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?!

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...

Advent 1 - Anticipation!

Each year, during this busy season of Advent and Christmas, I try to attend one event where I can sit, listen, and sing unencumbered by the responsibilities of playing. You, my reader, can appreciate that as a church musician, I don't get such an opportunity all that often. For many years I attended the Advent Lessons and Carols service at All Saints Anglican here in Winnipeg. They had (it was said) the best men and boys choir in all of western Canada. Don Hadfield was the organist then, and I looked forward each year to hearing him play. His prelude was always the same: various settings of "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (Come, Saviour of the heathen), each one building in intensity. This was followed by Brahms' setting of "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (Lo, how a rose e'er blooming). The postlude was Bach's great Toccata in F major (still on my learn-it-someday list). Those days sadly came to an end but several of those choir members are still very active and involved in Winnipeg's music scene in different ways.

One of these is Blair Anderson who is now the Organist/Choir Director at St. Luke's Anglican and yesterday I went to the Advent and Lessons there. It would have been easy to stay home. I'd already been out Friday and Saturday nights. I like to nap Sunday afternoons. It was Grey Cup Sunday and I'd probably miss the first part of the game on TV. In spite of all that, I felt compelled to go. Parking in the older part of town is often a challenge; yesterday was no exception. Two churches in two blocks, both with something going on - you get the picture. I finally got a spot, close to the church, parked the car, and got out. As I scurried across the street, I realized how excited I felt to go to worship! The anticipation of God's presence through music and scripture was almost overwhelming. I have found before that when I begin worship by anticipating that I will hear from God, it almost always happens. I was not disappointed:

Haggai 2:6-7
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
"In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come,
and I will fill this house with glory, "
says the Lord Almighty.

First time ever - Part 3

Yesterday, over the noon hour, I played for the third of this year's Lenten Communion services put on by the Winnipeg Centre, Royal Canadian College of Organists. This year the series is being held at St. Andrew's Anglican Church (Woodhaven). Each participating organist makes their own repertoire selections for the half hour service and all of mine were based on hymns - some more familiar than others. The hymn that falls into the 'first time ever' category is ABERYSTWYTH, a beautiful tune of Welsh origin. The only text I believe it is ever paired with is by Charles Wesley, Jesus, Lover of my Soul.

The first time I ever remember hearing this hymn was when the choir from Canadian Nazarene College came to sing in Orkney church. I think it may have been 1971 during their spring tour of eastern Canada. I seem to recall it being sung a cappella; maybe one of my sisters will remember for sure. It's probably safe to say that the music that stays with us (especially for 40 years!) is connected to us in more than one way. I may not have remembered this hymn and the first time I heard it except that my parents taped the evening's concert on a new radio/cassette player we had with a built in mic. That tape was replayed often and the hymn remained with me. If you can ignore the lip syncing, you can hear Aled Jones singing Jesus, Lover of my Soul by going to this link. The second verse is sung in Welsh.

"we feebly struggle..."

Please don't misunderstand, dear reader, I'm not feeling feeble today, nor am I having a day of struggles. The above is part of a line in the hymn, For All the Saints, one of my all-time favourite hymns. (One of about 500 or more, you understand!) Today, All Saints' day, I am thinking of my Dad. November 1st falls about mid-way between the date in October 1995 that he died and his birthday near the end of November.

There are many wonderful lines in this hymn, but I seem to choke up on this one, and more so as the years go on. The whole line is:

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine.

The Christian walk can be a struggle at times - maybe even all the time. We could be grappling with the right thing to do in a situation. We could be fighting against the pull of the world with its alluring glories, shortlived though they be. But those who have gone on ahead of us to glory have left those struggles behind forever. Wow!

So on this All Saints' Day let us remember those who, from all their labours, rest.

A Weekend in Calgary

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos on my blog from my weekend in Calgary, Alberta which was Sept. 17-19, 2010. For those who were at one of the events, you can share the memories with me. If you weren't there, maybe this will whet your appetite to come to a concert in the future!



The picture above was taken at Grace Presbyterian Church, Calgary where I played on Friday evening. What great acoustics to play in!



I believe this is the first selection after intermission, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". The second half of the program was a musical journey through the church year. It began and ended with Advent.


On Saturday, my friend, Jean, took me out to Canmore to the mountains. It was glorious!

Do you see those Rockies in the distance?

We're getting closer now!

The Three Sisters

Sunday morning I played at Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Calgary. They meet in the Orpheus Theatre on the campus of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). It was a blessing to me to be part of the worship service, to learn a new worship chorus, and to teach the congregation there something new as well.

Here I am speaking about the 2 solo pieces I played: You Are My Hiding Place and a medley of Open the Eyes of My Heart and Be Thou My Vision.

All in all, a wonderful weekend filled with good music, good friends, and God's creation!

Summer Camp and Rain

As happens nearly every year, I seem to get lost in memories of summer camp. For 3 or 4 years as a teenager I spent about three weeks in July at what was then called Clarksburg Camp (Church of the Nazarene) within walking distance of Georgian Bay. I helped in the dining hall - we called it waitressing - but what it really meant was setting tables, filling salt shakers etc. and washing dishes. It meant early mornings after late nights around a campfire, and it produced lasting friendships and opportunities for spiritual growth.

There is so much music associated with those weeks that I could probably write several entries. The bunch of us girls washing dishes and cleaning up the dining hall would often sing to pass the time and some songs I recall are: Amen (the spiritual), a version of Psalm 100 put to music by a local musician, and He's got the whole world in His hands.

