Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Crappy Choruses & Horrible Hymns redux
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
I always associate "Be still..." with the late John Smith. The only man who could have stopped Tony Blair from becoming Prime Minister.
The day he died the BBCr4 Today Programme interviewed his church minister. There was a choir practice going on, and they were singing that song. The minister said that John would have been at the choir practice had he been alive.
That aside, it's quite a good song, and not at all fluffy-bunny. Even if it is sung to a barely disguised ripped-off Dylan tune.
-------------------- Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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GreyFace
Shipmate
# 4682
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Posted
Sorry Karl, I had read your post, but I haven't got the experiences that would cause me to break into a cold sweat at hearing it.
As for "borrowing" tunes, I seem to recall from my occasionally nominal Methodist childhood that one Charles Wesley wasn't averse to setting lyrics to popular tunes of the day. Can anyone back this up?
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GeordieDownSouth
Shipmate
# 4100
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Posted
I've heard that too, and that the familiar dirges were added later. No one's ever provided evidence to back it up.
Hymns & Psalms, one of the worst adverst for traditional Hymns ever.
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No longer down south.
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by GeordieDownSouth: I've heard that too, and that the familiar dirges were added later. No one's ever provided evidence to back it up.
I suspect that your "familiar dirges" often are the "popular tunes of the day".
Anyway, of the half-dozen Wesley hymns most often sung in churches today, approximately all of them are usually sung to very lively and stirring tunes - And Can it Be! Hark the Herald Angels Sing! Not dirges at all.
-------------------- Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
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Amorya
 Ship's tame galoot
# 2652
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Ferijen: quote: Originally posted by Amorya: quote: Originally posted by Ferinjen: 4. Be Still for the Presence of the Lord
4) has long rivalled SJS as the not-quite-as-happy-clappy alternative when an Anglican church wants a token 'modern hymn'
Happy clappy? Be Still seems to me about as far from happy clappy as you can possibly get! I'd put it in a similar genre to Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Redeemer, or possibly For All The Saints.
Whilst I agree that happy-clappy is possibly overstating its modernity, it surely can't be in the same category as Guide me, Oh thou great redeemer?
Judgement call, anyone?
I was, of course, talking musical style. Perhaps we sing it very differently to you...
I first sang Be Still in a (non-Church-based) children's choir; in a lovely arrangement that started out with two soloists, went into harmony on the second verse and brought in a descant on verse three. It was very slow, and incredibly moving.
That carried over into our church, because two of the soloists from the choir attended, and so were often called upon to sing the first verse for us as well. (This in a church where we hardly ever have soloists, don't have a choir, don't sing anything with harmony...) So we tended to sing it in a similar style to when I sung it in the choir; much more thoughtful and pensive than the usual wave-your-hands-in-the-air stuff we do.
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dorothea
Goodwife and low church mystic
# 4398
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Posted
RE 'Be still..'
Ken wrote: quote: That aside, it's quite a good song, and not at all fluffy-bunny. Even if it is sung to a barely disguised ripped-off Dylan tune.
I agree.
J
-------------------- Protestant head? Catholic Heart?
http://joansbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/
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Carys
 Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by cygnus: By your side I would stay In your arms I would lay* Jesus lover of my soul Nothing from you I withhold.
etc. etc.
* shouldn't it be "lie"? That has always bothered me.
Indeed. My brain on first encountering this (at CU) went 'what? an egg or the table?' and proceeded to sing 'lie'. It might not rhyme but it is at least English.
GeordiedownSouth quoth: quote: Hymns & Psalms, one of the worst adverst for traditional Hymns ever.
Heresy.
Carys
-------------------- O Lord, you have searched me and know me You know when I sit and when I rise
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GeordieDownSouth
Shipmate
# 4100
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Posted
And bad spelling as well.
But I stand by it. Hymns grew on me a bit when I got to other churches that used hymns but a different book.
Can't just remember the little red books from when I was about eight. Maybe they were better.
-------------------- ----------------------
No longer down south.
