Doctrine & Covenants 25:12

"For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12)

Monday, October 15, 2012

Ward Choir Christmas Programs

Alright, I've been meaning to do this for awhile, and although it's probably a little late for anyone working on a Ward Choir Christmas Program for this year, maybe it will give you ideas for next year.  I've finally (after spending WAY too much time trying to get this to work . . .) figured out a way to attach these programs here, for anyone who wants to download free PDF versions of the 3 Ward Choir Christmas Programs I've put together over the past 6 years.

I think I mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of the Christmas Cantatas you can buy--inevitably, I don't like some of the music, or feel the narration too contrived or whatever.  I prefer choosing my own music from a variety of composers and then tying it together with scriptural references and words from our latter-day prophets.  So I have put together 3 such programs, that hopefully will be useful to some ward choir director somewhere.  I'm doing a new one for this year, and then I plan on recycling these 4 for awhile . . .  unless I get a spark of inspiration next year, that is.

The narration in these programs is all scriptural, or taken from words of modern day prophets.  The music, however, is not necessarily all from church approved sources, but was all approved by the various bishoprics I've served under.  However, every bishop is different, so before you start rehearsing any music outside the hymn book or primary song book or other church approved materials get the lyrics approved.

Alright, enough prologue.  Let's see if this works.  You should be able to just click on one of the programs and it will take you to a site that will allow you to download and print the documents . . .


8/26/13
So, I don't know where my links went.  Instead, you can click HERE and it will take you to my post where I just put the programs right in my blog.


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Thoughts on Ward Choir during the summer

I figured since we're taking the summer off, I should do something for my church calling.  So I've been updating the fabulous "Preachin' to the Choir" blog on the pieces we did this past "semester."  It would probably be more effective if I got them done before we sang so my ward choir members could have a little background info on the pieces, but, to be honest, I don't think most of my ward choir members even read this, so maybe this will be helpful for another ward choir director somewhere else in the world who happens to stumble upon my ward choir musings.

I was thinking today, that choir director is probably the only calling in the church that you can just take the summer off.  I'll take it!

In case anyone is questioning if that is a good thing or not, let me tell you that I think it definitely is in our ward.  Last summer I tried to rehearse all the way through and it proved BEYOND frustrating for me.  Some weeks we'd have 5 people show up, so I'd get out something really simple to work on, and some weeks we'd have 25 people, so I'd be scrambling for something a little more challenging.  And sometimes we'd have all sopranos and one bass, and what do you even do with that?  I know that it says in the handbook to have the ward choir perform at least 1-2 times a month, and we definitely do that during the school year.  But during the summer when people are traveling, there is just no consistency.  It makes it very difficult to plan a rehearsal that isn't wasting everyone's time.

Besides, I have it on authority of Rosalind Hall (BYU Men's Choir Conductor).  She has been her ward choir director for years (how would it be to be in HER ward choir!?!)  and has observed that people like to be a part of something with an end product.  So in the Fall our "end product" is the Christmas program, and we start rehearsing for that in August/September, along with other pieces that we perform along the way.  In the Spring, the "end product" is the Easter program.  It's not technically the end, as we prepare music to present through the month of May, but you get the idea.  And now we are taking June and July completely off, and will reconvene in August.  Hopefully everyone will be excited to sing together again after a nice long break.  I know I need the break as much as anyone to sort of regroup and choose new music and get my focus back.

So Happy Summer!


A Place in His Arms



On April 29th, we had a special music presentation with the ward choir and volunteers from the Senior Primary.  I love when we invite the primary children to sing with us for a couple of reasons--1) It significantly boosts our ward choir attendance, because usually at least one of their parents comes with them, ;)  and 2) There is just such a sweet spirit when the primary children sing.

We sang "A Place in His Arms" by Sally Deford and it was perhaps the best thing we've sung the entire year so far.  I still have people comment to me how much they enjoyed that song (and it's June as I'm writing this.)  For the first verse, I asked my daughter Daphne to sing a solo, (she did BEAUTIFULLY.) Then all the primary children sang the 2nd verse with the women oohing behind them.  The third verse started out with the choir a cappella.

Then came the 3rd verse chorus, which was one of my favorite moments of the piece.  It started with the women in unison, then added the men, then we added the children on the words "There was room in His arms for his little ones then, there's a place in His arms for me!"  It was really powerful, how it kept building and building.  (I'm getting chills just thinking about it, and I don't think it's just because I'm sitting by an air vent . . .)

Then on the last line, Daphne sang by herself "There's a place in His arms for me," while the choir oohed behind her.  I don't know if everyone internalized the reasoning behind that, but what it meant to me is that the Savior's love is for everyone (everyone singing "There was room in His arms for His little ones then . . .")  but somehow, it is also VERY personal and individual.

This piece has a wonderfully tender message about the Savior's love for each one of us.  I told the primary children that even though none of us were alive at the time of the Savior's ministry on earth, and none of us can remember what it feels like to get a hug from Jesus, if they would pay attention to the way they felt as they sang this song, the Holy Ghost could teach them how it feels to be encircled by Jesus' arms.  As I looked at those sweet children while they were singing, I saw one little girl with tears in her eyes, and I knew she'd been paying attention.

