All Saints

A short, and hopefully thought provoking post about All Saints Day which we observed on November 4 at St. Andrew's. I've posted previously (click here or here) about some of the things I found as I was going through the music filing cabinets last winter.  Well, there was another bulletin tucked away in one of those drawers dated October 30, 1977 and I've been waiting to write about it until now.

The congregation was actually observing Reformation Sunday (hymn 86 - A mighty fortress is our God) and celebrating the baptism of 4 children (hymn 338 - A little child the Saviour came). The service ended with hymn 307 - The church's one foundation, a fitting close to a service with a reformation emphasis.  They were using The Book of Praise, 1972 edition.

The reason I've been saving this post is that the bulletin also announced to the congregation the deaths of 2 parishioners.  Their names and addresses were given followed by this sentence:  "They now strengthen our ties with the Community of Saints."

That one little sentence has been echoing in my mind ever since. What a wonderful way to remember those believers who have gone on before us into eternity.

One of my favourite hymns is "For all the saints" - sung to SINE NOMINE.  Here is a video link to a performance of Canadian Denis Bedard's variations on that tune.

What I've been up to...

Well, my readers, you haven't heard much from me in quite awhile. The photo tells part of the story: I've been busy with copyright licensing and other paperwork for the new CD. In addition, the design, layout and content for the liner notes and traycard (back of the CD case) had to be written, revised, edited and submitted to the manufacturer.

In red on a paper in the photo to the left you see "Book 1st Pres".  The biggest highlights of my musical career have been at First Presbyterian Church here in Winnipeg.  I gave my grad recital there on April 2, 1981 on the wonderful Beckerath pipe organ. Twenty-five years later, on April 2, 2006 I released my first CD, Notes of Faith. The launch celebration concert was also at First Church.  Once again I'll be playing in this lovely space to launch my new CD. The details are below.

The Hymn Olympics

My thoughts on comparing the recent Olympic games with hymn singing and my experiences at "The Meeting Place" conference in July can be read by clicking here.

But what will it look like?

I have always loved making puzzles.  One of my early memories is just that:  making puzzles on the living room floor in Meaford, Ontario.  I indulge this 'obsession' about 2 or 3 times a year.  I'm calling it an obsession because once I start a puzzle, I have a hard time doing anything else until it's finished.  There have been a few puzzles over the years that were really tough.  I remember, in college, working on one that was all yellow with a small Dole banana sticker image in one area.  Even though it was a group endeavour, it took quite awhile, as I recall.

One day last week I stopped in at the Salvation Army thrift store.  I think I went in to look for a lamp, but I came out with a puzzle!  You may have guessed from the photo that this is a Clue puzzle which means there is a brief story included giving the facts of a murder.  All the characters from the board game play a part, and the puzzle, once completed, is supposed to give me the clue I need to solve the mystery.  There's a catch though.  There is no picture to follow to make the puzzle - just the challenge this girl needs!

By now you may be wondering how this has any connection to the conference I recently attended. In my previous post I made reference to some of the resources I acquired.  What I didn't mention is that I sang 54 hymns and songs I had never seen or heard before.  I sang 15-20 that I either knew, thought I had sung before or just the text was new (used with a familiar tune).  In trying to think through what might be appropriate and/or practical to use, I feel a little (actually a lot) as if I'm trying to create a new picture without knowing what that picture will actually look like.  It's not impossible, but it will take awhile.  As one song or idea gains credibility, another seems less useful and is set aside. 

Will a clear, complete picture ever emerge?  I hope not - because that would mean that worship, at least musically, is stagnant - not moving forward, just sitting there, finished and in the past.  And that, my reader friends, would be sad.

What are you going to try in worship in order to create a new picture?

Task: Summarize "The Meeting Place: Sharing Our Song"

 
 Remember that song from the early 70's - "There's got to be a morning after..."?  Well, today is the morning after the conclusion of the annual conference of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.  How can I possibly articulate what a wonderful impact the last five days have had on me? 

I think more time is needed to digest what I took in; the most I'm capable of today is a brief overview:

• 2 brand new, hot off the press, hymnals.
• 3 very thought provoking plenary speakers:  Alice Parker, Andrew Fullerton and Stan McKay.
• 4 hymn festivals - all included lots of sight singing, often in 4 parts, with 200+ people.
• 5 great workshops covering a variety of topics including Canadian hymn writers and finding and using hymns on YouTube.
• innumerable new friends and colleagues, all enthusiastic about music for worship in its many forms!

