Organs

As one might expect, with three kids under foot, international travel is pretty much out of the question for me for any number of reasons. So I have to travel vicariously through family and friends. Jane C. from choir was in Spain over Holy Week. Mindful of her home-bound choir director, she took a picture of this instrument. She thinks it's Barcelona, but can't quite remember. (Anyone know for sure?) Jane didn't hear anyone play this organ and was appropriately bummed about that. Thanks Jane for the photo, and also the post card with the pretty stamp!

Quintessential hymns

"So," I asked the choir tonight, "for what denomination is "Lift high the cross" (CRUCIFER) the quintessential hymn?" (It's one of our hymns for this coming Sunday.) Once they figured out what I was asking, they put it together and responded, "Lutherans."

Exactly.

I went on...the quintessential Presbyterian hymn is "Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty" (LOBE DEN HERREN).

For United Methodists, AZMON, "O for a thousand tongues to sing." By that point we were off.

I proposed that the Baptist equivalent would be "Praise Him! Praise Him!" (...Jesus our blessed Redeemer...). Our resident Baptist wasn't convinced, but also didn't think, as a third person suggested, that "Just as I am" really summed up Baptist hymnody quite right either.

The way I further explained it was, "what hymn gets a group of whomever we're speaking of singing with everything they've got?" What song would compel a member of said denomination to stand up and join in singing?

For Moravians we decided "Ten thousand times ten thousand." The lyrics rival "For all the saints" (SINE NOMINE) in their beauty to my thinking.

One of the other mainline denominations we've failed to mention to this point is the Episcopal Church in the US. What, the choir singers and I pondered together, would be the Episcopal "signature tune?" I'm still wondering. "O God our help in ages past?" (As I am putting the final edit on this, I now wonder if maybe it's "For all the saints?")

This got going in my head because a friend and colleague recently gave me a new hymnal, the new Celebrating Grace Hymnal, published by Celebrating Grace Ministries, which seems to be of the Baptist persuasion. It had a delightfully comprehensive and inclusive, if somewhat Baptist-weighted, corpus of hymnody and congregational song: KING'S WESTON to Chris Tomlin and DIVINUM MYSTERIUM to Fred Pratt Green.

Of course then one has to ask, "would other groups (Episcopalians, Unitarians, Congregationalists, etc.) be caught singing their hearts out on any song at all?!?" For some this abiding joy and fervor over congregational singing may be an alien thing.

So weigh in. Got a suggestions for AME Zionists? Or National Baptists? Members of the Christian Reformed Church? Care to argue any of the choices I named at the outset?

Maryville Pics

Pictures from our concert event last Friday.

Epic Fail

Pit bull versus porcupine. I've sent it to Failblog. Click "vote" and look for it. I found it here. Jeez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday 3/1/2010

Been busy...aint' had time to update much...

Briggs' team won again...

had a nice personal note from New Zealand (thanks LG)...

great music Sunday...

file server issues this morning: had to drop out of hyper-drive (yeah, whatever)...

fashioned bits and pieces into a coherent concert poster (Maryville College Choir: 3/12/10 at 7PM...y'all come!!)...

trying to find a flutist and three subs for bells next Sunday...

got a royalty check from Cokesbury ($7.12, woo-hoo)...

find pictures to illustrate the people and culture of 5 regions of Africa...

make supper (meat loaf, mash, peas and biscuits...yum)...

home visit from the day care teacher (put everything away and DON'T DROP ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!)...

Scouts...

Places I've been

Some with the fam, some alone, some related to school. Got plenty of gaps. And no money. Bleh.

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Art Show

The art center where Eli has been taking drawing lessons will be having an exhibit soon. Eli probably will have a picture of a Great Dane dog (white with black spots) on display. But the teacher has had some award winning students in the past. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located on State Street in the heart of Black Mountain. Drop by next month and see what some of Bob Travers' students have been up to. Thanks again to Lucy D. who is subsidizing Eli's classes!