A Place in His Arms

Suffer the children to come unto me,
Jesus taught His disciples of old
Then he took every child in His loving embrace
And He blessed them so long ago

Bring me your little ones, Jesus said
For of such shall my kingdom be
There was room in His arms for his little ones then
There's a place in His arms for me

Oh how the Savior loves each little child
How He smiles when I seek Him in faith
Then He gathers me close in His loving embrace
And He blesses me day by day

Bring me your little ones, Jesus said
For of such shall my kingdom be
There was room in His arms for his little ones then
There's a place in His arms for me

So, like the children who sought Him of old,
I will come to the Holy One
I will call on His name, I will trust in the grace
Of the Father's beloved Son
Humble my heart like a little child
For of such shall His kingdom be
There was room in His arms for his little ones then
There's a place in His arms for me

There's a place in His arms for me 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Easter Music


For Easter, our Bishopric doesn't have the choir do the whole program, which is fine with me, since it's usually pretty close to Christmas, and we would be hard-pressed to prepare an entire program in the time between Christmas break, and Easter.  But we do prepare extra music.  This year we did three pieces, and here is a quick run-down of our Easter line-up for April 8, 2012

Risen Today, by Dan Forrest.
This is a very lively arrangement of the hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today.  You really should go to Dan's website and listen to the recording.  (There is tamborine in the recording, which I LOVE, but of course, did not use.)  Some of my choir loved this piece and some  . . .  did not.  I loved it (obviously, or I wouldn't have chosen it).  I loved how joyful it made me feel, and if the resurrection is anything, it is an occasion to be JOYFUL about.  

**I actually went back and forth quite a lot about that song deciding whether or not it was appropriate for Sacrament meeting.  LDS Sacrament meetings tend to be very conservative, and for the most part I agree with that.  I'm not a fan of Christian Pop or anything like that.  I tend to stick to more traditional hymns.  But sometimes I feel like our congregations need a little "Hallelujah!" in them.  Sometimes, I feel like instead of the reverence we're aiming for, we're just getting complacence.  We're just singing along, not paying attention to the words or what they implicate in our lives, and sometimes a different setting of a hymn can help us understand the words in a new light.  I felt like this hymn did that for me and I hope it helped others feel a sense of pure joy and rejoicing in the Resurrection of our Savior.

There is a Green Hill Far Away, arr. by Christine Davis
This is a lovely arrangement of a beautifully simple hymn.  Lovely words, lovely melody.  This arrangement splits into 8 parts at the end and is just really gorgeous.  Loved it.

O Love That will not Let me Go, arr. by Joseph Martin
I won't delve into this piece because I already wrote an entire post about it.   Since this is not in our hymnal, I put the words in the program so the congregation could ponder the beautiful text.  The ward loved this song.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

George Matheson
Born: March 27, 1842, Glasgow, Scotland
Died: August 28, 1906, Edinburgh, Scotland

George Matheson was called "The Blind Preacher."  He used very powerful glasses in his youth but by the age of 20 he had completely lost his eyesight, and relied on his good sister who helped him study and prepare his sermons and who kept his house for him.  He had a wonderful memory and delivered his sermons from memory.  He was known for his optimism in life despite the loss of his sight and was a very famous preacher known throughout Scotland.  He traveled to England to preach to Queen Victoria by her own invitation.  She had his sermon on "The Patience of Job" published so more people would be able to receive it.  He wrote many sermons, articles and books, but perhaps his most enduring and widely influential literary contribution was this simple hymn.


George Matheson said the following regarding the words of this hymn:

"My hymn was com­posed in the manse of In­ne­lan [Ar­gyle­shire, Scot­land] on the ev­en­ing of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s mar­ri­age, and the rest of the fam­i­ly were stay­ing over­night in Glas­gow. Some­thing hap­pened to me, which was known only to my­self, and which caused me the most se­vere men­tal suf­fer­ing. The hymn was the fruit of that suf­fer­ing. It was the quick­est bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the im­press­ion of hav­ing it dic­tat­ed to me by some in­ward voice ra­ther than of work­ing it out my­self. I am quite sure that the whole work was com­plet­ed in five min­utes, and equal­ly sure that it ne­ver re­ceived at my hands any re­touch­ing or cor­rect­ion. I have no na­tur­al gift of rhy­thm. All the other vers­es I have ever writ­ten are man­u­fact­ured ar­ti­cles; this came like a day­spring from on high." (101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Kregel Publications, 1982, emphasis added)


O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.


I first encountered this hymn at the BYU Choral Academy Workshop.  It is not in our LDS hymnbook, but is a common hymn in many Christian churches.  The arrangement I heard at the Choral Academy (and therefore the one I am teaching the our ward choir) was composed by Joseph Martin.  To be honest, I did not fall in love with it instantly.  In fact, it wasn't until I heard a group of BYU students perform it for us, that I felt like I truly understood it, and was deeply moved by it.  As I listened I felt like every line was full of personal meaning just for me.  I believe the words of this hymn were truly inspired, and when one receives the message of this hymn through the spirit, the spirit will tailor the meaning of the words to each individual.