As I write, the sending song/benediction of our closing hymn festival is running through my head.  I'm sure that was the intent of the organizers - that we go out singing something joyful and energetic which would propel us back into everyday life with the inspiration such a conference provides to those who attend.  The song's tune name is GIPGIL - Go in peace, go in love!

After the studio, then what?

In the days and weeks leading up to my time in the recording studio, all I could really focus on was being ready to record.  Are the pieces all well-prepared and ready to go?  No?  Then more practise time was the order of the day.  However, there are many parts to this project and recording was just the first.  I suppose if I wasn't 'the one' in charge of this project, that is to say, if I had a manager, or a producer, my work might be finished when the actual recording was done.  As it is, the responsibility of checking each track falls to me, and me alone.  You can see from the photo on the left what the dining room table looked like when I was in the midst of listening, checking, following the score, etc. making sure that every track was completed to my satisfaction.

Other parts of the CD project still on the to-do list (in no particular order) are things like cover image, title, liner notes, getting the mastering done, and last (and most intimidating), requesting and obtaining mechanical licensing for each track.  No doubt you'll hear from me again as I continue through this musical adventure!

Studio pictures

A cool shot from inside the recording booth!  L-R - Dorcas Windsor, page turner, me, and Darryl Neustaedter Barg, recording engineer.  The recording was done at the Mennonite Church Manitoba studio here in Winnipeg.

A big thank you to my brother, Weldon Bull, for using some vacation time to take photos for me.

Okay, so now you know one of the pieces you'll hear on the finished product!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A really delightful sound comes from the Petrof combined with the studio.  I can hardly wait for you to hear what I've put together.

How I arrived at the recording studio

I hinted in my last post that I'd write a little about what happened prior to recording last week.  As you might guess, a lot of the preparation (not counting practising) was done long before April 30.  Two pieces that will be on the CD are from a book I purchased nearly 25 years ago.  Another pair of carols are in a book bought only in February of this year.  The others fall somewhere in between those extremes and more than one book was what I call a 'fluke' purchase - a book I wasn't specifically looking for at the time, but stumbled across and bought on a bit of a whim.  Two of my books were on a clearance table in Feb. 2011 for, if I recall correctly, 70% off so might have cost me $5 each!

Narrowing down my choices was much more difficult than I thought it would be.  There are so many good carols out there, and many good arrangers too - where to draw the line?  I tried very hard to keep a balance between well-known songs and lesser known ones.  Carols seem to fall into the 'mellow' category too (or is that just my bias showing?) and I wasn't trying to make a CD to put listeners to sleep, so I had to be careful to balance mood and tempo as well.  I made a list of possibilities, then narrowed it down until I was fairly happy with my choices.  Then came the challenge of deciding on an order for the tracks.

Advent selections came first - just makes sense to me to 'prepare' before I 'celebrate'.  That wasn't too difficult as there are fewer of them.  But putting the Christmas carols in order - well, that was more time consuming.  When I had a first draft, I went to the piano, played all the arrangements in order, and wrote down the key each song began in and ended in.  When I finished and looked at my list I was overwhelmed with how well one followed another!  I truly had the sense that the Holy Spirit was leading me in the creation of this project.

The actual recording is completed now and pictures will soon follow.  I'll also write a little about the whole studio experience - a new one for me; my first CD was recorded at home.

The time is coming...

There are any number of ways to complete the title of this post.  For me, right now, the end of this sentence is, "...to head to the studio to record."  The actual date for that is April 30th.  At this time last week, I felt a little like I did just before my son was born - I'm finished with preparing and ready to deliver.  What a difference a week can make!  Today I feel as if I'll never really be ready, and what was I thinking anyway?  I'm in what I call 'panic mode' and, thankfully, I've been there before, survived it, and come out the other side just fine.  Survival requires not giving in to panic - not letting it paralyze me into inaction, or more accurately, not practising. 

There have been many other steps of preparation for this project.  Some of them are:  accumulating music, choosing repertoire and setting the order of the pieces.  Maybe when the actual recording process is done, I'll write about those things but for now - I'd better get back to practising!

Planning ahead

It's been about a week and a half since I posted this entry over at the Presbyterian Record.  You might find it helpful to read it before reading the newest entry found above.

