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Music Ministry

Michael Barker, Director of Music  and Organist

 

The Music Ministry of BMPC is a very important part of our worship experience and overall congregational life. There is a music ensemble for every age from kindergarten to the oldest member of the church. All of our ensembles are open to persons interested in developing their talent and faithfully sharing it in ministry in our congregation and around the world.

Music also plays an important part in the faith development of our children and youth.  Children and youth alike respond favorably to learning the faith through music and demonstrating their growing sense of faith in worship leadership.  They commit Biblical truths to memory through the songs they learn in music groups and learn servant leadership as they lead the congregation in worship.

Finally our musicians enjoy sharing their talents in more relaxed settings.  Whenever Christians get together, music and singing is an important aspect of fellowship and nurturing the bonds of friendship within our congregation and in our community. Each of our music ensembles strives to find ways to be engaged in outreach through music in our community  .

 

  For Children

 

 

The Carol Choir
Wednesdays at 5 PM (1st and 2nd Grades)
Cathy McMillan, director; Margaret Fouse, accompanist

This choir meets for weekly rehearsals during the academic year in conjunction with Logos. They learn music fundamentals including vocal development, types of music, and worship leadership. They sing for worship as they are able and participate in Christmas and Spring special events.
 

 


Aerie Singers
Wednesdays at 5 PM (3rd, 4th and 5th Grades)
Mike Barker, director
 Emily Wasser (Scholar) and Taylor Morris, assistants

The Aerie Singers rehearse during the academic year in conjunction with our Logos ministry. They increase their musical knowledge expanding their vocal range, exploring a wide array of musical styles, and get acquainted with numerous musical instruments. They are also introduced to significant worship leadership, and a high level of worship leadership skills is expected.

  For Youth

 


Give Voice
Sundays at 9:30 AM (Youth in Grades 6-12)
Mike Barker, leader

Give Voice is one of several offerings in our Gateways to Discipleship ministry for youth. Every 5-6 weeks youth select a focus for their study of God’s Word in a variety of media: Bible study, current events, drama, visual arts,
dance and music. In Give Voice youth are exposed to a variety of musical styles and lead worship in presenting songs  relevant to their experience and their study in the Bible.

 

Aaron’s Bells
Sundays at 5 PM (youth in grades 6-12)

Bells have been used in the worship of God since the time of God’s selection of Moses and Aaron and Miriam to lead the chosen people (Exodus 28.31-35). In that noble tradition our youth bell ringers learn music reading skills and bell techniques to offer them in worship to give God glory and to draw the listener out in faith. Music reading skills are a plus for this ensemble but not necessary.
 

 

  For Adults

 


Chancel Choir
Wednesdays at 7 PM (post high school adults)

The Chancel Choir is a dedicated group of musicians who lead worship weekly at the 11 AM service. Commitment to weekly rehearsals and performances is expected. Music reading skills are helpful but not required. A passion for music and its place in corporate worship is expected. This group models for the whole church a deep sense of commitment and integrity in worship music. In addition to weekly anthems they present special music events throughout the year—at Easter and Christmas and at a
Hymn Sing for area churches in August. In 2008 the choir commissioned and presented a special Centennial anthem on Centennial Sunday in May. The anthem, I Lift My Eyes to violin, and cello.
 

Prophets of Praise
Tuesdays at 7 PM (high school students and adults)

This group, much like the chancel choir, demonstrates for the worshiping congregation a high level of commitment to worship and music. They lead worship at the FirstLight service every week. They work on a variety of musical styles including contemporary, contemplative, global, as well as traditional hymns of the faith. The group is an eclectic mix of instruments and voices who are committed to offering an informal worship experience in our congregation that has at its core a music component of breadth and integrity. Potential members rehearse with the group for some time before joining in worship leadership; youth are admitted upon an in-depth assessment of skill and maturity.
 

 


Adult Handbells
Mondays at 1030 AM (post-high school adults)

This group rings regularly for worship.  They have a fairly high degree of competence and work vigorously on music reading and bell technique.  New members will find previous bell experience is helpful but not required; however proficient music reading skill is expected.  This group attends a regional festival/workshop in April of each year and rings in the church and in the community.

 

 


Tune Weavers
Wednesdays at 9 AM
(post-high school adult
men’s quartet)

The Tune Weavers enjoy singing in a variety of musical styles including secular popular and traditional songs. The number of men in rehearsal usually is more than 4, but for most performances, they configure themselves into a traditional quartet ensemble.  Music reading skills and proficient vocal technique are expected.

