You want the creme of the creme in acappella. Chanticleer could easily be the real McCoy. And they're singing in Lansdale this Sunday evening. http://www.chanticleer.org/concerts.cfm
If you miss that, they'll be at Elizabethtown College evening of April 12th. http://mtgretna.com/music/winter99.asp
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
choir flexes Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday the choir proved very flexible. Pastor Hunter was planning a very "intimate" service, a clustering of the people into as close to a circle as one could get in the sanctuary. Being a weekday, I also determined that no robes would fit the setting better.
Besides, the choir had to sit in the amen corner
. And they had to stay after the service to prep for Easter. No complaints that I heard.
Church music people like me tend to get stressed out by the time Easter arrives--not unlike Christmas. Yet I experienced glorious moments of worship and praise and prayer despite the extra responsibilities on my shoulders.
The photo shows the first time in my sojourn at Zion that I used the "new" technology of a sign stand. Three of these tripod-like stands have been stored in the music office. Finally I made use of one of them.
Besides, the choir had to sit in the amen corner
. And they had to stay after the service to prep for Easter. No complaints that I heard.Church music people like me tend to get stressed out by the time Easter arrives--not unlike Christmas. Yet I experienced glorious moments of worship and praise and prayer despite the extra responsibilities on my shoulders.
The photo shows the first time in my sojourn at Zion that I used the "new" technology of a sign stand. Three of these tripod-like stands have been stored in the music office. Finally I made use of one of them.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter comes to courtyard
Two dozen Zioners waited for the sun and prayed at the Easter sunrise service in the courtyard. Here you see dawn's early light brighten up the courtyard walls as we prayed.
I particularly like the shadow cast by the tree, center left. And left of that the three little arched windows beside the tall, clean library windows.
The service started with singing "Were You There?" and ended with an Easter prayer from the blue hymnal, #747. In between, other songs, scriptures, and impromptu reflections and prayers.
Easter is so objective
and subjective at once. That is, it happened totally apart from our feelings about it. Yet, for it to make a personal change, it has to be subjective.
I particularly like the shadow cast by the tree, center left. And left of that the three little arched windows beside the tall, clean library windows.
The service started with singing "Were You There?" and ended with an Easter prayer from the blue hymnal, #747. In between, other songs, scriptures, and impromptu reflections and prayers.
Easter is so objective
and subjective at once. That is, it happened totally apart from our feelings about it. Yet, for it to make a personal change, it has to be subjective.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
pineapple filling
My work is music and worship, granted. But such heavenly pursuits don't exempt me from eating.
Month after month marches by. The table surprises never let up. I'm talking here about the Table of Plenty (Zion's 3 times a week meal for the meal-less, marginalized) Easter meal/feast last Thursday. What a gastronomical highlight!
Specifically, I'm talking about pineapple filling. Everyone around the talke with me is like, yeah, that's pineapple filling. I'm like, you gotta be kidding! This recipe must have come from heaven by direct revelation.
Souderton is a very special culinary island of secret dishes.
Month after month marches by. The table surprises never let up. I'm talking here about the Table of Plenty (Zion's 3 times a week meal for the meal-less, marginalized) Easter meal/feast last Thursday. What a gastronomical highlight!
Specifically, I'm talking about pineapple filling. Everyone around the talke with me is like, yeah, that's pineapple filling. I'm like, you gotta be kidding! This recipe must have come from heaven by direct revelation.
Souderton is a very special culinary island of secret dishes.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Maunday Thursday, what to do
Pastor Hunter gave me the bulletin from the 2007 and 2006 Maundy Thursday services. I was supposed to propose readings and music for this year, yesterday.
All that happened. He made the final tweaking of the details. I thought I was done except for the music preparation.
I was wrong. Hunter takes the minster crew to the sanctuary and we set up. His guiding principle was "intimate." He wanted these most somber verses of scriptures to be felt deeply.
What finally emerged was a "circle," with the communion elements and cross set on a small table at the corner of the platform. The amen corner with the choir would face south, the church board members readers would sit on a semi-circle of chairs placed on the platform, the rest of the congregation would face west, seating restricted to the window side tier of benches.
