Today I received another CD in the mail. This CD has all my favorite Psalms.

This sample is very refreshing... Listen for yourself...

"Praise the LORD, ye lands! nations clap your hands,
shout aloud to God, spread His fame abroad".

This is Psalm 47 - nice to try this variation at home or school...

It is amazing what you can find on the Internet... it's just a matter of knowing how to search . In 2004 I found a Church Music Policy of the Bergkerk in Amersfoort, written by their Worship Committee.

The outline of the document is as follows:

I Starting Points and Purpose

1 Short history of church music and different movements

1.1 Reformation
1.2 Protestant tradition
1.3 Roman Catholic tradition
1.4 Christian Contemporary Music (CCM)
1.5 The universal church

2 Church Music in the Worship Service

2.1 Starting points
2.2 Church Music in the Bergkerk

2.2.1 Liturgy
2.2.2 Order of worship
2.2.3 Character of the  worship service
2.2.4 Congregational songs
2.2.5 Other vocal music
2.2.6 Instruments

3 Church Music and the Youth of the Church

3.1 Starting points
3.2 Playing Instruments
3.3 Vocal music
3.4 Childrens songs

4. Church music outside of the regular worship service

4.1 Other songs
4.2 Education

5. The future of Church Music in the Bergkerk 2004-2010

II Conditions and Provisions

1.1 Functions/Jobs
1.2 Function/Job description
1.3 Secondary organist

III Organization and Execution

1.1 Worship Committee
1.2 Relation cantor/organist and the choir

I found this very interesting. This is not something done by a Synod or a Classis, this is a document, a policy written by a local church. This document indicates that church music is important for this church/congregation and that they want to make sure that it is done well and taken care of now, and more: in the future!

It also defines how this local church will deal with e.g. new songs and hymn book proposals by Synod. For example in article 2.2.4 about the songs, this policy points out what good church songs are. I found that nteresting. "A good church song can easily be sung without accompaniment. Characteristics of a good church song are that the melody has a rhythm that fits well with the text, has a clear melodic structure, a strong cadance, preferably in a stanza from, and is easy to remember." (Then they elaborate on these points with examples of songs and composers, conculding with practical application of this using some common hymnals.)

This congregation has thought this through. I don't think that this document was made up in one long evening; it has probably grown and matured over time.

Consider: Is church music important for your congregation? If the answer is yes, what did that result in? A policy like this one above? If not, what then?

Before we write off this policy, because it talks about a "worship committee", let's read what the policy says about who is part of the worship committee.

The Worship Committee reports to the consistory. It's members are one elder, one deacon, the minister, the organist, and the second organist. If the Worship Committee institutes a sub-committee(s), one representative of the (each) sub-committee will also be a member of the Worship Committee.

This seems a very powerful committee with all stakeholders involved. Maybe something we can learn from. It is not about who is in charge of picking the songs for the worship service, this is about the future of the music in the church, and to take care of that well.

 Casavant Freres has finished most components of the new Langley organ, Opus 3872 (the 3872nd pipe organ the firm has built since 1880). The next major step will be the assembly of the instrument in the workshop for the first time. This should 'prove that what has been drawn on paper, also fits in reality. More important, the organ will produce sound for the first time in its existence and it can be played as well. 

It is a custom that a delegation from the church visits the organ builder, checks out, plays and listens to their new instrument. A two hour tour of the organbuilders facilities is part of the ceremony.

Although St. Hyacinthe, Quebec is quite a distance, some of our church members are planning to visit Casavant early April. Pipe organs last a long time (Casavants very first organ from 1880 is still in use, every Sunday, and the worlds oldest playable pipe organ was built in 1390...) and therefore this event could be considered a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity.

Depending on personal wishes, visitors could visit historic parts of Montreal, or visit some old Casavant organs in old churches.

 

This past Wednesday was Ash-Wednesday, February 6, the beginning of the Lent period. Today is the first Sunday of Lent. In the time from Ash-Wednesday to Easter people reflect on the suffering and death of our Lord. In the music before one of the worship services I will play music that is written for this period and hymns that deal with what happened on Good Friday.

We found a buyer for our old pipe organ...!

The organ needs to be removed in a few weeks so that there is time to prepare the organ loft for the new organ...

The purchaser (from Washinton State) plans to install the organ in his home, and fell in love with especially the reeds (the Clarinet on the Swell, the Trumpet of the Great and the Possaune of the Pedal)

Tonight will be the workshop Hymn Playing.  I thought about the title Hymn Accompaniment, but whether you accompany or not, playing of hymns has its own challenges. Accompaniment can be part of that...

The following was placed in Church News:

Workshop Hymn Playing

Do you play piano or organ, or ...? Maybe you are interested in a fun evening of playing with hymns: how do you play them, how could you play an introduction, etc. We'll use as a guide the 28 Hymns Augment, but if you have the Grey Psalter Hymnal, please take it along. Friday Feb. 1 2008 - Langley Church - 7:30 PM - No cost - Please sign up and call 604 514 9414 - Frank Ezinga.

