Comments on: Interactive Church Music Player

Interactive Church Music Player

oissubke — Sun, 16 May 2004 08:06:26 -0800

Interactive Church Music Player The LDS Church has created a cool new tool for exploring its hymnbooks: a Flash application that not only shows the sheet music, but allows transposition, tempo changes, part selection, and all kinds of other nifty things.

By: oissubke

oissubke — Sun, 16 May 2004 08:07:17 -0800

[Disclaimer: I'm Mormon -- just posting this because I thought it was a great use of Flash technology.] :-)

By: djeo

djeo — Sun, 16 May 2004 08:40:10 -0800

I'm neither Mormon nor a musician but I think this is incredibly cool. Very nice post oissubke!

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Sun, 16 May 2004 09:34:18 -0800

Yes indeedy, a wonderful post. That is seriously cool.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Sun, 16 May 2004 09:44:19 -0800

And so perfect for Sunday morning!

By: Tlogmer

Tlogmer — Sun, 16 May 2004 10:08:02 -0800

How many other people misread this as the LSD Church?

By: silusGROK

silusGROK — Sun, 16 May 2004 10:19:01 -0800

Thanks, oi-boy. Great tool... I'm the chorister for our congregation, and this will come in really handy! And talk about incredible use of flash technology... look at all you can do with the song: parts, words, print, change tempos... very very cool.

By: reklaw

reklaw — Sun, 16 May 2004 10:29:10 -0800

Neat... are LDS hymns different to other churches' hymns, though? Or do most Christians just use the same ones?

By: silusGROK

silusGROK — Sun, 16 May 2004 10:41:54 -0800

I would imagine that a lot of the hymns would be familiar to many church-goers out there (Rock of Ages, #111; A Mighty Fortress is Our God, #68; I Stand All Amazed, #193)... A handful are standards with a couple of words changed (How Great Thou Art — hymn #86 — for example says "Consider all the worlds* thy hands have made | I see the stars, I hear the rolling* thunder", whereas the original words were "works" and "mighty")... and then there are a few that are decidedly Mormon (Come, Come, Ye Saints, #30 was written during the trek west to Salt Lake City as a salve for the weary pioneers). Over all, though, I'm guessing that this would be a great resource for a lot of different congregational choristers.

By: Sangre Azul

Sangre Azul — Sun, 16 May 2004 11:16:54 -0800

That's really awesome. Now it just needs a button to insert random new-agey piano accompaniment and you've got my church of employment. As silusGROK says, most of these hymns will be familiar across denominations, though with some changes in the words. Selection of music during the mass/service settings (Holy Holy, Kyrie, Eucharistic set - the stuff that's the same week after week) is what tends to separate the denominations the most; each uses music differently, due largely to the ways in which they ritualize the service. Your exposure to service music will also vary depending on the church's preference for more modern composers. Marty Haugen, for example, is a contemporary composer that is very popular (and in my experience, almost exclusive) in the Roman Catholic mass. The LDS interactive example seems to have stuff from at least the 60s, so it isn't just all the public-domain warhorses. I find it surprising the written parts are online so nicely - church and choral music is notorious for having somewhat threatening "DO NOT PHOTOCOPY (ever)" notices all over the place.

By: Sangre Azul

Sangre Azul — Sun, 16 May 2004 11:21:49 -0800

Forgot to mention that this is also a really cool tool for anyone learning the piano - free access to loads of simple 4-part pieces.

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Sun, 16 May 2004 12:55:25 -0800

Two thoughts: "Come, Come, Ye Saints" -- always wanted to hear that one; now I'll get my chance. Also, I hope someday somebody will do this for the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and With One Voice ,which are widely used in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

By: oissubke

oissubke — Sun, 16 May 2004 14:47:34 -0800

Don't forget to check out the free MP3 downloads for non-midi versions of the music (I think you can also hear these with one of the radio buttons on the interactive one).

By: Lynsey

Lynsey — Sun, 16 May 2004 23:06:15 -0800

Awesome link, oissubke! I thank you, and my mother, a church organist, thanks you.