20th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 21 (26) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 (UMH 799)
Philippians 2:1-13
Matthew 21:23-32
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, as always, I recommend the Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week. It can be found here.
Showing posts with label choral music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choral music. Show all posts
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Music for Sunday, September 21, 2008
19th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A Proper 20 (25) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 (or Psalm 78) (UMH 828, UMH 799)
Philippians 1:21-30
Matthew 20:1-16
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, as always, I recommend the Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week. It can be found here.
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 (or Psalm 78) (UMH 828, UMH 799)
Philippians 1:21-30
Matthew 20:1-16
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, as always, I recommend the Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week. It can be found here.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Music for Sunday, September 14, 2008
18th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 19 (24) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 14:19-31
Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 (UMH 135)
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:21-35
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, as always, I recommend the Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week. It can be found here.
Proper 19 (24) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 14:19-31
Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 (UMH 135)
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:21-35
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, as always, I recommend the Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week. It can be found here.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Music for Sunday, September 7, 2008
17th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 18 (23) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149 or Psalm 148 ( for UMs, that's UMH861 in the Psalter)
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Proper 18 (23) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149 or Psalm 148 ( for UMs, that's UMH861 in the Psalter)
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Music for Sunday, August 31, 2008
16th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 17 (22) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (for UMs, that's UMH 850 in the Psalter)
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Proper 17 (22) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (for UMs, that's UMH 850 in the Psalter)
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Music for Sunday, August 24, 2008
15th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 16 (21) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 1:8 - 2:10
Psalm 124 (for UMs, that's UMH 846 in the Psalter)
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Proper 16 (21) - Ordinary Time
Exodus 1:8 - 2:10
Psalm 124 (for UMs, that's UMH 846 in the Psalter)
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your other instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Music for Sunday, August 17, 2008
14th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 15 (20) - Ordinary Time
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133 (for UMs, that's UMH 850 in the Psalter)
Romans 11:102a, 29-32
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Proper 15 (20) - Ordinary Time
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133 (for UMs, that's UMH 850 in the Psalter)
Romans 11:102a, 29-32
Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Music for Sunday, August 10, 2008
13th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Proper 14 (19) - Ordinary Time
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b (for UMs, that's UMH 828 in the Psalter)
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
Proper 14 (19) - Ordinary Time
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b (for UMs, that's UMH 828 in the Psalter)
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
What will your congregations and choirs be singing? What will you or your instrumentalist(s) be playing?
Please share your thoughts, plans, pleas for help, bright ideas, and anything else that might encourage us all to excellence in making music to the Most High!
For a display of the Scripture texts, the most excellent Vanderbilt RCL resource for this week can be found here.
New Focus for The Psaltery
For a long time now, the reason this blog is called The Psaltery hasn't been much in evidence. Oh, the references to getting handbells serviced and being proud of various choirs are a part of my work as a music minister, to be sure. I don't intend to stop posting blurbs of that nature. However, both the discipline of weekly worship planning and the practice of the art of sacred music have been discussed very little here.
That's about to change.
I'm "back in harness" after two weekends away and now two Sunday mornings' worth of worship services. My adult choir -- our church's regular loft choir -- will resume rehearsals on Wednesday. And true to form, I'm L-A-T-E in getting 6-8 weeks' worth of music planned for us to rehearse!
My proposal: To offer to my fellow worship planners (clergy and musicians alike) a "think tank" for planning worship music. This might evolve, if enough people get involved, to include other worship arts and perhaps acts of worship such as litanies and responsive readings. Think of the RevGalBlogPals' "Lectionary Leanings" and "11th Hour Preacher Party" features, but with an intentional focus on music.
Right now, I will be using the United Methodist version of the Revised Common Lectionary as my starting point. I will create a different entry for each week. The title of each of these entries will be a Sunday of the liturgical year, but identified by actual calendar date (such as this coming Sunday, August 10). I will post the UM Scripture references (though not the texts themselves, as I wish to honor copyright law for my preferred translations) and invite comment on what hymn, anthem, solo, and other musical resources I and others plan to use for the week. If you're in a different tradition that uses other texts for these days, I hope you'll participate anyway. If I can manage to keep up with an index feature, this could, in time, turn into a very helpful resource.