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GeordieDownSouth
Shipmate
# 4100
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Posted
Nope, these were specifically Methodist books. With tiny print. And over a thousand hymns in them.
-------------------- ----------------------
No longer down south.
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Custard
Shipmate
# 5402
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Ferijen: 'little red books' - sound suspiciously like Hymns Ancient and Modern
Don't you mean "Hymns Ancient and More Ancient"?
-------------------- blog Adam's likeness, Lord, efface; Stamp thine image in its place.
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by GeordieDownSouth: Nope, these were specifically Methodist books. With tiny print. And over a thousand hymns in them.
That sounds possibly like the ?Methodist Hymnal. We have my great-grandmother's copy somewhere, and I'm pretty sure it is little and red and has many hymns. It also, IIRC, was great at having the music for hymns where AMR (or A&MA!) suggested something utterly unsingable and/or unknown.
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Custard123: quote: Originally posted by Ferijen: 'little red books' - sound suspiciously like Hymns Ancient and Modern
Don't you mean "Hymns Ancient and More Ancient"?
Not that ancient. Does A&M still include the truly risible " God of concrete, God of steel"?
-------------------- leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Wandering Crucifer
Shipmate
# 7497
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Ferijen: And I like them. Not as good as Hymns Old and New (Liturgical Version) or even the NEH at what they do, but a hell of a lot better than Mission Praise.
I can't remember much of Ancient & Mouldy, but I don't think HO&N is all that great. Our organist sometimes complains about the dreadful harmonies to be found therein.
HO&N also has several hymns that are "alt.", i.e. their words have been mangled. One of the worst modernisations is Be Thou My Vision (certainly close to the HO&N version).
The meter has been changed from 10 11 11 11 to 10 10 10 10 but the tune has been scarcely altered so that the words no longer fit properly.
While I'm on this mini-rant, I find anything where the words have been altered annoying, especially when I can quite happily sing the old words without looking at the book, e.g.:
Great is Your Faithfulness. (PDF file, HTML version here.)
The solution of course is just to sing the original words (in order to educate those around you, of course )
-------------------- There is no end to the writing of books, and too much study will wear you out. (Ecclesiastes 12:12, GNB)
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rajm
Shipmate
# 5434
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by corpusdelicti: Does A&M still include the truly risible " God of concrete, God of steel"?
Don't think it ever did - it was in '100 hymns for today' (or the day before yesterday). Though I think some local(?) versions of A&M may have bound the supplement together with A&M
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
Ancient and Modern (New Standard) (c.1983) contains One hundred hymns for today and its successor (More Hymns for today?), along with a severely slimmed down version of Ancient and Modern (Revised) (c.1950s?)
Hymns Old and New has some horrendous re-writing of hymns - they've completely re-written a few hymns (read the blurb at the front for further information, Stand up, Stand up for Jesus has been re-hashed to avoid militarisitic/jingositicism). However, I haven't noticed this in the Liturgical version (which is more RC than the standard version). This could be that because I've rarely used HO&NLV in a service, so I'm willing to be told otherwise.
The Liturgical version,IMHO, contains the widest and best selection of music though.
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NO
Shipmate
# 5477
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Wandering Crucifer: ...I don't think HO&N is all that great. Our organist sometimes complains about the dreadful harmonies to be found therein.
Oh yes indeed. They seem to think that the harmonies of hymn tunes are of no importance. Unbelievable.
quote: I find anything where the words have been altered annoying
Mission Praise carol sheets, anyone?! Someone was on something when they put those together. [ 28. July 2004, 12:13: Message edited by: Norman the Organ ]
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
Mission Praise did Carol Sheets?
What's wrong with the standard Biblelands' Bethlehem Carol Sheet? (Aside from the fact that no church has a full set of the same copy, so its 'Carol number 4 from the green sheet, which is carol number 32 on the yellow version.')
