Sacred-based teaching repertoire

[music]

Does anyone know what materials I could use to work with a beginning violin student who wants to keep everything sacred-oriented? Any help would be appreciated!

[nicolo]

Vivaldi was a priest. Is that sacred enough? Bach and Beethoven were deeply religious men. How about that? Some of Mozart's sacred choral works are among the greatest music ever written. The list could go on and on. Maybe you should explain to your student that the purpose of a particular piece of music is not as relevant to God as the soul of the man who wrote it.

[D_A]

Not everything in it is sacred, but the String Builder book 1 is good for beginners, and it uses a lot of hymn tunes (not always so identified). Probably the second one does also, although I haven't used it for a long time, so I don't remember.

[xcheerleader]

Try looking for something at this site:

GIA

[Violinerrrz]

mabye this?

Bach Canata 147: Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring

[Marie Brown]

Get a copy of the hymnal from the student's church and locate melodies that move in a scale-like manner between do and do. If these tunes aren't already in D, transpose them to D (or A if the violin is tiny and nobody is trying to sing along).

Melodies with mostly quarter and half notes are best if you plan to teach reading right away. I hope that a few of the standard folk tunes would be allowable, so the student can have lots of music to play.

Many tunes can be keyed so they involve only low 2. When the student can mix the one-two and two-three finger patterns, half the melodies in most hymnals are within easy reach, especially if he already knows how to sing them.

Harmony parts follow, after the high 3 is established. For voice-like quality, teach 'em to use the fourth finger right away. For strong tone and rhythmic independence, minimize playing along with recordings.

[music]

Thanks very much for all your sugesstions and for the GIA site, Amy. Really appreciate your help. This is a case of a mother's wishes over the needs of the child. Marie, I'm already doing as you suggested, but just wasn't sure how much farther I could go w/o good old secular technical work!

Thanks again!

[Neil Gow]

Maybe the violin is not the ideal instrument for a religious repertoire, given the satanic associations attached to the instrument and various players over the years - how do they feel about about the harp :-)

[Marie Brown]

You might try explaining that a few years pass between the time a violinist learns to play hymns and the time he can master a nice devotional solo like Borowski's Adoration. Even more years may pass before he can comfortably read violin parts to masses or cantatas by great composers. It may take even longer to figure out a way to deliver contemporary Christian music, most of which is designed by arrangers who have no idea how the violin is played. During all these years, the player develops his skill playing "violin stuff". (Scales are especially useful in C.C.)

If this lady can't handle the possibility that the violin usually dances before it sings, you might as well find out now. She may prove unTRACTable.

[music]

I think I'm about to find out! Thanks, Marie!!

[D_A]

Neil, the same thing came to me!

[ornati]

Hahaha. Really, it's how you apply it, and even on this board I remember...

http://forums.maestronet.com/forums/showfl...part=1&vc=1

http://forums.maestronet.com/forums/showfl...=true#Post90508

http://forums.maestronet.com/forums/showfl...true#Post182090

[crazy jane]

Though what Marie suggests is probably much more educational , you might simply teach from

1700 175 Ten Easy Hymns $ 7.15

Composer:

Latham Music Title: Ten Easy Hymns Book/Part:

Editor/Arr.: Hunter/Latham Publisher: Latham Music

Instrumentation: Sacred & Cultural: Violin and Piano

Comments/ASTA Rating: Favorite hymns, all in 1st position, compatible with Suzuki Book 1 / no rating

(There's a second volume as well)

or

1874 005 Ambrosio-Religious Meditations $ 19.95

Composer:

Ambrosio, W. Title: Religious Meditations Book/Part:

Editor/Arr.: Publisher: Carl Fischer

Instrumentation: Sacred & Cultural: Violin and Piano

Comments/ASTA Rating: Includes Bohm: Calm as the Night, Gounod: Communion and Nazareth, Batiste: The Pilgrim of Love, Massenet: Last Dream of the Virgin, and more / no rating

or

1949 042 Gospel Violin $ 8.95

Composer:

Mel Bay Title: Gospel Violin Book/Part:

Editor/Arr.: Guest Publisher: Mel Bay Publications

Instrumentation: Sacred & Cultural: Violin and Piano

Comments/ASTA Rating: 14 beautiful solos on favorite hymns and sacred melodies. Easy to Moderate / no rating

. . . or any of the other books available at Shar Music . Just go to the "Sheet Music" area and scroll down to the category of "Sacred and Cultural: Violin and Piano."

J.

[Marie Brown]

One Saturday I went to play a wedding where the groom was intensely involved in some kind of charismatic movement involving Contemporary Christian music. It appeared that the string quartet and the regular church organist had been put in place as some kind of attempt by the bride's family and friends to offset the band the groom had brought in.

When I asked the band's pianist for a A with a d minor chord under it, he gave me a blank stare. I reached over and sounded the three notes. He said "Oh, that", and proceeded to roll it up and down all over the keyboard. I smelled sulphur.

Many churches teach their members to value literacy. I concur with them, and believe that whenever possible, literacy should extend into music. Our reasons are the same. Yes, even in music, it's possible to be too easily led.

[propolis]

Though the original post mentioned beginning violin student, it's never too early IMHO to get a little improv under their belts. Use the following lyric: "Kyrie Eleison!" Start an ostinato in G or D or A (even better, a dorian or e dorian or b dorian ;-) and have them drone along. Land on a drone and have them take off, thus taking turns with the lead... Use lots of melisma on the syllables of "Kyrie." Who knows, it might work...

[Neil Gow]

Now this is interesting - a number of the posts to this thread suggest that there may be an undercurrent (if that is the right term) of musicians in USA who make a point of only playing Christian music. From a European perspective that's really strange - when we last had that people were being burned at the stake for their religious (or alleged heretic) views. I don't think I would be speaking out of turn if I said that most Europeans (including devoutly religious ones) probably would consider that to be very unusual.

[Marie Brown]

I was about to say "No, we don't have musicians who play only Christian music", but I had to stop myself 'cause I don't know everything about the rock scene. There are some rock musicians who appear to have quit playing music that doesn't contain a Christian-oriented text. To many "other" musicians, their productions sound formulaic, simplistic, and too loud. Their sounds also inspire a certain lower-body swiveling motion which older Christians find disruptive to meditation.

[Ann]

I have worked in many churches of a certain persuasion who believe that the music should be "spirit borne", which means, play the rhythms wrong, change the notes if the melody doesn't sound "common" enough and pitch everything about 8 notes higher than untrained congregants can sing. In fact, I happened to be at a service just tonight when the cantor sang something that ended on an inappropriately high note and she milked the last fermata long enough to provide for an entire orphanage. Note: music does not have to be poorly written and performed to please God. I have it on good authority that God likes a well prepared, appropriately keyed, rhythmically accurate hymn just as well as some slop dished out by someone who "...doesn't know how to read music" but sings (or plays) from his or her gooey sanctimonious heart. Beware this parent! Her expectations are of this ilk!