Yount Studios

Where Do You Want Me To Go From Here?

2016-03-03T07:07:00.001-05:00

What, really, is God's will for particular situations? We know his revealed will in the Bible. But his temporal will is different. Supposedly Christians in the Reformed tradition have God's sovereignty sewed up and nicely packaged to include all his will, revealed and secret. But often it is the latter that leaves Christians hopeless, frustrated, or confused. I have developed a list of questions to help find God's direction for a particular situation in my life. It goes like this:

Is it lawful? Sinclair Ferguson says God set us free for holiness, not lawlessness.

Is it beneficial to me? Is my relationship with Jesus Christ strengthened by it?

Is it enslaving? When we cannot be content without it, when we simply must have it, it is no longer liberty we are exercising, but we have become its slave.

Is it consistent with Christ's lordship? Can I take Him into it, in good conscience, with me?

Is it helpful to others? "So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved." 1 Cor. 10:31-33

Is it consistent with Biblical example? Can I see it mirrored in the Bible?

Is it for the glory of God? For that matter am I living to the glory of God?

Altogether, this primer has been a help to me over many years of ministry in music, travel, teaching, and relationships. I hope it may help someone else as well.

There is a hymn for this pursuit as well:

The task thy wisdom hath assigned

O let me cheerfully fulfill,

In all my works thy presence find,

And prove thy good and perfect will.

Thee may I set at my right hand,

Whose eyes my inmost substance see,

And labor on at thy command,

And offer all my works to thee.

Give me to bear thy easy yoke,

And every moment watch and pray,

And still to things eternal look,

And hasten to thy glorious day.

Charles Wesley

Writing and Performing Music for the Reformed Worship Service

2013-02-01T23:18:00.003-05:00

Current Christian music that is loosely termed ‘contemporary’ is really derived from well-tested American pop, light rock, Broadway and musical theatre, or gospel/country styles. These styles all have merit in themselves, and are ideally suited to their original intended audiences. This music was, and is still, rooted in the concept of profit: it must garner its producers the highest possible return on an investment. Obviously, the use of some of these styles in evangelism and religious television is highly effective. But that begs the question: how does it fit into a Reformed and biblical worldview, or into a biblical service of worship?

Now, for the classically trained musician, there are currently few choices in the church music field. It’s not a large market, especially in conservative and evangelical churches. Further, it is fraught with landmines, often resulting in young musicians stomping out of the church in a huff. Is there another way forward?

A young musician working on a degree in music should be aware of entering into music as a vocation in a church. Perhaps in some cases, that musician has a high calling: a desire to teach average Christians what real music sounds like, and cram it down their throats. Because of the volatile nature of music’s affect on the human psyche, emotions, and spiritual life, no musician need enter music ministry unless they have first of all dispensed with all such notions.

What we have in the current ‘marketplace’ of music for churches is a widely divergent stylistic spread. Given no clearly available vocational guidelines, composers can easily fall prey to thinking along the lines of two extremes:

1. High art music that caters to the rather elitist congregant, often confusing ministry with aestheticism.

2. Current music that derives heavily from the pop world, so that its major appeal becomes immediate recognition and gratification.

What is now needed is a generation, a movement inside churches, to reform worship music anew. To do that, Christian composers will need to be ready to 'give an answer for what you believe' at least in terms of vocational convictions. Many of us agree, there are no clearly lined out biblical guidelines. But practically and doctrinally speaking, we need to operate from a principled, biblically acceptable paradigm.

One such paradigm is offered by Nicholas Wolterstorff, former professor of philosophy at Yale, in his landmark book Art in Action: Towards a Christian Aesthetic.Any composer may derive his own set of tools for achieving what I will call "aesthetic merit." In the case of painters, writers, and sculptors, there are universally held elements of aesthetic merit. Wolterstorff describes them like this:

a. Unity

b. Diversity

c. Controlled but profound intensity in the pursuit of a and b

Well-formed composers are needed for today's Reformed and biblically orthodox churches. We hunger for a musical life that is not alien to true aesthetic merit. Indeed, once a given composer has mastered his material well enough, he might produce useful (not merely utilitarian) music, without compromising unity or diversity in pursuit of intensity of expression, above.

