The 'good old days' of well-loved hymns are gone? What's your take on this?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#22
Haha, is he supposed to be mimicking Engelbert Humperdinck there? :unsure::giggle:



His original name was Arnold George Dorsey :geek:

Probably his most famous song:

Murray could have been his twin brother in that skit. Lol!
I didn't know that was his song.
Truly a VHS Hit!
Probably cassette hit too.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#25
I totally agree, but what I didn't mention clearly enough in my original post is that a lot of the 'cool' church worship 'bands' use this stage (literally and figuratively) as a platform to show off their chops i.e. who can play the fastest using 'off-chords' and strange-sounding derivatives of the root chord they were supposed to play in the first place. I totally get this because when I used to play solo piano every day at hotels, I tried to find as many different ways of playing standard lobby muzak mostly to overcome my boredom! However, I think there's a big difference between improvising naturally and trying to consciously/deliberately come up with weird chords to show that you have 'the chops!'. On this note - pun intended - playing 'in the spirit' during worship is totally natural, but when this is done as the spirit leads , I believe that the result will be more tonal than atonal.
No offense on my Bill Murray skit.
I have a tendency to joke with the newbies before they get to know me and my sense of humor.
I'm sure you are a better musician than I am....Except when it comes to Mary Had a Little Lamb and Hot Cross Buns on the piano. I've put a lot of time into those classic hits.
 

Talljake

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2022
2,293
1,244
113
36
#27
Hi All
I grew up in a Baptist church playing the piano for traditional hymns, mostly (around 1970s - 1980s). I owe this experience to my musical skill development and confidence. However, as I got into secular gigs (I was forced to do this to pay off debts) I found myself using more secular styles of playing, but I had the insight to always keep my playing as 'clean' as possible, staying close to the original chord structures in the hymns. So then I stopped playing in church because I went overseas (Asia) and played pro mostly, at hotels etc. Fast forward to contemporary church 'worship' music today, and I believe that the original essence of what is needed to create an atmosphere of worship is lost in many ways. Today's mega-churches have mega-bands/dancers/lighting etc not much unlike regular pop concerts. Although I haven't had the opportunity to play regularly in a long while, I still miss those classic hymns accompanied by a solo piano. Sorry for sounding like I'm venting! I probably am! Over to you guys....
I attend a Baptist church and we sing the old hymns. The pastors wife plays the piano. Such a wonderful time for fellowship there. I am so thankful to be apart of it. The pastors wife has me practicing "no one ever cared for me like Jesus" and "complete in thee". Both are new but wonderful hymns to me.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#28
I attend a Baptist church and we sing the old hymns. The pastors wife plays the piano. Such a wonderful time for fellowship there. I am so thankful to be apart of it. The pastors wife has me practicing "no one ever cared for me like Jesus" and "complete in thee". Both are new but wonderful hymns to me.
I'm not sure if I know the second one, but you must be a good singer. That first one takes a LOT of practice and requires a broad range. Beautiful song. Sounds like a blessing.
📖🙂👍
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#29
Nice, but SERIOUSLY "Overproduced" my preference would be:
I like Acapella too. Very nice.

The parents might have wondered why they had to sign a liability release form for their kids in a orchestra. Most orchestras need to watch their step on stairways and the pit. These brave lads and lasses are playing on the sides of cliffs.
 

Talljake

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2022
2,293
1,244
113
36
#30
I'm not sure if I know the second one, but you must be a good singer. That first one takes a LOT of practice and requires a broad range. Beautiful song. Sounds like a blessing.
📖🙂👍[/QUO

I am thankful to be shown this song. I don't know about a good singer but one who loves to sing to the lord. I have been told I can sing but I just give praise the lord. I pray you still play the old hymns, god bless
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#31
Luke 4

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

I read that one year and said, I can't heal, but I can preach the gospel to the poor. I try to reach those who have nothing to give, who are often overlooked. Assisted living facilities are full of those who are convalescent and love the hymns and need the gospel. We sing songs from a Baptist Hymnal. That's the highlight of their weeks.

I'm glad that you sing praises to the Lord, Talljake. The Bible says much about music from beginning to end. That's a special way we worship.
 

Talljake

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2022
2,293
1,244
113
36
#32
Luke 4

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

I read that one year and said, I can't heal, but I can preach the gospel to the poor. I try to reach those who have nothing to give, who are often overlooked. Assisted living facilities are full of those who are convalescent and love the hymns and need the gospel. We sing songs from a Baptist Hymnal. That's the highlight of their weeks.

I'm glad that you sing praises to the Lord, Talljake. The Bible says much about music from beginning to end. That's a special way we worship.
Amen, I love singing and praising the lord. I am a very shy person and talking with people I don't know has always been a struggle. I know the lord wants me to witness and I do when he places it upon my heart but I struggle. When I sing it brings me so much joy to glorify the lord l. I pray my shyness leaves me the more I stand before people singing.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#33
Amen, I love singing and praising the lord. I am a very shy person and talking with people I don't know has always been a struggle. I know the lord wants me to witness and I do when he places it upon my heart but I struggle. When I sing it brings me so much joy to glorify the lord l. I pray my shyness leaves me the more I stand before people singing.
That's a treasured desire that the Lord seeks.
Nurture that the best you can.
I don't have paid membership yet, but if you happen to, PM and I have training videos taught by the best soul winners I've ever met. They teach step by step through the Bible how to. Like most things, it's easy when you break it down to bite size pieces. No charge.
Does your church take an evening per week to go soul winning/ witnessing door to door?
 

