As I said yesterday, vicars and organists cringe at the choices we are asked to perform, yet of all the wealth of Christian music that's on offer, very little of it is really accessible to modern British couples planning their wedding day.
7. Shine Jesus shine
No, hear me out. I am a Graham Kendrick fan – I think many of his songs are thoughtful and memorable. I don't personally rate this one particularly highly, but it's well known, and that's the key. Musically, I call it a “cut and shut” because it seems like two different bits of music have been welded together, not very successfully. The chorus needs to be sung fast, or it sounds like a dirge, but gabbling the complicated words in the verses makes you want to slow it down and sing it in a more measured way. If led by guitar and drums, something with rhythm, then you can sing it slowly, and it works quite well. But play it on the organ, and it's just awful. So why is it in my top 10?
People like it. There's no accounting for taste.
6. One more step along the world I go
Sydney Carter has the gift of being profound and simple. “You are older than the world can be, you are younger than the life in me.” You don't get more profound than that. Optimism, hope for the future, something to ponder, all wrapped up in a bouncy tune that gets your foot tapping.
5. Praise my soul the king of heaven
Of all the standard, traditional hymns, this might be the best to go for. The tune isn't too hard to pick up – the repeated “Praise him, praise him” helps - and it follows the thread of Psalm 103 closely. Some people object to the theology of verse 4: “Angels help us to adore him” and there is an alternative “Angels in the height adore him.” I can't see what the fuss is about myself.
4. Be still for the presence of the Lord is here
One of the things I try and do at the start of a service like a wedding is say something like “Let's pause for a second in silence and remember that God is here with us.” This song does the same task - reminding us that this marriage is done with the Almighty as a witness. The Biblical allusions (holy ground) are well known enough for all but the most distant outsiders to church to appreciate, and the idea of holiness is one that is worth exploring in the context of marriage.
Oh, and the tune's easy to sing, and hard to play badly!
No comments:
Post a Comment