Indeed, the inexperienced musician who is a candidate for choral director, instrumentalist, worship leader, or a combination of these, must approach his vocational life as a shepherd who is being called into the ministry of calling together, gently prodding, and teaching a flock of ‘sheep.’ That takes months, years, and ultimately a lifetime of humble service.

Musical service in the true Church begins always with one concept: it’s not about you at all. It’s about the sheep, and your calling to nurture them in true, saving faith. Don’t even think of entering into this ministry if you have first of all neglected the core of your calling. Get in touch with God, and get in the middle of the sheep, hear how they express themselves, and be a student of their habits. Once you get a good picture of what they like or do not like, go pray about them, and your choices and how they might affect them. Spend months or years preparing technically, so you can write truly well crafted music, which may qualify as meritorious. Then you will have contributed to the nurture of the sheep. Along the way, you may be rewarded. Or you may be ignored and rejected. Get ready for either.

Whether it is working in maintenance, administration, teaching children, playing an instrument, or singing, we are called to serve the God of the universe with our hands open, ready to receive his direction. In a way, musicians have an advantage, however. We bring something that is immediately arresting and even refreshing to the dreary world of work-weary, suffering Christians who come weekly for worship and the sacraments. We bring a song with aesthetic merit based on our assessment of the spiritual condition of the sheep. Hopefully they hum along their way, a song that encourages them to go into the office or factory for another week. That is the reason we are in God’s presence in his sanctuary, to give the song, gently lead it, and nurture the singers who take it along the way. We can do nothing greater if we simply do that.

Not A Spiritual Commodity

2012-02-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

1. Music in Worship

In this section you will find a series of articles written by Pastor Balthrop discussing some particular distinctives of corporate worship at Redeemer Reformed Church. Popular humanism defines man as homo sapiens, thinking man, but we believe that God created man primarily as a worshipper: homo adorans. As such, Redeemer places a high premium on worship of the Triune God. It is our hope that these articles will assist you in becoming better acquainted with who we are and why we do what we do.

Music in Worship

Before plunging into the topic of music in church, we need to start with a firm idea of what church is (and, by extension, what it isn’t). I’d like to go on the record for stating that the church is not a vendor of religious goods and services. We should not think of all the churches in our town as so many stores at the mall where you can choose which one will cater to your needs. Church is exactly the opposite! Church is where you go to find satisfaction in denying yourself. You shouldn’t come to church to have your preferences met but to have your preferences changed. Church is where you should assume that your natural inclinations are wrong but will be set right.

I don’t tell you this to step on your toes (well, not entirely!), but to help you understand that when we think of the music used in worship the defining rule is not what you like or prefer. When you buy CDs, choose your radio station, or organize your Ipod playlist, your preference is the guiding force because these are all consumer products whose function is to please. Music in worship has an altogether different purpose.

From childhood on, we simmer in this consumer-geared world such that our whole worldview is molded to make us good consumers. If we don’t like what we buy, we return it. If we want to be wise consumers, we read the reviews of the product. If the product doesn’t live up to what was advertised, we complain. Sadly, this has shaped our expectations for church as well. Perhaps worse is that there is no shortage of consumers who have started churches that are out there vying for your business. They foster this unbiblical state of affairs.

Whenever a church sets out to accommodate to personal preferences instead of desiring to amend personal preferences, the church will be compromised. No doubt it is an extraordinary challenge to convince people that worship music is not the same as consumer music, but to simply be carried along on the current of popular opinion is not the church’s place.

Our philosophy on worship music is fourfold. We believe that corporate music should be:

doctrinally dense (God cares about content.)
aesthetically rich (God cares about beauty.)
communally held (In order for worship to be corporate, we want people to know a lot of it by heart).
historically representative (Older and newer songs will need to pass the first three criteria).
This works out to be fewer hymns and Psalms overall (probably 150-200) which means that we (and our children) can sing without a great deal of new material every week. These are selected by trained people who are qualified to evaluate (1) if the tune is accessible to both older and younger people, (2) if it fits the attitude of the text, and (3) whether it is representative of Protestant history.

We find that this gives us the opportunity to practice denying ourselves while promoting unity in the church. There will be times when we will sing a song that you don’t enjoy, but we hope that you can happily stand next to your brothers and sisters in Christ and help them sing a song they enjoy (just like they’ll do for you with a song you enjoy but they don’t). This won’t make us a big church of consumers, but we’re okay with that. We’d rather be a church described as the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God.

