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 The Verse
A monthly newsletter |
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The Hymn Society
in the United States and Canada
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October 2013
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Greetings!
As you are receiving this newsletter, the Executive Committee is preparing to travel to Richmond for the fall meeting. They are coming from Ontario, California, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York. Your leaders will travel on November 4 and 8 and in-between will spend three very full days working on the business of The Hymn Society and developing the budget for 2014. They'll work on policy matters, nominations for next year's openings on the EC and make important decisions about future annual conferences. They will digest news about our fund-raising efforts and also the new initiatives we are putting into motion.
All of this means that they will spend the entire week away from their homes and jobs and will be focused on keeping The Hymn Society in the best shape possible for your benefit. They have a big responsibility and they carry out their duties with enthusiasm and expertise. I'm grateful for their dedication!
When you next see one of them, be sure to thank them for their hard work.
Meanwhile, keep singing!!
Deb
Deborah Loftis
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2014 Conference in Columbus, Ohio
You'l want to hear these outstanding plenary speakers:
Dr. Christopher Anderson, is Asssociate Professor of Sacred Music at Perkins School of Theology, SMU. He is active as both scholar and organ recitalist with emphases in German Romanticism and twentieth-century music. Dr. Anderson led a sectional in 2011 (Colorado Springs, CO) on a theology of singing. His plenary address is: "A Theology of Musical Pedagogy"
Marilyn Houser Hamm, former Director of Worship & Spirituality for the Mennonite Church ,Canada, was chairperson of the Music Committee for the denomination's Hymnal: A Worship Book, and has been a committee member for the Sing the Journey and Sing the Story supplements. In 2012 she co-led the conference opening hymn festival in Winnipeg. Her plenary will convene a panel on current song leading practices.
Dr. Marcia McFee, professor, consultant, coach and visionary ritual artist has poured her passion into the Worship Design Studio, an online resource that provides inspiration, education and tools for worship leaders. Dr. McFee received a Master's of Theological Studies degree at Saint Paul School of Theology with a concentration in Preaching and Worship, and a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies at the Graduate Theological Union with an allied field of Ethics. She is an avid skier and the co-author of "Spiritual Adventures in the Snow: Skiing and Snowboarding as Renewal for Your Soul". Learn more about her work at http://marciamcfee.com/index.php/worship-design-studio/
Her plenary will be: "Finding the Balance Between Teaching Notes and Giving Context in Song Leading" |
 Lifting Hearts - Joining Hands - Raising Voices We Need Your Help!Our campaign to raise funds for the new programs of The Center for Congregational Song needs your help: - Do you know how to write grant applications? We have a good list of foundations to which we can apply for funds. We need someone with the time and expertise to write the applications for us.
- Do you have fund-raising experience? We want to add two to four additional members to the Financial Development Committee. We will meet quarterly (and sometimes more often) via telephone conference call. There will be assignments to be carried out as well as the meeting time.
If you are interested in either of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Deb at the Society's office, deb@thehymnsociety.org, or 804-201-1207. She can fill you in on the details of these opportunities. |
On a Humorous Note . . .
In a note received from Fred Crider:
"The weekend before last, we were out of town. While we were gone, our pastor left a voice message on our home phone saying that he was going to use a stanza from one of my texts as the doxology that Sunday. Our internet service uses voice recognition software to provide, as an email, a readable voice mail of phone messages. It rendered "doxology" as "ducks allergy."
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Community of Christ Sings
Congratulations to Jane Gardner, Lauren Hall, Jan Kraybill, Joey Williams, David Bolton and all those who worked on Community of Christ Sings. The hymnal was launched during the 20th annual Peace Colloquy: "Peace, Justice and Song," October 18-20, 2013 in Independence, MO with over 1,000 attending. John Bell, FHS, accepted the Community of Christ Peace Award on behalf of the Iona Community. John Thornburg delivered the keynote address and led two workshops. View photos and video of the event at http://www.cofchrist.org/peacecolloquy/ We look forward to showcasing the hymnal this summer in Columbus. The hymnal is available as a Pew Edition, Musicians/Large Print Edition, Digital Song Lyrics USB, and Audio Recordings USB. Online resources including a Concordance, Language Pronunciation Guide, tips for guitarists, and additional indexes will be released in the coming months. http://www.cofchrist.org/hymnal/
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Upcoming Events
NEW! November 12-13, 2013 -- The Hymn Society, in association with Holy City Dallas, will present Permission Granted, a two-day workshop for Advent highlighting Faith Alive's recent hymnal Psalms for All Seasons, at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, Texas. The event will include a worship workshop on Tuesday, November 12, 6:00pm-8:00pm, led by Holy City Dallas and Hymn Society members John Thornburg, Chelsea Stern, Suzi Byrd, Brian Hehn, and Geoffrey Moore which will explore the possibilities and process of putting together a service for Advent primarily using the psalms as a vehicle for the liturgy. On Wednesday, November 13, 11:30am-12:30pm, the worship experience developed in the workshop will be shared with the wider community during Perkins Community Worship. A hymn sing exploring new hymn resources from Psalms for All Seasons, Community of Christ Sings,and Glory to God (PCUSA) will follow in Wednesday, November 13, 1:30pm-2:30pm. For more information, contact John Thornburg at thornburg.john@gmail.com.
