Spring 2015 Practice / Performance continued

Practice:
May 17, 31
June 7, 14

Sing in Church:
May 24 - How Gentle God's Commands arr by Robert Manookin

June 14 - Lead On, O King Eternal arr by Robert Cundick

June 28 - Lord, While for All Mankind We Pray arr by Robert Cundick

Spring 2015 Practice / Performance Schedule

Practice:

Feb 1, 8, 22

Mar 8, 15, 22, 29

Apr 12, 26

May 3 ,17, 24, 31

(Jun 7, 14, 28)

Sing in church:

Feb 22 - Joy in the Morning

Mar 29 - How Will They Know?  Ward Conference

Apr 19 - Easter celebrated:

    Hail the Day,

    This Joyful Eastertide,

    Since by Man Came Death

    But Thanks be to God

 

Christmas Program 2014 Songs

This year we will be singing some of our favorites. What Child by Paul Lohman, a new melodic setting of the old favorite Greensleeves seasonal text, along with Come Watch with Us this Christmas Night by K. Lee Scott which causes us to ponder how we of the modern world would have reacted to those ancient events.

The choir will also incorporate a string quartet from the ward to accompany Christmas Night by John Rutter, and some choruses from Part 1 of Handel's Messiah, perhaps including #4 And the Glory of the Lord, #12 For Unto Us and #17 Glory to God.

Selected simple carols from Willcocks' Carols for Christmas will round out the choir's selections. With all of that placed on the choir's plate we will invite the Primary children to sing a couple of songs, and also ask the Young Women to prepare a simple number.

Until then, the choir will be working on their Fall pieces, And the Father Will Dance, How Will They Know?, Joy in the Morning, and Malcolm Archer's Rejoice the Lord is King.

What fun music!!! Come join us.

Some Easter Song videos, plus

Here is a rather slooowwww rendition of When I survey the Wondrous Cross" at the Garden Grove, CA, Crystal Cathedral.

FYI the CC is a just a shell of its former glory (captured in this video) as it lost its congregation and sponsors to modern sophists, dismissed its fine musicians, stiffed them their wages, and went bankrupt. Just recently the Catholic Diocese in SoCal bought it for a complete renovation, to serve the Latino population in the area.

And here is a lovely version of John Stainer's God So Loved the World. Notice how precisely the choir pronounces the words, how they shape not only the phrases, but often each word. Sorry if you get an advertisement on these links.

And as a bonus, here is a partial version of He Leadeth Me from Brother Jackman's website. Sorry it is missing most of the interesting harmony parts. We sing this on March 30.

Why Ward Choir?

I have pondered answers to this question for many years. Certainly ward choir adds to the substance and spirit of Sacrament meetings. But a greater benefit comes to the choir participants. A choir director in California has articulated many of my thoughts, and if you have a few minutes can be read here. For those who don't, I reprint the main points below:

1.  Coming closer to Christ

Of course, that is the end-all goal of everything we do in the church.  I hope that by learning and performing sacred music the ward choir is strengthening testimonies by providing extra opportunities to learn from the spirit. In rehearsals, as we fix different things, we repeat the text over and over--often we need that repetition for the message to really sink in and become internalized.  Ward choir provides opportunities to worship and praise God through song, and helps to create an environment in Sacrament Meeting where the spirit can be more readily felt.

2.  Fellowship and Unity

I don't know how choir members can help but be friends--Choirs are so unique in that there is just absolutely no competition.  Instead of trying to see who can finish the phrase first, we work on finishing all at the same time.  Instead of trying to sing louder than everyone else, we try to blend our voices.  We work on  pronouncing the words the same way, and interpreting the text sensitively as a group.   We crescendo and diminuendo together. With that much teamwork, you'd be hardpressed to find a more unified group than a choir.

3.  Developing Talents

Covenant Latter-Day Saints have made promises to give our talents to the Lord.  I can attest to the fact, that when you do this, the Lord magnifies those talents he has given you and helps you become better and better at those things.  Seriously, if you wish you could sing better, join the ward choir--You'll improve.  Besides, when it comes down to it, you don't need a good voice to sing--all you need is a willing heart.

Mendelssohn's "There Shall a Star" Notes

The first number for this year's Christmas program is the chorale "There Shall a Star from Jacob Come Forth", from the unfinished oratorio Christus, Op. 97, by Felix Mendelsson. Born into a Jewish family without religion, Felix became a Reformed Christian as an adult. To avoid the antisemitism of his time, he adopted the last name Bartholdy, but today we know him simply as Felix Mendelssohn. Christus was published after his untimely death at the age of 38.

The text involves the 3 scriptures listed in the program, and begins with the main theme, followed by the middle dramatic section describing the destruction of the world's kingdoms. After further development of the main theme, Mendelssohn concludes the chorus with a J. S. Bach harmonization of Philipp Nicolai's chorale "How Brightly Beams the Morning Star."

Mendelssohn's inclusion of a Bach chorale is very fitting, since Mendelssohn single-handedly revived appreciation and performance of the works of Johan Sebastian Bach. At the age of 20, in 1829 he organized and performed Bach's majestic St. Matthew's Passion, which had not been heard since Bach's death in 1750. Of this performance, he later wrote: "To think that it took ... a Jew's son to revive the greatest Christian music for the world!"

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

It will be a great experience to sing this spiritual and inspiring work from the great Romantic composer, Felix Mendelssohn. Click here to listen to a 2010 performance by the Utah Baroque Ensemble.

A Song for Thanksgiving

OK, so the Christmas program is not in stone yet, but we did decide on Thanksgiving. The Earth Is the Lord's by Carl Nygard. The text is adapted from Psalm 24, with a simple melody, a 4-part middle section, and ending with the melody augmented by echoing alleluia's. Click here to hear a very nice amateur performance. Here is the text:

The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof.
All creatures who live on the Earth are the Lord's.
    For who can rightly ascend the hill of the Lord,
    And who may enter His house to hear His word?
    The pure in heart and hand.
    Such are the people of God, who understand.
The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof.