Good advice can come from all sorts of directions. Here is some guidance on how to sing in church, from John Wesley (1703-1791). Please add your own thoughts in a comment below!
Teaching the chant of the Byzantine Catholic Church
Good advice can come from all sorts of directions. Here is some guidance on how to sing in church, from John Wesley (1703-1791). Please add your own thoughts in a comment below!
I love this. It is still in Methodist hymnals. I was raised as a Methodist and the hymns and scriptures memorized during those years helped me through many challenging times.. I used to pull out my hymn book and sing those more modern psalms on sleepless nights. That is probably why the Byzantine liturgy resonates with me. The timeless, ancient celebration of God’s presence from before Christ and the fulfillment of Christ’s coming remembered generation after generation through chanted scripture is an awesome event. During this course, I hope to become a more supportive participant. We have a very small church, and it is important to learn the service properly and “unlearn” any errors. In past years, my husband Bill (a cradle Byzantine) and I sometimes were the only and very unlearned cantors available. While we now have a wonderful cantor, learning the songs properly makes it easier to concentrate on the worship rather than on getting it right! The green book is great but I miss some of the Old Church Slavonic translations–now they are all available on your website. Thanks for the chance to sample its treasures.