NEW! November 17, 2013 -- "And Jesus Said Unto Them: A Festival of Hymns on the Parables of Christ" will be presented by Mark Alan Filbert at Saint Paul Lutheran and Roman Catholic Community of Faith, Denver, CO at 4:00 pm. Musical leadership will be provided by the Saint Paul Festival Choir, the Augustana Lutheran Church Children's Choir, Youth Choir and Youth Bell Choir; the Cristo Rey Orff Ensemble, a brass quartet, organ and percussion.
November 17, 2013 -- Sally Ann Morris and Adam M. L. Tice will lead a festival of singing to celebrate the release of their new CD, "Walk in Peace," at Prairie Street Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Indiana. The singing begins at 7, and a dessert reception will follow. The address is 1316 Prairie Street, Elkhart, IN, 46516
Call for Papers:
December 14-17, 2013 -- The Department of Music within Emanuel University of Oradea (Romania) in cooperation with Emanuel University Press and the Religion and Science Research Centre organize the International Conference on Sacred Music and the Ars Sacra International Festival that will take place in Oradea between December 14-17, 2013. The conference committee invites all academics and university professionals, composers, musicologists, and practitioners with a special interest in the relationship between Christianity and music to submit proposals related specifically to this issue. For further details, please see the attached pdf: Emanuel Conference
December 26, 2013 - January 5, 2014 -- Holy Land Tour
Join Tony Alonso, Marty Haugen and Msgr. Ray West for an 11-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, December 26- January 5. See the atached brochure for more information. brochure
NEW! January 5, 2014 -- Michael Joncas will lead a hymn sing in Lakeland, FL at 3 pm, at All Saints' Episcopal Church. It will be a song service including texts/tunes from Joncas' new hymnary in the form of an Epiphany Lessons and Carols. Local church choirs from All Saints' Episcopal, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and First Presbyterian Church will offer choral selections. Kathy and Charles Hulin will be participating. |
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News of Members
A new textbook on worship is available from one of our newest Hymn Society Fellows! Worship for the Whole People God: Vital Worship for the 21st Century by Ruth C. Duck, FHS, is available from Westminster John Knox. ISBN: 978-0-664-23427-0. John Ambrose, President of The Hymn Society, writes: "Ruth Duck brings together historical, theological, liturgical, pastoral, cultural, anecdotal, and practical elements in a comprehensive resource that students and ministers will want to use as a reference guide for years to come."
Congratulations to Joyce Borger, editor of Lift Up Your Hearts and others at Faith Alive Resources and the Calvin Institute of Worship. Worship Leader magazine named the hymnal, as the Editor's Pick in the October 2013 issue.
Lift Up Your Hearts was also named the "Best New Music" pick in the September issue of the magazine, with this review: "This fresh-out-of-the-box hymnal is for all generations, and is drawn from across the Church's vast history, making it a valuable resource for any and all worship leaders. It's the type of hymnal
that will make you look brilliant in front of your pastor."
Jane Best shared this month: "I am writing to tell you good news-- 2 of my little songs have been put into on-line, printable, free resources. The Resource for Prayer and Praise for the World Council Assembly in Busan is available at www.wcc2013.info and my tiny little song is tucked away on page 233. Easy to learn..." If anyone wants a piano accompaniment contact the office.
One of her songs is also included in the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 2014). http://ecumenism.net/music/
Jonathan Hehn and T. Wes Moore are leading an Ambassador Program at Florida State University on October 25-26, 2013. There will be a Big Sing to culminate the workshop, on Saturday October 26 at 1:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, 110 N. Adams St., Tallahassee. The Ambassador Program is one of our new initiatives and is jointly sponsored with Choristers Guild. The Tallahassee Democrat carried this article last Sunday: http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013310200014
You'll find an interesting interview with Al Fedak in the following blog: https://promotionmusic.org/
John W. Matthews, Jr., Director of Music and Organists at Grace Lutheran Church in Columbus, IN, commissioned Stephen Starke to write a text commemorating the 25th anniversary of their Pastors' ordination. Attached is the hymn insert from the worship bulletin which includes the story of the commission, and Pastor Starke's commentary, stanza-by-stanza.