Music Scholars

The Music Ministry received endorsement recently to implement a Music Scholars Ministry. This ministry engages local college students to be members of the Chancel Choir or contemporary music ensemble, Prophets of Praise, during academic terms and compensates those students with funds deposited directly to their college accounts for the payment of tuition, fees, room and board. A team appointed by the music director manages the scholar ministry and interviews interested students. Once selected, students are contractually bound to certain performance requirements including rehearsal and Sunday worship participation.

 

                           
2010 Music Scholars

 The Carillon

 

On Centennial Sunday we joyfully inaugurated our new electronic carillon system. We are deeply grateful to the anonymous donor who made this installation possible. Below are some facts about the system and its planned use.

The system was designed and installed by Schulmerich Carillons of Pennsylvania. Our local sales representative was Mickey Johnson from Chester, SC. Schulmerich is the firm that has also made our handbell and handchime equipment. Among his other roles, Mickey is musician for a Presbyterian congregation in Chester.

The carillon system uses all digital technology. There are no moving parts. All the information and sound is stored in a small computer that is the heart of the system. The carillon uses an amplifier and three speakers to convey the sound to the community. The three speakers are installed near the top of the church tower. One each faces and projects sound to the north, east and south. The west face of the tower has no tonal egress, so there is not a fourth speaker for that direction. Kent Patton did some high-wire carpentry to prepare the tower for the speaker installation. A factory representative for Schulmerich did the final installation.

The carillon system came with about 300 pre-programmed songs. The Worship and Music Ministry will collaboratively select an additional 100 as part of our initial purchase plan. There are more than 1100 other songs that can be purchased as we deem necessary and see fit in the future. The donor and the Worship and Music Committee together selected the distinctive sound of the carillon from 6 options. It is intended to imitate classic English tower bells. The carillon is an outdoor musical instrument; it is not connected in any way to the sound systems in use in the sanctuary nor fellowship hall. While one may overhear the carillon from inside the church, it will be best heard outside.

Part of the installation process was pre-programming the play and performance times and parameters for the system. We consulted with the Black Mountain United Methodist Church so as not to conflict with their established carillon schedule.

Monday through Saturday the carillon will chime the quarter hour, using the very familiar Westminster Chime. At the top of each hour the system will toll the hour. The system will play a randomly selected single song at 10 AM, 1 PM and 5 PM. There will be no sounds between 6:01 PM and 8:59 AM on any day.
 

  Music Blog:   The paragraph below is one of the Music Director's blog articles so you can get a taste of a blog!  If you would 
                           like to look at his entire blog, go to  http://bmpcncmuz.blogspot.com/  where you will find all kinds of
                           interesting  information! 

The Presbytery of Western North Carolina met today  [ Tuesday, April 29, 2008] at Montreat in the Upper Anderson Auditorium.

Through a series of circumstances I don't fully understand I was asked to play for the opening worship service.  For all the import of the gathering, the service was kind of thrown together (in a good way!): we were to hear three candidates for ordination preach sermons, and celebrate communion, all in 45 minutes; and according to Karen Haak, to try to do that innovatively!

We did sing three stanzas of "Fairest Lord Jesus" to open, but every other song got whacked in the interest of time. Remarkably, and with no derision intended, all three preachers held to their 7 minute time constraint pretty well.   I played my settings of three chant tunes (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM; VENI CREATOR; and ADORO TE DEVOTE) for the prelude, during the distribution and at the end of worship.  We sang a single stanza of three hymns after each of the sermons.  In the end the service went very well, with nice singing from the gathered delegates (and groupies from the preachers' churches).

As I was playing the prelude, though, I thought about the various churches represented.   Not all of them can afford a full-time musician like myself.  Not all of them can afford to pay anyone.  The people who give their time and talents as music leaders for many of our presbytery's churches do so out of a deep commitment, but often with minimal training and support.  For many churches a choir of 5 warblers is the norm.  They sing to God's glory not certain that they and the pianist will arrive at the end of the stanza at the same musical moment.  I was playing a nicely in-tune 6-foot Yamaha baby grand piano; how many plink-ity uprights and spinets are still honorably providing music in Presbyterian churches around our region?  I was accompanying the hearty singing of 300 people; how many of our Presbytery musicians play for half of that crowd, or a third that crowd or less?

So while I played the prelude and off and on throughout the service, I prayed for those churches and my colleagues in music ministry around the Presbytery.  I prayed for the musicians who donate their time and talent.  I prayed for the choristers who though few in number, lead their congregations faithfully.  And I prayed for myself for greater humility and thankfulness.  I have a full-time job with a decent salary and benefits; I enjoy a nice pipe organ; all the pianos are in tune.  I work with not one, nor even two, but several groups of fine musicians, choristers and instrumentalists, many of whom practice at home and want learn more, and strive to offer their very best in worship. I work with a staff of church professionals who love one another and the Lord, and seek to honor God with their work, and who seek to lead our congregation's mission and ministry with a sense of challenge and compassion.