Want to play? (Sorry; I couldn't resist that worn-out pun!) Please jump right in and let's spark some creativity in one another!
That's about to change.
I'm "back in harness" after two weekends away and now two Sunday mornings' worth of worship services. My adult choir -- our church's regular loft choir -- will resume rehearsals on Wednesday. And true to form, I'm L-A-T-E in getting 6-8 weeks' worth of music planned for us to rehearse!
My proposal: To offer to my fellow worship planners (clergy and musicians alike) a "think tank" for planning worship music. This might evolve, if enough people get involved, to include other worship arts and perhaps acts of worship such as litanies and responsive readings. Think of the RevGalBlogPals' "Lectionary Leanings" and "11th Hour Preacher Party" features, but with an intentional focus on music.
Right now, I will be using the United Methodist version of the Revised Common Lectionary as my starting point. I will create a different entry for each week. The title of each of these entries will be a Sunday of the liturgical year, but identified by actual calendar date (such as this coming Sunday, August 10). I will post the UM Scripture references (though not the texts themselves, as I wish to honor copyright law for my preferred translations) and invite comment on what hymn, anthem, solo, and other musical resources I and others plan to use for the week. If you're in a different tradition that uses other texts for these days, I hope you'll participate anyway. If I can manage to keep up with an index feature, this could, in time, turn into a very helpful resource.
Want to play? (Sorry; I couldn't resist that worn-out pun!) Please jump right in and let's spark some creativity in one another!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What a sweet day!
It's been a good day. Other than a touch of digestive upset, which I'm hoping isn't the onset of a bug that's been going around, it was mostly delightful.
First of all, being at church, with loving, mature Christian people, is always a good thing. Sundays tend to be the best day of the week for me, the long hours and hard work notwithstanding.
Early service went well, the singers and players "syncing" better than usual, though the medley was more of a popular than a theologically super-solid offering. (I don't pretend we do great music, particularly at this service. The medley was "More Love, More Power" with "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord.")
One troublesome thing was that my adult assistant for the youth handbell ensemble never showed. She also missed last week's rehearsal with no notice, and hasn't returned messages left for her. I am concerned.
But with some last-minute fill-ins, we managed to pull it together pretty well. The kids rang as well as they possibly could have, and it's only their second time ever to ring in public. I was very proud of them, and grateful to the substitutes.
So once the ringers had rehearsed and I'd warmed up the choir, so began the second service. The hymns were pretty good and the congregation sang them enthusiastically. The choir had, I thought, got the anthem's two troublesome rests ironed out in warm-up, when several people sang through them due to not watching. Blast if we didn't have an unintentional "soloist" and "small group" do the same thing during the actual presentation of the anthem, though! Still, the singing was remarkably good (other than the unobserved rests). It didn't hurt that it was a very good anthem, Lloyd Larson's "My Savior's Love." Overall, I was very pleased.
The sermon was even better than our pastor's usual excellent. It was easily the best sermon I've ever heard on John 4:5-42 (the Samaritan woman at the well), and I've heard quite a few (and preached that text once myself).
I had a meeting immediately after worship, with youth and their families. Was able to "plug" the youth handbell ensemble and I think I may get to welcome another player or two in the near future.
My voice student then had her final lesson prior to her college program/scholarship audition. She will be transferring in and I'm very proud of her. She's a very young singer and isn't totally a "natural," which means she's had to work hard to accomplish all that she has. Together we chose a fairly ambitious pair of audition pieces for her and she stepped up to the challenge. I wish I didn't have to wait until Saturday to hear how it goes!