A lot of church musicians restrict instrumental music at this service, remembering the arrest and trial of Jesus. Except for a little piano support for the choir for the anthem at the beginning right before communion, I decided to go cold turkey and go for broke with acappella.
Results? Remember, we are used to singing most hymns with organ and some songs with a modest worship band. Result? People told me afterwards--we actually sang, we sang parts, on hymns not very familiar by the second verse we were sounding good.
I'm glad I trusted the people to take a small musical risk. Something changes among the people when the crutch of accompaniment is taken away. Something enabling after the first little fear that "we won't sound very good."
No sermon. The bread and cup. The shuffle of the congregants' feet as in silence they went to the "table" to eat the sacred meal--that was what finally gave me a holy moment. We are hungry. We are going to go where there is nourishment. That made me tremble with a holy moment.
Oh, sure. The rest nourished me. The readings of the story. The snuffing out of the twelve candles, one by one. The dimming of the hall lights. The singing. The silence.
All that happened. He made the final tweaking of the details. I thought I was done except for the music preparation.
I was wrong. Hunter takes the minster crew to the sanctuary and we set up. His guiding principle was "intimate." He wanted these most somber verses of scriptures to be felt deeply.
What finally emerged was a "circle," with the communion elements and cross set on a small table at the corner of the platform. The amen corner with the choir would face south, the church board members readers would sit on a semi-circle of chairs placed on the platform, the rest of the congregation would face west, seating restricted to the window side tier of benches.
A lot of church musicians restrict instrumental music at this service, remembering the arrest and trial of Jesus. Except for a little piano support for the choir for the anthem at the beginning right before communion, I decided to go cold turkey and go for broke with acappella.
Results? Remember, we are used to singing most hymns with organ and some songs with a modest worship band. Result? People told me afterwards--we actually sang, we sang parts, on hymns not very familiar by the second verse we were sounding good.
I'm glad I trusted the people to take a small musical risk. Something changes among the people when the crutch of accompaniment is taken away. Something enabling after the first little fear that "we won't sound very good."
No sermon. The bread and cup. The shuffle of the congregants' feet as in silence they went to the "table" to eat the sacred meal--that was what finally gave me a holy moment. We are hungry. We are going to go where there is nourishment. That made me tremble with a holy moment.
Oh, sure. The rest nourished me. The readings of the story. The snuffing out of the twelve candles, one by one. The dimming of the hall lights. The singing. The silence.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
sports in their place
Yesterday's Reporter had this "sound off" letter and I quote:
"As someone who had two children involved in sports...I would gladly melt all their trophies and burn all their ribbons if either one of them could play a musical instrument." Whoah! Off to a daring start.
Then: "Sports is so overrated. When you're in your 40s, 50s, and 60s you're not going to be out there throwing a ball. But if you can play a piano, or a flute, or a saxophone, wouldn't that be enjoyable?"
As a church musician I gotta add--or if you sing in a choir. I've had singers in their late 80s singing away in choirs making a great contribution.
"As someone who had two children involved in sports...I would gladly melt all their trophies and burn all their ribbons if either one of them could play a musical instrument." Whoah! Off to a daring start.
Then: "Sports is so overrated. When you're in your 40s, 50s, and 60s you're not going to be out there throwing a ball. But if you can play a piano, or a flute, or a saxophone, wouldn't that be enjoyable?"
As a church musician I gotta add--or if you sing in a choir. I've had singers in their late 80s singing away in choirs making a great contribution.
Monday, March 17, 2008
all-team session
Here's Barry Murphy. He's a musical bridge
between types of music and groups. He leads one of the worship teams.
Mar. 8 I had the three worship teams together for a coordinating session. Here's the gist of the agenda:
What brought your team together, when?
What defines your team now?
Some reflections and handouts, exceprts from articles and books about worship and music.
As interim minister of worship, how can I best relate to your team?
What are you hearing from the congregation about worship teams?
