(Sorry this is a little late today...sick kid takes priority!)
It’s Advent, probably my favorite time of year. I love the season, the traditions, the anticipation...and I love the music! Liturgically, it’s a new year and it might be nice if even our music could show some sort of marked change, especially over these next four weeks.
There are some built-in changes: the Gloria will not be sung, and music we save for Advent makes an appearance, but there are some other things we can do as well to really set the tone for this season:
1. Instrumentation. This might be a good time to mix things up a bit. Lots of brass in your band? Save them for the last song, if even that! Hold off until Christmas, then really let the horns “do their thing.” If that’s not the best option, maybe mellow out the parts a bit...lower registers, less busy, etc.
Bring in a flute or an oboe, or even a cello. Try focusing on a new sound or texture for the next few weeks. If you’re singing a new mass part for Advent, feature one of these instruments in the introduction, or with a nice descant.
2. Sing the Penitential Rite. There are lots of great settings, but you could even customize your own. Change up the invocations for a Kyrie or Lord, Have Mercy that your assembly already knows. Ask your liturgist to help you write new ones. Perhaps the priest or deacon can chant the new verses while you and the assembly respond with a familiar setting.
3. Let’s focus on the voices. I’ve mentioned before how much I love to sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with the assembly. (I’ll be using it all four weeks of Advent.) One of my favorite ways is as a gathering song, then reprising it after communion. NO BAND!!! Let the people sing; just start them off. Trust me, they will do it. You just have to give them a chance, and, perhaps, a little encouragement.
If your church is really reverberant, take this opportunity (if you don’t already do this) to invite your assembly to experience and love the sound of all of our voices singing together in such a beautiful building. Invite them during this season especially to really stretch out of their comfort zone and lift their voices. Just make sure to use a really singable song when you do that! O Come, O Come Emmanuel? :-)
Finally, I’d just like to mention a few of my favorite Advent songs that we use this time of year. Please feel free to share your ideas as well. We can always use more Advent song ideas and creative ways to use them.
Come, Emmanuel (Paul Tate—World Library Publications)
Find Us Ready (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
Awake to the Day (Ed Bolduc/John Barker—World Library Publications)
Prepare the Way (Charlie Hall/Louie Giglio—EMI)
My Deliverer (Rich Mullins/Mitch McVicker—Word Music Group)
Prepare the Way (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
It’s Advent, probably my favorite time of year. I love the season, the traditions, the anticipation...and I love the music! Liturgically, it’s a new year and it might be nice if even our music could show some sort of marked change, especially over these next four weeks.
There are some built-in changes: the Gloria will not be sung, and music we save for Advent makes an appearance, but there are some other things we can do as well to really set the tone for this season:
1. Instrumentation. This might be a good time to mix things up a bit. Lots of brass in your band? Save them for the last song, if even that! Hold off until Christmas, then really let the horns “do their thing.” If that’s not the best option, maybe mellow out the parts a bit...lower registers, less busy, etc.
Bring in a flute or an oboe, or even a cello. Try focusing on a new sound or texture for the next few weeks. If you’re singing a new mass part for Advent, feature one of these instruments in the introduction, or with a nice descant.
2. Sing the Penitential Rite. There are lots of great settings, but you could even customize your own. Change up the invocations for a Kyrie or Lord, Have Mercy that your assembly already knows. Ask your liturgist to help you write new ones. Perhaps the priest or deacon can chant the new verses while you and the assembly respond with a familiar setting.
3. Let’s focus on the voices. I’ve mentioned before how much I love to sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with the assembly. (I’ll be using it all four weeks of Advent.) One of my favorite ways is as a gathering song, then reprising it after communion. NO BAND!!! Let the people sing; just start them off. Trust me, they will do it. You just have to give them a chance, and, perhaps, a little encouragement.
If your church is really reverberant, take this opportunity (if you don’t already do this) to invite your assembly to experience and love the sound of all of our voices singing together in such a beautiful building. Invite them during this season especially to really stretch out of their comfort zone and lift their voices. Just make sure to use a really singable song when you do that! O Come, O Come Emmanuel? :-)
Finally, I’d just like to mention a few of my favorite Advent songs that we use this time of year. Please feel free to share your ideas as well. We can always use more Advent song ideas and creative ways to use them.
Come, Emmanuel (Paul Tate—World Library Publications)
Find Us Ready (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
Awake to the Day (Ed Bolduc/John Barker—World Library Publications)
Prepare the Way (Charlie Hall/Louie Giglio—EMI)
My Deliverer (Rich Mullins/Mitch McVicker—Word Music Group)
Prepare the Way (Tom Booth—OCP/Spirit and Song)
I, too, love "O Come O Come Emmanuel". It has that haunting sound and a feeling of longing within the melody, perfect for Advent. Thanks for sharing, Ed. Always good to read your blogs.
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