in Bethesda, MD. His closing work was an improvisation (very common practice among French concert organists). I was so struck by the musicianship, the musicality and the drama and flair of the improvisation that I then and there devoted myself to learning more about the art and skill involved in improvisation.

Music for Worship 9/21

FirstLight worship will begin with a trio of songs in three: "Jesus, name above all names;" "He is exalted" and "Great is the Lord." We also use the Celtic Alleluia at the confession (in three) and close worship with "Go forth in his name" by Graham Kendrick, again in three. Donna Marie Todd will sing an arrangement of "Wayfaring Stranger" with Andy and Perrin accompanying for the offering.

"Veddy, veddy worship" will be the musical flavor at 11AM. Eric Thiman's "I was glad" will be the introit; we'll use Henry Purcell's tune WESTMINSTER ABBEY at the confession and John Stainer's "Seven-Fold Amen" at the end of worship. The choir will sing Henry Coleman's setting of the Wesley text "Ye servants of God" for the anthem. George Thalben-Ball's "Elegy" at the prelude will round out the British influence in the music. The organ offertory (the Intermezzo from Rheinberger's third organ symphony and the Final-Marche from Boellemann's "Second Suite") will maintain the formal feel to music with Austrian and Flemish accents. The hymns will break the pattern somewhat: "Praise my soul the God of heaven" (LAUDA ANIMA); "I'm gonna live so God can use me" (I'M GONNA LIVE); and "Song of hope" (ARGENTINA). See you at church!

Humor Alert

One way to deal with the issue...

Music for worship 8/24/08

As part of our on-going centennial celebration, this Sunday we will feature our education ministry under the worship leadership of Pat Tuttle and Ginny Soll. FirstLight will begin with the Avery&Marsh song, "We are the church." We'll also sing "What a mighty God we serve" and "I will call upon the Lord." Lauren Patton will sing a special at the offering. She's off to MD in a week to begin rehearsals for a traveling production of "The Wizard of Oz;" yeah Lauren! We'll close worship with Carl Schalk's "God of the sparrow, God of the whale." Under the leadership of Pat and Ginny, the worship will have a decided child-ish flavor, and the music will compliment with joy and simplicity.

Worship at 11AM will include the hymns "All things brights and beautiful" (ROYAL OAK); "Called as partners to Christ's service" (BEECHER); and "God of the sparrow, God of the whale" (ROEDER). We'll use the Avery&Marsh song as the introit and sing Dauermann's "The trees of the field" at the benediction. As a special treat I will be playing John Leavitt's "Scenes of Childhood" for the prelude. This is a set of five pieces inspired by five poems from Robert Louis Stevenson's "A child's garden of verse." Originally for organ with narrator, I'll be doing it with just the organ, though the text of the poems will be in the guide to worship. If one is listening carefully, one might hear snippets of "Twinkle, twinkle little star," "Old MacDonald had a farm," and other kids songs in the five movements! Get there early: 4 of the 5 movements will be heard before the Trinity bell and reading of announcements! The choir will sing Pepper Choplin's "Train up a child" at the readings.

Hymn Sing

This Sunday we will have a hymn sing as part of our Centennial celebration. It will be a combination of the familiar "call out your favorite" hymn sing format, and a journey through the last century through hymnody.

I have done some research and found pertinent facts and hymns for each decade, 1908, 1918, 1928, etc. You can see the planned list here. The starred items are hymns we will plan to sing. These will be interspersed with opportunities to request favorite hymns from our current hymnals, the Presbyterian Hymnal of 1990 and the supplemental hymnal, Sing the Faith. We will also have available copies of the 1955 old "red" hymnal to accommodate requests for older favorites.

We have invited other PC(USA) churches from the valley to be with us (Montreat, Warren Wilson, Swannanoa and Riceville).

The adult handbell ringers will be a special guest group at this event. They will ring two pieces, a setting of the Latin American praise chorus, "Tuya es la gloria," and a premiere of a handbell arrangement of the hymn "How can I keep from singing" by Mike Barker.

Margaret N. and Mike Barker will reprise a piano 4-hands piece they played for worship recently as part of the event also.

An ice cream bar and reception will follow the event which begins at 7PM.

Middle music

Steve Thorngate has this article at Sojourners. He talks about the middle ground to be found between the poles of exclusively traditional worship music and the pop contemporary music used by some congregations. His contention is that there is plenty of music that melds the two poles right in the middle: refreshing lyrics, contemporary harmonies, awareness of inclusivity and social issues.

I'd like to think we are trodding this middle way in both services. You are as likely to hear a Cameroon worship song as a Vaughan Williams motet at 11AM worship; you're as likely to hear Taize as Chris Tomlin at FirstLight.

Thorngate uses Marty Haugen's Holden Evening Prayer service as a jumping off point. I encountered this at the Worship & Music conference this summer. Apparently Haugen's non-seasonal work has gotten a lot of play during Lent. Haugen has therefore recently released a prayer service specifically for Lent. Thorngate make reference to someone I had not encountered before. Give a listen to what Charless Pettee is doing with the Psalms!

