Last night we all headed over to St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, about 15 miles away. We trooped over there for the Music Week Hymn Festival.
Why did we need to change location? In part, because the organ is better. In part, because more people could come. In part, because we've always done it this way, at least for the past decade or two or three.
Last night, at times, the organ took center stage. Even if you think your church has a magnificent organ, it's likely 2-5 times smaller than the organ at St. James. I know this because my mom is an organist, and at her last church, she was the organist who helped do a capital campaign for a new organ. I thought it might be the same size as last night's organ, but she said it's about a quarter of the size.
David Cherwien was the organist and director of the Hymn Choir last night. He showed us all the ways the organ could perform, and I was happy with the way the music illuminated the hymn itself. At times, I wanted less organ and more singing, but I am aware that my preferences don't reflect the whole of the attendees.
Many of the hymns were familiar, but some were not. Almost all of them came from the ELCA hymnal, the ELW (which stands for Evangelical Lutheran Worship). As always, I am struck by what a wonderful resource that hymnal is. Like my brain, like a computer, I don't use nearly as much as is there.
Last night, with every hymn, the audience had verses to sing; some years, the hymnfest is more like a concert, but not this year. I thought about how unusual it is for me to sing in a group where I cannot hear myself singing--what a delight! I took the picture above before the pews filled, and because it's Music Week, everyone was singing.
It's been a week full of delights, and I'm sad to see it come to an end today. Happily, we are likely to be able to come to Music Week again next year. I feel very fortunate.
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