I have read and sung this text over and over, and it continues to speak to me.  There is so much exquisite, meaningful imagery throughout the piece.  I could go on and on about each line of text, but I'll just mention one.  The first line, "O Love that will not let me go" brings to my mind the image of Christ's hands pierced for us, and ever outstretched to receive us home, as the prodigal son returned home to the outstretched arms of his father.  No matter what our weaknesses, no matter how often we fail, His is a love that will not ever give up on us.  We are engraven upon His hands, and He will not let us go.  I cannot wait to share this hymn with our ward.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Children of the Heavenly Father

Words:  Karolina W. Sandell-Berg, born 1832, Sweden
Music: Traditional Swedish Melody, arranged by Oskar Ahnfelt, born 1813, Sweden

On February 26th, our choir will be singing an arrangement of this hymn by Dan Forrest.  It has a cello obligato and we will be joined by a children's choir which is singing the first verse and a descant over the last verse.  It will be lovely!

 Here is a link to the Dan Forrest Choral Library.  You'll find the title about half way down the page, and you can listen to a recording of it.  

Children of the Heavenly Father

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.


Lina Sandell was only 26 when she and her father went were on a boat, and he fell overboard and drowned before her eyes.  It is said that that experience is what inspired her to write hymns.  She wrote 650 hymns!

Oscar Ahnfelt composed or arranged the music for Sandell's hymns.  He traveled throughout Scandinavia singing her hymns and accompanying himself on a 10 string guitar.  Sandell wrote, "Ahnfelt has sung my songs into the hearts of the people."  

Though Deepening Trials

Text: Eliza R. Snow, 1804–1887
Music: George Careless, 1839–1932

Well, after a nice long break, the La Cueva Ward choir has resumed rehearsals.  We'll sing on February 12th, "Though Deepening Trials," to accompany the speakers' topic, "Adversity."  We're just doing the Hymplicity arrangement, but omitting the 4th verse because it's just a little too long.

To be honest, this isn't my most favorite hymn--there are other hymns I like better to go with this topic, but I was looking for something we could put together quickly since we'll only have 2 rehearsals to prepare it, and we're working on other things as well.  It's nice, but not my favorite.

But often, when I learn about a hymn, and the people who wrote it, I learn to love the hymn.  So here's a little bit about Eliza R. Snow, and George Careless, who were both pretty remarkable pioneers!

Eliza R. Snow          Photo of George Careless
Eliza R. Snow
  • Born- 1804 in Becket, Massachusetts
  • Her brother, Lorenzo would serve as the 5th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
  • A talented writer from an early age.
  • At just 22 years old, she was requested by several newspapers to write a funeral mass for former Presidents John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, (both of whom died on July 4, 1826).
  • Joined the church in 1835, and shortly thereafter moved to Kirtland, Ohio with the Saints.
  • Wrote many poems that have been set to music including "O My Father," "How Great the Wisdom and the Love," "In Our Lovely Deseret," and of course, "Though Deepening Trials."
  • Served in the church as secretary of the RS under Emma Smith as president, helped organize the first Primary, and served as General RS president for 21 years until shortly before her death.
  • a cool quote from Eliza, “There are many of the sisters whose labors are not known beyond their own dwellings, and perhaps not appreciated there. But what difference does that make? If your labors are acceptable to God, however simple the duties, if faithfully performed, you should never be discouraged.” 


George Careless
  • Born 1839 in London
  • Joined the church when he was 11 years old
  • George loved music from an early age.  He had a beautiful clear soprano voice as a boy and also learned to play the violin.
  • His father thought his music was a waste of time, and while others recognized & encouraged his talent, his father told him to either give it up or leave the family.  So George left home when he was 13.
  • Because of the kindness of a friend, he was able to attend the Royal Academy of Music.  He finished in 3 years instead of 4, and paid his friend back with his first earnings.
  • Served the church by improving the musical activities of the church in England.  
  • At Elder William C. Staines encouragement, he came to America in 1864, sacrificing a promising musical career in London.  On his ship, the Hudson, he led a choir composed of other Saints who were also immigrating to Utah.
  • Was called by Brigham Young to "take the Tabernacle Choir . . .  and lay a foundation for good music in Utah."
  • At the first rehearsal, the Tabernacle was still under construction, had no heating or lighting, and choir members held a candle in one  hand, and their music in the other.
  • George resigned his post as the director of the Tabernacle Choir after serving 11 years
  • Some of the hymns he composed music for are, "The Morning Breaks," "Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire," "O Thou Kind and Gracious Father," "He Died the Great Redeemer Died," and of course, "Though Deepening Trials." 



Though Deepening Trials

Though deepening trials throng your way,
Press on, press on, ye Saints of God!
Ere long the resurrection day
Will spread its life and truth abroad.

Though outward ills await us here, 
The time, at longest, is not long,
Ere Jesus Christ will reappear 
Surrounded by a glorious throng. 

Lift up your hearts in praise to God, 
Let your rejoicings never cease.
Though tribulations rage abroad
Christ says, "In me, ye shall have peace."