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NO
Shipmate
# 5477
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Posted
I think they're Mission Praise ones, though I might be wrong - anyone else come across them? They are especially noticeable by the fact that in O Little Town of Bethlehem some loony has seen fit to take one of the verses, cut it in half and put the two halves back together the other way round - so you sing the second half of the verse first
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TomM
Shipmate
# 4618
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Norman the Organ: I think they're Mission Praise ones, though I might be wrong - anyone else come across them? They are especially noticeable by the fact that in O Little Town of Bethlehem some loony has seen fit to take one of the verses, cut it in half and put the two halves back together the other way round - so you sing the second half of the verse first
I believe they were called "Christmas Praise" and i think the Christian bookshop I work in sells them! (still)
Tom [ 28. July 2004, 15:11: Message edited by: thomasm ]
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Norman the Organ: I think they're Mission Praise ones, though I might be wrong - anyone else come across them? They are especially noticeable by the fact that in O Little Town of Bethlehem some loony has seen fit to take one of the verses, cut it in half and put the two halves back together the other way round - so you sing the second half of the verse first
It might not just be down to Mission Praise, as horrible as I find that book. I've seen many carol sheets mix up the "O morning stars together" verse so that it starts "For Christ was born of Mary", despite the fact that it clearly doesn't scan.
-------------------- leonato... Much Ado
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Norman the Organ: I think they're Mission Praise ones, though I might be wrong - anyone else come across them? They are especially noticeable by the fact that in O Little Town of Bethlehem some loony has seen fit to take one of the verses, cut it in half and put the two halves back together the other way round - so you sing the second half of the verse first
Not unusual, Norman, I am sorry to say. I presume you mean the O morning Stars/For Christ is born of Mary thing. I tried looking on the internet for an explanation of this, but didn't get far. I did, however, find this little snippet. A bit off-topic I suppose, but I wanted to share it. [ 28. July 2004, 15:36: Message edited by: Ferijen ]
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Carys
 Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Ferijen: quote: Originally posted by Norman the Organ: I think they're Mission Praise ones, though I might be wrong - anyone else come across them? They are especially noticeable by the fact that in O Little Town of Bethlehem some loony has seen fit to take one of the verses, cut it in half and put the two halves back together the other way round - so you sing the second half of the verse first
Not unusual, Norman, I am sorry to say. I presume you mean the O morning Stars/For Christ is born of Mary thing.
Indeed. That verse seems to exist in both orders. We had to be careful because the 'St Nicholas Carolbook' (a thin volume not quite A4 in size which I've never seen anywhere else) had it one way round whilst Carols for Choir and AMNS (which the congregation were using) had it the other way round. I think the St Nicholas Carolbook must have contained the descant as I can't think why else we'd have been using it over the other two.
quote: I tried looking on the internet for an explanation of this, but didn't get far. I did, however, find this little snippet. A bit off-topic I suppose, but I wanted to share it.
That's wonderful, Ferijen.
I love the comment on It came upon a midnight clear -- quote: Reflects social gospel.
and on The First Noel quote: Verse 6 -- Expression "with His blood mankind hath bought" could be misconstrued to imply universal salvation.
Ooh, dangerous. The social gospel and a possible implication of universal salvation. Can't find either of those in scripture!
This one confused me. quote: #122 -- WHO IS HE IN YONDER STALL? Text & Tune: Benjamin R. Hanby, 1866 Verses 4 and 5 questionable.
Not knowing this hymn at all, I looked it up in Mission Praise which gives verse 4 as quote: Who is He, that stands and weeps at the gave where Lazarus sleeps
Seems Biblical to me! I assume that the version in the Living Hymns hymnal has more verses!
Carys [typo and formatting] [ 14. August 2004, 19:40: Message edited by: Carys ]
-------------------- O Lord, you have searched me and know me You know when I sit and when I rise
Posts: 6896 | From: Bryste mwy na thebyg | Registered: May 2001
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Carys
 Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Carys: This one confused me. quote: #122 -- WHO IS HE IN YONDER STALL? Text & Tune: Benjamin R. Hanby, 1866 Verses 4 and 5 questionable.
Not knowing this hymn at all, I looked it up in Mission Praise which gives verse 4 as quote: Who is He, that stands and weeps at the gave where Lazarus sleeps
Seems Biblical to me! I assume that the version in the Living Hymns hymnal has more verses!