We will be holding four special evening services this fall: a Taize/Iona service, a healing service, our Thanksgiving service, and a "blue" Christmas service. I hope to explore some of these divergent musical resources for these services. Do keep an eye out for them and plan to attend for the worship of course but also to explore the rich diversity of contemporary worship music.

Prophets' retreat

Yesterday the Prophets spent a day apart in retreat. We had a great group that included our musicians and our tech team. We took time giving warm-fuzzies to everyone in our group. We also tried playing one another's instruments! Andy G. (our facilitator) asked us to take an instrument other than our usual one and using that instrument play a song (together). It wasn't quite as bad as one might expect; we joked that it would be fun to demonstrate that to the congregation some time (with a little more practice!!).

We also reflected on the joys and concerns that we are experiencing in our ministry as worship music leaders for FirstLight. Some will be easy to address, some will take some imagination and some will take some real effort to address. But our list of joys was by far the longer of the two lists. We took time talking about the history of FirstLight as well as our development as a music ensemble, and some of the folks who have helped us get where we are. We also shared with one another musical selections that were especially meaningful to each of us. All the music was great, but Melissa C. tipped the scales by singing a song she herself had written. It was a whole new side of her we had not known before!

After a great lunch we continued our sharing and near the end heard from Karen Haak about her hopes and plans for FirstLight worship. We closed by sharing ways to tweak this retreat event if (and when) we do it again. You can look at a typed version of our post-its here. We were thankful to the Montreat Conference Center (thanks Judy S. and Mike M.!) for hosting us (for free) and our own Andy who was back in his pre-retirement role as group facilitator. We will do it again for sure. Be sure and ask Caroline P. what color her toes were; she'll blush and have to explain herself!

Beyond the music wars

Here is an interesting article on worship music. It reminded me of how lucky or whatever we are at BMPCNC to have such a diverse pool of talented musicians. And two distinctive venues to allow them to use their gifts to lead worship through music. I wouldn't claim that we have "arrived" in terms of how we do worship and music, but we most certainly have all the right ingredients. Our vision is clear: to offer two varieties of worship experience. How that is expressed is constantly evolving.

There was a time when our church lived through some pretty intense skirmishes on the matter of music and worship. I think we have moved beyond that and are at a point now of trying to do what we are committed to as best we can.

One of the things I heard most frequently after our Montreat-Anderson outing was folks favorable response to the diversity of the music we shared in worship and in the pre-service concert. Amen to that. We are using folks best gifts in service to God. That makes for authentic and vibrant worship.

Review: CD: Morris Robinson, Going Home

Atlanta native Morris Robinson is an incredible singer. His first CD, a collection of spiritual renditions, is a wonderful introduction to his voice and artistry. Those who would like to hear a phenomenal bass singer need look no further. His impressive resume includes significant work with the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Lyric Opera. He has sung all of the major concert works that include bass solo work: Beethoven 9th, Hadyn Creation, the Mozart and Verdi Requiem masses, etc.

On the other hand, the present collection of spirituals is not reflective of standard spiritual renditions. These are highly orchestrated settings. Not a thing in world wrong with that, but it's not the standard format. Not what you’re likely to hear on Sunday morning in many churches. Robinson sings with that singular combination of artistry and passion than would have a congregation either on its feet or on its knees. A couple of the tunes use full orchestral accompaniment (Royal Phil., Robert Sadin conductor). There are some nicely set tunes that use a gospel rhythm section and additional vocal soloists and back-up singers. Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday gets a very nice treatment, the strings fulfilling what must have been Ellington's wish for a lush, full sound to accompany the prayer. The unfortunate oddity is "Going Home:" tacky words combined with the theme from Dvorak's "New World" Symphony; I can appreciate the beautiful sentiment of the lyric (and Robinson's choice of it for a first release), but I personally have never liked the combination of words with the powerful, powerful melody. It’s a shame it’s the title track. The ethnic drumming on “Wade in the water” is almost worth the price of the album. (Thanks, Ken, Jr. for sharing this with me.) + + +

Music for Worship 27 July

The week we'll have guest music leadership at FirstLight. Ginny Soll will be on piano, with Donna Marie Todd leading the singing. Music at the offering will be by Kurt Shaffer and Andy Banzhoff. (Thanks for covering for the Prophets, you guys!) They will also play along on the congregational song. We'll be singing some favorites: "King of kings," "Jesus name above all names," As the deer" and "Father, I adore you." Kurt will sing a Keith Green song at the offering, "Your love broke through." Karen Haak is wrestling with the Jacob story this week so worship will include "Jacob's ladder" and a new text to that tune, "We are dancing Sarah's circle."

