[Choir] Text, lyrics and melody

Wed May 11 07:08:06 CDT 2022

Thanks for your comprehension response. I was not suggesting that our choir
should have a debrief. We have a director to make those kinds of decisions.
I was giving that bit of biography in history as an illustration of the
kind of thinking we can do about our music.

Talking about being  a UU and singing, the old joke goes why are unitarians
such lousy hymn singers. answer. Because they are always reading ahead to
see if they agree with the lyrics. ������

Stephen L. Finner, Ph.D
27 Highland Avenue
Barre, Vermont 05641

802-598-4317 (cell)
802-461-2528 (home-wifi)

Music Director, UU Congregation of Washington Vermont (a summer
congregation)

Minister of Music Emeritus, St. Johnsbury VT UU Congregation
(he, him, his)

"May you know the joy of living sometimes comes with pain lived through
Steve Finner 2008
"Nothing stays the same after we find the God within" Sr. Joan Chittister
O.S.B.
And just in case you were wondering, "Faith without works is dead.". James
2:26

On Wed, May 11, 2022, 8:03 AM Maryann Ludlow via Choir <
choir at unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org> wrote:

> Thanks, Steve, for those thoughts on how words and music make a whole. I
> completely agree that it’s the whole piece together that we are doing, and
> not caring about the words does kind of diss the person who wrote them.
>
> I like your point about learning about who wrote the words and music,
> when, and why. I confess I’m not in love with Gift to Sing, but I was able
> to put a bit more effort into singing it better when I read the blurb in
> the music we were given about who wrote the words, and when.
>
> Re: singing in other languages, it is harder, but the foreign words are so
> like beautiful poetry, so I’m ok with that. I was in a community chorus in
> Burlington where we did a lot of traditional music from other cultures, and
> I really loved it, especially the African stuff that involved dancing with
> it!  The words, music, and dance moves made a glorious whole!  I’m hoping
> we do more traditional music like that in our choir in the future. It’s
> also very inclusive, as you don’t have to have any musical know-how to sing
> it; just an enjoyment of the natural rhythms that our bodies love to do and
> feel. (And you get to u-u-late (obviously I can’t spell that word ��), who
> wouldn’t want to do that? ☺️)
>
> Speaking of which, what a great idea to have a de-briefing after the
> season about how we felt about the music we sang, and where we might want
> to go in the future. Maybe we could do that at the pot luck in June.
>
> Maryann
>
>
>
>
> On May 10, 2022, at 6:57 PM, Frances Krushenick via Choir <
> choir at unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org> wrote:
>
> 
> I have a hard time singing in a different language. It's difficult to look
> at the words and the music at the same time because I can't memorize the
> words.
> Fran
>
> On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 2:35 PM Lani Seifert via Choir <
> choir at unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org> wrote:
>
>> This may be the first, last and only time that I completely agree with
>> Steve!
>> Well said.
>> How are we to understand another culture by singing something when we
>> don’t know what is being sung?   An English translation may not be perfect,
>> but at least it gives us a clue! If you must, then sing it in English
>> *and* the native language.
>> Lani
>>
>> On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 2:28 PM Stephen Finner via Choir <
>> choir at unitarianchurchofmontpelier.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I thank Lani for starting this conversation.  However, friend, don't
>>> call yourself names like "whiny" That text just doesn't scan.
>>>
>>> Once a year, I faciliated a discussion with my small choir (never more
>>> than 10) about the music we had sung.  What worked, what didn't, what did
>>> you like, love hate  etc.  What text spoke to you and what did you want to
>>> ignore.   Not looking for answers of course, looking for experience and
>>> understanding which might guide me in my programming.
>>>
>>> As a composer, arranger, conductor etc, I know that text and melody once
>>> composed and set are an organic whole.  We can analyze and discuss them