Aah. I've been exploring the rest of that site and have found a longer version of the condemnation of Christmas carols which makes it clear what has happened. Who is he has fewer verses in their version. Their complaint is quote: Note verse 4--Strictly speaking, Christ on the cross asked the Father to forgive them, He did not pronounce blessings. Verse 5 suggests an improper emphasis on healing.
So forgiveness isn't a blessing? and Christ doesn't heal?????
This is a very strange site. It has a long essay on why we shouldn't even celebrate Christmas.
Carys
-------------------- O Lord, you have searched me and know me You know when I sit and when I rise
Posts: 6896 | From: Bryste mwy na thebyg | Registered: May 2001
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Ian Climacus
 Liturgical Slattern
# 944
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Posted
A strange site indeed.
One of their complaints about "O Come All Ye Faithful" had me laughing:
quote: "born this happy morning" (v. 3) ... Jesus was...most likely was born in the evening
I also like the way they comment on the authors (note the "s around Father):
quote: Text: "Father" Joseph Mohr, 1818 (Roman Catholic priest); Tune: Franz Grüber, 1818 (Roman Catholic)
...
Text: Nahum Tate, 1700 (died a drunk, 1715)
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
I wondered if anyone was going to take me up on that link - that's the problem with dead horses. It really is a wonderful site - I found the longer thing on Christmas carols quite, uh, well, quite. As for their comments about Roman Catholocism...
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Thurible
Shipmate
# 3206
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Posted
I was intrigued by their comment on "O come, all ye faithful":
"The advisability of encouraging people to think in terms of adoring a newborn baby is questionable at best."
That newborn baby wasn't God Incarnate?
Thurible
-------------------- "I've been baptised not lobotomised."
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Thurible
Shipmate
# 3206
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Posted
Reading a bit further, on "God rest ye merry gentlemen", this line made me laugh out loud at work:
"It is historic fact that Christ was not born on "Christmas Day"!"
Really?
Thurible
-------------------- "I've been baptised not lobotomised."
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welsh dragon
 Shipmate
# 3249
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Posted
Does that mean we ought to cancel Christmas?
(oh hang on...the Puritans already did that...)
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Carys
 Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by welsh dragon: Does that mean we ought to cancel Christmas?
(oh hang on...the Puritans already did that...)
According to that site then yes! They agree with the Puritans (and give many reasons for it)
Carys
[Wrong sort of bracket and then attempt to use html type syntax which I didn't solve in the edit time. Could a host delete the first attempt please][Yes - previous post deleted] [ 20. August 2004, 19:23: Message edited by: TonyK ]
-------------------- O Lord, you have searched me and know me You know when I sit and when I rise
Posts: 6896 | From: Bryste mwy na thebyg | Registered: May 2001
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seasick
 ...over the edge
# 48
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Posted
I had to play 'Shine, Jesus, Shine' on Sunday.
I thought (perhaps overly optimistically) that no-one sang that anymore.
-------------------- We believe there is, and always was, in every Christian Church, ... an outward priesthood, ordained by Jesus Christ, and an outward sacrifice offered therein. - John Wesley
Posts: 5769 | From: A world of my own | Registered: May 2001
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Thurible
Shipmate
# 3206
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Posted
If only that were true, seasick!
Thurible
-------------------- "I've been baptised not lobotomised."
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seasick
 ...over the edge
# 48
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Posted
We live in hope...
-------------------- We believe there is, and always was, in every Christian Church, ... an outward priesthood, ordained by Jesus Christ, and an outward sacrifice offered therein. - John Wesley
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Vox Angelica
Apprentice
# 8353
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Posted
I had to play 'Shine, Jesus, Shine' on Sunday. I thought (perhaps overly optimistically) that no-one sang that anymore.
Now I know the reason it p***** with rain on Sunday Vox sub mare
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The Venomous Bede
Apprentice
# 7991
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by seasick: I had to play 'Shine, Jesus, Shine' on Sunday.