Face to face

Palm Sunday.  The beginning of Holy Week - the week that saw a fickle crowd shout, "Hosanna!" on Day 1, and 5 days later, "Crucify!" At St. Andrew's on Sunday one of the hymns we sang was "There is a Redeemer" which sources alternately say is by Melody Green, or Keith Green or both.  The third verse of this beautiful hymn begins:

"When I stand in glory, I will see His face..."

For some reason, I questioned that phrase.  Will we see Christ face to face?  In the Old Testament there are many instances where people (Moses comes to mind) could not see the face of God.  God's glory is too wonderful for human view.  "I'll have to check on that when I get home", I thought.  [All this went through my head in a few seconds or less, as I continued to play the song.]  Since then, I've thought of other familiar hymns and songs which articulate this thought.

After I got home and had some lunch, I took out my Bible and began to search the concordance for references that might shed some light on my dilemma.  I want to know if what the congregation and I are singing is theologically sound.  There may be other verses that support the hymn text, but the one I found was Revelation 22:4  "They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads."  [The 'his' referred to is 'the Lamb' - Christ.]  I'd be happy to hear from my readers if any of you know of other scripture which either supports or doesn't support the idea that we will see Christ face to face someday.  As for the song, you can hear Keith Green singing it by clicking here.

Expecting no change

You may have gathered that I am still thinking about change.  Spring seems like a good time to ponder that and this year, maybe more than others, the turning of winter into spring has been a bit of a shock and surprise.  In all my years in Winnipeg (36 and counting!) we have never reached +25C on March 19.

As I re-read the title, I realized it could be taken several ways!  If your bill at the store was $15.75, and you had the exact amount in your wallet, you would ‘expect no change.’  Under unpleasant circumstances, perhaps at a hospital, a doctor might warn you to ‘expect no change’.  Neither of these uses of the phrase are what I had in mind.  In fact, I was not thinking in human terms at all but rather about the character of God.  I understand from scripture that God is unchanging; that Christ is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’.  (Hebrews 13:8)  How reassuring this is in the face of 21st century life!  Is there an expression of that truth in song?  Well, the first example that comes to mind is the hymn “Great is Thy faithfulness” where in verse 1 we sing

...Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Words by Thomas O. Chisholm, c. Hope Publishing Company, 1951

I like this hymn.  The melody and harmony of the refrain naturally build in strength as we repeat the words:  Great is Thy faithfulness.  To my ears, it is a good solid piece of music married to an equally strong text.  Does it resound with every person sitting in worship at a specific time and place?  Probably not, and to me that is one of the most important reasons to find other musical expressions of our faith.  A couple years ago I was introduced to a wonderful, newer hymn which expresses the ideas of God’s faithfulness and justice in updated language.  The hymn is God of the Bible; here is the first verse and refrain:

God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
you are our center, daylight or darkness,
freedom or prison, you are our home. 

 

Refrain:
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.  (repeat)

 

The author is New Zealander Shirley Erena Murray;  you can read more about her here.  The complete hymn text is available on the Hope Publishing site.  While you’re at the site, I would encourage you to check out some of her other texts.  The words are deep and well articulated and span a variety of topics and seasons.

I have sung this text with a lovely, vibrant tune called Fresh as the Morning by Tony E. Alonso.  He is a fairly young writer; this tune was composed at the age of 21.  You can hear part of the tune by going here and searching for it by tune name then clicking on the “listen” icon.

Here are two print sources for this hymn:
More Voices, c. 2007, The United Church of Canada
Sing the Journey, c. 2005, Faith & Life Resources, a division of Mennonite Publishing Network.

Anticipating Change

Click here to read my post over at the Presbyterian Record.

It can't be 25 years - can it?

Well, yes, the truth of it is that it has been 25 years!  The picture on the left was taken on Friday, March 13, 1987 shortly after the delivery of my first and biggest 'baby'.  Baby Petrof, measuring 5'8", and weighing in at (I have no idea!) came to my home on a snowy March day a quarter century ago. 

I never could have imagined then where I'd be now or what paths my professional life has taken.  I didn't yet know my husband, Gord.  Now we have a teenaged son.  I recorded my CD on this piano.  Countless students have sat on its bench to learn how to play.  Today is not the end of the story by any means, but it does feel like a significant day somehow.   And really, who would have thought dolman sleeves would be back in style?!

Exciting news!