I don't know what else was on the docket at Presbytery today, but that's what I did. I prayed.

Amen.
  
   The Organs

   First Pump Organ

The pump organ is currently in the home of Sara Marcia Rafter in Black Mountain.  It is not playable, but seems to be in fair, albeit non-playing, condition.  Mrs. Rafter has expressed interest in returning the organ to the church at some future date.

 

 

 First Baldwin organ

It seems according to documents that there was a “first” Baldwin organ which serviced the church.  This was eventually replaced by the instrument described below. 

Baldwin Electronic Organ

For a time there was an electronic organ which served the congregation’s musical needs.  This was a Baldwin Model 11 organ, described as “a comprehensive two-manual instrument, specifically designed to meet the current demands for a complete two-manual electronic organ of superior musical quality, in keeping with today’s concepts of organ building.”  Materials produced by the church to describe the organ go on to explain some of the features of this instrument (much of this text is likely itself copied from Baldwin’s sales materials):

      All details of console arrangement are in accordance with recommendations of the America Guild of Organists.  All stops are   independent and are programmed through various channels of the five-channel amplification system in the main organ, and the three-channel system in the echo organ, so as to give good acoustical separation for best musical results.  In the tone generation and amplification system, solid state transistors and diodes as well as vacuum tubes are employed in the circuitry to utilize the best qualities of each.  The combination action is quite readily adjustable by the organist at the console in the conventional manner.

    The Model 11 possess a fine classic ensemble of clarity and brightness for the rendition of the Classic literature, as well as the  warmth of beautiful solo stops and broad ensemble so important in playing compositions of the Romantic period.  These qualities, so skillfully combined in the Model 11, present a fine Contemporary Oran of unique design. 

The instrument was installed by Cagle Music Co. of Asheville.  We have a letter on file in which a certain David Marshall of Montreat requests to purchase the Baldwin organ in the time following the installation of the Reuter organ.  There is no documentation to demonstrate if the sale was completed. 

Dedication of the Baldwin organ took place on August 31, 1963 With Robert W. Gray minister and OC Lewis, minister of music and Jerry Gerard of the Baldwin firm participating.  The organ was given in memory of Dr. Samuel Moffett Bittinger and Tower Chimes connected to the organ were given in honor of Dr. Samuel Studdiford Cooley.  The tower chimes were not saved when the old church was razed in advance of new construction. 

The Reuter Organ

Contract materials for the new organ are dated 6 September 1978, with Randall S. Dyer serving as representative of the Reuter firm.  The contract was signed by the church on October 23, 1978.  The contract price was $65,677.  The organ was featured in a Reuter display ad in The American Organist in October 1980.  Mary Louise H. Cooley was a prime benefactor for the new instrument.  She paid the initial deposit of some $9000 and a second installment of $23,000 in 1979.  Throughout the summer of 1979 there was some angst over the engineering of the new organ including the façade layout and the case.  Ted Crist was organist-choirmaster while the project was going on.  By October a new layout and case design were agreed upon.  There were some follow-up voicing issues that were dealt with in Spring 1980.  

Installation took place in February 1980, with a dedication recital by Ted Crist on April 6 1980.  His program included:

Langlais, Incantation for a Holy Day

Stanley, Voluntary in E Minor

Bach, Chorale Preludes

            Come God Creator, Holy Ghost

            When in the hour of utmost need

Bach, Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor

Messiaen, Les Corps Glorieux

Barber, Variations on a Shape-Note Hymn (Wondrous Love)

Vierne, Allegro, Second Symphony, Opus 20  

Reuter Opus 1980
Specifications

 Great
Principal 8'
Gedackt 8'
Octave 4'
Koppelflote 4'
Flachflote 2'
Mixture III
Trompette 8'

Swell
Rohrflote 8'
Gemshorn 8'
Spitzflote 4'
Naset 2 2/3
Principal 2'
Terz 1 3/5
Cymbel II
Hautbois 8'

Pedal
Resultant 32'
Subbass 16'
Octave 8'
Subbass 8'
Choralbass 4'
Koppelflote 4'
Trompette 16'
Trompette 8'
Trompette 4'
Tremulant

Zimbelstern
Sw to Gt 16', 8', 4',
Sw to Sw 16', 4', u/o
Gt to Gt 16', 4', u/o
Sw to P 8', 4'
Gt to P 8', 4'

1243 total pipes