I have been blessed to see several "flash mob" renditions of the Hallelujah Chorus on U-tube over the last few weeks, and have been longing to hear the whole Messiah. I just discovered I have a total Messiah CD and have been listening to it with joy in the words and delight in the wonderful music. As I've been listening I remembered the first time I was ever in a choir that sang the Hallelujah chorus. It was at Tambo - sometime after 1964 when I first went there. How I enjoyed it. Then I began to think of the different pieces we sang, and how often in that music, as I was singing I felt the power and presence of the Lord in the music. As I listen to my CD, I was wishing I could hear the entire Messiah sung by our Tambo Choir, or a group of believers. Not trained opera type singers, but sweet voiced singers, the music pouring out of believing and praising hearts. Gloria Stairs that was, reminded me of this also. How she was so moved when the total audience stood to their feet at Tambo. I have no memory of every hearing the Hallelujah chorus live so I was astounded. What a glorious praise to the Almighty Father. I think almost everyone in the choir, if not all, were deeply moved.
I love that even today it is sung by men and women who though they despise the name of the Lord or only know it to use it in vain, but they love this music. When it is sung, or even just played I believe every heart that hears it quickens with joy and adoration. How like the Lord to use this gift to Handel to keep Him in our minds and hearts even when we try to deny Him.
I remember being in choir at Tambo as being one of the real high lights of my time there. Everyone was involved. You couldn't say, I'm not interested or I cannot sing. It was a requirement. I always thought everyone could be taught to sing, to carry a tune because I saw Dave Lotz work with each group til they knew their parts perfectly. I bet many of the Tambo choir members could still sing their part in some of the music we sang.
I remember one of the older girls singing "I know that my Redeemer Liveth" - it still brings tears to my eyes as I remember. I remember singing "He could have called 10,000 Angels" and the first time, as we sang, I was fighting to not break down sobbing at the message of the song. Music is so powerful - one of the divine gifts given to mankind to remind us of our Father, Creator, Redeemer and Lord.
Satan has tried for all time to destroy that gift in the world, to corrupt or mar it, but for all that, God continues to use music to praise, honor and worship Him. And it flourishes in this world, bringing joy and and a deep to deep response of worship to our creator.
I remember also, one Easter Morning, just as the sun edged the top of the mountain, being awoken out of a sound sleep to the song "Christ the Lord is risen today" over the school loudspeaker. I know I leapt to the window, looking eagerly for the Lord coming down for us in that minute.
Thank you Mr. Dave Lotz and all those others, Mrs. Hurst, and even the students Anna Foster and Gloria Stairs in my day and other's my mind has forgotten for one of the best parts of Tambo life.
2 comments:
Absolutely agree with you 100% on this post Galilee! I’ve forgotten a lot of things about Tambo, but the music is with me forever. My favorite, even above the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, was ‘The King of Love My Shepherd Is, Whose goodness faileth never. I nothing lack if I am His, and He is mine forever.’ Another verse is: ‘Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, and yet in love He sought me; and on His shoulder gently laid and home rejoicing brought me.’ ‘And so through all the length of days, His goodness faileth never; Good Shepherd may I sing Thy praise, within Thy house forever.’ There are other verses, but I am quoting this from memory that goes back to high school, having never sung it since, except to myself. I believe we sang this with the joint high school-annex choirs .. 8 part harmony. I still get goose bumps! And tears! We sang the arrangement by Harry Rowe Shelley, which is not very commonly heard, but the best in my opinion.
Of course we did some secular songs like ‘Seventy Six Trombones’, but it is the story of our faith that inspires like nothing else. I recently heard Dr. David Jeremiah on the radio say that nowhere in Scripture is it recorded that angels sing. He explained that music springs from sorrow and deprivation, which the angels never know. I believe he is right. Dave Lotz also directed the choir in singing a number of hymn arrangements. I remember several. One was: ‘In Loving Kindness Jesus Came, My Soul in Mercy to Reclaim … He Lifted Me!’ You won’t hear the angels singing that, but it surely blesses my heart, and I am thankful to God, and to the choir leaders who realized the eternal benefit of planting these treasures in the souls of rowdy teenagers. I was blessed at the time, and even more so now.
Herb - I loved your comment - those were some song I'd forgotten and, Oh the deep deep love of Jesus - can't remember is we sang that but I am deeply grateful to the Lord that He brought me to Tambo at such a time in my life when I was very near of edge of making even greater wrong choices. And I love comments from others showing this gift from the Lord in our lives. Galilee
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