Pilgrim Lutheran's German Sing-Along

The first-ever German Sing-along at my church (68th and Center) was a great success. Even though we didn't advertise extensively, we had a turnout of perhaps thirty to thirty-five people, all eager to sing traditional German Christmas carols familiar from childhood.

Rather than bothering with reams of paper, I simply put the lyrics on PowerPoint slides, and took advantage of Pilgrim's newly purchased projector. We began with a quick pronunciation tutorial just to refresh our memories, and Pastor Peckman helped navigate the slides. We sang about twenty-five of what I thought were the most familiar carols, and I thought we could have used a few more. Bryant helped with just about everything, even setting up snacks for the informal social time afterward.

It was a superb time of fellowship and most of our guests were able to meet new people, increasing their German-speaking contacts. We do plan to hold a sing-along next year, so we're open to suggestions for improvement, whether on repertoire, timing, or format. Thanks for making this so much fun!

German Christmas Sing-Along at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Wauwatosa

To be held Sunday afternoon, December 14, at 3:45 P. M. (after the Packer game) at my church (68th and Center Road). It will be a fantastic time of revisiting the traditional carols of our childhood, reminiscing and speaking some German in an informal setting.

I'm busy making PowerPoint slides so we can have the songs up on the projector, rather than killing a dozen trees. =) If anyone would like to bring a dish to pass, we could plan on having refreshments afterward.

Please come and enjoy! Bring a friend or two or three.

Aesthetic Bliss

Last week the Master Singers of Milwaukee gave their second concert of the season, titled “The Seven Joys of Christmas.” This is the first time I have been part of a truly high-level performing group. We sang first in St. John’s Military Academy Chapel in Delafield, which was charged with thrilling acoustic capabilities. We opened the concert with a Mendelssohn motet, “Frohlocket, ihr Voelker, auf Erden,” written for choir in eight parts and well-suited to showcase our sound. What pure joy, to stand in the very midst of that great, gorgeous wall of sound, to be present at the birth of such beauty. I could feel my own high soprano blending perfectly with the fine tenor voices beside me; it was as if we had caught the updraft of the musical line; we soared and swung in that great height, carrying the audience with us.

I knew in that moment what a rare privilege it was to be a skilled artist, an apostle of the performing arts. I did not have to sit looking on; I stood there creating the sound that brought people joy. For this cause I was born.

We continued with traditional carols, mostly in English, but also in French, German, Russian and Haitian. We sang both well known and obscure compositions, including a medieval English carol, This is the Truth Sent from Above. I was glad above all else that the celebration of Christmas has so firmly entrenched itself in Western culture that we must needs sing the ancient truths of sin and redemption—without eliciting protest. Those old carols, both primitive and polished, presented God’s ineluctable truth in a glorious and lucid manner.

It amazes me that all that painstaking rehearsal culminates in an experience like this. Sometimes it seems as if the reality of music transcends the Fall of Adam. This reward exceeds all expectations; it is one of the greatest joys this world can offer.