I expected around 12 people, and that is more than enough. A handout for tonight is to keep us on track. The main topics are:

1. How do you learn a new hymn? (Where do you start?)

2. Different approaches to accompaniment

3. Before (and after) the singing 

4. What about the congregation?

Because it is a workshop, I hope that some of the participants are not just listening but also playing tonight.

Especially when we discuss the fact that hymn notes are not always supposed to be played as written and the differences between piano and organ playing, it would be great if some people take their chance and play.

Starts young...

Something totally different, but I wanted to pass this on tonight.

The Cathedral Singers and Mulder Consort,  
Jan Mulder, director,  
Daniël Rodriguez, soloist.

In the letter to the Editor of Clarion (Jan 4 2008, page 17), Br. and Sr. Vander Vegte are expressing their concerns about the need for new rhymings of the Psalms. I don't know the writers of this letter.

I was surprised to read about concerns their concerns. The writers seem to be concerned about the new rhymings of the Psalms, yet, this was initiated by Synod Fergus (1998), and confirmed by Synod Chatham (2004), resulting in an actual mandate by Synod Smithers (2007). I find it strange that only now the actual results are posted on a website, that only now concerns are expressed to the readers of Clarion, while I am not aware of their concerns expressed to the Synods of Neerlandia (2001), Chatham (2004), or Smithers (2007). The writers state that they want that the churches have input whether they want new Psalm rhymings or not. As far as I can see, all churches had these chances for the last 10 years, but there seems to be only growing support for improved rhymings over the years (based on the Acts of the Synods mentioned).

Dealing with all of their concerns in detail could take quite a few words, so I will highlight some aspects of their letter.

The writers have concerns about the memorization of the Psalms: "... how many can sing them without having their Psalm book open". Synod Chatham considered in 2004 (Article 115 - 5.2.6.): "Synod realizes that a new rhyming would mean a loss with a view to the memorization of the present rhyming, but does not consider it a determining factor." This statement was not challenged in Smithers, but now concerns are publically shared in Clarion. I think that this should have been addressed in Smithers.

The writers express their feelings for the rhymings that they are so familiar with. And to a certain extend I can sympathize with them, on an emotional level.

The letter writers mention several Psalms, but I looked at only one: Psalm 122. The NIV has the following:

    ¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
       "Let us go to the house of the LORD." 
    ² Our feet are standing
       in your gates, Jerusalem. 
    ³ Jerusalem is built like a city
       that is closely compacted together.

It was always my impression that the Book of Praise (1984) was rhymed based on Scripture from Scripture, and not based on the Dutch Psalm rhymings, that are already a versification of Scripture. But I am not so sure anymore... the English and Dutch translation are very, very close, almost by the line. See the first stanza in English (1984) and Dutch (1773):

There is a strong indication that the English is a translation of the Dutch rhyming instead of a rhyming of the English translation of Scripture. The more recent Dutch translation (1984/5) has a few old Dutch words changed, but the rhyming stayed the same as the one from 1773.

The letter writers claim that this Psalm was changed seemingly for the sake of change. They clearly want to stay with the translation out of the Dutch language, which is clearly recognizable. They don't see the biblical advantage of having a rhymed version of Psalm 122 which is closer to Scripture in the English language. Rather they prefer the translation from Dutch.

Altough I learned the Dutch rhyming of 1773 by heart and can still sing it by heart (nobody can take that away from me): for the sake of the younger generation I would like to see a rhyming of the Psalms that is closer to the English Scripture.

The new translation has some similarities to the Liedboek voor de Kerken. This Dutch Songbook was not a fix of an old language problem, but the book of 1973 was basically built from scratch, using Scripture as starting point. For comparison, the new proposed English rhyming and the Liedboek text:

No, it does not look like the pattern of the text that we are used to since 1773. In line of what the Reformers started, we should make sure the church has a Psalm book that is most of all closest to Scripture as possible, and second in a language/vocabulary that is understood by the younger generation of the church.

Keeping the old for our sentiment is not what the Reformed church is about. Before the Reformation the church was singing in Latin and the regular person in the pew did not understand the words. Both Luther and Calvin fought for songs to be written in the vernacular: everyone should be able to understand every single word in their own day-by-day language.

Yet, I completely agree that once this re-rhyming is approved, the need for another revision should be many, many years away, and we should allow a generation to learn these Psalms and sing them by heart in church. When we know the text by heart we can focus completely on what we are singing.

God blessed his church and brought Reformation. He also blessed us by providing us the 150 Psalms that we can sing daily. Let's ask His blessing also as we pass His blessings on to the next generation!

"For he that singeth praise, not only praiseth, but only praiseth with gladness: he that singeth praise, not only singeth, but also loveth Him of whom he singeth. In praise, there is the speaking forth of one confessing; in singing, the affection of one loving." (St. Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 73, 1)

PS I am not qualified to validate how close the new texts of the Psalms are to the Psalm in the original language. It could well be that some text should be modified.