[HANASHIR:1416] Re: HANASHIR digest 330

[WARREN <magic...>]

Which shul in England is the one with the guitar?

>Dear all,
>
>Oh, this is one dear to my heart!  Here in Ye Olde Englande there are few
>communities who sing much other than stuff from the classical tradition,
>with a particularly heavy dose of Lewandowski.  Organs feature in many,
>many congregations.
>
>Although I have nothing against organs (what have they ever done to me?),
>(now, doesn't that sound like a wonderful title for a Rick poem :-), my
>experience is that they seem to come with particular kinds of choirs and
>particular arrangements of music.  Although many community members like
>this music just because they are used to it, very few actually join in with
>choirs using these more formal settings.  This is because:
>
>a) the music is pitched too high for many people to join in.
>b) the classical style encourages ornamental solos and the repetition in
>some melodies with an organ ill-equipped to change 'mood' means that many
>choir-leaders keep changing tempo to provide a bit of variation, making it
>even harder for others to join in.
>c) there is a psychology that if you have a 'choir' of 'good' voices with
>organ then no-one need join in, and I've even seen some congregants being
>hushed for 'spoiling' the music if they try!
>d) Likewise, some choir leaders and choir members get it into their heads
>that they are the 'good' voices, and *prayers* become choral performances -
>it might sound nice, but the kavannah (intention) is completely lost.
>
>I've recently been visiting a congregation that only has a choir once a
>month, and that is led by a guitar player (sometimes there is an organ
>too), and they are slowly introducing Carlebach, Klepper, Freidman etc. to
>change the mood, which is great.  The rest of the time there is just one
>member of the congregation who starts off each tune and, most of the time,
>the whole congregation join in, *because the whole congregation is the
>choir*.  It also means that more appropriate pitches are chosen.  Yes,
>there is more chance that it might 'go wrong' and not every piece of music
>will be perfectly delivered, but the Ruach (spirit) of the community is so
>much stronger.
>
>Regards,
>Rachel
>____________________________
>
>Rachel Gurevitz
>Department of Geography
>University College London
>26 Bedford Way, London
>W1CH 0AP.  UK
>Tel: 0171 387 7050 x5526


L'shalom - Peace  @:-)%
Warren

magic (at) pop(dot)interport(dot)net


Check out my Web site (rev. 9/17/98).

http://www.users.interport.net/~magic

L'shalom - Peace  @:-)%
Warren

magic (at) pop(dot)interport(dot)net


Check out my Web site (rev. 9/17/98).

http://www.users.interport.net/~magic