Happy birthday Antonio Vivaldi

Today it's Antonio Vivaldi's birthday.  And so to celebrate, a musical treat.  Not so well known as "The Four Seasons" or his "Gloria", this is his "Concerto a due cori con violino discordato" (RV 583) and it is sublime.   If you are stretched for time, go the 5:20 mark and just listen to the Andante. Turn it up and have tissues ready...it includes a minute of possibly the most beautiful music ever composed.  You will know when you get to the right spot.
  

Calm to comfort

And if I want to be of true comfort - and along the way, exercise the self-discipline to not dump - then God will provide those resources. 

One of my favourite hymns.  Note especially the third verse, given the current conversation. 

Sing-a-long below the lyrics.

May the mind of Christ my Saviour
live in me from day to day,
by His love and power and controlling
all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour
so that all may see I triumph
only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self-abasing,
this is victory.

May I run the race before me
strong and brace to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus
as I onward go.

 

Katie Barclay Wilkinson (1859 - 1928)

 

 

Stuart Townend

Two and a half years ago I waxed lyrical about the CD set The Best Modern Hymns Album...Ever!  It has remained a constant favourite all that time.  It's a wonderful mix of old hymns with new tunes and recently written hymns. 

As it happens, it turns out that I haven't been
1. keeping up with what's new in church music, and
2. reading the fine print.
Because if I had done either 1 or 2 I would have noticed that many of the new hymns that have risen to the surface from these CDs and found their way onto my much hammered playlist are from the pen of Stuart Townend.

So if like me
1. you've been sitting under a rock and haven't been taking much notice of what's been happening in the musical world this last decade or two, or
2. you only buy a very small number of CDs each year,
then get to the shops and get yourself a Stuart Townend CD or two.  Or put some of his CDs on your Christmas list.  (Is it time to start talking about Christmas lists?)

I've been listening to this one a great deal lately...

and we like this one in our house too.

Beautiful words of truth set to brilliant music.  Stuart Townend's contributions to modern hymnody are completely sing-along-able and they encourage, fill with joy, nurture and teach with great richness.

Here's one from Creation Sings ("My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness") that had me doing a little jig while I was doing the vacuuming today.

Fortunately the footage of me doing a jig while vacuuming isn't available on YouTube!

Stuart Townend - Salvation's Song

We sang this at church this evening. Glorious.

Can you trust a CD of hymns?

I'm pretty loyal when it comes to CDs.  A few years ago it this...

And then two years ago it was this...

And then last year it was this...

One CD seems to take my attention at a time. 

And here is the test of good CD.  Listen to it almost exclusively for a year or more.  When at last you have finally overdone it, put it away for time.  Down the track pull it out and put it on again.  If, even after its previous hammering, it moves you as it once did - to joy, to tears, to love God more - it is a good CD.  These three all stood up to the test of time.

But can you trust a complition of hymns?  Not always. I've listened to a few that have been scarring experiences.  I still shudder at the memory!  And the title of this one...
The Best Modern Hymns
Album...Ever!
...well, that would scare me off in an instant.  So it's a good thing my husband bought it and played it before I saw the title!  It is now loaded onto my iPod and I listen to it a lot. This will be the CD of the year for me.

In fact this one comes with three CDs featuring 50 hymns in total.  It was produced in England in 2008.  It includes some of the modern classics like "How Deep the Father's Love" and "In Christ Alone."  There are some of those older hymns in their modern guises like "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".  In some cases they have taken a dear old hymn like "It is well with my Soul", written new words and music for the verses and blended the new material into the original chorus.  And there are some which I assume are just new.  I have to say that there is a small handful of songs that are not to my taste but that is going to happen in a collection of fifty songs. But for the other 45 hymns, this is a GREAT collection.

To my ears it is well produced.  The balance between instruments and voices is good - one doesn't overwhelm the other.  The instrumental arrangements are terrific.  And the vocal performances are plain and unfussy (no jazzing about, they just sing the songs) but they are beautifully interpreted and well delivered. The overall sound is clean and crisp.  And the words...the words are inspiring.

This is a CD that invites joy, comfort, challenge, worship.  If you love God, singing in church and good music, you will probably enjoy this collection.  This is a CD of hymns I think you can trust.

Humility

I wish I was sufficiently well versed to know that this hymn comes from the pen of Horatio Bonar (1808 -1889). But as it turns out, I have become familiar with these words because of a Colin Buchanan CD. So thanks Colin and thanks Horatio. This is true humility – completely trusting God's sovereign plan for one's life – and a beautiful encouragement.

Thy way, not mine, O Lord, however dark it be,
Lead me by Thine own hand, choose out the path for me.

Smooth let it be or rough, it will still be the best.
Winding or straight, it leads right onward to thy rest.

I dare not choose my lot. I would not if I might,
Choose Thou for me, My God, so I shall walk aright.

The Kingdom that I seek is Thine, so let the way,
That leads to it be Thine, else I must surely stray.

Take Thou my cup, and it with joy or sorrow fill,
As best to Thee may seem, choose Thou my good and ill.

Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness or my health,
Choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth.

Not mine, not mine the choice in things all great or small.
Be Thou my Guide, my Strength, my Wisdom and my All.

May the Mind of Christ my Saviour

This is one of my favourite hymns. There are so many wonderful themes running through it but I especially love the middle verse because it reminds me to be diligent in "filling up" during the good times so that I am ready and prepared to weather the storms, be they mine or others. But I have sung this one on my own and in church in all seasons - and it is always an encouragement. Enjoy.

May the mind of Christ my Saviour
live in me from day to day,
by His love and power and controlling
all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
in my heart from hour to hour
so that all may see I triumph
only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort
sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me
as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self-abasing,
this is victory.

May I run the race before me
strong and brace to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus
as I onward go.

Katie Barclay Wilkinson (1859 - 1928)