I thought (perhaps overly optimistically) that no-one sang that anymore.
I put it into our services about once every 6 months as a sort of penance. It's only slightly better than being stung by wasps.
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cgp
Apprentice
# 8267
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Posted
Have just discovered this thread - and have spent the last forty minutes wiping the tears out of my eyes and trying not to wake the whole family by giggling too loudly.
I've skimmed most of the thread, but haven't seen my pet hate mentioned. (Apologies if I missed it.) That amazing song called "Joy is the Flag"
Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart, The castle of my heart The castle of my heart Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart, For the king is in residence there.
Let it fly in the sky let the whole world know, Let the whole world know Let the whole world know Let it fly in the sky let the whole world know, That the king is in residence there.
Sung complete with waving arms at the appropriate moments. And sung repeatedly for years. And my mother's name is Joy - which led to some interesting mental images!! As did "The trees of the field" which starts "you shall go out with Joy......"
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TonyK
 Host Emeritus
# 35
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Posted
And a hostly welcome to you, cgp. It's nice to see you aboard.
-------------------- Yours aye ... TonyK
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HenryT
 Canadian Anglican
# 3722
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by cgp: ... And my mother's name is Joy - which led to some interesting mental images!! As did "The trees of the field" which starts "you shall go out with Joy......"
One of our choir members (there are only four to six) is named Joy, and the same odd thoughts do tend to come around.
-------------------- "Perhaps an invincible attachment to the dearest rights of man may, in these refined, enlightened days, be deemed old-fashioned" P. Henry, 1788
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cgp
Apprentice
# 8267
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Posted
Thank you for your "hostly welcome" TonyK!
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ICCM - SouthEast
Apprentice
# 8290
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Posted
It asks the question "What is Worship?" - If we are to look at what worship is, and the different methods of worship. Music and singing is in the top 3 methodologies. The reason you find hmyns and songs and choruses hideous, or nasty or boring, is that you as worship leaders have not taken the proper time to understand the particular piece, research it and bring it to life. As a worship leader in my own church, my responsibility is to enable the congregation to come into the presence of God and worship freely. I do this by taking a 300 year old song, or a recent christian song and take it off the page, relate the words, the music, examine the key it's in, look at the place it appeasrs in the searvice, what's the reflection on the other music, the sermon, the time of the year..... It's very complicated, and is a fine art... Don't cry down music/hymns/songs unless you can write something better. When you get under the skin of a particular song/hymn/chorus and actually take the time to understand it, understand the politics of the day that caused the composer to have the holy Spirit move them to penn it, then you start to understand the song, and can then relate it to your 2004 congregation. A prime example is the owrk of Thomas Ken. The Doxology? go and do some research... and enjoy your music. All of it is worthwhile, it just needs to be placed properly and with the right care.....
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GeordieDownSouth
Shipmate
# 4100
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Posted
And when it isn't, it ends up on this thread ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
-------------------- ----------------------
No longer down south.
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Tabby Cat
Shipmate
# 4561
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by ICCM - SouthEast: ...snip...
Or you could attend a workshop on worship-song-writing by the Rev. Gerald Ambulance. I really feel that his hour-long workshop at Greenbelt on Monday night really just inspired us all to go away and write some wonderful songs.
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NO
Shipmate
# 5477
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Posted
Ah, thank you, now I understand where I have been going wrong all these years, and I shall look at my copy of Mission Praise and understand from now on that it can be a useful thing.
I discovered yesterday that it's perfect for propping open the lid of the church piano
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Vox Angelica
Apprentice
# 8353
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Posted
I discovered yesterday that it's perfect for propping open the lid of the church piano
Sorry Norman, but the only use for Mission Praise is to help your local authority maintain its re-cycling quota. In order to make maximum use of MP, you should send a bulk delivery to your nearest rubbish re-cycling dump. Retaining a copy in your church, even in a menial capacity, "could seriously damage your [musical] health".