I love how a figurative door can open and I suddenly realize there was a room on the other side I didn't know existed until that moment.  That's what happened last week when I was asked to blog for the Presbyterian Record's online presence.  The website has been renovated and now, under the "Blogs" tab on the main page, you will find a sub-heading "Affiliated blogs".  That's where you will find my pieces as well as those of other affiliated bloggers.  I am grateful for this opportunity that has come my way!  I haven't quite figured out the best way to post.  Should I write one post for both places?  Maybe it would be better to write separate entries for here and there.  Whatever way I work it out you can be sure that I will continue to invite (and welcome!) your comments in either place.  I will continue to express opinions on music - worship music most of the time - and hopefully relate life to faith and music. 

So what song has been going through my head today?  The song it seemed I dreamt all last night:  By faith we see the hand of God, a new hymn (2009) by Stuart Townend, Keith Getty and Kristyn Getty.  If I had to summarize it, I'd say the text was Hebrews chapter 11 set to a very singable tune which is exactly what I've come to expect from this writing team.  You can read the text and download the music by going here.  Better yet, you can hear it at Gettymusic.

What's the difference? Part 2

In our family photo library, there seem to be a huge number of photos of me sitting on the piano bench.  That's not really a surprise, I guess, when you consider my occupation.  Sometimes I'm sitting with my back to the keyboard, sometimes facing it. I'm still thinking about the stubborn/persistent thing and came up with this comparison; please accept it as my attempt to lighten up a weighty thought!

The notes on the page are stubborn - inflexible and unchanging.  

I am persistent in my practise until I can perform those notes to the best of my ability.

What's the difference?

I've been thinking a lot over the last week or so about being stubborn and being persistent.  I got as far yesterday as looking up definitions for these 2 words and really, on paper, they are more similar than one might think.  The difference seems to be mostly in connotation.  If I hear someone say a person is stubborn, the image that comes to my mind is an inflexible attitude and an uncooperative spirit.  However, if a person is described as persistent, I would see someone who keeps at their task, whether chosen or assigned, until it's completed.

When it comes to a life of faith, is one word better than the other?  Does each word have pros and cons?  Can someone be stubborn and persistent about the same thing?  As always, my readers, your comments are welcomed.

Unusual weather

Last week we had three foggy days in a row. Now I know in some parts of the world, that would be a completely normal weather pattern, but here on the prairies, I'm guessing it would be more average to have 1 day in a winter (or 2 at the most) with fog and hoarfrost. The first day was Wednesday. The sun came out in the afternoon enough to brighten up the day but not get rid of the frost. Both Thursday and Friday, the fog lingered all day and frost built up on bare tree limbs and evergreens alike. Late Friday afternoon I walked up to the corner to buy a paper and while I enjoyed the walk and the scenery, I have to say it felt a little apocalyptic the way trees and buildings would appear out of and fade back into the fog.

As often happens, I found myself recalling an appropriate hymn text and what came to mind was:

O Lord, my God!
When I in awesome wonder consider all the works Thy hands have made...
then sings my soul... How great Thou art!
Words: Carl Gustav Boberg; English translation: Stuart K. Hine

The photo above was taken in the park behind our home.

The photo on the left is the spruce in our front yard.

What they sang

I might have known I couldn't leave it alone! I just had to check the hymn numbers to see what they sang at those 2 services on October 24, 1954. The first thing to do was go to the bookshelf to pull my copy of The Book of Praise, 1918 which is what I'm assuming they were using in 1954. (New hymnals were issued in 1972 and again in 1997.) Only the numbers were printed in the bulletin - no titles. Where there was a possibility of more than one tune, I have listed all the tune names.

Here's what I found for the morning service:
#21 - (Psalm 24:7-10) Ye gates, lift up your heads on high - ST. GEORGE'S EDINBURGH
#436 - Come let us to the Lord our God - BELMONT
#295 - The church's one foundation - AURELIA
#531 - How firm a foundation - ADESTE FIDELES

At the evening service, these were the hymns:
#77 - (Psalm 91:1-6, 9, 10) The man who once has found abode - TALLIS'S CANON or PHILADELPHIA
#86 - (Psalm 100) All people that on earth do dwell - OLD 100TH
#399 - Come, let us sing of a wonderful love - WONDERFUL LOVE
#254 - All hail the power of Jesus' name - MILES LANE or UNIVERSITY or CORONATION

Here are some observations. There are 2 tunes here I don't know - ST. GEORGE'S EDINBURGH and PHILADELPHIA. It surprised me to see "How firm a foundation" paired with the tune we commonly use for "O come, all ye faithful". In my nearly 14 years with the Presbyterian church, only the settings of Psalm 24 and 91 are unfamiliar. All the other texts and most of the tunes are used on a somewhat regular basis.