The music ministry has been invited to lead worship music at the Montreat Conference Center this week. We're taking a goodly representation of our program: Chancel Choir, Prophets of Praise and Tune Weavers. We'll present a min-concert of sacred music prior to worship. That will include Dan Locklair's "Phoenix Procession" for organ, Handel's "Hallelujah, amen" by the Choir and "Come ye sinners" lyric by Joseph Hart in a contemporary new setting by Martin S. Smith and Fanny Crosby's "Draw me nearer" also in a new setting y Diane Sheets, both sung by the prophets. The pre-service music and the prelude will be three variations by James Woodman on LASST UNS ERFREUEN. During worship music will include the South African freedom song, "Hallelujah, we sing your praises," and William Dawson's "Every time I feel the Spirit." Hymns will include "All creatures of our God and King" (LASST UNS ERFREUEN), "Amazing grace" (AMAZING GRACE) and "Lord dismiss us with thy blessing" (SICILIAN MARINERS). The service will include a baptism, the first one anyone can remember in 20+ years of doing these services. Worship will conclude with a festive setting of KUM BA YAH by John Behnke. Of special note, there will be no 11 AM service at BMPCNC this Sunday, so everyone can attend worship at Montreat-Anderson. Don't be late!

Andy Gwynn in WNC Magazine

Andy drums and provides other percussion timbres on various musical selections for both services from time to time. He makes some of his own instruments; he's got quite a set-up in his basement. WNC Magazine found him recently. Here's the article. Scroll to the boom; Andy's profile is the last of four. Hoo-wah, Andy!

Local boy in town

David Lamotte is in town for a few days. he'll be singing at Lake Tomahawk as part of the summer (free) concert series. He'll also be at Montreat on Saturday for yet another free gig. Check him out. The information is from Montreat. Click on the image to get a better view.

Worship Music 20 July 2008

FirstLight worship will begin this week with the hymn "Come, Christians, join to sing" and a contemporary song that may as well be a hymn, "Glorify thy name." Doris Akers' classic praise chorus has been around now 32 years! We’ll also sing Chris Tomlin’s “Forever.” The Prophets will sing “With all of my heart” at the offering. We’ll conclude worship with “Blest be the tie that binds.” Other music will include our fun version of “Halle, halle, hallelujah,” the Iona “Glory and gratitude and praise,” and a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer.

Worship at 11AM will include the hymns “The church’s one foundation” (AURELIA); “Blest be the tie that binds” (DENNIS); and “Called as partners to Christ’s service” (BEECHER). Special music at this service will be provided by Anna McClintock, trumpet. She’ll play an exquisite aria from a Handel opera at the prelude and a setting of BEACH SPRING and CONVERSE at the readings. This is actually a choral work, using the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus.” The two tunes are interwoven between the trumpet and accompaniment. Folks at church are accustomed to hearing trumpets loud and brassy and fanfare-y. Anna will let the more melodious side of the instrument shine this week. Other music will include “Jesus calls us” using the tune PLEADING SAVIOR; the Caribbean “Halle, halle, hallelujah,” and “The trees of the field.” Organ music will include a short voluntary and fugue by Handel and Jacques Lemmens’ glittery “Fanfare.”

Church Unbound

As if I didn't get enough of sitting in seminars last week, I took in part of the Church Unbound conference at Montreat this week. It being a holiday, I'm going to just give some random impressions and memorables from the event.

"How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday, and ignore the homeless on Monday?"

Not the "kingdom of God," but the "reigndom of God." That struck me because it seemed to convey in the new language a dynamism lacking in our standard terminology.

It's not enough to believe in Christ; we need also to follow Jesus."

I got to sit in on a seminar on post-modern worship with Melva Costen; way too short; what must it have been like to be on the 1989 hymnal committee with her!! I also sat in on a seminar with Rhashell Hunter, who is no doubt a mighty fine preacher if her seminar presentation is any indication. But it was billed as "worship and preaching" in a new context, and we spent the whole time on preaching. Kind of stirred up those old "if I were still a preacher" feelings in me again. I am looking for an opportunity to talk with folks about the whole gamut of worship development in a new age. The W&M conference was strictly music, and classical music forms at that. CU (the seminar with Costen) had potential, but a one hour seminar barely scratched the surface.

The directory for worship gives some beautiful language about worship that can be very freeing. While there is a tendency to make it's message prescriptive or even proscriptive, it can be seen as descriptive (with wide-ranging possibilities built into the subtext).

I saw more 20-30 y/o Presbyterians gathered in one place than I have seen in quite a while (probably ever). They were caucusing, and, I hope, feeling that this was a chance for them to be affirmed in their leadership of the church. There were several persons in seminars with me who were in their first few years of pastoral leadership, struggling with authentic worship in a new era while being sensitive to and mindful of the needs of the older generations that brought us here.

I also saw my buddy Lamar W. taking in some of the most dynamic of the presentations. Yep, Lamar, I felt mighty small, just like you!!

One of the speakers encouraged the people in attendance to commit to find a worship experience with which they were unfamiliar or uncomfortable, and then worship in that style until it did feel comfortable. Made me glad of my choice to attend Jubilee rather than someplace more "comfortable" last week.