Singing in church
Tone-deaf melody wanderer, / tin fiddle tenor, / soprano like a bandsaw, / rook’s croak smoker / hopping note to / note somewhere / beneath the staves, / alto next to me, her voice like cake
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Ontario musicians think outside the box
Ontario’s rising faith-based musicians desire connection with their listeners. That’s what I heard when I spoke with four artists at various stages of their musical careers. They all felt isolated at different points across their musical journeys. When Emily Ruth, a singer-songwriter based in Newmarket, Ontario, began her career, she had to trailblaze: “There are…
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Elisabeth watches the hoopoes
They should have left long ago, but they are still here. I check every morning, though the light is weak in the courtyard, my fingers stiff and the cold latch awkward. And every morning, they are there, sitting up on the branch, their feathered crests like crowns bright in the wintering daylight. I wonder if…
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Arts & Culture | Media | News
Redemption of the ‘idol’
Have you ever heard a teenager singing, “Apateu, Apateu”? You might not recognize these consonants in writing, but if you look up the lyrics, chances are the beat will sound familiar. This strange new word is from the song “APT.” by New Zealand and South Korean singer Rosé and American artist Bruno Mars, which went…
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Scriptural longing in the songs of Leonard Cohen
In the preface to Rags of Light, Brian Walsh describes his new book as an attempt to “bring [Leonard] Cohen and Scripture together within the context of our present cultural realities and spiritual struggles and see what happens.” The book takes its shape from a series of lectures Walsh gave as part of an online…
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Liturgy of the hours
Last year, my Bible study group made a special study of Luke chapters 1 and 2. We started with the angel announcing the birth of John the Baptist and went all the way to the story of 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple; it took us several months. One rather special feature of these chapters is…
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The original worship wars
I grew up in the Netherlands in an era when the organ played a prominent role in worship. In many households, including mine, families would gather around the pump organ to sing together. During worship services and on special days, people would sing, sometimes raucously, accompanied by the organ. Not without reason it became known…
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‘My soul declares aloud’
Several months before I moved to Hamilton, Ontario, I wrote a metrical version of Mary’s Magnificat, which I sang in church shortly thereafter. The Book of Common Prayer prescribes that the Magnificat be sung at evening prayer, which suggests that it need not be limited to the Advent season but should be sung often throughout…
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When did “seeking justice” become optional?
Mary’s Song is ideal for Advent liturgies. I have promoted its use in worship committees for years, from Edmonton to Ottawa. It focuses on themes of the great reversal, or the upside-down kingdom. These themes are rich in Biblical stories and symbolism, but they create some discomfort in the pews. Mary’s talk about taking down…
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‘We worship you, Immanuel’
(Melody: ‘O God, our help in ages past’) Lyrics: Anne van Arragon 1941-Music: William Croft 1678-1727
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Songs in the supermarket
Years ago, I remember shopping at Safeway with three of our children and humming, then whistling, and sometimes singing. The children were aghast and suitably embarrassed. What made it worse was that the song stuck in my head was the Genevan tune to Psalm 89: ♫ “Forever I will sing of your great love, O…
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Does your music match your theology?
“I don’t think we should use that song. In fact, I don’t think we should ever use that song again.” Strong words for a leaders’ meeting to decide on youth worship repertoire, but I meant them. I had just named a favourite song being sung in countless churches. It was full of engaging musical features:…
