[HANASHIR:1420] choirsvs.organs

[nana lister <nlister...>]

I just got back to our ongoing hanashir  after a week's absence and
can't wait to add my 2 cents worth.  I grew up in the 30's in a big
German Reform Temple with a BIG pipe organ and a professional non Jewish
Quartet.  I thought the music was wonderful!  Much Lewandowski and
Protestant sounding stuff.  Having never been to a church service, I
didn't get a churchy feeling from it.  However, when I moved to Missouri
in the late 60's I attended the only game in town, a mixed congregation
at Hillel, with no instrumental music and the worst congregational
singing in the world.  Did you people realize that there are at least 35
keys to be sung at the same time!  Eventually we had a Rabbi who played
guitar on Friday night, when the group was mostly reform, but not on
Saturday morning when the more orthodox leaning  people came.  We now
have a group of about 8 "singers" who "performed" this year for the HH
days and we do have audience response on those songs that are well
known.  Angela Gold leads us now on Friday night with her guitar and
lovely voice, but we don't know what we will do once she leaves.  Our
building does not have a piano, to say nothing of an organ.  I really
feel that if a keyboard instrument, be it organ, piano or synthesizer is
played with restraint, it would give scared congregants an anchor to
hold on to, or at least find the key. I guess, now that I have been to
HN, I want our congregation to sound as good as we did at camp.  Nana
Lister