Friday, August 7, 2020

Planning In the Time of Covid-19

 


One of my favorite things about being a Cantor is planning! I love choosing new music and hymns that complement the readings for Sunday and help us focus on the seasons of the church year. You can see how excited I was about planning in this Facebook post from a year ago:

 

A lot can happen in a year – but who could have guessed a global calamity like Covid-19 would make even the simple act of planning so difficult?

Choirs can’t even meet to rehearse; so how can they gather on Sunday morning to lead the church’s song? How do I plan choir music for this situation?

Then there are the cries from social media platforms and the news outlets. I know you’ve heard them too:  

                         

                                             


To be honest, I’m proud of the church and how we’ve responded – and not just at St. Mark’s. We (all the church) immediately learned new technologies and moved our services online while our members joyfully welcomed us into their homes. At St. Mark’s, Pastor Daniel Locke got “trickier and trickier” with each new service. Who will ever forget this powerful sermon that honored our feelings and also caused hope to spring up within us?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3wGk7pZJkg&t=514s


One benefit of on-line worship (for me) is that I can visit lots of Sunday morning worship services and see what my colleague/friends are up to. I haven’t just heard great music, but some very fine sermons too. One of my favorite services came from Norway where the liturgy (very ably sung by the Pastor) was accompanied by the church’s cantor on an accordion! I was deeply moved. You can view that service at the following link. It’s in Norwegian, but don’t be surprised if you know exactly what is going on – at least most of the time.

https://www.hallingdolen.no/nyheiter/her-kan-du-sja-gudsteneste-fra-al-kyrkje/?fbclid=IwAR3Kw9Wwqw0_fnr7dCKLzmJ4yWI5il-Q4g1I7FquMnAUs1A4tovEOee9mB8

Yes, the choirs are mostly absent, but not in all cases. Some churches, through the use of choral scholars (masked and socially distanced), have still provided high-quality choral music. Others have used smaller groups and soloists. Organists and pianists proclaim the gospel through preludes and postludes while praise bands lead people to sing in their homes. The church’s song, though perhaps stifled, has persevered.


So, where is my planning for St. Mark’s now?

I haven’t ordered new music for the fall, or even for Christmas – but that doesn’t mean we won’t have a choir.

For the Sundays we are able to meet in the house of the Lord, I have a plan for choir rehearsals that looks something like this:

We’ll have “virtual” choir rehearsals in addition to our Wednesday night meeting because our time together will be reduced.

We’ll wear masks during rehearsal. Choir members will be asked to warm-up on their own and be ready to sing as soon as they enter the choir room.

We’ll practice for 20 minutes, then take a 20- minute breathing break OUTSIDE so people can distance and remove their masks.

We’ll meet in the nave for a final 20- minute rehearsal, still with masks and lots of distance between singers.

With a 40-minute rehearsal (instead of the usual hour and a half) we’ll only be able to work on music for the coming Sunday instead of working 4 -5 weeks like we normally do.

Our St. Mark’s Ringers will rehearse every week – socially distanced and wearing masks, of course. If we are scheduled to play on a Sunday where church will not be live, our music will be pre-recorded for inclusion in the on-line service. (BTW, we have room for two more ringers. Let me know if you’d like to play!)

Even these plans are flexible. We may need to make changes based on CDC guidelines and guidance from government officials.

Some day we will have a vaccine against Covid-19 and we’ll be able to gather, speak, and sing freely while standing next to each other. We’ll shake hands and hug our neighbors as we say, “The peace of Christ be with you.” Until then, the church’s song still goes on, proclaiming the good news of God’s love to all the world.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Music for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: August 2, 2020


Opening Voluntary Two Settings of “Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness” (Schmücke dich)

1. Johann Gottfried Walther, 1684-1748   2. Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897

The text and tune are at Evangelical Lutheran Worship 488.

Gathering Hymn Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Nettleton) ELW 843 


Hymn of the Day All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly (Grace Eternal)

This hymn appears in ELW with the tune Holy Manna, but today we sing it with a newer tune by Jacksonville composer Bob Moore. His tune, Grace Eternal, feels like a folk hymn you’ve been singing your whole life.

Moore recently released a full choral version of All Who Hunger that our Festival Choir was to sing just before Covid-19 caused Sunday morning gatherings to go on hiatus.  Don’t worry, it’ll be back in our choir folders as soon as we’re able to rehearse again. We can’t wait to share it with you!

Music During Communion Holy Manna  setting, Don Hustad, 1918-2013

Hustad’s career as a church organist includes work in six different decades – including appearances with the popular gospel singer George Beverly Shea. This is a setting that I’ve enjoyed playing for a very long time and I chose it because it is the tune that ELW pairs with All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly. It’s also a nice excuse to feature our organ’s clarinet stop.

Sending Hymn O Living Bread from Heaven (Aurelia) ELW 542 

Closing Voluntary O, When Shall I See Jesus? (The Morning Trumpet) setting, Don Hustad

During this season after Pentecost, you may have noticed that I’ve been pairing the psalm refrains with tunes from folk songs, folk hymns, and early hymnody.  Only a few have fit easily – some needed a bit of coercing.

This morning I chose a tune by Benjamin F. White (1800-1879), The Morning Trumpet – a Sacred Harp tune. This is a setting of the full hymn with its text by John Leland (1754-1841), an American Baptist minister.


We’ll hear two trumpets from our organ; first the (pipe) petite trompette that was installed with the organ in 1984, then the (digital) festival trumpet makes a brief appearance at the end.

sources: Hymnary.org