It takes diligent practice to perform beautiful music.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2015
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Silent Night
Learn the inspiring story behind
the creation of the popular Christmas carol Silent Night—discover how Joseph
Mohr, as new assistant priest, went against his superior to organize a church
choir full of outcasts that performed in German instead of Latin. Click here: Silent Night Silent Night
Monday, December 23, 2013
Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
1. Far, far away on Judea's plains,
Shepherds of old heard the joyous strains:
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
2. Sweet are these strains of redeeming
love,
Message of mercy from heav'n above:
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
3. Lord, with the angels we too would
rejoice;
Help us to sing with the heart and voice:
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
4. Hasten the time when, from ev'ry clime,
Men shall unite in the strains sublime:
Glory to God, Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Text and music: John Menzies Macfarlane,
1833-1892
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Away in a Manger - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
1. Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet
head;
The stars in the heavens looked down where
he lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
2. The cattle are lowing; the poor baby
wakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus; look down from the
sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
3. Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to
stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender
care,
And fit us for heaven to live with thee
there.
Text: Anon., ca. 1883, Philadelphia
Music: William J. Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Come and See
 |
Come and See, by Liz Lemon Swindle
|
A Message from the Artist
When I was painting in April 2008, I paid little attention to the stock market or the world at large. Who could have imagined then that we would witness the implosion of the world’s economic systems, the collapse of century-old institutions, and the loss of millions of people’s life savings. It seemed everything we put our confidence in was taken away – literally overnight. Surely these are the times Jesus spoke of when He said, “Men’s hearts [will] fail them.” – Luke 21:26.
Each day as bad news piled up, I found myself longing to be one of those disciples in the painting. To walk with Jesus and feel the peace and joy as they did. One particularly difficult day a thought came to me. I didn’t need to go to the shores of Galilee to walk with the Savior and find His peace, none of us do. We can each feel it right here and right now, no matter how uncertain these times become. Did He not promise us?
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid… ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” – John 14:27; 16:24
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Blast From The Past:
Ev'ry time I look into the Holy Book I want to tremble (tremble)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Blast From The Past:
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water (stilled the water)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea (calmed the sea)
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Gallilee.
When I read about the part where the carpenter cleared the temple (temple)
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fellas
Than what I profess to be
And it causes me shame to know we're not the people we should be.
So put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and-a you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from-a Gallilee.
My mama taught me how to pray before I reached the age of seven
She said, "There'll come a time when there'll probably be room in heaven"
But I'm feeling kinda of guilty 'bout the number of times
To do what we must do
Oh we forget what he said when we figured that he'd still make room
(So, you gotta)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and-a you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Gallilee.
(everybody come along)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water (stilled the water)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea (calmed the sea)
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Gallilee.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Our Savior's Love
Edward L. Hart, who wrote the hymn, stated, “Our Savior’s
Love” grew out of a figure of speech. “The
simile goes back to seeing people in a fabric or clothing store take material
outside and into the sunlight to test its color in the only true or perfect
source of light. In the same way, the
only true test of love is the source, our Savior’s love.”
Crawford Gates, who composed the music, stated, “Though I am
aware that all creativity comes from God, perhaps three times in my career I
have been very aware of melodic ideas coming as a direct gift from Him. This was one of those times.”
Our Savior’s love
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.
The Spirit, voice
Of goodness, whispers to our hearts
A better choice
Than evil’s anguished cries.
Loud may the sound
Of hope ring till all doubt departs,
And we are bound
To him by loving ties.
Our Father, God
Of all creation, hear us pray
In rev’rence, awed
By thy Son’s sacrifice.
Praises we sing.
We love thy law; we will obey.
Our heav’nly King,
In thee our hearts rejoice.
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.
The Spirit, voice
Of goodness, whispers to our hearts
A better choice
Than evil’s anguished cries.
Loud may the sound
Of hope ring till all doubt departs,
And we are bound
To him by loving ties.
Our Father, God
Of all creation, hear us pray
In rev’rence, awed
By thy Son’s sacrifice.
Praises we sing.
We love thy law; we will obey.
Our heav’nly King,
In thee our hearts rejoice.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Those Who Love Jesus
 |
Christ Healing the Sick at the Pool of Bethesda, by Carl Heinrich Bloch
|
The Savior’s Love
The importance of
demonstrating daily a true and an abiding love was convincingly taught by the
Master when the inquiring lawyer stepped forward and boldly asked Him, “Master,
which is the great commandment in the law?”
Matthew records that
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and
great commandment.
“And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”1
Mark concludes the
account with the Savior’s statement, “There is none other commandment greater
than these.” 2
His answer could not
be faulted. His very actions gave credence to His words. He demonstrated
genuine love of God by living the perfect life, by honoring the sacred mission
that was His. Never was He haughty. Never was He puffed up with pride. Never
was He disloyal. Ever was He humble. Ever was He sincere. Ever was He true.
