Last week, I spent some time with some colleagues and friends in ministry in another diocese directly north of us. They were complaining about some of the attitudes they encounter in their choirs: (We are lucky that we don't have these issues in our group, we have enough to deal with by ourselves!;)
One of them has Donna Diva, who is the world's foremost expert on everything that they are doing and is so old, she's sung it all, including new anthems and knows exactly how the composer intended it!
Another is dealing with the aftermath of a predecessor who decided to make his community by choosing 10 hymn tunes and setting all the musical texts to those 10 tunes and now that they have a new director who is actually picking current tunes, and actually using the texts with the tunes that were originally intended to go with the texts. Now the choir feels like they have taken a couple of leaps backwards, because they don't know those "new tunes" as well as they did those 10 tunes they sang everything to.
I heard one talk about how his choir only felt that chant and polyphonic motets and anthems that were at least 100 years old at the minimum were the only literature suitable for use in "the Divine Liturgy."
Like I said, we don't have these problems here. Over all, we have a pretty good understanding
that what we do each week is first and foremost prayer. Yes, the making of good music is vital to our prayer. (Remember, that quality doesn't equate with style.)
I want to share my goal for each of you as musicians and I know that I talked with the choir about this before Christmas, but it bears repeating:
Through the Eucharist, we become Christ in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup. So, as we consume, we are transformed into Christ.
So, after you have become Christ, live as Christ.
Let each breath you breathe become the breath of Christ.
Let each word you speak and sing, become the voice of Christ.
Let each note you sing, become Christ's song.
This has important ramifications for us as musicians and as followers of Christ. We never know who will be in our presence in the liturgies we sing and pray. We don't know what they are dealing with, or what burden's they carry. All we can know is what we are dealing with in our own lives. Our unemployment, our workload, our family conflict and everything else that has come our way.
Be intentional in being aware of every thing you do, say, think, sing and pray. Be present in the moment and let the love of Christ we have so generously received shine through us and open yourself to being the vessel of Christ's love.
When I try to reflect on this, I have to ask the question using the text of an old Sacred Harp song: "How can I keep from singing?"
One of them has Donna Diva, who is the world's foremost expert on everything that they are doing and is so old, she's sung it all, including new anthems and knows exactly how the composer intended it!
Another is dealing with the aftermath of a predecessor who decided to make his community by choosing 10 hymn tunes and setting all the musical texts to those 10 tunes and now that they have a new director who is actually picking current tunes, and actually using the texts with the tunes that were originally intended to go with the texts. Now the choir feels like they have taken a couple of leaps backwards, because they don't know those "new tunes" as well as they did those 10 tunes they sang everything to.
I heard one talk about how his choir only felt that chant and polyphonic motets and anthems that were at least 100 years old at the minimum were the only literature suitable for use in "the Divine Liturgy."
Like I said, we don't have these problems here. Over all, we have a pretty good understanding
that what we do each week is first and foremost prayer. Yes, the making of good music is vital to our prayer. (Remember, that quality doesn't equate with style.)
I want to share my goal for each of you as musicians and I know that I talked with the choir about this before Christmas, but it bears repeating:
Through the Eucharist, we become Christ in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup. So, as we consume, we are transformed into Christ.
So, after you have become Christ, live as Christ.
Let each breath you breathe become the breath of Christ.
Let each word you speak and sing, become the voice of Christ.
Let each note you sing, become Christ's song.
This has important ramifications for us as musicians and as followers of Christ. We never know who will be in our presence in the liturgies we sing and pray. We don't know what they are dealing with, or what burden's they carry. All we can know is what we are dealing with in our own lives. Our unemployment, our workload, our family conflict and everything else that has come our way.
Be intentional in being aware of every thing you do, say, think, sing and pray. Be present in the moment and let the love of Christ we have so generously received shine through us and open yourself to being the vessel of Christ's love.
When I try to reflect on this, I have to ask the question using the text of an old Sacred Harp song: "How can I keep from singing?"
