AMERICA - The Right Way!! (WEEKEND EDITION: Days 1825 and 1826) [Remember the Trade Center!!]

Various News Sources and FReepers | January 20, 2006 | All of Us

[Bitwhacker]

(Oh, and...you were probably thrown off by the lack of incense and guitars....;-))

[Bitwhacker]

Or what your definition of 'is' is...;-))

[MozartLover]

No, but we did "Onward Christian Soldiers", a few familiar ones, and a couple of very Lutheran-sounding chorale-type hymns which I really, really liked.

Also one dippy song we sing in our church, only the words were sort of different and the accomapniment was WAY different. Of course I didn't bother to practice much so I was basically sight-reading.

Did I mention there were a man & woman who wanted to sing a song after one of the readings and had neglected to get me the music ahead of time?

So we did a quick run-through right before the service started. It went very well, considering it was a very jazzy piece with tons of syncopation.

[MozartLover]

LOL.....very funny.:)

[MozartLover]

Well, actually, in our case, we get the beginning and part of the middle but not the end (2 verses is about standard for entrance & recessional.)

[Jemian]

??he while I was frantically trying to figure out WHAT THE HECK I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING.

LOL! It is not as serious a faux pas as it feels to the musician. It's a good story and thanks for sharing it with us.

Thanks also for sharing that newsletter with us.

Hubby, LionsDaughter and I just got back from seeing End of the Spear. I am really, really inspired by those people that took the gospel to that tribe in the jungle. I know what I do and I don't have to make the sacrifices they did. I know that God gives grace to handle the moment. OTOH, the lives of the missionaries are worth of emulation.

[Bitwhacker]

Well, for a pit orchestra vet like you, I am sure you flew right through like you wrote the pieces!!! It only gets irritating when they want to change the key and the tempo!!! You CAN play on just all the BLACK keys, can't you???? ;-))

(Hey! BTW, when I was in Germany in Y2K and I made it to Leipzig, I stayed at a Lutheran Seminary that had, as part of the cable service, all of the Bach 'Passions', done opera-style, running 24x7...fascinating to watch...;-))

[Jemian]

Oh. It's the southern Baptists which do the first and last verses and leave out the middle. Aaaach!

[W.]

Yeah, those damned Lutherans...but I are one, so my comment is kosher. Go ahead, mix those metaphors, W! Hee, hee, hee! We do it all! Literally... We also look at our watches a lot on certain mornings... ;)

[Bitwhacker]

I thought it was Reader's Digest that did the first and last chapters and left out the middle....;-))

[Jemian]

It only gets irritating when they want to change the key and the tempo!!

If that is all the musician would change, I think I could live with that. But here I am, in the congregation, singing the alto part out of the hymnbook. BUT, for the third verse the organist decides to improvise and doesn't play the chords that are in the book. There I am, not anticipating the next turn the hymn will take and not having the range to sing the melody. It sounds really bad at that point.

[MozartLover]

That sounds fabulous.

Can't beat those Bach chorales.

I was lucky enough to be rehearsal accompanist a few years ago when our chorale did Christ Lag In Todesbanden (there's some more German for you:)

BTW: re: tranposition: I don't "do" transposing. Unless I have lots & lots & lots of time to prepare.

I have perfect pitch and is it well nigh impossible for me to read in one key and play in another.

Every now & then I am forced to use the "transpose" button on the organ. I inevitably make mistakes because my fingers want to go where my ear tells me they should go, even though I am playing what's on the page, if that makes sense.

[Jemian]

You mean the Holy Spirit stops working in your church after one hour?

[Jemian]

Perfect pitch? That is a gift.

[MozartLover]

Well, when you hit the 3rd verse, just sing the melody an octave lower.;^)

[MozartLover]

..............and a curse.

[W.]

Nah, he's there 24/7, but the man's gotta eat! ;)

[MozartLover]

"We also look at our watches a lot on certain mornings... ;)"

There's been more of that in our church since Fr. Tim came. His sermons tend to be on the lengthy side; much longer than his predecessor.

[MozartLover]

Didja get my ping to the RR quips? Huh? Didja? Didja? Didja???

[Bitwhacker]

Or just start in on It's A Small World, After All....;-))