by Samuel Thorsen 6 Replies latest jw friends
When I was a kid we had live music i our congo.
Violin, piano, trombone and even accordion. And odd combinations of these instruments. The musicans also showed up on assemblys.
Does anyone have live music anymore?? Or is the dull tapes and CD's just another kind of brainwashing and powercentralisation?
Some congregations near Bethel might since the rules apply differently at times. No live music; must have unity and it made money instantly for the WTS when all the congregations had to buy albums, then cassettes, then CDs. Also, music education lagged in the congregations and few people knew how to play the piano. As a KH piano player, I can attest that it was hard to find someone capable and willing to play when I was on vacation or out of town.
We must have order.
Blondie
We had a sis. play the piano in our congregation in the mid-eighties. Then they nixed it for the sake of 'unity'. Heard they used to have choirs sing at the assemlies too. That would have been great for me. Good music makes my heart rejoice - much more so than a boring sermon or talk
sweet tee...you sound like you used to go to my cong...lol....donald...ps im in michigan too...
I was the piano player at the Kingdom Hall, until the C.O. came around in the late 1980's and instructed the elders at each hall to play the Society tapes instead of using a live piano player. The C.O. (Richard Eagle) was nice about it, but very firm that he had received information from headquarters that backed up a Watchtower article directing that live music only be used at larger assemblies.
It's true that some of the live players were not very skilled. But at least they were trying! (I heard that at one hall somewhere, the only song the piano player knew was "Firm and determined in this time of the end... prepared are God's servants the good news to defend", so they sang that song 3 times per meeting. Maybe that was an urban legend.)
I had several people at the Kingdom Hall tell me they missed the live music after they started using the Society's cassette tapes.
We had three piano players in our congregation. They switched meetings so that no one got burnt out. The Nov. 1976 Kingdom Ministry had something to say about the use of piano or taped music.
Question Box
Is it proper that the body of elders arrange for musical accompaniment for congregational singing other than using the Society's recordings?
This is a matter for decision by the body of elders. Accompaniment for singing does help the congregation to sing well. Some congregations may not have record players to use in playing the Society's recordings. Where qualified persons with musical talent are available, many congregations prefer to have piano or other instrumental accompaniment. It would not be good to try to use someone who does not really know how to play an instrument well.
When recordings are used, care should be used to replace worn-out or damaged records, thus maintaining the high standard of the meetings that should be found in the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Return to comments:
We had a CO who wanted us to use the tapes but our BOE turned him down each time. The congregation sang well with the piano, it was part of their worship, why take that away. When illness prevented a piano player to play and the tapes were substituted, the singing was very subdued. Some congregations in other countries don't even have electricity. They sing without the tapes, either on their own or with instruments.
I agree with an earlier poster that believes that this is jus a way to increase WT profits by having congregations buy updated music formats.
donald ... could be. Send me a pm.