One thing I learned is that the teams are the successors to the contemporary choir.
between types of music and groups. He leads one of the worship teams.Mar. 8 I had the three worship teams together for a coordinating session. Here's the gist of the agenda:
What brought your team together, when?
What defines your team now?
Some reflections and handouts, exceprts from articles and books about worship and music.
As interim minister of worship, how can I best relate to your team?
What are you hearing from the congregation about worship teams?
One thing I learned is that the teams are the successors to the contemporary choir.
Friday, March 14, 2008
how early can Easter be?
This year Easter falls on March 23. Could it ever be earlier? Technically, yes. It can fall on March 22. That is quite rare. The last time it did was the year 1818, when James Monroe was President of the US
.
Think you can stick around for the next time Easter falls on March 22. Good luck trying. The next year it is that early is the year 2285.
March 23 happens a little more frequently. The last time Easter was on March 23 was in 1913. If you're 95 years old or older you were around then. The next time it comes March 23 will be 220 years from now, in 2228.
What's the deal? The celestial spheres, that's the deal. Easter is fixed to come the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which is March 20 or 21. How do I know all this? I read it in the Christian Century.
Easter can come anytime in your subjective heart you want. But I like the objective reality of the system we have had for centuries. It also makes it harder for secular societies to co-opt it and make it fit in the commercial flow of things. Oh, those daffodils are not from this year. I had to use a late March, 2007, photo, taken behind my barn.
Easter is a response to universe-wide reality. Hallelujah!
.Think you can stick around for the next time Easter falls on March 22. Good luck trying. The next year it is that early is the year 2285.
March 23 happens a little more frequently. The last time Easter was on March 23 was in 1913. If you're 95 years old or older you were around then. The next time it comes March 23 will be 220 years from now, in 2228.
What's the deal? The celestial spheres, that's the deal. Easter is fixed to come the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which is March 20 or 21. How do I know all this? I read it in the Christian Century.
Easter can come anytime in your subjective heart you want. But I like the objective reality of the system we have had for centuries. It also makes it harder for secular societies to co-opt it and make it fit in the commercial flow of things. Oh, those daffodils are not from this year. I had to use a late March, 2007, photo, taken behind my barn.
Easter is a response to universe-wide reality. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
new organ at Hesston, Kansas
I you keep track of tracker organs (such as ours at Zion) or of organs in the Mennonite world, you'll know that a new one has just been installed at Hesston Mennonite Church, Kansas.
Tracker means mechanical. It means that when you press a key on the keyboard or a pedal on the pedalboard you are physically opening a pipe and it sounds. So inside, there are many lines of cord connecting the keys to the pipe valves. Most organ keys throw a switch which opens the pipe valve. Tracker action is kind of like rack and pinion steering on a high end car.
You can take a tour of the organ on YouTube online. You can also find the video on the Hesston College web site (hesston.edu). Go to academics, departments, music, and finally find the tour link down the page. Earlier I posted a photo of its installation. In the video you can hear it and take a tour of its insides.
Might not be a bad idea to have a little video of our own organ.
Tracker means mechanical. It means that when you press a key on the keyboard or a pedal on the pedalboard you are physically opening a pipe and it sounds. So inside, there are many lines of cord connecting the keys to the pipe valves. Most organ keys throw a switch which opens the pipe valve. Tracker action is kind of like rack and pinion steering on a high end car.
You can take a tour of the organ on YouTube online. You can also find the video on the Hesston College web site (hesston.edu). Go to academics, departments, music, and finally find the tour link down the page. Earlier I posted a photo of its installation. In the video you can hear it and take a tour of its insides.
Might not be a bad idea to have a little video of our own organ.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
high school musicians
Know any of these young musicians? Some of the youth at Zion would. About half of these students are C Dock and half are Lancaster Mennonite. The ocassion is the annual festival of Mennonite high school instrumentalists. This year, yesterday, it was held in Lancaster and Dorcas and I went. Part of being a church musician is tracking the young musicians of a church and encouraging them or at least caring about what is going on. What is going on is some really high level of music.
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