'tis the season for music
In an odd turn of events, I'm directing my congregation's choir for our Christmas program this year. (Choir is composed of anyone who will come to church forty-five minutes early for practice.)
Anyway, I selected two songs during the Thanksgiving holidays. One is an arrangement of the Polish Carol that some of you may know as Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. Or Stars Were Gleaming. It's a lovely melody, and the parts work well in this arrangement. It includes a short flute solo and a verse for children to sing.
It took me longer to decide on the second song. Finally I went with As Shepherds Kept Their Lonely Vigil, thinking that it just seemed like the best choice.
Since I was choosing the songs on Thanksgiving morning, my dad overhead all of this from my laptop, and later dug up a CD with a song that sounded remarkably like that second song. The melody to Oro'sé Do Bheathea Bhaile, an old Irish tune, has a lot of similarities to "As Shepherds Kept..." So maybe my feeling of 'just right' came from familiarity. Heh.
Anyway, the link up there for "As Shepherds Kept Their Lonely Vigil" includes a free download PDF for the sheet music as well as a link to listen to a version sung by someone named Heather Prusse, who does have a nice voice. Enjoy your free Christmas music!
Speaking of conducting music, I've been leading the music for the first hour of meetings at church lately. (It's called Sacrament meeting. Sacrament = communion.) Anyway, last week the closing song was Angels We Have Heard on High. One little boy, maybe about five, in the front row on the right side (from my perspective), enthusiastically waved his arms as soon as the music started. It was a clear attempt at 'conducting' music, and he was watching me for a reaction.
I did a decent job at not giggling, but then we got to the chorus, with the triumphant "Glo-ooo-ooo-oooria" at the beginning of it, and the boy threw his head back and opened his mouth wide to pretend-sing.
It got a bit harder not to giggle at that point. That was when his dad noticed and took action to make his son a bit less of a spectacle. Hee.
Ooh, and it's Hannukah (started yesterday), so Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate it.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/262691.html. Comment where you wish.
Anyway, I selected two songs during the Thanksgiving holidays. One is an arrangement of the Polish Carol that some of you may know as Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. Or Stars Were Gleaming. It's a lovely melody, and the parts work well in this arrangement. It includes a short flute solo and a verse for children to sing.
It took me longer to decide on the second song. Finally I went with As Shepherds Kept Their Lonely Vigil, thinking that it just seemed like the best choice.
Since I was choosing the songs on Thanksgiving morning, my dad overhead all of this from my laptop, and later dug up a CD with a song that sounded remarkably like that second song. The melody to Oro'sé Do Bheathea Bhaile, an old Irish tune, has a lot of similarities to "As Shepherds Kept..." So maybe my feeling of 'just right' came from familiarity. Heh.
Anyway, the link up there for "As Shepherds Kept Their Lonely Vigil" includes a free download PDF for the sheet music as well as a link to listen to a version sung by someone named Heather Prusse, who does have a nice voice. Enjoy your free Christmas music!
Speaking of conducting music, I've been leading the music for the first hour of meetings at church lately. (It's called Sacrament meeting. Sacrament = communion.) Anyway, last week the closing song was Angels We Have Heard on High. One little boy, maybe about five, in the front row on the right side (from my perspective), enthusiastically waved his arms as soon as the music started. It was a clear attempt at 'conducting' music, and he was watching me for a reaction.
I did a decent job at not giggling, but then we got to the chorus, with the triumphant "Glo-ooo-ooo-oooria" at the beginning of it, and the boy threw his head back and opened his mouth wide to pretend-sing.
It got a bit harder not to giggle at that point. That was when his dad noticed and took action to make his son a bit less of a spectacle. Hee.
Ooh, and it's Hannukah (started yesterday), so Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate it.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/262691.html. Comment where you wish.