Though He was led up
of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by that master of deceit, even
the devil; though He was physically weakened from fasting 40 days and 40 nights
and was an hungered; yet when the evil one proffered Jesus the most alluring
and tempting proposals, He gave to us a divine example of true love of God by
refusing to deviate from what He knew was right. 3
Jesus, throughout His
ministry, blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear
and the maimed to walk. He taughtforgiveness by forgiving. He taught
compassion by being compassionate. He taught devotion by giving of Himself.
Jesus taught by example.
As we survey the life
of our Lord, each of us could echo the words of the well-known hymn:
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
Showing Our Love
To demonstrate our gratitude,
is it required that we too lay down our lives as did He? Some have.
In the beautiful city
of Melbourne, Australia, there is situated in an impressive setting a historic
war memorial. As one walks through the memorial’s silent corridors, one sees
tablets of marble that note the deeds of valor and acts of courage of those who
made the supreme sacrifice. One can almost hear the roar of the cannon, the
scream of the rocket, the cry of the wounded. One can feel the exhilaration of
victory and, at the same time, sense the despair of defeat.
In the center of the
main hall, inscribed for all to see, is the message of the memorial. The
skylight overhead permits easy reading. The words almost stand up and speak:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends.” 5
Today, the challenge
which we face and must meet is not that we should go forth on the battlefield
of war and lay down our lives. Rather, it is that we, on the battlefield of
life, so live and serve that our lives and actions reflect a true love of God, of
His Son, Jesus
Christ, and of our fellowmen. This is not accomplished by clever
signs printed on bumper stickers affixed to automobiles.
Jesus teaches each of
us: “If ye love me, keep my commandments. …
“He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.” 6
The above is an excerpt from an address
given by Thomas S. Monson. For the full
text click here:
Notes
6.
John 14:15, 21.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Testimony Through Music and Art
Sometimes a singer/songwriter/artist will express your feelings.
Lord, Save Me, by Gary Kapp © Gary Kapp
Lyrics to song: I Don't Want To Fall Away From You
After all the things that you have shown me
I'd be a fool to let them slip away
And doin' things I know I shouldn't do,
(Chorus) But I don't wanna fall away from You
I don't wanna fall away from You
I don't wanna fall away from You... from YOU!
After all I've only grieved Your spirit
and then I don't know why you stay with me
But every time I fall Your love comes through, (Chorus)
When the light is gone, and good times are getting old
There's no one left to count on
And all my friends are gone
When I search for love, oh Lord, You're a fount to my soul, my SOUL!
In a way my life is full of burdens
But in a way you carried them from me
Cuz no one understands the way you do, (Chorus)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Music & The Spoken Word
The Making of Music and the Spoken Word
Message from program 3571:
After World War II a statue of Christ that was damaged in the fighting was painstakingly restored—except for its hands, which could not be repaired. Instead of crafting new hands, the addition of this powerful phrase gave the statue new meaning: “Christ has no hands but ours.” While earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal, it is our opportunity to lift and bless the lives of others. Acting in harmony with the best we know, we can become the hands of heaven.
Mother Teresa became the hands of heaven in the slums of Calcutta. She described her efforts, which brought life and hope to thousands, in these words: “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”1
Albert Schweitzer’s hands built a hospital in Africa, where he spent 50 years caring for the needs of strangers who became his friends—all because he believed “the purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”2
We need not travel to India or Africa to find opportunities to be heaven’s hands. If our hearts are filled with compassion, mercy, and love for others, we will daily discover that we are surrounded by those who need our help. If our hands are willing, they can do heaven’s work in ways both great and small.
English novelist Mary Ann Evans once questioned, “What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?” Under her pen name of George Eliot, she wrote: “May I reach that purest heaven [to] be to other souls the cup of strength in some great agony.”3
As we seek to become the hands of heaven in the lives of others, our Father in Heaven will give us the strength and inspiration necessary to do His will on earth. For God will continue to accomplish heaven’s great work through willing human hands.
1Mother Teresa, Great Quotes From Great Leaders, ed. Peggy Anderson (Lombard, IL: Celebrating Excellence in Publishing, 1990), p. 101.
2Albert Schweitzer, ibid., p. 32.
3George Eliot, “The Invisible Choir,” as found in The Book of Virtues, comp. William J. Bennett (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993), p. 182.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
History of Hark the Herald Angels Sing
The original words, penned by Charles Wesley, are found in the 1739 publication, Hymns and Sacred Poems. The popular versions we use today have been altered, most notably by George Whitefield. The music was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 as part of his cantata Festgesang "Vaterland in deinen Gauen" to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. The music was adapted by the English musician W. H. Cummings into what we commonly love to sing today.
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hymn for Christmas Day (original words)
Hark how all the welkin rings
“Glory to the King of kings,
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
Universal nature say
“Christ the Lord is born today!”
Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail th’ incarnate deity!
Pleased as man with men t’ appear
Jesus, our Immanuel here!
Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Ris’n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born—that man no more may die,
Born—to raise the sons of earth,
Born—to give them second birth.
Come, desire of nations, come,
Fix in us thy humble home,
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display thy saving pow’r,
Ruined nature now restore,
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to thine.
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp thy image in its place,
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Let us thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the life, the inner man:
O! To all thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)