The next article in these series is Liturgy in Worship (Why We Have a Formal Worship Service).

The Uncool Church Discussion

2012-01-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

Hi Kulture Kafe,

Check out this article on the web. It's quite short. Here's a brief excerpt:

Embracing the Distractions

Cool congregations can get so wrapped up in the “performance” of church that they forget to actually be the Church, a phenomenon painfully illustrated by the story of the child with cerebral palsy who was escorted from an Easter service for being a “distraction.” Really?It seems to me this congregation was distracted long before this little boy showed up. In their self-proclaimed quest for “an explosive, phenomenal movement of God—something you have to see to believe,” they missed Jesus when He was right under their nose.

Wind and Thunder Concert

2011-12-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

Wind and Thunder is a free concert at Saint Andrew's, given by Rollins College faculty brass, percussion, and organ. The program will feature music by Widor, Hovhaness, Halley, Bach, Gabrieli, Strauss and more, in the well-tunes acoustics of the nave at Saint Andrew's. This will be the first in our 2012 Arts Series, at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. http://www.saintandrewsconservatory.org/events

Festive Dedication: The Organ at Saint Andrew's

2011-12-21T16:40:00.000-05:00

Saint Andrew's is a new church (built 2009) that has installed a newly rebuilt and expanded (originally Reuter) organ by master builder, Philip Swartz and Associates. Designed for the 3-second reverberation of the nave, there are 57 stops in 5 divisions over 3 manuals. Artists who have already played recitals: Terry Yount (dedication, 2010); Deniz Uz (young artist recital, 2010); Samuel Metzger (2010); Dr. George McPhee (Paisley Abbey, Scotland, 2011). The organ and neo-gothic sanctuary were featured in the February 2010 issue of The Diapason.

The program includes music from the dedication recital, plus additional tracks to fill out the entire 69-minute recording. Copies may be ordered at the church, 407-328-1139 or ajohnson@saintandrewsonline.org. Cost with shipping is $15. If you have questions or comments about the CD, feel free to use the contact tyount@saintandrewsonline.org. I know you will enjoy the rich, reverberant sound of the organ in the room, and if you like any organ music at all, there is something here for all tastes.

Organ study trip Monday, July 11, 2011

2011-06-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

Organ students are invited to travel to Tampa and St. Petersburg on Monday, July 11. The 3 organs to be seen on the trip:

45-stop Dobson organ at University of Tampa (Haig Mardirosian, host)

3-manual 46 stop Flentrop organ in Eckard College Chapel

2-manual 18 stop Flentrop organ in Eckard College recital hall

As always, the trip will be coordinated with lunch break, travel time and sightseeing.

To sign up, contact Dr. Yount at 407-719-2485 (cell) or at tlyou@bellsouth.net.

A limited number of guests and friends may join us. (Please indicate how many will be coming with you). Students currently studying with Dr. Yount or another organ teacher may bring organ music and shoes and play each instrument.

Transportation is either independent (in your own vehicle) or sharing transportation with students and parents who desire to save on gas. Bring enough cash for a fun lunch in the St. Petersburg area, and of course a bit to help with gas.

Deadline to sign up: Friday, July 8

Tour leader: Dr. Terry Yount

Ligonier National Conference

2011-03-10T21:11:00.001-05:00

Coming up March 24, 25, and 26, 2011 in Orlando is Ligonier's National Conference. Normally, Ligonier puts together a stellar program complete with book signings, speakers like Sinclair Ferguson and John Piper, and lots of breakout sessions and opportunities for spiritual stimulation. This year the Conference is being held at First Baptist Church of Orlando, where thousands of conferees will raise their voices in gathered worship. I am charged with directing a small sinfonia while playing the 118-rank Schantz pipe organ, which will be loads of fun as long as the power doesn't go out. If you don't already have plans to attend, log into the website and look for daily webcasts of various events. I'll assume you're watching, and it will make me practice harder.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Church Music Certificate

2011-01-18T22:43:00.000-05:00

Saint Andrew's Conservatory's newly inaugurated Church Music Certificate began January 15, 2011. The day-long seminar was one of 5 offered for students in the Spring term. Members of the first class are returning adults and current college or university students in music.