>>> separately.  We can sing one and recite the other.  But once composed and
>>> set, they are the song, the cantata, the whole.
>>>
>>> And I advise not being afraid to have strong feelings about one, the
>>> other, or both.  You are the voice of both the composer and the author of
>>> the text.  Speak up when you are moved to do so.  And care about it.   When
>>> you say "I'm just sing the melody.  I don't care about the words".  Think
>>> wnat you are saying to the creator of those words who may be dead hundreds
>>> of years.   "I don't care about you.  I don't value your creation"
>>>
>>> I find I understand the music better and perform it better if I learn
>>> about both the melody and the text.  Who composed it when and why?  Who
>>> wrote that text when and why?  I often listen to different performances of
>>> the piece to get a better understanding of both.  And as you can appreciate
>>> I am sure, understanding as much about the text as I can is central if I am
>>> setting it.
>>>
>>> And given Donia's careful meticulous planning of rehearsals, I always
>>> learn more about both.
>>>
>>> However, a lot of that is technical and more important is "how do both
>>> the words and music affect me?"  "How do they speak to my theology, my
>>> belief, my faith?
>>>
>>> This season we have sung Ave Verrum Corpus.   It is a beautiful melody
>>> but singing it for me is jarring and not affirming of my faith beause of
>>> the lyrics, plain and simple.  Below is a popular translation.   It is
>>> classic Trinitarian salvationaist Christian theology.  I reject it with
>>> every fibre of my being.   I contrast it with "Sing Gently" , "Spirit of
>>> Life"   "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired"  and the list goes on.
>>>
>>> I agree completely that it is important, if not mandatory to share the
>>> text with the congregation visually and that includes translation when we
>>> are not singing in English.  I don't think this needs much, if any
>>> discussion.  Let's just do it.   We have produced some excellent slides and
>>> know how to do it.
>>>
>>> So for what it is worth, these are my thoughts.
>>>
>>> Hail,true body
>>> born of the Virgin Mary,
>>> Who truly suffered, sacrificed
>>> on the Cross for man,
>>> Whose pierced side overflowed
>>> with water* and blood,
>>> Be for us a foretaste**
>>> In the test of death.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Stephen L. Finner, Ph.D.
>>> finnerstephen at gmail.com
>>> (802) 598-4317 (cell)    (802) 461-2528 (home-wifi)
>>> 27 Highland Avenue,  Apartment 3
>>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fsearch%2F27%2BHighland%2BAvenue%2C%25C2%25A0%2BApartment%2B3%2BBarre%2C%2BVermont%2B05641%3Fentry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg&data=05%7C01%7C%7C3cfbc72d83b34a7ad30708da32d87c8b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637878202657777647%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=E2%2F344yw%2FXVXFu58AiX91DakN7NA8D35NC%2B%2F6by%2BITk%3D&reserved=0>
>>> Barre, Vermont 05641
>>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fsearch%2F27%2BHighland%2BAvenue%2C%25C2%25A0%2BApartment%2B3%2BBarre%2C%2BVermont%2B05641%3Fentry%3Dgmail%26source%3Dg&data=05%7C01%7C%7C3cfbc72d83b34a7ad30708da32d87c8b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637878202657777647%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=E2%2F344yw%2FXVXFu58AiX91DakN7NA8D35NC%2B%2F6by%2BITk%3D&reserved=0>
>>>
>>> Director of Music, UU Congregation of  Washington VT (summer
>>> congregation)
>>> Minister of Music Emeritus, St. Johnsbury Vermont UU Congregation
>>> (he, him, his)
>>> "There must always remain in everyone's life some room for the singing
>>> of angels"   Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman
>>> "May you know the joy of living sometimes comes with pain lived
>>> through"
>>> Steve Finner (1998)
>>> "Nothing stays the same after we find the God within"  Sr. Joan
>>> Chittister O.S.B.
>>> And just in case you were wondering "Faith without works is dead" James
>>> 2:26
>>> Unitarian Church of Montpelier
>>> Choir email list
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>>>
>> Unitarian Church of Montpelier
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>>
> Unitarian Church of Montpelier
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>
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