| Vol. 13 No. 1 | March, 2007 |
Roots and branches |
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Upcoming events: May 6, 2007.Annual General Meeting.
May 6, 2007.Sängerfest: Choir festival of praise and worship
October 13, 2007.Annual Fundraising Banquet.
Join us on Sunday, May 6 at Central Heights Church to celebrate the long standing Mennonite tradition of choral music. Sängerfest has roots in Prussia where children learned Ziphern, a numbered notation system in schools. Choirs were a national pastime in Europe in the 1800s and Mennonites, who followed many trends in Germany, soon began to hold choir practice. At first the new hymns with four-part harmonies and pleasing melodies were considered pub songs by the old guard, who strongly disapproved. However, youth won the day and Vorsänger were eventually replaced by song leaders and hymn books. There followed a rich time in our music history. The first choir festival,
or Sängerfest, took place in Rückenau, Molotschna in 1893.Seven choirs,
120 singers and 2,000 listeners came from
Many of us remember the excitement of joining youth choirs in our churches in the fifties and sixties and finding our 'voice.' These sessions were sweetened by the anticipation of visiting with friends and with the opposite sex on the walk home, and became the favorite night of the week. Making music together as voices intermingled in song provided a strong sense of community and belonging, and contributed greatly to worship and beauty in our congregations. We hope to capture some of that feeling. Four choirs will perform, as well as a mass choir, and the audience will have opportunity to sing some old favorites as well.Tickets are $10.00/ adults; $5.00 /youth at the office or at the door. archives@mhsbc.com 604-853-6177
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