Talljake

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2022
2,293
1,244
113
36
#34
They did before COVID. I just started going 1-9-2022. It is my childhood church. When COVID hit it changed somethings but pastor is trying to get things the way they were before.
 

Amanuensis

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
1,457
460
83
#35
One line of a contemporary worship piece, played in soft-rock style with a strong drum line is: "I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE THE I AM TELLS ME WHO I AM" repeated 9 or 10 times. Catchy, but not my style. Gimme "It is WELL with my soul" any day.

I hear you. I don't like every new song. Sometimes I am waiting for it to end.

I think worship leaders should be able to know that. If they do, they should not use that song. Unity among the believers is more important than pushing a song on them that they might have issues with.
 

Amanuensis

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
1,457
460
83
#36
Yes, I suppose there are elements of both simplicity and complexity in traditional as well as contemporary hymns/worship songs. I guess I decided to post my thoughts on this based on the fact that there are more 'tuneful' traditional hymns than contemporary worship songs. I was thinking more along the lines of the melodies than the lyrics, to be honest.
I think I know what you mean. But here is my perspective and I think I speak for many who are like me.

I am not a musician but I have been told that the old hymns were different in the way they keep time or something. I don't know but I know that I cannot sing most old hymns even if someone is doing the hand motions from the pulpit like they used to do and still do in the Church of Christ denomination. Those congregations singing acapella sound great and reminds me of the western days on the frontier and I think it's cool that they are singing the same songs Christians sang in church 200 years ago. But I could never keep up with them. I found those hymns really hard to sing correctly.

The modern songs are easier to sing for non musical people like me and we don't feel like it is such a hard task to try and sing them. We are not worn out by the effort and stressed by failure at the task by the end of the song.
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,786
2,957
113
#37
I was a professional musician before God saved me. I played in bars & pubs, & concerts. After I got saved, I dedicated my music to God. I became a mysic teacher, taught band, choir and elementary music, including Orff & Kodaly, recorders, ukelele, recorder as well as singing on pitch and in harmony. I also used to do recording of songs. So I do know about what I speak!

I also have played in various worship teams in church for 42 years. The second year I was a Christian, my husband & I moved up north for his work. In those days, we used overhead projectors for music, and the bulb burned out. It took 1 1/2 years to get it replaced. This was a Pentecostal Church, but we also had hymnals, we had to use them when the projector was broken.

The result was I learned a lot of old hymns, and came to really like theology, and the complex music of many hymns. The year before, we had been in a charismatic church, which mostly sang choruses in KJV English, over and over, it was very shallow!

When I started going to Baptist churches, there was a variety. Some hymns, modern Christian songs, and long verses/chorus songs. I realized the hymns were more meaningful, to say nothing of all the Biblicsl errors and bad doctrine being taught the modern songs. One was Robin Mark's "Days of Elijah." The second verse said something about David building the temple of praise. David did write a lot of Psalms, but David was not allowed to build the temple, because of his sin. Instead, Solomon built it. Yes, it is a small thing! Not even deep theology, but a simple historical fact found in the Bible which was wrong in the song. I like Robin Mark! I've seen him in concert. But why did he leave a major error in his song?

It seems like the old hymns don't make mistakes like that. Contemporary Christian songs tend to be simplistic. Music wise. They follow a format, & every song comes out sounding the same. Plus, there are some churches with really bad theology, which comes out in their music. Bad music, terrible lyrics! I used to listen to a lot of Christian music. In the 80's & 90's. But I went back to secular music because CCM is so awful! I also like classical, jazz, folk & other music.

It's too bad the choice is between hymns or dead, badly written Christian music!
 

MalcolmP

New member
Oct 3, 2022
20
11
3
#38
I never gave it much thought. But I did come across a site where it was claimed that at this time there is no music in Heaven. I don't recall the reasoning or the site. Now I get the sense from the Scriptures that some of you musicians first performance will be in The New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven.
I don't know..... There's got to to be some sort of praise and worship in Heaven as we speak....
 

MalcolmP

New member
Oct 3, 2022
20
11
3
#39
No offense on my Bill Murray skit.
I have a tendency to joke with the newbies before they get to know me and my sense of humor.
I'm sure you are a better musician than I am....Except when it comes to Mary Had a Little Lamb and Hot Cross Buns on the piano. I've put a lot of time into those classic hits.
I totally get your sense of humour! Sorry I've been inactive for a while. .I'm going to have a (lung) lobectomy next week and I'm trying to get into the proper (spiritual) frame of mind! I also wouldn't mind your thoughts and prayers as well! Thanks in advance and stay Blessed!
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,309
4,356
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#40
I totally get your sense of humour! Sorry I've been inactive for a while. .I'm going to have a (lung) lobectomy next week and I'm trying to get into the proper (spiritual) frame of mind! I also wouldn't mind your thoughts and prayers as well! Thanks in advance and stay Blessed!
I will certainly pray for your safety and rapid healing Malcolm. I hope the surgeon doesn't remove much. I think it's good that you are trying to focus on the Lord too.
Keep me posted and I'll be praying.

☕🙂👍