Then there were the traveling song evangelists that came to provide music for the services. I remember many of them, but one that holds a special place in my heart is Canadian Deverne Mullen. He created some of his own arrangements for the camp choir to sing and he always encouraged the teens to join. The tabernacle (meeting place) had a tin roof and you can imagine the deafening sound when it rained! We've had a couple really torrential downpours in the last week or so, and it made me think of Deverne singing "My, Didn't it Rain!" He always had this piece at the ready in case of a storm at camp.

More Grace

Never doubt, dear reader, that God knows what it is we need before we ask. I began this day feeling rather overwhelmed with life's circumstances and wondering how I would cope with things coming up. This afternoon, my Mom phoned to see how I was, and to tell me that my aunt had woken up early - 4:30 a.m. early! - and had the overpowering urge to pray specifically for me. That was answer #1. After we finished on the phone I started straightening up the kitchen and put on a CD for company. One of the pieces in a medley struck home with a powerful hit. That was answer #2. The song is one my Mom often sang and the first line immediately came to mind:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater.
Words by Annie Johnson Flint

The power of music and words together never ceases to amaze me! I am thanking God for this gift today.

We shall meet on that beautiful shore!

You will notice that it has been nearly 3 months since I blogged. It isn't that I haven't had ideas for posts, only that life has been happening and there hasn't been a surplus of energy for writing. I think I feel ready to 'put pen to paper' as it were, and share an experience from mid-March.

One of my choir members plays in the Mennonite Community Orchestra here in Winnipeg and invited me to attend the spring concert. We are fortunate to have the Canadian Mennonite University in our city, and the student choirs participated in the program. It was a blessing to me to hear the 4 different ensembles, as well as the orchestra, in performance. It reminded me of my own student days singing in Choral Society - Faure's Requiem, Haydn's Creation, etc.

The women's choir began their selections by singing a lovely arrangement of "In the Sweet By and By". I grew up singing this hymn (although not the way they sang it!) and at first I was caught up in remembering that.

There's a land that is fairer than day
and by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.

Then they came to the chorus:

In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
Words by S.F. Bennett

Emotionally, I 'lost it' then. Tears ran silently down my cheeks as I struggled for control. At that moment, my father-in-law was slowly failing in a hospital bed a thousand miles away. I guess that chorus became a far-off goodbye from me, in a way. A month earlier we had been there to visit, and I said to him then, "No matter what Dad, I'll see you again." His faith was strong; I have no doubt that God has welcomed him home.

This hymn will always carry a shadow with it now. In my childhood years, I sang it gleefully, knowing that heaven was that 'beautiful shore'. The glee has mellowed to ... what? Comfort tinged by sadness - happiness tempered by life perhaps. This experience has again reminded me of the power of music, and especially music and words together - unquestionably a topic for another post.

Remembering Dad

Today I have been thinking of my Dad, Rev. Weldon Bull. He would have turned 89 today. I credit his (and my mom's) love for and knowledge of hymns with building that love in me. Not too long ago Brenda Martin and I traded CD's. One of the hymns she arranged and plays on "And Can It Be: Hymns and Songs of Faith" is one that was a favourite of Dad's, Arise, My Soul, Arise. As I have not sung it for several years, I had sort of forgotten about it until I heard it again on Brenda's CD. Dad seemed to particularly love the hymns of Charles Wesley. Here are the words.

Arise, my soul, arise; Shake off thy guilty fears.
The bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears.
Before the throne my Surety stands;
Before the throne my Surety stands;
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above for me to intercede;
His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me.
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry;
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry;
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die."

The Father hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One;
He cannot turn away the presence of His Son.
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pard'ning voice I hear.
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear.
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, "Father, Abba Father," cry.

Words: Charles Wesley
Tune: LENOX 666688 by Lewis Edson

First time ever - Part 2

Yesterday the choir at St. Andrew's sang a setting of the Swedish hymn "Children of the Heavenly Father" and I thought I'd tell you about the "first time ever." I first remember hearing this hymn about 35 years ago when our District Superintendent, Neil Hightower, came for a Sunday to worship with us in Sarnia. He must have brought the music with him as I don't recall it being in the hymnal we would have been using at the time. I also don't remember who accompanied him - my sister or me. Those details didn't stay with me, but the hymn itself certainly did. It is such a lovely, simple tune which is so appropriate for the words. Here is a link to a brief video excerpt where Professor Gracia Grindal, tells a little about the life of the author, Lina Sandell.

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

First time ever...

I was listening to some Chicago the other day. Now before you get all agitated about that being on a blog about hymns, take a deep breath! As I listened, I realized again the power of music to transport us in so many ways - time and emotion to name just two. Chicago takes me to my teens and twenties in a flash. Sometimes I even recall where I was when listening to that tune 'way back when.

There are a few hymns on a similar list - the list of "The first time I remember singing that hymn". Today I'm sharing one of those experiences with you, my reader. (I had to actually check back to see that I hadn't already written about this. I guess I just thought about writing it!) The first time I remember singing "Blest be the tie that binds" was at a family reunion in 1967, Canada's Centennial Year. I must have sung the hymn prior to that, but this occasion really sticks out in my mind. The reunion was my paternal grandfather's siblings and their descendants and until that day, I never knew how many Bull's there were! I don't recall the actual number of people attending, but to a 9 year old it seemed like an awful lot. As we were getting ready to go our separate ways, someone suggested we sing this hymn together. It could have been Dad I suppose but I don't know for sure. I know we sang at least one verse together - maybe more - and when I look back on it, I think that was pretty remarkable. What a blessing to share a hymn together at a family reunion!

Do you have a particular memory of the first time you sang hymn X? Please do share the memory with me.