Choir/Music

Music at All Saints’ Hurworth

Music is an important part of any of life’s big events; it provides a gateway to the soul and the memory. As such, it plays an important role in many church services, just as it has for many religions for many thousands of years.

Music is chosen for each service to compliment the act of worship and our understanding of God’s holy word. In the same way that the lessons are carefully selected and the preaching enhances our understanding of them and how they relate to our lives, the music is part of the worship package. Hymns are chosen for many reasons, primarily because they help develop our understanding of the lessons and remember the words and inflections used. In some cases the tone set by the piece opens the heart to the sadness or joy of the service, or a piece could be chosen because it welcomes the congregation; inspires the congregation to go out into the world with God in their heart; or promotes a peaceful, prayer inspiring environment. Many musical styles and varied texts are mixed throughout the Church year to supplement our religious experiences.

The responsibility for providing music for the 10:30am services at All Saints’ in Hurworth is shared between 4 groups: the choir, the organists, the music group and the brass group. Each is an important and integral part of our worship, and each works towards the same goal.

As well as the usual Sunday worship, the groups also provide music for the major church festivals, as well as for weddings, funerals and baptisms. For weddings in particular, it is good to have a clear lead for the congregation, as well as the possibility of having a favourite piece of music performed during the signing of the register!

The Choir:

All Saints’ choir is a traditional robed choir. We accept singers of any ability, from the age of seven upwards. Whilst singing in the choir is quite a large commitment of time, with a service and Friday night rehearsal most weeks, it can be very rewarding. There is no audition necessary to join the choir, and no expectation that you will sing every week. Even if you have never sung in a choir before, we would love to have you join us. The choir sings a variety of sacred music, although the majority of it is, of course, hymn singing!

For most of the 10:30am Sunday services the choir are singing – hymns, canticles, sung settings for communion and anthems. For hymns, canticles and the sung settings, the choir’s role is to lead and support the congregation in their singing. Anthems are sung by the choir alone, and are an opportunity for more complex, varied or unusual music or texts to be included in the service. However, the role of the choir is not to give a concert, but to serve the church and congregation and to enhance the worship.

The choir is a member of the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music), and takes part in the yearly festival service at Durham Cathedral. This is always a wonderful event and a chance to meet other choristers from the diocese. We also run the RSCM “Voice for life” scheme for choristers. This is designed for singers of all ages and abilities and consists of a series of books leading to various awards. Each individual can progress at their own pace, with tuition being given as needed by the choirmaster.

The choir is led by our Director of Music, Andy Young. As well as conducting and training the choir, he is usually to be found playing the organ for the services. He also has the overall responsibility for making sure that music happens in all the services that need it, not just when the choir is there, including co-ordinating the choosing of hymns and helping to plan some of the larger services. If you are interested in joining the choir, or need to talk about music for your wedding, Andy is the person to approach. If you have any other comments about the music in church, he would love to hear them.

The Organists:

The church is lucky to have 3 resident organists, these are Andy Young who plays for most of the 10:30am services, Valerie Garwood who also plays at St John the Baptist in Low Dinsdale and finally Anne Johnson.

The Music Group:

The music group generally leads the music for the 3^rd Sunday in each month. This service is the family service, which lends itself to the more relaxed style of music played by the music group. A wide range of instruments are in the group from violin to clarinet, guitar to piano. As with the choir, there are no auditions necessary to join this group. If you are interested, please talk to Dorothy Puchala, or any member of the group.

The Brass Group:

When there is a 5^th Sunday in the month, the Brass group, with the choir, will often lead the music for that Sunday. They also work with the choir for some of the big services, like the Nine Lessons and Carols service at Christmas. If you are interested in playing for this group, please speak to Simon Alban.

NEW ADDITION Music In The Communion Service

MUSIC GROUP	CHURCH CHOIR	ORGANISTS	BRASS BAND

Click thumbnail for a larger image	Click thumbnail for larger image and Choir chat	Click thumbnail for a larger image	Click thumbnail for a larger image

Choir, music group, brass ensemble and any combination thereof. Let us know what is going on, tell us what you are
singing or playing, what you would like to sing and play, and where, and how; plans, developments, needs, whatever.
What are the Grange, Richardson and Carol Andrews Singers all doing?

The next Operatic do at the Civic, is it good, who's in it (anybody from the church?)?

Have you seen a good show recently? Where was it, who was in it? Tell us about it.

How many instruments in a full brass band? What are they? Who plays them in church?

Let's make this a Church Musical Forum which hopefully can be informative, entertaining and uplifting.

VOLUNTEERS TO RUN IT!! Please let Michelle or Ken Pattison know.

And don't forget the bellringers!

Ring the bell to find out about the All Saints bells!

