Growing up in the modern worship boom of the mid-2000s, where thousands flocked to Passion conferences and CCM mainstays started releasing “worship records’’ that flew off shelves, I became quite fond of the latest and greatest in the genre. But though these contemporary songs stirred my heart for worship leading, they also had the unintentional effect of steering my interest away from what I perceived as the remnant of older generations: hymns.
The summer after my freshman year of college, however, a friend and fellow worship leader revealed his musical interpretation of William Cowper’s hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” The mixture of acoustic guitar and Cowper’s poetic words struck a literal chord in me. Despite the 18th-century lyrics, I could identify with the range of emotions present in the song, from intense sorrow to overwhelming joy.
My friend told me that several college ministries and churches all across the country—including Red Mountain Church in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama—were making music like this: matching obscure texts to modern music. My exploration of these groups led me from Red Mountain Church and Indelible Grace to Sandra McCracken, Matthew Smith, and Bifrost Arts. Read More
Setting old texts to new music or new arrangements of old music and Scripture to music is not new. The Church has been doing that sort of thing throughout the 2000 odd years of its existence. The classical Anglican church anthem was Scripture set to music. What instruments have been used to provide music in churches has also varied over the centuries.
If your church decides to use acoustical guitar to accompany congregational singing in its worship, do not expect the congregation to follow the guitar chords. Whoever is playing the guitar must be able to not only sing but also sing well since the congregation will be following his lead. If the melody of the tune the guitarist is playing is one that is difficult to sing to, it is not suitable for congregational singing.
What I noted about the style of music used for these new settings is that it reflects regional tastes and preferences. Consequently, it may appeal to congregations in one area of the country but not in another. Its appeal may also be limited to a relatively small population segment. For this and other reasons, I personally favor an eclectic mix of music styles, using the best of the old and the new.
The painting is Thomas Wester's A Village Choir, which depicts what is known today as a "west gallery quire." Note the different musical instruments and the members of the choir clustered around each instrument - the basses around the bass instrument, etc. The west gallery choir was common in the eighteen century and persisted into the early nineteenth century. In its eagerness to re-introduce medieval church music into the English Church the Oxford Movement suppressed the village choir.
West gallery music has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years in the United Kingdom. It has a lot in common with shaped-note music here in the United States. The two schools of shaped-note center on the Sacred Harp shaped-note hymnal and the Southern Harmony shaped-note hymnal. A major difference between the two schools is the tempo at which hymns are sung. Sacred Harp enthusiasts sing at a faster tempo than Southern Harmony enthusiasts. Benton, Kentucky where my church is located is home to the Big Sing, an annual Southern Harmony shaped-note hymn festival.
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