Since this is a unique program in the Central Florida area, it's no surprise that courses in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs as well as Service Playing for organists are a delightful complement to coursework offered elsewhere.

I want to personally thank the staff and congregation of Saint Andrew's for their support through the last 2 years in setting up the Church Music Certificate program. Thanks also to faculty members who are making the course educational and practical.

If you are reading this for the first time, and would like more information, please contact me at the email address on this blog, or call the Conservatory office at 407-328-0528. Information about upcoming Fall coursework, registration and tuition can be emailed or discussed over the phone.

Summer Organ Course in St. Andrews, Scotland

2010-08-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

In August I attended St. Andrews University in Scotland for a week of intensive organ study. My teacher was Geoge McPhee, Visiting Professor of Organ and Organist/Director of Choirs at Paisley Abbey. In 7 days I went to recitals, lectures, workshops, lessons, side trips to Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. To say the least, it was a delightful trip. The Scottish people were warm. I was the only American at the course. I have been invited to perform at some Sottish churches on my return.

Summer 2010 Organ Study

2010-04-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

The Summer organ teaching schedule is filling up. This summer I am offeringprivate lessons through Rollins College and Saint Andrew's Conservatory in Sanford, FL. But that's not all. Keep reading.

With Saint Anddrew's newly installed Philip Swartz organ of 3 manuals, 5 divisions, 57 stops, you will have a variety of study options. You may register for 6-12 summer lessons beginning the week of June 7. Call Lillian Van Meggelen, Conservatory Administrator, to inquire about study, 407-328-1139.

The 'kickoff' for Summer study is our featured Young Artist Recital as part of Arts at Saint Andrew's. Come Sunday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m. to hear an exciting recital by Deniz Uz (graduating from Interlochen Academy this Spring).

Organ beginners will have a special 'Organ 101' session to get used to the console and controls the first week of lessons
All registered students will have practice access to the Saint Andrew's organ with your own individual memory bank.
All registered students may sign up for the summer field trip (tba)
All registered students will have classes in organ design (with an organ 'crawl' up in the pipes to see and hear how the instrument works), repertoire, and service playing/registration as FREE supplements to private lessons

As well, students who register for weekly 45-minute lessons through the Conservatory will have first choice of lesson times and practice access.

Makeups and vacation absences will be scheduled throughout the summer for everyone's convenience.

I am personally delighted to have the opportunity of teaching organ lessons and classes, conducting a field trip, and helping everyone get set up with their own practice schedule on the 'new' instrument. The Swartz organ is a fine addition to the church's facilities, and will be featured on recordings, in concerts and more in the coming year.

Email: terry@terryyount.com

Mendelssohn Sonata 1, Allegro Moderato e Serioso

2010-02-12T19:47:00.006-05:00

Dedicatory Recital on the P J Swartz organ at Saint Andrew's Church in Sanford, Florida. The organ is fun to play, and despite the audio in this excerpt, is a room-filler. A full length audio CD will be out later this year.

Dedication Recital

2010-01-02T17:03:00.004-05:00

The newly installed 57-stop 71-rank Philip J. Swartz organ at St. Andrew's is due to be dedicated on Sunday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m. Pictured at right is the chancel area of St. Andrew's, a 1200-seat neo-Gothic church (left) that rises out of the Florida lowlands just west of I-4 and a block off SR 46.

The program:

Bach: Prelude and Fugue in B minor

Carter: Trumpet Tune

Franck: Chorale in A minor

Hymn-sing with audience favorites

Mendelssohn: 1st movement from Sonata No. 1

Rossini: excerpt from Overture to William Tell

Sweelinck: Variations on a Dutch folk-song, "Est-ce mars?"

Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies (Nutcracker)

Vierne: Finale from Symphony No. 1

Admission is free, and there will be childcare up to age 4.

Call me if you have questions. Best phone is 407-719-2485.

Terry Yount

New CD expands distribution

2009-10-29T09:37:00.007-04:00

Ligonier Sinfonia is now available on Amazon, Itunes, Rhapsody, and on www.ligonier.org/store. The CD released early in 2009 features a delightful set of Baroque concerto movements, suites, sonatas and other music. Listen, recommend it, review it online, and pick up a copy today.