Then followed our brief evening service and meal, then time for pre-school choir. Only two of our potential six little ones showed up, but those two were delightful and sang their precious hearts out. I can hardly wait until next Sunday,when they'll sing for the first time this calendar year. Then off to activities they went, and my school-age bunch arrived. I pinch myself every time I hear this group. When they're all there, there are ten of them. Tonight I had eight. Every one of them matches pitch extremely well. They could rival any premier children's choir I've ever heard for purity of tone and pitch accuracy. They will be singing in two weeks. They're preparing "Wade in the Water," and it sends chills up my spine how good they sound.
And it didn't hurt that, as we gathered for our prayer circle at the end of rehearsal, the adult leaders prompted them to sing "Happy Birthday" to me before we began sharing prayer requests. I don't know how I managed not to cry; maybe it was the their much-loved addition of "And many more on Channel 4 . . . (I always forget what follows for Channel 2 and Channel 9)" at the end. And as usual, prayer time with both choirs proved the best moments of the evening. Their tender little hearts trust God SO much, and they love to pray for others.
It was a good day to start my 50th year on, I think. God IS good!
First of all, being at church, with loving, mature Christian people, is always a good thing. Sundays tend to be the best day of the week for me, the long hours and hard work notwithstanding.
Early service went well, the singers and players "syncing" better than usual, though the medley was more of a popular than a theologically super-solid offering. (I don't pretend we do great music, particularly at this service. The medley was "More Love, More Power" with "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord.")
One troublesome thing was that my adult assistant for the youth handbell ensemble never showed. She also missed last week's rehearsal with no notice, and hasn't returned messages left for her. I am concerned.
But with some last-minute fill-ins, we managed to pull it together pretty well. The kids rang as well as they possibly could have, and it's only their second time ever to ring in public. I was very proud of them, and grateful to the substitutes.
So once the ringers had rehearsed and I'd warmed up the choir, so began the second service. The hymns were pretty good and the congregation sang them enthusiastically. The choir had, I thought, got the anthem's two troublesome rests ironed out in warm-up, when several people sang through them due to not watching. Blast if we didn't have an unintentional "soloist" and "small group" do the same thing during the actual presentation of the anthem, though! Still, the singing was remarkably good (other than the unobserved rests). It didn't hurt that it was a very good anthem, Lloyd Larson's "My Savior's Love." Overall, I was very pleased.
The sermon was even better than our pastor's usual excellent. It was easily the best sermon I've ever heard on John 4:5-42 (the Samaritan woman at the well), and I've heard quite a few (and preached that text once myself).
I had a meeting immediately after worship, with youth and their families. Was able to "plug" the youth handbell ensemble and I think I may get to welcome another player or two in the near future.
My voice student then had her final lesson prior to her college program/scholarship audition. She will be transferring in and I'm very proud of her. She's a very young singer and isn't totally a "natural," which means she's had to work hard to accomplish all that she has. Together we chose a fairly ambitious pair of audition pieces for her and she stepped up to the challenge. I wish I didn't have to wait until Saturday to hear how it goes!
Then followed our brief evening service and meal, then time for pre-school choir. Only two of our potential six little ones showed up, but those two were delightful and sang their precious hearts out. I can hardly wait until next Sunday,when they'll sing for the first time this calendar year. Then off to activities they went, and my school-age bunch arrived. I pinch myself every time I hear this group. When they're all there, there are ten of them. Tonight I had eight. Every one of them matches pitch extremely well. They could rival any premier children's choir I've ever heard for purity of tone and pitch accuracy. They will be singing in two weeks. They're preparing "Wade in the Water," and it sends chills up my spine how good they sound.
And it didn't hurt that, as we gathered for our prayer circle at the end of rehearsal, the adult leaders prompted them to sing "Happy Birthday" to me before we began sharing prayer requests. I don't know how I managed not to cry; maybe it was the their much-loved addition of "And many more on Channel 4 . . . (I always forget what follows for Channel 2 and Channel 9)" at the end. And as usual, prayer time with both choirs proved the best moments of the evening. Their tender little hearts trust God SO much, and they love to pray for others.
It was a good day to start my 50th year on, I think. God IS good!
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