We thank you for this pastor United Theological Seminary announced the winners of it's second annual hymn contest. Awake! Awake, O People! by Barbara Hamm of Benicia, CA, won for Category 1 (New Text and Tune), Forward Through the Ages by Tim Schoenherr of Farmington Hills, MI, won for Category 2 (New Music for Traditional Hymn/Song Text) and Come, Gather to Hear What the Spirit Will Say by R. Frederick Crider of Timonium, MD, won for Category 3 (New Hymn Text for Traditional Tune). So glad to see our Hymn Society members recognized for their gifts!!
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Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology Launch
The CDH is now available for subscription online at http://www.hymnology.co.uk/
Each day, at least for now, there are three articles that can be viewed free of charge. Take this opportunity to explore this valuable new resource.
"The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology is the public launch of the 'impossible task' - the replacement for the Dictionary of Hymnology produced by John Julian in 1892, with a supplement in 1907.The Dictionary is the result of ten years' research by a team of editors headed by Professor J.R. Watson, University of Durham, UK, and Dr Emma Hornby, University of Bristol, UK. It is an essential reference resource for scholars of global hymnody, with information on the hymns of many countries and languages, and a strong emphasis on the historical as well as the contemporary. It will be of interest to literary scholars, musicians, church historians, and theologians, and a delight for those who love the hymn as an art form." -- from the website Our hearty congratulations to Carlton R. Young, FHS, the US editor, Margaret Leask, Canadian editor, and to the scores of Hymn Society members who have been busy over the past year writing articles for inclusion in this extensive resource!!
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Hymnal Collection for Sale
Aging collector of hymnals and gospel recordings (LPs and 78 RPM) seeks to find a permanent home for the collection prior to his demise. Though he would love to donate the materials, he has too much time and money in them to do so. However, there are many possibilities for creative financing, and he is willing to explore what might be mutually advantageous with the ultimate repository.
In brief the collection focuses on the hymnals associated with Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and the Stamps-Baxter traditions. The records are of the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen and associated quartets of the 1930s-1980s.
In addition to the hymnals and records there are perhaps 5,000 pieces of sacred, secular, and blackface sheet music. And, finally, the collector is aware of two other collections which, joined to his, would make the ultimate repository of them the envy of any archive in America.
A bibliography of the hymnals is available by contacting the collector atjlutzweiler@sebts.edu or by phone at 336-686-2043.
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Church Music Position Open at Baylor
The School of Music at Baylor University is seeking a full-time faculty member in Church Music to begin in fall 2014. This is a tenure-track position that can hold the rank of Assistant, Associate, or full Professor, depending upon qualifications.
For additional information about the position see http://www.baylor.edu/hr/index.php?id=92768 or contact Dr. Randall Bradley at Randall_Bradley@baylor.edu.
Deadline for applications is December 6, 2013.
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Hymn Playing Competition for Organists
To promote the value of excellence in hymn playing, the 2014 Schoenstein Competition in Hymn Playing has just been announced to coincide with the release by MorningStar Music Publishers of the book Hymn Playing: A Modern Colloquium by Stuart Forster. Organists born on or after March 20, 1981, are invited to apply. The application should include live recordings of the applicant playing hymns with a congregation singing, and must be received by March 20, 2014. The final round will be held at Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, 2014, the day before the National Convention begins in Boston for the American Guild of Organists. The public is invited to sing in the congregation during the final round. Finalists will play the 2006 III/43 Schoenstein organ at Christ Church, Cambridge. First prize will be $3000 and second prize will be $1000. Rules and Application Forms are available at www.hymnplayingcompetition.org or from the organizer, Dr. Stuart Forster,
atstuartforster@aya.yale.edu
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Research Project Survey
Robin Knowles Wallace, a professor at Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO), is conducting a survey for a faculty project, eventually to be a series of essays and a book on singing, congregational song, and soundtracks of contemporary lives. The project is tentatively titled "My Life Flows On in Endless Song:" The Impact of Congregational Singing on Discipleship and the chapter that these responses are for is titled "The Soundtracks of Our Lives." The survey has both short and long questions, some yes/no and others fuller answers, and is designed for persons 18 and older. There is one question which could trigger emotions about a previous crisis; that question may be skipped if desired. The survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes. The research will take place May 2013 through May 2014. Information on publication of these ideas will be found following the conclusion of the study on the MTSO website (www.mtso.edu ) under Wallace's publications. The survey can be found by following this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NCL6X2G. Since this survey involves a third party Internet site, participants are encouraged to consult Survey Monkey's privacy policy at http://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/policy/privacy-policy/ . Filling out the survey constitutes consent to participate in the research project. Thank you for participating!
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| Continuing Contests and Searches
The 2013 Macalester Plymouth United Church hymn contest will be a search for a new Advent or Christmas carol which speaks to the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation, and the coming of the One who brings justice, mercy and "peace to all on earth." As always, both new music and familiar music is welcome! All entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2013. For more information, call the church (651-698-8871) or visit the church website at www.macalester-plymouth.org. For more details, consult the attached pdf: Macalester Plymouth 2013
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