CLEVELAND, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The largest music-related
project undertaken by the national setting of the United Church of Christ
(UCC) since the 1995 publication of The New Century Hymnal has been
released by the denomination's trade publisher, The Pilgrim Press: The New
Century Hymnal: A Pipe-Organ Accompaniment CD Resource for Congregational
Worship & Personal Devotion, a four-volume collection that features
high-quality recordings of pipe-organ accompaniment for all verses of each
of the 617 hymns in The New Century Hymnal.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080508/DC21807 )
The New Century Hymnal is used by UCC congregations and, in an
ecumenical edition, by congregations of many denominations for its use of
gender-inclusive language in its texts, as well as its many new hymns and
tunes composed for the 21st century. The CD resource features instrumental
accompaniment only.
Conceived initially for the increasing number of congregations that do
not have access to professionally-trained or other church musicians for
regular or summer-vacation public worship, the CD resource is expected to
find use in other pastoral situations such as weddings and funerals,
college chapels, and prison ministries. The Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC
General Minister and President, greeted the release with a reflection from
his own pastoral experience: "These accompaniments, played on gorgeous
instruments by gifted artists, will not only meet the needs of
congregations currently without a resident musician, they will also
creatively enhance many other ministries and programs of the church. I
remember, for example, my home communion visits as a pastor. How wonderful
it would have been to be able not only to carry the sacrament to my members
at home, or in the hospital, or in nursing homes, but also to take with me
the cherished music of the church that had always been such an important
part of their life." The CDs can also be used privately at home or in the
car during commute times.
Unlike many recordings of a large corpus of music, including some
hymnal collections, The New Century accompaniment is recorded live in
stereo inside dedicated worship spaces. There is no use of electronic or
synthesized music recorded in studios. The result is a much livelier
musical experience: it sounds real because it is real.
The project was conceived and jointly produced by the national
setting's Worship & Education and Publications, Resources & Distribution
ministry teams of Local Church Ministries: A Covenanted Ministry of the
United Church of Christ. The Rev. Scott A. Ressman, Minister for Worship,
Music and Liturgical Arts, is producer of the set and organized the live
recordings utilizing the talents of UCC professional organists from across
the country. The widely-admired instruments of First Congregational United
Church of Christ, Elyria, OH, and First Church in Oberlin (OH), United
Church of Christ, were used for all of the recordings to take advantage of
their rich sounds and their sanctuaries' superior acoustical designs. Tyler
Owen of Cleveland-based CloserLook Recording is the sound engineer.
Samples of hymns recorded may be found at http://www.thepilgrimpress.com/TNCH
as well as more information about the timing of release of the next three
volumes. The introductory price is $420 for all four volumes covering the
617 hymns in The New Century Hymnal, a 20% savings over the regular price
of $525. Shipping is $18 extra.
The New Century Hymnal: A Pipe-Organ Accompaniment CD Resource for
Congregational Worship & Personal Devotion was dedicated in the Amistad
Chapel at the Church House in Cleveland on April 30 by the Rev. Stephen L.
Sterner, Acting Executive Minister for Local Church Ministries. "The
hymnody of the church is a gift from and for the ages," Sterner said.
"These organists have captured all of the beauty and inspiration of this
gift." Sterner presented the first publicly-available volume to Dr.
Kimberly Whitney, Minister for Community Life, who is responsible for the
oversight of Amistad Chapel, along with the Rev. Timothy G. Staveteig,
Publisher of The Pilgrim Press.
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