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The choreographer of a somber segment in the London Olympics opening ceremony said Saturday he's disappointed that NBC decided not to show it to an American audience. Spectators were asked to display photos of loved ones who could not be there during the segment. The music, a hymn called "Abide With Me," was described in the ceremony's program as an "honest expression of the fear of approaching death." NBC producers did not air it, instead showing American viewers Ryan Seacrest's interview with swimmer Michael Phelps. "I am disappointed," said Londoner Akram Khan, who choreographed and danced in the segment. "I...

Should Catholics sing hymns at Mass? Given the state of Catholic liturgical music, it’s a fair question. In the last century, Catholics exchanged their musical solid food for milk—usually skim and on the edge of going sour. Hymns at Mass are a recent addition to the liturgy. Hymns were used in the daily office, rotating by day or by season, but the Tridentine Mass had chants for particular days—the propers of the Mass—not hymns. Protestant congregations who were departing from medieval practice in other ways introduced hymns into the liturgy itself, and, as many Christians of all kinds acknowledge, Catholic...

The phenom explains his favorite musical acts to Fuse…

The votes are in and we have a “favoritest” hymn. Congratulations to … I Know that My Redeemer LivesI’m not really surprised this classic hymn won, but I am intrigued with the first runner-up, Come, Thou Fount. It only lost by one percent of the total votes, so clearly it’s a popular hymn. But the funny thing is, it’s not actually in the current hymnbook. Come, Thou Fount was the most requested write-in hymn from round one of voting, so we added it to the list of others. But if it’s not even in the hymn book, why is it...

I have published on this Hymn before but want to post on it again at the beginning of Advent in hopes that a few of you who have the influence and ability may see that this hymn in used in your parishes for Advent at some point.For my money the best Advent hymn ever written is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations) written by St. Ambrose in the 4th Century.One of the beautiful things about the ancient Latin Hymns is how richly theological they are. Not content to merely describe the event in question, they give sweeping theological...

While some have sought to make Christian music more relevant by adding an electric guitar or a hip-hop beat to it, others prefer to listen and worship through more traditional forms of music, such as hymns. But should Christian music be limited to a designated genre, or can faith-based themes be effectively portrayed through any number of styles? Though people may disagree on which style they like best, there's no denying that Christian or Gospel music is widely sought after. A 2009 report from the Gospel Music Association indicates that Christian music sales total about half a billion dollars per...

A minority of the musical elite are always sniffy about popular hymns forgetting they are popular because the tunes and the words have such a widespread appeal to ordinary folk – they communicate an electricity that runs deep into the very essence of our souls. As The Reverend Rowland Hill, pastor of the Surrey Chapel in London said in the early 19th century “The Devil Should Not Have All The Best Tunes” So here is a purely personal choice of hymns that always make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end

City Mall - Beirut, Lebanon - Easter 2011 (Click on "CC" for English subtitles)

The wonderful hymns in this video are, Precious Memories, In The Garden, Precious Lord, Softly and Tenderly, Lord I’m Coming Home and are arranged in autumn scenic views!

We have so much sentimental claptrap offered to God as worship in the typical charismatic church. Some of it is so sickly saccharine, that a guy would consider it inappropriately homoerotic. I can get excited about my wife and me lying in each others' arms, gazing soulfully into each others' eyes -- but my God and me? On this Christmas morning, let's ponder a thought-experiment: how can we write worship songs that systematically and deliberately eschew romantic imagery? How can we use other forms of love as metaphors for our walk with God? Imagine the enduring gratitude and affection, for...

My grandpa Johnson was the best. He was not a large man in stature. He was a gentle man. He taught me how to shoot the bee bee gun at the snapping turtle noses when the turtles were eating his bait. At his retirement home in Arkansas, He was a regular worker. A pattern maker. He was a super duper handy man. He was a man of God and a modest one. I don't know why he came to my mind today...but he did. He had a wicked sense of humor. During his last days he lived in my parents'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WDrbbtaO0E

One of my Fav Hymns from Church today. Do you have a fav? In Humility, Our Savior 1. In humility, our Savior, Grant thy Spirit here, we pray, As we bless the bread and water In thy name this holy day. Let me not forget, O Savior, Thou didst bleed and die for me When thy heart was stilled and broken On the cross at Calvary. 2. Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; Teach us tolerance and love. Let our prayers find access to thee In thy holy courts above. Then, when we have proven worthy Of thy sacrifice divine,...

A ghastly discovery today: plans to subject Pope Benedict XVI to trendy musical tripe when he celebrates the Beatification Mass for Cardinal Newman at Coventry Airport on September 19. According to Nick Baty, a supporter of the little gang of composers who have liturgical commissions sewn up in this country, the music for the Mass will include:• Eucharistic acclamations by Fr Peter Jones, who wrote the tiresome Coventry Gloria for John Paul II’s visit in 1982. Yes, he’s still going strong;• Christ be our Light by Bernadette Farrell, one of the inner circle of old trendies whose work is forced...

Sacred Music and Your Parish February 1st, 2010 by Trent Beattie One can walk into nearly any parish today and hear almost any type of music, from Gregorian chant to folk music to heavy metal.  While most parishes offer one type of music within a given Mass, some parishes even provide a musical contrast within the same one.  I actually attended a funeral Mass in which an electric guitar was used alternately with a harp.  Figure that one out if you can.Unusual combinations aside, isn’t it a good thing to have something different for everyone?  The old people can listen...

What is your favorite Christmas Hymn?

Two years ago, the USCCB released a document of revised guidelines for liturgical music titled "Sing to the Mountains" -- er, "Lord." In its 88 mostly tepid pages are found a meditation on the scriptural and theological foundations for the use of music in worship, notes particular to the celebration of special rites within the Mass, and handy tips for ordained and lay liturgical ministers, such as the suggestion that cantors "possess the ability for singing and a facility in correct pronunciation and diction."   And, as with so many products of committee, its prescriptions perform a two-step waltz:...

Herb Brokering, Lutheran Hymn Writer, Author, Poet, Dies CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Herbert F. Brokering, pastor, author, lyricist, speaker and hymn writer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), died Nov. 7 of congestive heart failure at his apartment in Bloomington, Minn., according to his son, Mark. A memorial service is planned for Nov. 21 at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis. Brokering, 83, was a member of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington. "Herb Brokering's legacy includes carefully crafted words on the lips of believers gathered around the means of grace. He has helped us bring our faith to rich...

Just a post, to see what favorite song inspires freepers in praising the LORD? I have many, but I will say the one that connects to my soul like no other is *Through the Fire* by Jason Crabb and the Crabb Family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4OvUU-ZHU&feature=related

CHICAGO — At a gathering of Church composers and musicians recently, Msgr. Anthony Sherman asked how many people had looked at the revised order of the Mass. Almost everyone raised a hand.Msgr. Sherman, the executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, might have predicted the reaction during his breakout session at the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Convention in Chicago. After all, new Mass texts require new music — and pastoral musicians are preparing to provide it. “Given that music is integral to the celebration of liturgy, composers will have an important role to...