Hymns and the Visitor, Any suggestions? Options

[fsharpminor]

We also had 'There is a green hill far away' to 'The House of the Rising Sun'. It fits perfectly.
Yes, on Palm Sunday with me at the organ a couple of guitars and a drummer.
It was ecumenical as all the Heswall Churches at the end of their own services paraded up to ours. The Catholics carried a large heavy cross though town in torrential rain to join us !

[mel2]

the organist didn't recognise any of the potential tunes for 'We pray thee, heavenly Father' and instead we sang it to the tune for 'Every sperm is sacred'

Good grief! What tune is that? I think I'd refuse to play that one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Can you supply the rest of the words?

[Martin.Walters]

I play every week for a church(es), normally given 30mins notice to the hymns to be played ~ only on very special occasions maybe 5 times a year am I given 2 days notice. normally given between 5-8 hymns to play.
I visited a Salvation army church just 3weeks ago ~ I guess that was my greatest challenge as some of the tunes are from the melodies of Seventh Day Adventists hymnal. ~ Those alternatives you have been given are very child like in choice of repertoire so Id imagine many people would have known them or easily picked up the tunes.

It is often how complex a tune is to learn that is the issue for people with little hymn experience.

So complex songs i`d imagine,

Royal Oak
True Hearted Whole Hearted
and a more modern, "Faithful One"

You would be lucky to teach newcomers these tunes.

Then alot of the tunes are complicated, but a nice hymn
May the Fragrance of Jesus fill this place a great opening tune, especially if sung in 2 part.
Love Lifted me,
I serve a Risen Saviour

A good thing to do would be to change the words of What a friend we have in Jesus, ~ to ~ I will sing the wondrous story ~ Its in the same meter and sounds amazing !!

Anyways they are my suggestions, my greatest one of all as always is " Pray about it and God will bless"

[fsharpminor]

A good thing to do would be to change the words of What a friend we have in Jesus, ~ to ~ I will sing the wondrous story ~ Its in the same meter and sounds amazing !!

Thats a great suggestion Martin, maybe I will surprise them with it ! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[dotted quaver]

You could try the following:

O Jesus, I have promised - The Muppets Theme

This is going to be stuck in my head forever now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif)

[madbassoonist]

the organist didn't recognise any of the potential tunes for 'We pray thee, heavenly Father' and instead we sang it to the tune for 'Every sperm is sacred'

Good grief! What tune is that? I think I'd refuse to play that one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Can you supply the rest of the words?

It's from Monty Python.

There are Jews in the world, there are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons and then,
There are those that follow Mohammud,
BUT I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics
Is they'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six footer,
You don't have to have a great brain,
You don't have to have any clothes on,
You're a Catholic the moment Dad came.

Because...Every sperm is sacred, Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is sacred, Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground,
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

Every sperm is wanted, Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed, In your neighborhood.

Hindu, Taoist, Mormon, Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their Semen with more care.

Every sperm is sacred, Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

Let the Pagan spill theirs, O'er mountain, hill, and plain,
God shall strike them down for Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

Every sperm is wanted, Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed, In your neighborhood.
Every sperm is sacred, Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate.

My friend was teaching me the words last week...when we were in Madrid for a Catholic youth festival. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[mel2]

^^^

I'm obliged to you, madbassoonist. -Sorry to be thick. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

If it's from Monty Python then no wonder it has passed me by - much of that humour left me scratching my head wondering why it was funny. (Please let there be ONE other person in the world who thinks The Life of Brian was lame?!)

[Swell Box]

^^^

I'm obliged to you, madbassoonist. -Sorry to be thick. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

If it's from Monty Python then no wonder it has passed me by - much of that humour left me scratching my head wondering why it was funny. (Please let there be ONE other person in the world who thinks The Life of Brian was lame?!)

Count me in Mel. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

SB

[fsharpminor]

^^^

I'm obliged to you, madbassoonist. -Sorry to be thick. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

If it's from Monty Python then no wonder it has passed me by - much of that humour left me scratching my head wondering why it was funny. (Please let there be ONE other person in the world who thinks The Life of Brian was lame?!)

My name is Brian and my life is not lame !! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Vox Humana]

Please let there be ONE other person in the world who thinks The Life of Brian was lame?!

Yes. Very. Possibly if I were anti-religion I might find it vaguely amusing in places, but I'm not so I don't. The Flying Circus could sometimes be funny, but even that was hit and miss (as the Pythons admit).

[Dulcet]

You could try the following:

O Jesus, I have promised - The Muppets Theme

This is going to be stuck in my head forever now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

When I told our DofM he ordered the music straightaway... must pass on the others!

[jod]

You could try the following:

O Jesus, I have promised - The Muppets Theme

This is going to be stuck in my head forever now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

When I told our DofM he ordered the music straightaway... must pass on the others!

..must say it is an improvement on Camberwell!

Anyone got a fun tune for 'Now Thank we All Our God' so that I don't have to put up with Hatherop Castle!

[fsharpminor]

I have never played 'All My Hope on God is founded' to anything other than Michael --- until yesterday, when a retired and very old fashioned retired minister (aged 92 !) of the Welsh Presbyterian Church insisted he wanted 'Groeswen' , the third of three tunes for this hymn in 'Church Hymnary 3' . We used to use this hymnbook but usually it's 'Mission Praise ' now. The other tune (beside Michael) is an old chorale 'Meine Hoffnung'.
He also wanted another hymn from CH3 I'd never come across before, but for the moment Ive forgotten it.
The choirmistress wanted 'Westminster Abbey' in G rather than B flat. It seems to be variously in G , A, or Bflat depending on which hymnbook you use. Our elderly choirladies even find top F as the second note a bit of a struggle !
Incidentally the aforementioned misister is in terrific heath , and can still a take the whole service (65 mins) inc orating a 20 min sermon without notes. I think he has recently celebrated 70 years in cloth. A lovely man.

[Barry Williams]

Whilst 'Michael' is a sitirring tune, 'Meine Hoffnung', a wonderful melody, underlines the words rather more effectively.

This is a conflict that church musicians often have to face. It occurs with "How shall I sing that majesty", popularly sung to 'Coe Fen'. The impact of that tune, to me at least, is to displace the words, somewhat in the manner of the beguiling foxtrot, 'Alton' used for the magnificent "Firmly I believe and truly". I remember the tune rather than the words.

It is the duty of the church musician to ensure that the tune underlines the words, rather than distracts from them. 'Michael' is a glorious tune but, as a member of the congregation, I find that the emotion of the tune detracts from the words. In this I am sure that I am moved by the origin of the tune and, of course, its superb descant by John Rutter.

It is most difficult to balance and there is no easy answer. We are all influenced by so many competing factors.

Barry Williams

[Rogue Organist]

A good thing to do would be to change the words of What a friend we have in Jesus, ~ to ~ I will sing the wondrous story ~ Its in the same meter and sounds amazing !!

An eminent hymnologist - I forget who, but it may have been Erik Routley - complained that the tune Converse was so banal that he was always tempted to sing "Me no likee English sailor" to it instead.