March 28, 2007

A Taize Type Chant on Micah 6:8

WhatMany Christian traditions suffer from a lack of musical resources on the issue of justice.  Here is one based on Micah 6:8 you might try.  It is written in the style of a Taize chant.  In other words, it is a simple line of scripture set to a repeatable refrain.  It can be used in worship on its own as a canticle (scripture set to music), sung as a refrain to prayer petitions, or interspersed with scripture readings. 

Click here for the PDF.  Click here for the MP3.

This Taize type chant was originally composed for use by the worshipping community of Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.  Micah 6:8 is the theme verse for the 2006-7 for seminary chapel program.  This song can be used without further permission if the following line of credit is provided:

Copyright 2006, Clayton J. Schmit.  Used with permission.  For additional use, contact [email protected].

One of the key features of this type of music is its repeatability.  But, to remain fresh through several repetitions, musicians are encouraged to improvise additional harmonies and to add instrumental obligatos.  These might be written or created ad lib.  Those who desire a written version for flute or violin can obtain one by emailing the composer at [email protected].

clayschmit
By clayschmit
Mar 28, 2007 3:47:52 PM | Music

3 Comments

James April

Brilliant, simply brilliant!

Posted by: James April | April 18, 2007 at 05:03 PM

Bruce Gillette

Thank you for this wonderful chant.

Would it be possible for the relevant copyright use information to be posted with the online version of it so that when we download the PDF version it would have printed on it "Copyright 2006, Clayton J. Schmit. Used with permission. For additional use, contact [email protected]."?

Posted by: Bruce Gillette | April 24, 2007 at 05:50 AM

RonRienstra

James,

Great idea. It's done.

Posted by: RonRienstra | April 28, 2007 at 11:57 AM

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What is Worship? Pastors’ Gathering Explores Worship Issues Worship was the topic of Fuller’s semiannual President’s Breakfast for Pastors held Thursday, November 9, with speakers Todd Johnson and Ed Willmington, both of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. More than 100 attended the event in Payton Hall. “What and who is our worship for? Why do we worship?” These must be central questions we ask in our churches, said Todd Johnson, the William K. and Delores S. Brehm Associate Professor of Worship, Theology and the Arts at Fuller. In his talk “Worship Choices: Going Beyond the Categories,” Johnson discussed what we can learn from early church worship history, and then went on to offer pastors some “neutral terms to help you evaluate what you are doing in your worship, and why.” Professor and author Lester Ruth offers three helpful questions we can ask, he said: First, whose story is being told in your worship—God’s story, or the individual’s story of coming to faith? Second, who do you understand your church to be when you worship—one part of the larger corporate church, or a more autonomous, homegrown congregation? And lastly, where do people find God in your church’s worship—in the Word, table, or music? It is helpful to understand who you are as a church and work to strike a balance between these different elements, Johnson said. “A Pastoral Approach to Local Church Worship” was the topic of a second talk given by Ed Willmington, director of the Brehm Center’s Fred Bock Institute of Music. First considering how pastors and worship leaders relate to each other, Willmington emphasized the need for a strong level of trust and communication between the two. When bringing worship leaders and musicians into your church, “look past the talent—look for a servant heart,” he urged, and also noted the importance of providing spiritual support and direction to worship team members. “Who is walking alongside them?” he asked. Moving to the pastor-congregation relationship, Willmington stressed the importance of studying and preaching specifically about worship. Congregants need to understand, he said, that “worship is a verb—something you do, not something that is done to you!” Involving the congregation in worship-centered seminars and formalizing a congregational statement about worship are also helpful practices, he noted. A time for questions and answers with both speakers followed the talks, led by Brehm Center Academic Director Clayton Schmit. “However we conduct our worship,” Schmit said in conclusion, “let us serve the One who is worthy. Then we will be on the right track.”

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