Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: https://read.jwpepper.com/i/899113
2 There are, of course, multiple variations of familiar hymn texts (even within a single Christian denomination) based on a range of theological commitments and local traditions. For the sake of simplicity, I have used the ones most common in the primary hymnals of the publisher of this project. However, I encourage leaders to edit the language in these editions to agree with the version most familiar to the assembly. The more I write and arrange, the more grateful I become for a close circle of colleagues and friends who support, challenge, and sustain me in this work. I am deeply grateful to Alec Harris, Michael Silhavy, and Kate Williams at GIA Publications for their enthusiasm for and support of this project. Kate shepherded Revival from concept to publication; I am particularly thankful for her encouragement along the way. Thanks also to Chris de Silva for his fine instrumental writing, which has helped these arrangements shine with new life; and to Jeanne Cotter, whose influence is deeply felt in these arrangements. Finally, I am grateful to Marty Haugen, whose pastoral, liturgical, and musical insights always improve my work and challenge me to be a better composer. The seed of the idea for this project was planted during my years as a doctoral student at Emory University. The strong hymn-singing tradition of many Protestant traditions inspired me to think of ways to encourage the use of hymns more widely among those in the Catholic church who may be less familiar with them and to provide those in the Protestant churches with emerging contemporary ensembles with new interpretations of some of their most beloved hymns. As we live into the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, I hope these arrangements might unlock some of the finest texts and melodies of our traditions to assemblies and ensembles who might otherwise be reluctant to approach them so that we may continue to nurture a common set of music across Christian denominations that transcends instrumentation or styles. Soli Deo Gloria. Tony Alonso, January 1, 2017 f or f r . b ob ol de rsh aw, w ho a lway s a sk e d f or m or e h ym n s . For Preview Only