Old Hymns

Meant to blog this last night....

I played with our substitute pianist last night because our usual night pianist, one of my very best friends, was out of town. Since our sub isn't used to playing very often, we did some very old traditional hymns that everybody knows, and it was wonderful fun.

I love to play old hymns. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy all church music from stuff with loud guitars to stuff with loud banjos right up to stuff with loud pipe organs. It all makes me happy, and I think it all makes God happy, too. I know not everybody enjoys every type of music, but to me, it's all wonderful stuff. There's just something about playing and singing those old, old hymns, though, that moves me.

I don't have a blazing musical talent. I have friends who do, and what they can do with instruments humbles me. I will never forget as long as I live hearing one of my gifted pianist friends play his arrangement of "It Is Well with My Soul." That simple old song glowed like stained glass struck with the rising sun. It's a song I've always loved, a song I used to sneak up to the chapel at the university I attended for my undergrad and play on the piano there late at night when I felt bad. Of course, when I played it, it never sounded like his version. If anything should ever happen to me, I want him to play that at my funeral.

"Angel Band" is another one of those old hymns that affects me that way. I still remember my grandmother crying whenever it was played in church because it reminded her of her own mother. It was in due time played at her funeral, and whenever I hear it, I can hear my Granny's voice singing it. Someday, I am going to get the courage to sing that at church. Maybe I won't screw it up....

There are so many other lovely old songs that I also love, but one I frequently play for prelude is "In the Garden." I figure probably 75% of the congregation isn't paying attention to what the organ is doing anyway, and it makes me tremendously happy to hear the King of Instruments purr through that song. Playing it is a bit like singing it in many ways. It just feels good to walk the baseline in the chorus and imagine the words coming true.

Even as I continue to find new songs that I enjoy and add to my repertoire, I will always hang on to these oldest loves of mine. I know I'm never going to be a fantastic concert organist, but maybe if they're played with love and happiness, that will be enough.