Easter Hymn done extremely well

[Heavy_Metal]

Since Easter is only a few short weeks away and many of us are getting ready to perform, I thought this worth reposting where more of us will see it.

From Easter Sunday 2010, this is the Second Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and Orchestra (Memphis, Tennessee) directed by Dr. Gabriel Statom, and our very own Bloke on his Thor. It's the best version of this hymn I've ever heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... gsHV8X7YSs" target="_blank

[ppalan]

WOW ...and that's the way its done!! Bravo, Bloke and everyone else.
Thanks for sharing
Pete

[Heavy_Metal]

Bumping this for Easter 2016.

[Heavy_Metal]

Annual bump, for those who haven't seen it.

[Heavy_Metal]

Haven't played that version since, and I lost a very good friend (the 1st trumpet player on that gig) a few years later to suicide. ...but I really do appreciate seeing it again, as it reminds me of happier times.

Glad to help. That was an excellent performance. Sorry to hear about your friend.

I play at another church twice each year (PALM Sunday - THIS Sunday, and the 1st Sunday in December) with a very fine low brass section (always the same four of us), nearly always a great trumpet section, and usually a good horn section. (Occasionally, a church member or two will ask to play with the orchestra.)

(snip)

This morning (Saturday) is the 9 - 12 rehearsal for that gig, fwiw.
The choir always puts out an AMAZING spread (like a FIFTY FOOT LONG BUFFET PLUS DESSERTS !!!) at the break, and INSISTS on the orchestra going through the line first.

The choir director is really pretty cool... Rumor is that William Walton's Crown Imperial March will be on the stand tomorrow morning. (He's also cool, in that he doesn't mail or email the music to the musicians. He simply hires people who don't need to see it ahead of time.) (I HATE having to keep track of "gig music", and having to REMEMBER to bring it to the gig.)

Looking forward to seeing that one when they post it.

I've only gotten through the first one you linked to, but it was excellent, and I expect the remaining ones will be too.

[arpthark]

That is some excellent playing!

[Heavy_Metal]

Annual bump.

I had not been able to find this arrangement until now- it's by John Rutter and SheetMusicPlus has it. Note that there is no French Horn part in the brass version, the Trumpet parts are written in concert pitch, and the Trombone parts are in Tenor Clef. The arrangement comes from the U.K. (Oxford University Press)- maybe this is usual practice (practise?) there- so it'll need more preparation than usual. Well worth it IMHO, and this clip is the best of the bunch.

[Three Valves]

It’s like “fah who foraze” only at Easter!!

[Heavy_Metal]

The funny this is that when you're involved in something really extraordinary (as that performance - really, that entire service - was a really good combination of brass players) you're usually not really aware of it, and are just doing your job.

This.

[Heavy_Metal]

Wow. Just...... wow. If I ever grow up..........

Some notes on the original link:

You had remarked when you originally posted it that the Second Presbyterian organ was quite powerful, which of course it is. I especially like the organist's stop selection on the last two verses- never heard that before. Recently I discovered the Organ Historical Society site, which has a searchable database of all the pipe organs they know about. Second Presbyterian's stop list is included, and here it is- sorry about the messed up column arrangement, I did try to separate them:

Memphis, Tennessee
Second Presbyterian Church, Chapel

This was a rebuild by Wicks of Möller 2/8 Op. 9308 (1958)
_____________________________________________________________________

GREAT SWELL PEDAL
16' Bourdon 8' Cor de Nuit 32' Resultant
8' Diapason 8' Viole de Gambe 16' Bourdon
8' Gedeckt 8' Viole Celeste 16' Lieblich Gedeckt 12 GT
8' Viole de Gambe 4' Nachthorn 10 2/3' Quint
8' Viole Celeste 4' Gambe 8' Diapason GT
8' Dulciana tc 2 2/3' Nazard 8' Gedeckt GT
4' Octave 2' Nachthorn 8' Cor de Nuit SW
4' Gedeckt 1' Fife 4' Octave GT
4' Dulciana 16' Trompette 4' Gedeckt GT
2' Super Octave 8' Trompette 2' Octave GT
2' Blockflöte 4' Clairon II Mixture GT
II Mixture Tremolo 16' Trompette SW
8' Trompette Sub 8' Trompette SW
Tremolo Unison Off 4' Trompette SW
Super Super
Chimes

[Received online from Jeff Scofield August 3, 2012]

I would love to know how they got the organ to sound like that!

[Three Valves]

The organ at Longwood Gardens has its pipes behide a tapestry type material. I like to watch it breathe during the performance!!

[Heavy_Metal]

There is a church in a northern suburb of Memphis – Bartlett – that houses the gigantic theater organ that was formally in the downtown Memphis (now demolished) Ellis Auditorium. That sanctuary is not gigantic at all (as this the sanctuary at Second Presbyterian). Nevertheless, it's an impressive organ. As the pipes were never configured for show, they are located in rooms above the front of the sanctuary hidden by something like speaker cloth.

That Kimball originally served two auditoriums. The church has the smaller of the two sections, from the South Hall:

https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDeta ... anID=45674" target="_blank

The organ at Longwood Gardens has its pipes behide a tapestry type material. I like to watch it breathe during the performance!!

Ahh yes, the monster Aeolian with some later Moller additions. I bet it could cause some brain damage at full song:

https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDeta ... ganID=4609" target="_blank

The little Austin where we play has most of the pipes behind a screen as well- not uncommon in this area. Some of the (I believe) Great 8' Principal, 4' Octave and 2' fifteenth pipes are exposed.

[Three Valves]

I linked this already above, but (yet at a third church) this choirmaster enjoys incorporating mainstream orchestral literature into the liturgy...

...and (except for bloke) this is a totally different combination of Memphis-based brass musicians.

Here is a (most every tuba player's favorite) passage from Verdi's Requiem incorporated into a Palm Sunday service:

You'll have to scroll to 42:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgygxBtNv9w

At 1:20 the Presby’s are trying to out Catholic the Catholics!!

Nice service, excellent music.

[Heavy_Metal]

We played the brass/organ/choral version of this as the first hymn for today's Easter service. Wow.

The service ended with Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" (brass/organ/choral) and a shortened version of "The Trumpet Shall Sound" (just organ and tuba).

Thanks again, bloke. I doubt I would have discovered Rutter's arrangement if you hadn't posted it.

[Heavy_Metal]

Time to once again bump this fine performance!

[Heavy_Metal]

Bump- since many or most of us won't be playing tomorrow, at least we have an excellent performance to listen to.

[bort]

^ Was waiting for your yearly bump of this, Frank. Happy Easter!

[Heavy_Metal]

Glad to help, Brett. Here's another rendition of this same basic arrangement, enhanced with handbells. You may recognize the church from Diane Bish's "The Joy of Music" series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrI2sBiIDxE" target="_blank

and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir doing this same arrangement- but only two verses?!? C'mon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFjnlBn0K10" target="_blank

[Heavy_Metal]

That kind and wise-looking (correct on both counts) black minister in the video - sadly - died about a week ago. This current virus thing was credited.

Sorry to hear, Joe. Maybe once this mess is over, they can pull the orchestra together for the memorial service. That would be a fitting send-off.

[Heavy_Metal]

Excellent!