I just spent a couple of hours this evening after work going over what I’ll be playing for the service on Easter morning. Hehe, I’m really mixin’ it up this year, our Episcopal service will be musically eccumenical in our congregational hymns and these folks are in for a suprise. Most of it is on organ, as usual, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today for the processional, that one’s traditional in our church, a Methodist tune-“Hymn of Promise” for the sermon hymn, and I’m gonna give them a Baptist tune for the recessional, “He Arose”. Then for an offeratory the choir is going to sing"Now the green blade riseth” (the tune is Noel nouvelet more commonly heard at Christmas) and I’ve thrown in some tambourine for good measure-sounds more than a bit pagan with the setting I’m using. But, the communion hymn may get some low whistle on “Christ ist erstanden”. The choir has practiced it with organ, but I may just be in the mood …
I was debating whistle or not, and wondered if anyone else out there is whistling for Easter?
I’m whistling for Easter, too, but not hymns this time (we’ll see how this goes over for an offertory…). We’ll do South Wind into Sweets of May on whistle and guitar.
I’ll be playing trumpet at my church’s Easter Vigil on Saturday–just for a couple of the hymns towards the end of the service. For Sunday, the professionals will be there to play 2 services, so I’ll get to sit back and enjoy someone else’s tooting.
Not whistling, but beginning last night with the Maundy Thursday service, my choir has five services to sing. We’re doing a plainchant mass (with the reserved sacrament) and veneration of the cross today. Tomorrow night, of course, is the Great Vigil. And we’re singing both services on Sunday morning, rather than just the 10:30 as usual.
Last night we did Burroughs “Drop, drop slow tears” (which I love, because it’s so low) for an offertory anthem and Franck’s “In den Armendein” for Tenebrae. For the Easter services we’re doing one of my favorites…the exquisite Patrick Wedd reharm of “He is Risen,” as well as Schubert’s “Osterlied,” among other wonderful pieces.
i’m not sure what the complete line up is for Mass on sunday, my wife knows. we’re a small folk group of 4 people, we have a keyboard player, she sometimes sings harmonies, we have a new guitar play who sings and plays skillfully but with some songs he’s new to, he doesn’t sing, my wife sings beautifully but we’re all a bit worried because she’s losing her vocal range. i play the guitar, harmonica, and pennywhistle at church. i can sing when i play the guitar.
i know we’re doing “how great thou art” for closing, i’ll be playing the harmonica on that one because the congregation sings like nobody’s business. i know we’re also doing “ode to joy” if i play that song on the guitar, i freak out and just start playing too wildly and i can’t imagine that i’m going hold back on easter morning, if i play it on the whistle it just won’t have the BANG that i would like it to have, i’ll probably play that song on the harmonica, then i can go wild without messing with the timing. i also don’t know whether i’m playing the responsorial psalm on guitar or whistle, that will depend on how everyone else is singing.
Haven’t gotten the chance to whistle yet, but I’m sure it will come along. The choirmistress is a whistle fan, and there are two of us in the choir that play.
Our Maundy Thursday included Byrd’s Ave Verum, “Drop, Drop, Slow Tears”, a quartet (of which I was a part) sang Graun’s “Surely…” and I was cantor for a Maundy Thursday Anglican chant. Musically a beautiful service - gentle, introspective and unhurried.
I don’t remember what songs we’ve got for Easter, but I’ll be one flute. Mom and I will also do a duet (flute/voice) of O Sacred Head and What Wondrous Love. Then if pastor lets me, at the end of service I get to play the Jig of Slurs on smallpipes as a celebratory type thing
I love Anglican Chant. We’re doing the Te Deum tomorrow night for the Great Vigil.
“Drop, drop slow tears” is a bit of a nemesis for me, I’m afraid, much as I love it. Years ago, when our director was trying to get us to articulate more clearly, he used the line “cease not, wet eyes, his mercy to entreat” as an example, pointing out that, if we didn’t articulate the “cease not” bit clearly, it would come out sounding like “see snot.” Now every time we do it, my ear “helpfully” supplies “see snot” there, and I get the giggles. Fortunately I managed to keep a straight face last night, but it was a near thing!
Sigh. I’m not playing this year. I’ve played the past 5 years. Last year we did an absolutely incredible concert on Good Friday, Saturday night, Sunday morning and a again Sunday night. We’d been rehearsing since February.
