Hymn Selections: Trinity V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX

Hymn numbers are from The Hymnal 1982.

Trinity V:

388 O Worship the King
408 Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above
550 Jesus Calls Us, O'er the Tumult
437 Tell Out, My Soul

The tune for hymn #550 is Restoration, from The Southern Harmony. It's a personal favorite of mine. I prefer the "alternative accompaniment for unison singing" that is on the opposite page in the spiral bound accompanist copy of the hymnal. The version on the left page, with the text, is designed for 4-part vocals, and has a more open harmonic feel (some of the thirds of chords are left out). The version on the right fills in the thirds, and doesn't have so many moving parallel intervals and large stretches, which is more comfortable to play.

New Territory: Organ Offertories

During my recent trip to the state music teachers' conference, I picked up a couple of organ books by Gordon Young: Organ Voluntaries: Eleven Short Solos for Church or Recital, and Eight Organ Voluntaries on Familiar Hymn Tunes, both published by Theodore Presser Company. They are clearly a different style from what I usually play for the service (which would be Baroque-esque preludes or hymn arrangements), but majestic and perfect for Sunday mornings. From the first volume above, I recently played "Antiphon," a two-page selection with simple pedal points, modified by yours truly to be played with the left hand, since our church "organ" is actually a keyboard--no pedals available. Whether you have pedals or not, this is a lovely piece; and its form is conducive to repeats as needed, which makes it perfect for an offertory. I'm looking forward to checking out other pieces by Young in the coming weeks!

Help! What If I'm Not a Musician?

So far, most of my articles have been geared toward church pianists, but what if you're a pastor or other church leader who is starting a church or who has been left without a regular pianist for some reason? Don't worry—this article is for you.

Resources

Here are some of my favorite resources for church music, accompanying, and music in general:

Music for Special Occasions Part 2: Weddings and Funerals

Copyright Mavy Ducote Photography

As a church musician, you will sometimes get the opportunity to play for special services other than holiday celebrations. Both weddings and funerals are times in which you can use your abilities for the blessing of individual families in particular, whether in celebration or mourning.

Music for Special Occasions Part 1: Easter and Christmas

Easter is only 3 weeks away—are you planning ahead? What kind of special music are you preparing for your church?

A Starting Point

Each person has a unique calling from God. Some are called to ministry in a small church. Small churches bring different blessings and challenges from those of larger churches. I hope this blog will be a place to share ideas and solutions for handling the responsibility that's just as large, no matter the number of worshipers who come to your church every week.

Some helpful hints to keep in mind when preparing each Sunday's music: