Posted on 04/14/2013 4:10:46 PM PDT by ReformationFan
Kristyn and Keith Getty specialize in writing modern hymns for churches
Most songwriters in Nashville want to get their songs on the radio.
Keith and Kristyn Getty hope their songs end up in dusty old hymn books.
The Gettys, originally from Belfast, Ireland, hope to revive the art of hymn writing at a time when the most popular new church songs are written for rock bands rather than choirs.
They’ve had surprising success.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaquilareport.com ...
Good for them.
I find a lot of the “Contemporary” music used in Churches today to be rather shallow, repetitive and theologically suspect.
QFT and Amen!!! I like some of the "Praise" music but most has the three failings you note. Nobody seems to be writing the equivalent to Ira Stanphill's "Mansion Over the Hilltop" or the Gaither's "Because He Lives" these days.
Shallow and repetitive is what bothers me the most about the new songs in church. Give a great old hymn by Charles Wesley any day.
Very pretty, but they’re still soloist songs (sung by a breathy pop-soprano). Real hymns are meant for a group to sing: they have a reasonable range, very little expressivity, great lyrics (theologically orthodox) and a memorable melody and phrasing.
I thought these songs were nice, but they’re neither Wesleyan hymns - nor Gregorian chant - and I don’t think they have much of a congregational future. I say this as a Catholic, btw, but a lot of the hymns used by Catholics and Protestants are the same. And they either work or don’t work on the same basis.
In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.
"In Christ Alone" Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Not repetitive, but very much written like traditional hymns...as you can tell from your utube link.
The hint of Irish folk music is nice, too.
Bit of trivia...but Billy Joel used hymn structure in some of his songs. Beatles, too.
Played a rendition of “For The Beauty Of The Earth” for a flute solo this morning. I love the traditional hymns that I grew up on.
All the praise songs say over and over again that God is great, God is awesome, God is wonderful. Hey, we already knew that.
As much as it may shock some people familiar with my musical tastes, rock has no place inside the sanctuary, IMHO. My tastes in hymns have few exceptions of anything later than Fanny Crosby.
Get Marty Haugen out of the hymnals!
Same here. I cannot attend a church service with that sort of music without hearing nails on a chalk board. (thus I do not attend many) There are a few exceptions such as "Awesome God."
**** hope to revive the art of hymn writing at a time when the most popular new church songs are written for rock bands rather than choirs. ****
I hate “modern” religious music! It moans like a dying calf in a hailstorm, while the old time religion music “sang”!
Give me some Issac Watts or Fanny J Crosby! And any music done by THE CHUCKWAGON GANG is worth listening to!
One of my many favorites is I WANT TO BE READY TO MEET HIM from back in 1938, and many other in the old Baptist hymnal. The new Baptist hymnal is going over to some modern moaning music.
***Give a great old hymn by Charles Wesley any day.***
AMEN!
Other exceptions are these Getty songs which are sung by Philips, Craig and Dean and some by Selah. Love those songs and have song these as solos.
Ditto.
I WANT TO BE READY from 1938.
Verse
You may have your worldly pleasures
Your silver and your gold,
You may pile up all the riches
That this old world can hold;
But I’d rather have my Savior
And with Him firmly stand
For I want to be ready to meet Him
In the glory land
Chorus
I want (I want to be) to be ready (ready)
To meet Him by and by.
I want (I want to be) to be ready (ready)
To meet Him in the sky.
Oh, I want to be more like him,
And do his best command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him
In the glory land.
Verse
There is one thing I can boast of,
Salvation from the fall,
I’m an heir to wealth in glory,
My Father owns it all;
That is why I’m shouting happy
And go at His command
For I want to be ready to meet Him
In the glory land
Chorus
I want (I want to be) to be ready (ready)
To meet Him by and by.
I want (I want to be) to be ready (ready)
To meet Him in the sky.
Oh, I want to be more like him,
And do his best command,
For I want to be ready to meet Him
In the glory land.
And the way the Chuck Wagon Gang sings it is memorable.
Beautiful tunes, meaty lyrics! Really wonderful stuff!
A friend moved to the South about 20 years ago His biggest disappointment was that the churches were not singing the good old Southern Christian hymns anymore but had gone to moan and groan music.
Yeah! With almos no exception, modern “worship” music is extremely narcissistic, God is just that nice guy who helps people out when they want it. I honestly can’t really stand it.
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