2009-10-24T22:04:00.006-04:00

Pipe organ in progress at St. Andrew's. The 57-stop 3 manual Philip J. Swartz is a 5-division organ: Great, Swell, Choir, Pedal, Antiphonal. Installation and voicing should be completed before the end of 2009. Stay tuned for updates.

2009-10-13T09:49:00.009-04:00

To Mic or Not to Mic

SOUND REINFORCEMENT OF

MUSIC IN CHURCHES

· What is it?
Who needs it?
· When is it mandatory?
· When is it manipulative?
· When is it beneficial?

Currently, many American churches use sound reinforcement for EVERY aspect of the corporate worship service. Although pianists, organists, or singers may be well-trained at blending and adjusting volume, often the modern preference for sound amplification trumps their best efforts. Likewise, when preaching becomes an irritation to the ear rather than simply audible, often poor sound reinforcement is the culprit. If ambience in a naturally reverberant church is looked upon as an enemy, rather than as a friend to the worship experience, something is out of order. In such cases, the leadership may eliminate natural ambience for public speech, often denying the congregation a wonderful experience of liturgy in live acoustics. There are good solutions to every acoustical and audio dilemma, if we take the time to study the situation and put effective methods for sound enjoyment into action. When we do it well, a minor miracle takes place –-the natural ambience of a room combines with natural musical and spoken sound and everyone is edified to the glory of God.

What is it?

Sound reinforcement is a synonym for sound enhancement to compensate for obvious deficiencies. Among the deficiencies are

poor room acoustics –too much reverberation for speech; too little reverberation for organ and choir
unclear speech –poorly trained lectors or readers, children and youth in worship, adults whose training is more on content in sermons or lessons, and not delivery.
unbalanced musical forces –choristers who blast above their fellows, organists who crank out too many decibels for the choir or soloists, and any imbalance between shared forces
any combination of deficiencies

Although I am opposed to the use of microphones for live performance of classical, traditional sacred music, there are times when it is necessary. Why is it? Because of obvious deficiencies making the music inaudible or distorted.

Who needs it?

Excessive use of microphones in worship betrays a general lack of understanding about sound emission. In more reverberant acoustics, a sound becomes part of the ambience of a hall or sanctuary very naturally, without reinforcement. In ideal acoustics of 2-3 seconds dispersed evenly throughout a room, trained musicians have no problem adjusting articulation and dynamics to achieve clarity and balance. Unfortunately, the current generation is addicted to ‘studio’ or ‘living room’ acoustics as the ideal setting for worship. Even worse, we have devised little earphones to tune in our favorite songs from personal listening devices, making us intolerant of things that come from a distance. When a parishioner in today’s churches comes forward and complains they ‘just cannot hear the words’ it may be due to an acute need for sonic intimacy not achievable in a large auditorium. But is clarity possible? Award-winning acoustical consultant Scott Riedel writes “For the most part, the acoustical architecture, and not a sound system, is the preferred vehicle for carrying sacred music to all listeners.” (“Fundamentals of Church Acoustics”)

Moreover, audio volunteers and helpers may seek to use whatever is available to remedy this ‘unclear’ sound. Many sound systems are too sophisticated for any but the trained audio engineer. Larger congregations who can afford very fine equipment and staff are often unwittingly persuaded that the sound system is their primary vehicle for a good ‘worship mix.’ Taken together, the result is often a musical sound that is very different from the one produced on the chancel platform.

In most cases, effective sound reinforcement is a complement, rather than an enemy, to the natural acoustic qualities of a hall or sanctuary. When church pastors, music directors, organists, and parishioners learn that no amount of equipment can substitute for the natural ambience required for balanced preaching, singing or anything else, the manipulation will cease. Meanwhile, we have much confusion about sound emission in corporate worship.

When is it mandatory?

Generally, sound reinforcement is mandatory for public speech and useful for certain styles of contemporary music. To pretend that reinforcement is mandatory for every movement of sound from the chancel or front platform to the congregation, is to miss the wonder of natural sound emission in a good acoustic. Granted, very few newly built churches get it right. There is usually some imbalance that has to be corrected. The advice of a good acoustical consultant who is experienced with churches is invaluable in designing surface treatments to correct poor acoustics. One church acoustician in Japan has made the observation that

Despite the importance of making room for the special acoustical characteristics of church sanctuaries, connections between the field of acoustical design and church projects have been all too sparse and weak. There are too many examples of large sums of money spent on churches in ways that diminish sanctuaries' acoustical quality, or where acoustical building materials have been misused, or doors and windows designed and installed without concern for the basics of sound insulation, or HVAC systems decided without a thought about noise control. When I see or learn of these examples, I can only regret that these churches' leaders and administrators did not consult with a professional acoustical consultant during the planning stage of their construction or renovation.

