Mood:
caffeinatedNow Playing: The Uncomfortable Pastor
One of the blessings of being older is that you can reflect on the past. A little child can only look forward. As an older one reflects, certain providential acts of God become clear. And it is appropriate that we might share those in praise of Him.
The fact is that I grew up in a musical family. We were not “Julliard” musicians, but we sang and played instruments in our community where we grew up. My parents reported that I sang my first solo in church when I was three or four (I don’t remember it, so I have to believe them.). I do remember singing in the church choir as soon as they would let me join; that was probably in the seventh grade when I sang tenor and then soon switched to bass.
In school there was the regular vocal music class for everyone, and I began to play the cornet in the fifth grade and played in the band ever after. I did not join any choirs there until my senior year in high school. Then I sang in the chorus and in two smaller groups, a men’s group of sixteen, and a mixed chorus of sixteen called “Starlighters.” The Starlighters were occasionally asked to sing at various functions around town. These groups were pure enjoyment for me. I wanted to take voice lessons, but unfortunately our teacher would only teach those he chose, and he only chose one person from each voice group. I was not one of those.
Also, during the high school years, besides singing with my family, another youth about my age, Jim, and I sang duets in church. We also sang at multi-church events such as an annual songfest and an annual Sunday School convention. We were known in the area for our singing. On one occasion we even drove through the night from Montana to Minnesota so that we might sing at a church conference there! Rehearsals with Jim were always great fun, and we cherished the opportunities to sing for others.
The time came when I began four years of study at Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. Upon arrival I joined the band and played in it all four years. I also thought I would try out for the chorale which was the elite singing group performing on campus and on tours.
Parts of the tryout are not clear to me at this stage. We probably had to sing something alone, or match pitches and give evidence of a certain range. But part of it definitely was singing in a small group to show how one could sing a part. So I went through the test and did not pass, even though I did not think the test difficult. I was perhaps slightly disappointed, but I was naive and absolutely unfamiliar with the college scene. I concluded that the chorale was so elite that even with my experience I just did not measure up. Apparently the school had many very outstanding singers who made up that group. I would be content expressing my music in band and in congregational singing wherever that might happen.
Now we segue to a male quartet, The King’s Men, that sang and traveled for Grace Bible Institute. The current individuals in that quartet were only three since their bass had not returned in 1965. They replaced the missing individual with another bass and began their year. For some reason this bass did not work out, and they were looking for a solution.
So some weeks after the fall semester had begun, a student named Norm contacted me. He had grown up in an area of Montana close to where I had been, and we knew each other. He was the second tenor in that quartet. He asked me whether I would be willing to try out for that bass position. How quickly can I say “Yes!”? So I did try out, and they said I sounded very much like the bass they had lost. I was in! So I began to practice with them, learn the songs, and travel on weekends and the following summer. That was a very special time in my life.
Shortly after I was established in the quartet, the chorale director contacted me and asked whether I would now join the chorale after all. He did this at least partially because he liked to have the quartet available to sing a selection during the chorale concerts--the other three quartet members were part of the chorale. I don’t know if any other motive was involved. But at that point I could not accept. My schedule was set, and it was impossible to make chorale a part of it. I have thought it ironic that I was not good enough to ‘make the cut’ in trying out for the chorale, but once I was in the quartet I was acceptable; it still does not make sense to me. Later I did sing in the chorale, but I think I sang in the chorale maybe one and one-half out of four years.
I think back on that and marvel at the role Norm played in shaping my life. Music has always been an accompaniment (to coin a phrase from the musical vocabulary) for me even though my source of income has been mostly otherwise. I have been able to sing in a variety of groups large and small, direct some choirs, obtain a master’s degree in music, work as a piano technician, and today sing in a community choir of which I serve as a substitute director. Very likely most of the musical involvement, especially vocal, would not have happened had Norm not asked me that question.
Also, being in that quartet and the two quartets in following years allowed me to travel to many parts of the United States and Canada, meet many people, see many sights, eat great food, all as ‘frosting on the cake’ of ministering to people through song and sometimes in other ways. That opened up to me many vistas that had been otherwise closed. I have great appreciation for those experiences, and for me that is probably the highlight of my education at Grace Bible Institute.
Norm is not on earth anymore, but I value him greatly as I had always respected him for who he was as a person. Without knowing it, he greatly helped set the direction of my life.
I enjoy many kinds of music, but my favorite is sacred. The musical vehicle is powerful in expressing eternal truths, and to be a part of that is very satisfying. And this is all because the LORD’s lovingkindness is everlasting!
Posted by turbooster
at 6:39 PM MDT
Updated: Sunday, 31 March 2019 6:43 PM MDT