Then I had a falling out and haven’t played in almost a year. I kind of miss it.
Me? Playing? In front of actual people? (well, not that the people who inhabit Casa Izz aren’t people, but they aren’t like REAL people that won’t speak to me later, once I’ve practically killed them with my horrific playing). So, ummm, anyway…I’m going to have to say NO. I’m not playing for Easter.
Our entire soprano section failed to show up for the Easter Vigil tonight! One of them was signed out and one was sick, but the other two have no valid excuse at all. The only other alto who was supposed to be on failed to show as well (she’s usually reliable…I hope she’s OK!). The upshot is, one of the tenors had to sing the soprano parts as a counter tenor (and learn them on the fly), and I had to sing down in all the unison sections to blend with the guys (there’s simply no way I can sing soprano…my highest effective note is a high C. Besides, it sounds silly to have only one voice in the treble register). I feel like my throat has been sandpapered!
The organist (who has only been with us for about nine months) blew things big time as well. She got the verses mixed up on “Hail thee, festival day”…just as we were processing! The verses alternate tunes, so we were throw into utter confusion, with some trying to sing the next verse that went to the tune she was playing, and some trying to fit the words of the correct verse to the tune she was playing. Then she lost track of where she was, and tried to end the hymn twice before it was actually over (of course, she couldn’t be arsed to actually watch the director!)
This was the worst Easter Vigil ever. We’ve got the best church choir in Santa Cruz, and we sounded like cr*p.
I sure hope the sopranos don’t wig out on us tomorrow as well…we have two four-part reharms to do, as well as an anthem, an introit, and a Táize.
as long as you worship God and do it for God. i think even the best of our praises looks pretty pitiful.
i’ve never studied SATB music, which is no big loss to me. our current folk group is small. all of the folk groups that i have played with over the years have worked at learning how to make the best of a mistake. at least you didn’t mention musicians playing songs in different keys. that’s our favorite mistake and there is no recovery from that other than starting over or someone taking control and having the other musicians figure out what the current key.
Then she lost track of where she was, and tried to end the hymn twice before it was actually over (of course, she couldn’t be arsed to actually watch the director!)
I’ve done that before. Although not on a “big” day. Once just kept playing “All Creatures of Our God and King” on and on- with I think 7 verses total I lost track. I always count in my head, the first number of whatever verse they are on, 2,2,3,4 for each measure of the second verse, etc., etc. since we are small, and I have no one to watch and can’t always hear the singing.
Maybe the Lord was just have a bit of a laugh… … these things happen every now and again, and yet, life goes on. I hope no-one lets it put too much of a damper on their future efforts.
In this case, she kept throwing in a big cadenza and then stopping.
Things went better on Easter morning…at least the sopranos were there! But my voice was trashed from singing down the day before, and the organist was still totally incompetent. I honestly don’t think she bothers to practice these pieces. There’s nothing like wrong chords and poor timing on the instrumentalist’s part to ruin the best efforts of a good choir.
I just feel sorry for all the people who look forward to the Great Vigil every year…in large part because the music is ethereal. The only good news is that the family of the person who was baptized is evidently completely tone deaf!
I honestly don’t think she bothers to practice these pieces
I know how frustrating that can be. The organist before me rarely practiced. It definately showed too. I just don’t know how someone can get up there, with that important a role, and just blow it off, as if it does not matter. Grrrrrrrrr. Not that I don’t make mistakes, I make plenty of them, but it’s not because of lack of practice.
Then for an offeratory the choir is going to sing"Now the green blade riseth” (the tune is Noel nouvelet more commonly heard at Christmas) and I’ve thrown in some tambourine for good measure-sounds more than a bit pagan with the setting I’m using. But, the communion hymn may get some low whistle on “Christ ist erstanden”. The choir has practiced it with organ, but I may just be in the mood …
Although not on a “big” day. Once just kept playing “All Creatures of Our God and King” on and on- with I think 7 verses total I lost track. I always count in my head, the first number of whatever verse they are on, 2,2,3,4 for each measure of the second verse, etc., etc. since we are small, and I have no one to watch and can’t always hear the singing.
… these things happen every now and again, and yet, life goes on. I hope no-one lets it put too much of a damper on their future efforts.