Quoted from “Church Acoustics” by Dr. Minoru Nagata

When is it manipulative?

There are many cases of American congregations who have installed sound reinforcement systems that carry the spoken word adequately throughout the room. Many more, however, have invested in an audio system that is far too sophisticated and powerful for their actual needs. In other congregations, nearly every aspect of corporate worship is subject to manipulation, even to the point of rendering the musical elements distorted and irritating. Indeed, for musicians, sound manipulation often projects an undesirable image. A singer whose amateur voice is boosted beyond all reasonable expectation of volume is, to the trained ear, a manipulation of the original sound. Even to untrained listeners, too much amplification can be distracting in any setting, especially in corporate worship. Again, Scott Riedel makes the point:

To rely on electronic systems rather than architectural acoustics for classic and traditional musical forms can be to function contrary to the desire of the composer, musician, and listener.*

When is it beneficial?

Auditorium acoustics are optimized for both speech and singing

Careful planning with a qualified acoustical consultant is not only a good investment in the new building project, but tends toward dynamic and enjoyable corporate worship. In the case of a pipe organ installation, reverberation not only maximizes the organ’s capability of ‘ringing’ the room; modest reverberation of between 2 and 2.5 seconds is quite manageable. The best acoustics are ideal for speech, choral and instrumental music, congregational singing and reading. Ideally, the best scenario is for the acoustical consultant cooperating with organ builder, musicians, building committee, architect, and anyone else connected to the project. Cooperation around the basic concepts of design and sound emission, noise control, and speech/music enhancement have worked in hundreds of churches in America.

All parties work together in a cooperative effort to support principles of good acoustics

Given the current confusion, beneficial use of acoustically intelligent sound reinforcement is a remote hope. Yet a willing team of congregation, staff, building committee, acoustical engineer, determined to pursue wisdom in this matter, can sponsor excellent sound management. Few churches have followed this paradigm, unfortunately. That does not prevent a church facing these problems from pursuing such wisdom.

When you walk into a beautiful sanctuary, take into account not only the visual impact of the room, but LISTEN to the quality of its sound. As the musicians play, is their sound unforced and balanced? As the choir sings, is their quality unforced, do individual voices rise above the entire ensemble, and is the text at least mostly audible? As the readers read and the preacher preaches, is the sound gently boosted, so that no distortion of treble or bass spoils the best qualities of the human voice? Listen patiently, and measure your own expectations against the present realities. Hopefully the sounds of corporate worship should comingle with the natural ambience of a well-tuned room, resulting in true beauty. Scott Riedel summarizes what a well-tuned room ‘sounds’ like:

Composers and musicians expect and require a natural and architectural acoustical setting to reinforce, blend, support and project musical production. Typically, a good architectural setting for musicians implies a rather high ratio of sound reflecting materials, and proximity between musicians. This type of architectural acoustical environment not only assists musical ensembles (whether they be choirs, instrumentalists or divisions of organ pipes) to work together, but also creates a sense of architectural fit, realism, and presence for the listener.*

Written by Terry Yount, DMA

October, 2009

* Scott Riedel in “Acoustics in the Worship Space”. Subtitle: Can't microphones fix any acoustical problem?

Reagan Belle Yount Arrives

2009-08-12T22:42:00.003-04:00

This is grandchild #3, a vivacious Irish/German babe with long, keyboard fingers. Born in Baltimore on August 10. Another future musician?

Deniz Uz Finalist in Schweizer Competition

2009-07-07T16:47:00.003-04:00

For those who know him, Deniz is a rather shy, unassuming 17-year-old. But when Deniz sits down at the organ, all the shyness is gone; this young thoroughbred plays circles around the competition.