All Saints Music Group

Piano - Dorothy Violin - Julia Bass guitar - Lee Cello - Louise Flute - Ruth Pattison Tenor recorder - Pat

Percussion & Keyboard - Carol Vocalists - Enid, Janet, Ruth Gallagher, Andrew, Gordon.

We play every third Sunday of the month!!

Aim: Music for all tastes and ages. A blend of modern choruses / hymns with traditional old favourites.

Practices: most Fridays at 7.45 pm. Use the contact page if you would like to join us, or if you have
any requests for worship. Enthusiasm is essential, some skill helps.

FRONT :		Joan Clay, Jan Parr, Enid Thompson, Ken Pattison
MIDDLE :		Dorothy Puchala, Val Allan, Louise Alban
BACK :		Carol Pattison, Lee Puchala, Pat de Martino, Ruth Pattison

Music Group

The Music Group will continue to provide opportunities for people to familiarise themselves with some of the new hymns and worship songs they are introducing, by playing and singing them before the services. In most services we try to use one traditional hymn, one new one and several that we have introduced previously. Before the service we play any new hymns that are coming up in the service, or in future services, as well as some chosen to help us focus on God and out worship of Him. We are always happy to try and include requests in our planning and are especially pleased if people introduce us to good songs they know from elsewhere.

All Saints Church Choir

FOURTH :		John Hacking, Bernard Sanderson, Brian Johnson, Andrew Hawkin
THIRD :		Ruth Gallagher, Valerie Garwood, Anne Johnson, Joyce McDowell
SECOND :		Christine Hacking, Greta Sanderson, Avril Blaine, Kath Foulds
FIRST :		Claire Holme, Rachel Alban

CHOIR CHAT AT ALL SAINTS HURWORTH

There are up to 16 of us in the choir at All Saints, mainly adults with a couple of young people, and we sing for three of the four 10.30 services in the month. We lead the hymns and canticles in the services of Morning Prayer, occasionally singing psalms as well. The 10.30 Communion Service, which is on the first Sunday of the month, is mainly sung and, as the new form from Common Worship is being introduced, we are using parts of a new setting composed for it by David Higgins, of St Oswald’s in Durham.

The choir is fortunate to be able to work with four organists who play for our services. We sing special choir items or anthems about once a month and enjoy preparing for and leading a full Service of Nine Lessons and Carols each Christmas. Occasionally we have been able to present choral offerings of varied types for other occasions in the Church year.

Each year a number of the choir practises for and sings in an event in Durham Cathedral with many other parish choirs from all over the diocese, organised by the RSCM (the Royal School of Church Music, to whom we are affiliated). This usually takes the form of an Evensong which gives us the opportunity to sing some of the music which many of us know and love but which is suitable only for evening services. Last year, however, the service was a Communion Service planned to help choirs in the diocese adapt to the new Common Worship form.

In order to vary our worship styles there is a Music Group which leads the worship for the 3^rd Sunday in the month with a mix of more modern worship songs and traditional hymns. A few of the choir also sing with this group.

The Choir can often be available to sing for weddings in the church. Please ask the Rector and give as much notice as possible.

The Choir practises on Friday evenings from 6.30pm in church and we would be very happy to hear from anyone interested in singing with us. As is often the case, male voices are particularly welcome !

Hymns

If you have a favourite hymn you would like to choose to celebrate a special event or just because you like it then please see Michelle. It would add something to the service if you were able to provide (in writing please) your reason for choosing it.

All Saints Organists

BACK :		Adrian Bramley, Caroline Hodgson
FRONT :		Valerie Garwood, Anne Johnson

All Saints Brass Band (Partial Group)

MUSIC IN THE COMMUNION SERVICE

The recent introduction of the new communion service stimulated the choir to look for some new music, which would fit the new service better than did the old setting. We came to like the music we sang in Durham last July so much that we decided to try it out at All Saints and started introducing parts of it in January 2002. So far we are singing the Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from this new setting by David Higgins.

It is always difficult to learn and adapt to new music so, in order to give the service a fair trial, we will be using it for the next six months or so and the choir will try to help the congregation become familiar with it in the following ways :

	The sopranos will sing the congregational part for the moment, missing out the areas where they effectively sing a descant above the tune.
	Copies of the music will be available with the books as the congregation comes into church. It is hoped that this will be helpful to those who cannot read music, as well as those who can, as it will be possible to see where the tune rises and falls with the words.
	Some members of the choir hope to be available after Morning Service on the 4th Sunday of February, March and April in order to help anyone who is interested to learn or practice the music, in any way people would find helpful. Just come back to the front of the church after collecting your coffee!

" I don't play accurately, anyone can play accurately,
but I play with wonderful expression".

- Oscar Wilde