[Magdalen] Here We Go Again.

[Jim Guthrie]

>Oh, and I tried the Rite stuff or whatever it's called.  Apart from being
>able to make clear digital copies of music, I thought it was very clumsy.
>Not at all impressed, especially for the price.

We had some discussion elsewhere at the time this was being done/tested, and the 
general conclusion was that the programmers must have been amateur hobbyists --  
and not competent.

> I just wish they had actually sung every hymn through with minimal
> accompaniment, to see if they are singable by the average congregation.  So
> many are really only suitable for use with a good choir, which means a big
> church, and probably a budget big enough for printed booklets including
> hymns and skilled staff to make them.

I would say that fewer than 100 hymns in H82 fall into this category.  But 
unless the Choir Director and Rector have worked to schedule >700 of the hymns 
in a reasonable period of time,I don’t think the characterization of "good 
choir" is true at all. My experience in congregations where something beyond the 
"Top 40" are used (including those who use the hymnal like a lectionary over 
three years <g>) is that difference congregations take to a different subset of 
hymns.

For example, some congregations easily take to the Korean and Chinese tunes, 
others are lost. I encountered one small congregation that could belt out the 
Distler, but even one with a "good choir" couldn't hank it.

Of course, there are other factors. One of Raewynne's predecessors thought the 
congregation's singing pretty awful, so made sure that many hymns were truncated 
at the first verse (he had once been in a D'Oyley Carte company so knew a good 
sound!); another would apologize for the "wrong tune" or stop midway in a hymn 
at a colon or comma at the end of a verse. This sort of thing is not encouraging 
for congregational music, I think.

I do think part of a complete seminary educating would be a class where all 720 
hymns of H82 were sung and discussed, along with the LEVAS II and WL&P 
Collections. Starting texts might be Bradley's "Abide with Me" and Wren's 
"Praying Twice" and then on to Glover Vol 1 &2, while using Glover 3 & 4 to 
facilitate discussion as individual hymns are sung. Another continuing volume 
would be one of the current volumes of "A Scriptural Reference to the Hymnal 
1982" as well. That might cover four semesters, but as congregational singing is 
central for many congregants _and far more relevant than some of the really 
esoteric theology course)  it should be a no-brainer, I think.

What texts are currently used in seminary when it comes to music?

Cheers,
Jim

>
> And my other basic wish is to remove gendered language for people in the
> BCP - a minor change, but way way way overdue.  It would be nice to have a
> much wider range of metaphors for God as well, rather than the dominant
> male ones, but let's start with people!
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 4, 2015 at 10:26 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I hope they don't muck up the hymnal as badly as the ELCA has theirs.
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 4, 2015 at 10:06 AM, Cantor03--- via Magdalen <
>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > In a message dated 7/4/2015 9:33:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>> > michaudme at gmail.com writes:
>> >
>> > One of  our Canons suggested (circa 1983) that we start
>> > a group to preserve the  1979 prayer book.
>> >
>> > He was joking, of  course.>>>>>
>> >
>> >
>> > I subscribe to the USA Prayer Book Society's "Mandate"
>> > periodical.
>> >
>> > Though there are articles about the supposed superiority
>> > of the 1928 USA BCP, Mandate has gradually morphed over  into
>> > being just another generally conservative Anglican group
>> > with opposition to OW, and GLBT rights.
>> >
>> > When the late Peter Toon was editor, the tone was quite
>> > different.
>> >
>> >
>> > David S.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>