Congratulations, Deniz, for placing among the top 3 finalists in the Albert Schweizer organ playing competition, which is open to organists from all over the United States. Deniz began organ lessons in Summer 2007 with Dr. Yount, and spent the next 2 years on scholarship at Interlochen Arts Academy studying with Daniel Bara. This summer, while studying organ in the Rollins Community Music School, he will travel to Philadelphia to again participate in the Kimmel Center for the Arts summer organ camp for high school organists.

We are truly proud of you, Deniz. Keep up the thoroughbred routine, it wins competitions....

Pipe Organs in Northern Florida June 24

2009-06-20T14:45:00.004-04:00

Dr Yount will lead a one-day tour of organs in North Florida on Wednesday, June 24. The tour is open to anyone who may be interested. Current students of organ will play each instrument. For more details, go to www.terryyount.com. One of the organs, a 1970's vintage Aeolian Skinner organ at Flagler College in St. Augustine, is one of the last A-S built before closing. Each site will be hosted by outstanding local organists who have agreed to help with the tour.

New CD

2009-05-25T23:20:00.006-04:00

Ligonier Sinfonia, is now available on Amazon, Itunes, Rhapsody, and on Ligonier The CD features Orlando-based musicians in a delightful set of Baroque concerto movements, suites, sonatas and other music. Recorded at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in College Park. Recommend it, review it online, and pick up a copy today.

Calendar

2009-04-22T08:33:00.009-04:00

Summer study has begun at Rollins College.

Friday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m.: Organ Students' Recital at Rollins College: Lani Schumacher, Candace Travis, Matt Gender, Deniz Uz will play a variety of works. Admission is free.

Lessons at the new location of St. Andrew's, on Wayside Dr. in Sanford, after July 4. Stand by for details. Check the Conservatory website for more information.

Good Friday Music

2009-04-11T06:31:00.009-04:00

Good Friday services usually leave me cold. Here we remember a broken, bloody Christ just executed by Roman authorities (with the blessing of their Jewish subjects). It is solemn. Why go on?

But in last night's service music and text flowed together. Out of the darkness and silence prior to the service, a string ensemble played the Bach "double" violin concerto, the slow movement. Then Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Cantata #147.

Striking of the hour. Silence. From a contralto in the front of the church we heard Vivaldi's "Domine Deus" from Gloria. The choir sang antiphonally, with the words: "O Lord, Lamb of God, son of the Father, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us."

Handel's "He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" from Messiah quoted Isaiah 53: 3 . Hans Leo Hassler's melody accompanied Bernard of Clairvaux's "O Sacred Head Now Wounded." Line upon line of classic Christian texts from the invocation to the benediction transformed a dreary setting into one of expectation and hope. It was a feast of beauty, christened by the truth of God, surrounded by his goodness.

We heard the music, saw the black-draped cross, managed to be quiet in the spaces between without feeling the necessity to chat. At the end, choir and orchestra sang Mozart's "Ave verum." Its stark reminder of the events of the last 24 hours of Jesus' life filled the room:

Hail, true Body,

Born of the Virgin Mary,

Truly suffered, immolated

On the Cross for man,

Whose pierced side

Flowed with water and blood,

Let it be for us a foretaste [of heaven]

In the trial of death.

Everyone filed out in silence. It seemed eerily quiet in the interior of the church. We had, after all, just remembered a loved one's tragic death. But He surrounded us with such beauty, such truth, such goodness, we were the better.

CD on Ligonier blog

2009-03-30T22:38:00.004-04:00

Follow the link to read more about our new recording!

Of Stools and Music

2009-03-19T08:46:00.009-04:00

This week, with Ligonier's release of Ligonier Sinfonia, marks the 3rd CD I have been involved with in recent years. You may ask, why make a CD?

Bad reason: an overdeveloped sense of importance, a desire to produce something of lasting beauty when I leave this planet. Nada.

Better reason: to mirror the singular majesty and glory of the God who invented sound by producing something of beauty. I consciously put a recording together for that reason. How does it work?

Both recent CDs (God of Grace and Glory, 2008; Ligonier Sinfonia: Music of the High Baroque, 2009) have been produced by Ligonier, a frankly evangelical, Christian (nonprofit) that offers many CDs on its website. Why is this significant? For me, it all begins with a moment 12 years ago.

