​Music Notes

​Ben will be sharing some history and thoughts about the music for upcoming services here each week!

​Sunday, October 31, 2021

Hi everyone, this Sunday is that once-just-about-every-seven-years occurrence of Halloween falling on Sunday.  As always, most of the hymns for the day will be suggested by the readings.  But, since there's some great "spooky" organ music, it seems only fitting that we should have some fun with the organ voluntaries (the music before and after the service this week.  There are some obvious choices, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to ask some of my colleagues on a Facebook group of Episcopal Church musicians, for suggestions.  I was, frankly, shocked at some of the things I read.  Some of my colleagues pointed out that this Sunday is recognized by some (but not the Episcopal Church) as "Reformation Sunday", and that if I did anything special, it should be to recognize that by playing music related to Luther's Reformation.  Another wrote "Good luck. I have a problem with doing something like this in church."

Leaving aside the technicality that the voluntaries aren't technically "in church" (the service starts with the opening acclamation that the priest says and ends with the dismissal), this suggests a bigger question about "fun" and the liturgy.  Or, more generally, "fun" in any art.  I still remember talking to an old professor in college and comparing two different recent performances.  Among other things I said "...but, [one of the performances] was just more fun, right?"  He got a very serious look on his face and warned me that I needed to be very careful about how I used that word, because "some people" had a big problem with it.  25 years later, I still wonder why.  Why is it inappropriate for us to look for fun in our art, or in our worship? Does having fun necessarily mean that we aren't worshiping correctly (obviously, there are limits to this...Good Friday probably shouldn't be "fun", right?)?  I think we can do both.

So, bring your costumes on Sunday, and get a blessing.  And, have fun with the spooky music.  And, sing the "serious" hymns too.  I can't wait.

Ben Carlisle, Director of Music & Organist
benc@saintdavids.net