Vox
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Carys
 Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Vox Angelica: I discovered yesterday that it's perfect for propping open the lid of the church piano
Sorry Norman, but the only use for Mission Praise is to help your local authority maintain its re-cycling quota. In order to make maximum use of MP, you should send a bulk delivery to your nearest rubbish re-cycling dump. Retaining a copy in your church, even in a menial capacity, "could seriously damage your [musical] health".
Vox
MP does have one redeeming feature (which I discovered on Sunday night), it sets Breathe on me, Breath of God to Trentham and Take my life to Nottingham which are my preferred tunes to those hymns. It even manages not to have mangled the words to those hymns. Oh and it doesn't omit the promise to follow julie from O Jesus I have promised (unlike Hymns and Psalms which doesn't have that verse).
Carys
-------------------- O Lord, you have searched me and know me You know when I sit and when I rise
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Newman's Own
Shipmate
# 420
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Posted
As usual, the full flavour of this one is unobtainable without the dreadful tune, but it still merits inclusion:
Chorus: To Be Alive! To Be Alive, and feeling free, And to have everyone in our family, To Be Alive! In every way! Oh how great it is to be alive.
Every day there's a newness, Something else to do. The dawn of life is upon us, So let the gladness ring through.
Ring the bell of new freedom* Teach your brother to give. For the new way of living Is something we can now give.
*Presumably someone read Revelation and misinterpreted references to the church of Philadelphia?
-------------------- Cheers, Elizabeth “History as Revelation is seldom very revealing, and histories of holiness are full of holes.” - Dermot Quinn
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The Venomous Bede
Apprentice
# 7991
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Posted
OK, so Mission Praise is pretty bad at its worst (and at its worst it does have the Dambusters March), but it does have over 1000 hymns in it.
For the really worst stuff you have to look at The Scottish Psalter 1929. Psalms mangled so that they rhyme! This is their version of Psalm 22:
My God, My God, why hast thou me forsaken? why so far Art thou from helping me, and from my words that roaring are? All day, my God, to thee I cry, yet am not heard by thee And in the season of the night I cannot silent be.
But thou art holy, thou that dost inhabit Israel's praise Our fathers hop'd in thee, they hop'd and thou didst them release. When unto thee they sent their cry, to them deliv'rance came: Because they put their trust in thee, they were not put to shame.
It goes on for another page and a half, but I really cant be bothered to type it out. My 80 year old mother says that metrical psalms forced her out of the Presbyterians and made her an Anglican! So I suppose they did some good then
Posts: 7 | From: scottish borders | Registered: Jul 2004
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Leetle Masha
 Cantankerous Anchoress
# 8209
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Posted
Metrical psalms are horrid poetry, but some of the tunes are very stirring if played properly. I used to have a problem with hymns that seemed to merge into the Lieder genre, such as
"I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses...."
Guess I'm so old, and most of =you= are so young, that you'll never have heard that one....
-------------------- eleison me, tin amartolin: have mercy on me, the sinner
Posts: 6351 | From: Hesychia, in Hyperdulia | Registered: Aug 2004
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quirky_beth
Shipmate
# 5696
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Posted
quote: Originally posted by Henry Troup: quote: Originally posted by cgp: ... And my mother's name is Joy - which led to some interesting mental images!! As did "The trees of the field" which starts "you shall go out with Joy......"
One of our choir members (there are only four to six) is named Joy, and the same odd thoughts do tend to come around.
One of our choristers, yet another Joy, used to throw things when we sung that in church! Mission Praise at 20 paces...NOT GOOD! Then her mother became our deaconess, so the song was banned forevermore!
Posts: 411 | From: UK | Registered: Mar 2004
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Miffy
 Ship's elephant
# 1438
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Posted
Got it at last! This one has been worrying away at me for months. Have any of you noticed the simiarity between Rebecca St Jame's 'This is the air I breathe,' and Whitney Houston's 'I will always love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!?'
-------------------- "I don't feel like smiling." "You're English dear; fake it!" (Colin Firth "Easy Virtue") Growing Greenpatches
Posts: 4739 | From: The Kitchen | Registered: Oct 2001
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