It occurred to many of us at Church Music at a Crossroads in 1997 at Covenant College, that we have a wide gap between musicians and marketers in American religious culture. We often commercialize not only worship music, but all things spiritual, in the name of 'outreach.' No matter how much we may avoid it, our music is entertainment at some rudimentary level, especially in a media/marketing culture. Instead, we decided Christian artists need to emphasize the beauty that we believe exists not only in the sound produced, but in the ideas expressed in the process. In other words, we want our music to have meaning beyond merely being appealing, soul-stirring sound. We especially desire that our music glorify God. That is the hard part.

Since that time I have been reminded repeatedly of a 3-legged stool by friends and fans of the Augustinian and later Medieval views of aesthetics. That is, a well-tuned musical product consists not only of beauty, but also truth and goodness.

Music that reveals a mixture of truth, goodness, and beauty is like the three legs of a stool. In its truth it is technically excellent and well-crafted by way of its harmony, melody, rhythm, form, and texture --it is clearly an analog for the eternal truth of the gospel. In its goodness it reflects the intentional (very important --not merely chance) love of God in creating humans, and then providing a plan of redemption for us after the Fall. And, in its beauty it reflects the yearning of the Holy Spirit for his redeemed people.

In a perfect world, we make sense of creation, we sell CDs along with that, and pay the people who produced the little boxes and the covers. We involve ourselves in the marketplace. When we do it well, God may in his providence use the CD to enrich the lives of people who listen to it, and everyone is served.

I hope you will take a minute to check out the two Ligonier CDs --listen to the online samples. Although visually a bunch of plastic and paper, they emit sonic waves that I hope somehow reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Then you are enriched. Then the surrounding culture is enriched by you and others.

Prosperity: Blessing or Trial?

2009-03-10T08:49:00.005-04:00

Pursuing prosperity, in the current climate, is a given. We are capitalists, diligent workers, impressed with the upwardly mobile, enamored of success. But is prosperity really a blessing?

There are many in these times who are laid off, unemployed, or afraid of both. Being unemployed reduces our pride of position in the community. We dare not lose face.

In God's economy, if the Bible is taken seriously, being successful may not be the blessing it seems from a distance. In fact, it might be a curse. Here are a few examples:

"In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved" --Psalm 30:6

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches..." --Proverbs 22:1a

"...give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God." --Proverbs 30:8-9

Of course there are also many verses that teach us to be diligent, avoid poverty by saving up for the future, or to use our wealth to further the kingdom of God. But, in the current atmosphere, we may find some who flaunt their prosperity like a badge of superiority while others look for enough work to pay the rent and feed their families. Where is the balance?

"Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. " So Charles Spurgeon, English Baptist preacher of the late 19th century, summarizes prosperity's pitfalls. In fact, his whole outlook toward abundance and riches rests entirely on suspicion. "If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity...we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream 'we stand'; and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle...each moment we should be in jeopardy."

The apostle Paul goes beyond mere suspicion. For him, the love of wealth at any level is a 'root of all evil.' He condemns those for whom godliness is a 'means of great gain.' Instead, he suggests contentment with what we have.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." --I Timothy 6: 10

So, then, is money evil? Certainly not, if we read the Bible carefully. But it is a potential stumbling block for all people, and especially for professing Christians. Rather, the love of wealth and all its trappings, over and against the love of simplicity for the sake of contentment in our daily walk, is a great trial.

As a by-product of the current financial malaise, I am daily bombarded with emails from websites run by unsavory characters who promise unbelievable results, if only I will sign up for this e-book, give my credit card number, and begin the good life of prosperity. My first instinct may be to delete them, which generally I have. It is the subtle ones, the ones that trade in words that sound like capitalist jargon, or Christian truth, that most tempt me. Of course, being as skeptical as I am, they go in the trash bin as well.

But my point is, we are all at some level of prosperity as we move through 2009, be it great wealth, reasonable prosperity, middle class comfort, or barely making the bills each month. Let me be the first to say unemployment, being laid off, and having barely enough are not things I would like to recall. However, in the same breath, I never want to be so arrogant, to say that because of my level of prosperity, "I shall never be moved." God forbid. Let me have enough, and with that contentment, so I am not tempted to steal, vaunt myself before those less fortunate, or be boastful.

Afflictions, though they seem severe, in mercy oft are sent. [see Morning and Evening: March 10, by C. H. Spurgeon for more wisdom on this subject]