Big changes for our ward choir this year. The biggest for Carolyn & me is, of course, that the weekly choir practice is in our home. For just a little inconvenience of setting up and taking down the chairs each week we get to have our house filled with pretty decent music at least once a week. This morning was the first practice for the year. It appeared that about half the choir lost their way and never made it here. But otherwise it was successful.
The other major change has to do with the choir's program. I have really enjoyed singing in the choir because our director has been innovative in bringing numbers that challenged us but were also fun and new. Well, I suspect someone has been reading the Church Handbook of Instruction. There under Ward Choirs is this: Choirs can be used to help members become more familiar with the hymns and to introduce them to lesser-known hymns. Our choir director used that quote almost verbatim in telling us what we'll be singing in the coming months.
This quote also from the Church Handbook lends support to that view: Choirs are encouraged to use the hymnbook as their basic resource because the hymns teach the truths of the restored gospel.
Of course the Handbook also states: Hymn arrangements and other appropriate choral works may also be used. but that will not be emphasized this year.
Bleagh. The hymns are done to death, even the less familiar ones.
ReplyDeleteSorry. We used to have a guy play trumpet and another do a French horn until someone read the rule that we couldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteJust got back from Antarctica and missed the first practice, but look forward to the Lover experience. Innovative hymn arrangements can and should be in order. Many of the published hymns in the book are very simplified arrangements to accommodate an inexperienced accompanist. Is a'cappella still o.k.?
ReplyDeleteMy Ward in Phoenix used to have someone play the bugle in Sacrament all the time. Of course it was the Bishop's son....
ReplyDelete