Songs of Praise to get a 'makeover'.....

[alycidon]

Oh indeed! Here is a prime example from the Scottish Psalter.

Iniquities, I must confess,
prevail against me do:
But as for our transgressions,
them purge away shalt Thou. (Psalm 65)

Why don't you pop across to Glenurquhart Free Church one Sunday morning, mangers? You would probably hear me precenting exactly that - and others of the same ilk.

[Vox Humana]

There is room for both approaches to worship and one is not "better" than the other, just different, I would submit.

That may be true of the worship, but not IMO of the music. It's not just a matter of taste. I can respect any form of light music if it is composed competently, but few worship songs are. Most of them give the impression of having been congealed rather than composed. "Shine, Jesus, shine" is a case in point. Every two bar phrase is shapeless and melodically tautologous, while the repetition of each one does nothing but compound the misery. It does nothing except tread water until the chorus arrives. The composer might well say that that is the point, but that's no excuse. I could cite other examples.

[Alison]

There's fact in the sense that at such services people do raise their arms and sing in particular ways.

But what the author wants us to accept as fact is that the participants are either malevolent or stupid. That's what's objectionable - just as EA's earlier imputation of cynicism was.

Thanks Jean. Exactly that!

[french frank]

That may be true of the worship, but not IMO of the music.

But is Songs of Praise primarily a programme of great music or a programme of worship? Primarily religious or musical ?

[alycidon]

But is Songs of Praise primarily a programme of great music or a programme of worship? Primarily religious or musical ?

Neither, FF. IMO It's a variety show with a religious bias fronted by, in the main, second-rate presenters.

[french frank]

Neither, FF. IMO It's a variety show with a religious bias fronted by, in the main, second-rate presenters.

Well, now it has even more variety (don't know about the presenters)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That may be true of the worship, but not IMO of the music. It's not just a matter of taste. I can respect any form of light music if it is composed competently, but few worship songs are. Most of them give the impression of having been congealed rather than composed. "Shine, Jesus, shine" is a case in point. Every two bar phrase is shapeless and melodically tautologous, while the repetition of each one does nothing but compound the misery. It does nothing except tread water until the chorus arrives. The composer might well say that that is the point, but that's no excuse. I could cite other examples.

Exactly. It's a formula that works. Hence my view that there is an element of cynicism, and a desire to hype up the emotions. Just like the hysteria in a loud rock concert.

[Vox Humana]

But is Songs of Praise primarily a programme of great music or a programme of worship? Primarily religious or musical ?

Well, I haven't watched SoP in a long time and have no wish to do so, but from what I remember I am not sure its main focus is either worship or music. Isn't it primarily a showcase (magazine, if you prefer) for Christian life?

As a musician, it's my view that it's definitely the music that has brought happy-clappiness into disrepute. I sometimes wonder whether I could bear that style of worship if the accompanying music were cathedral repertoire and standard. I think my reception of it might be more positive - providing the congregation refrained from shouting "Hallelujah!" during the singing and similar indelicacies.

[Vox Humana]

Neither, FF. IMO It's a variety show with a religious bias fronted by, in the main, second-rate presenters.

You got there before me!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Re the programme itself, I could not understand the need to accompany the commentary with a constant drumbeat. I'm sure Connie Fisher wasn't talking to the camera with that noise pollution present, so why inflict on the viewers who are powerless to suppress it?

[Alison]

To try and move on, I certainly agree that few punters are likely to find the new SoP a good watch!

[mangerton]

Why don't you pop across to Glenurquhart Free Church one Sunday morning, mangers? You would probably hear me precenting exactly that - and others of the same ilk.

One very good reason would be that I'm almost always singing in my Scottish Episcopal church choir in Dundee. I've been singing there for over twenty years, after forty years in the C of S. However, if I'm ever up in that direction, you never know.

[Magnificat]

It's been dumbed down for ages, and a straightforward 'Anglican service' is very rarely part of it. I used to enjoy it occasionally when it had what I think of as proper hymns (i.e. not happy clappy 'worship songs'), but recently I've been switching off quickly. There's a tendency to use the Katherine Jenkins type of singer when they have solos.

Exactly my feelings Mary.

Why all this fuss about the change of format. The new format is not new.

We've had programmes from Anglican, Catholic, Non - Conformist churches and chapels, Happy Clappy worship songs, gospel choirs, services from Synagogues, nothing from Mosques but Muslims don't sing much, as far as I am aware, apart from the Call to Prayer by the Muezzin.

Like you I used to enjoy an Anglican service with proper hymns; but for me the the strength of SOP is the personal testimonies of ordinary
people wherever it comes from

I see that the Daily Telegraph's piece on this was against the backdrop of a picture of King's College Choir. One of the regular disappointments of the programme, in my opinion, has been that broadcasts from cathedrals rarely show much of the choir if anything at all.

VCC

[Miles Coverdale]

On the subject of West Gallery music, a really good CD of it was released back in 1990 by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. You can get a taste of it here. It's still available. If more hymns were like this, I might have enjoyed them a bit more.

[Pabmusic]

On the subject of West Gallery music, a really good CD of it was released back in 1990 by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. You can get a taste of it here. It's still available. If more hymns were like this, I might have enjoyed them a bit more.

Isn't it good? Of course that particular hymn is not of the time - it's the Sussex folk song "Our captain cried 'All hands'" collected by George Gardiner and set to Bunyan's words by RVW for the English Hymnal.