While it is true that newer music is also used in worship today, I fear we rely too heavily on the 'tried and true' hymns which people in 1954 sang. Do these speak to people today? Are we trying to keep alive an expression of faith which has no meaning in 2012? Comments are always welcome, my readers.

October 24, 1954

First of all, let me say, I wasn't around in 1954! But the bulletin I found in the cantata book pictured below was dated October 24, 1954. The cover has a photo of Norwood Presbyterian Church on it. It's the only photo I've ever seen of that building (although I've since learned that the building is still standing at the corner of Kitson Street and Traverse Avenue here in Winnipeg). Norwood is the 'mother' church of St. Vital Presbyterian and in the mid 1970's the 2 congregations merged to become St. Andrew's. They worshiped in the building St. Vital had built at 709 St. Mary's Road. I suppose you could say that finding this photo was a little like discovering a portrait of a grandmother I never knew.

Other bits of trivial information gleaned include:

• Norwood was still its own municipality at the time; it wouldn't become part of Winnipeg until almost 20 years later.
• Rev. M.E.R. Boudreau was the minister.
• Mr. Carl Heddesheimer was the organist and choirmaster.
• Phone numbers were still only 5 or 6 digits long.
• The bulletin has 2 orders of service, a.m. and p.m. Sunday School followed morning worship.
• Apparently, it was anniversary weekend as the anniversary supper was announced for the following evening in the church hall.
• The young lady listed in the directory as the leader of the young people's society recently retired as an active elder after many years of service.
• The church was a busy place! In addition to the regular Sunday services and Sunday school, there was a French Mission that met at 3:00 p.m. Sundays, Women's Missionary Society Tues. afternoons, Jr. Young People's Tues. evenings, Sr. Young People's Weds. evenings, choir practice Thurs. evenings, and Wolf Cubs, Boy Scouts, Brownies and Guides also meeting weekly.

Now that I've blogged about said bulletin, I'll be giving it to the 'young lady' mentioned above!

The things you find!

This post will be, quite literally, about notes of faith - as in, my adventures in sorting and packing St. Andrew's music library this week. The above cantata book contained a bulletin from 1954 when this cantata was presented. More about that in another post. Then there are the various copies of music that have migrated from, well, I'll let the pictures tell you.

St. Vital United was a few blocks down the street.

These two churches are about 1,200 miles away! How did the music get to Winnipeg?

This piece migrated at least twice. If you look carefully under the Riverdale stamp, you can see "Property of First Avenue Baptist Church" - which could be just about anywhere!

Lastly, we have detailed instructions on using file folders. Judging by the typeface on the company logo, I'm guessing these came from the 1920's or so. The music in the file folder would confirm that!


Here's the logo in detail:


So now you know some of the things I found. They gave me a few laughs along the way, and that was a good thing this week.

Of singers, past and present

Today was a more emotional day than I anticipated. In preparation for St. Andrew's move at the end of next week, I went over to the church today to pack up choir gowns and music. As I took each choir gown from its hanger and folded it up, I noticed the name (or names) on the inside neckline indicating who had worn that one over the years of its existence. Most were names of those still with us on this earth, but occasionally I'd see one that has 'gone on before'. It made me think of choristers of all ages, with a wide range of experience, in many places around the world who, at one time or another, raised their voices in song. I find it rather humbling to think that I am one person, only one, in such a long line of singers and musicians stretching behind me in time. Then I imagine all those who will someday look backward to see me in that line. Today was a more emotional day than I anticipated...

The journey that will be 2012

I don't suppose that I'm alone in feeling, especially on New Year's Day, that there is a path stretching out ahead of me for the coming year. The photo above (taken in the city park behind our place) illustrates my thoughts pretty accurately. I can see the first part of the path, but then there is a turn and, although I know there is a path there, I can't see exactly where it goes.

The year 2012 seems a lot like that path, particularly with regard to St. Andrew's faith community and the changes that will continue for us in the very near future. I found it very encouraging this morning to hear recollections from various people in the congregation of how they have seen God at work over the past year, either in their personal lives or in the life of St. Andrew's. Once again, Don Moen's words come to mind:

God will make a way where there seems to be no way.

Happy New Year!!