We all agree we are to sing from the heart and with emphasis. As important as that is, we some­times stop there and gloss over the rest by say­ing, "You know, me, I make a joyful noise." We sort of chuckle and smile at such enthusiasm.

Psalm 33 says, "Play skillfully with a shout of joy." What are we to do with this phrase "play skillfully"? Does it mean that only those with extensive musical training may sing or play in worship? No, but it does have more importance than we might care to admit.

God is the Creator of a won­derful creation. We are His creatures called to "subdue" it and work with it for His glory. This is true in music, too. Anyone who has tried to study music knows there is a lot of "subdueing" that has to happen. We have to subdue the instrument itself (key­board, voice, violin, etc.) by subduing the musical process in our minds. It takes great effort!

God did not have a careless attitude in creating music and we ought not to have a care­less "oh, that will do" attitude in making music, much less the music we use to praise Him in worship. We believe, don't we, that the worship ser­vice is more than just the preaching; that it is the gath­ering of God's people to meet with Him, to listen to Him, and to respond to Him in con­fession and praise. In the Reformed tradition we do much to ensure that the preaching is strong ... our pas­tors must be well-trained, well-examined, and well-supervised. Yet, when it comes to the other aspect of worship ... when the congrega­tion responds, which is usual­ly in song, we seem to have a "we'll take what we can get" attitude.

There are two people in any one worship service that have an immense responsibility and influence in the area of congregational singing: the pastor (who usually chooses the hymns) and the organ­ist/pianist (who dictates the method of the singing). May I offer some suggestions to encourage both?

The Pastor⤒🔗

For the pastor, perhaps the most crucial task is choosing hymns that are appropriate to the flow of the service. Most congregations begin with songs of praise and it's impor­tant that the first selections be strong and familiar, ones that "get the people singing." Starting out with the more subdued, "The Lord is My Shepherd" or "From Out the Depths" is not a good way to get the hearts and voices moving. Some examples of good openers are "Praise to the Lord the Almighty" (#327), "When Morning Guilds the Skies" (#322), "Holy, Holy, Holy" (#318), or "O Bless Our God With One Accord" (#280). (All num­bered hymns are from the 1959 Blue Psalter Hymnal.)

There are three very strate­gic hymns in the service that need to be strong and famil­iar: the opening hymn to get our singing off to a good start; the hymn after the sermon so that we may rise to confess heartily our belief in what was preached; and the doxology that we may leave with a strong melody in our hearts.

It's a good idea to pick hymns that are in different keys so that we don't sing consecutive songs all in the same key. (The key is deter­mined by the number of sharps or flats in the key sig­nature.) It's also wise to keep track of the hymns you choose, to ensure variety and avoid overuse of certain "favorites."

When a pastor announces the hymn, it is helpful to draw our attention to a particular phrase that applies to the theme of the service so we may focus our hearts on that.

Announcing the hymn with joy and encouraging us to sing out are beneficial to us as we join our voices.

The Organist←⤒🔗

We take seriously the role of the pastor in leading worship, but once the song has been announced, guess whose lap it is in? For better or worse, the organist is now in charge. I include here whatever instru­ments are used to lead the singing (piano, brass, strings). It may seem harsh to say, but there are times when the praise of God's people is hin­dered rather than helped by the organist. Let's face it, an organist who plays too slowly, or slurs everything together can practically kill any chance the congregation has of ren­dering appropriate praise.

These are touchy matters, though. Usually the organists are the ones to give of their time, unpaid, often unthanked, and then if the elders come with suggestions to them it can be taken as great hurt. Yet, if there was a lack of good preaching and leadership in worship on the part of the pastor we would hope that our elders would not shrink back from encour­aging the pastor onward with specific suggestions. Please note that I am not advocating that the organist and pastor have the same office. I am merely noting that when it comes to leading in music of our worship the organist and pastor have equally serious responsibilities.

It's important to get rid of the idea that the organist is for "background" only. The organist needs to lead, to set the pace — the appropriate pace. The right pace does not only mean "not too slow" ... it can also mean "not too fast." A frantic tempo with no nat­ural sense of breathing is also a frustration to our praise. There are things the organist can do to ensure good congre­gational singing. A well-trained organist would have more wisdom to share than I, but may I offer a few sugges­tions that may be helpful?

1) Above all, play textually. You need to interpret the words of the songs by the way that you play so as to lead us into appropriate praise. If the text is full of rejoicing, then play full and with plenty of lift. If the text is sorrowful, use a melancholy tone color and play a bit more sustained. Help us mean what we sing.

2) Play with enough volume, at least to get the music going, and then you can back off if the text suggests it and the singing is going well. Remember, the congregation gets its confidence much from the way you introduce the song. If you choose small reg­istrations for the introduc­tion, that is the mood you have set for their entrance.

3) Make sure you have enough "lift" or separation in your playing. By that, I mean to lift hands and feet for all breaths at phrase ends to mark clearly where the next entrance is. But then don't defeat your purpose by giving a "gathering tone." Play how you want them to sing. If you want them to come in a beat early, then, yes, play a beat early. Some congregations of recent Dutch immigration can perhaps handle the "gather­ing tone" concept, but our congregations are becoming more mixed in background, and this method ought to be phased out.

4) If the song is a bit longer, give an interlude somewhere, usually before the last stanza, to give the voices a short rest. If you can, modulate to a higher key occasionally and that added ''lift'' will give renewed incentive for the congregation to come in full voice again.

5) If the range of a song seems high for the congrega­tion, transpose it yourself or find it in a lower key. Many of the strong hymns of the Blue Psalter can be found in the Grey Psalter or New Trinity Hymnal in lower keys, mak­ing it easier for the congrega­tion to sing the text meaning­fully.

6) Use variety of tone colors, use optional harmonizations occasionally, improvise your­self if you can. Try to keep your playing fresh and make it fit the text.

Consistories, encourage your organists and pianists to continue learning. Sponsor a master class with a trained teacher/organist for area church musicians. If your con­gregation doesn't pay the organist, consider giving them a yearly contribution for the music they need to buy and the lessons they may take. How you encourage your players has a direct influence on the praise of God's people, and that's important.

The Congregation←⤒🔗

But, we all know that congre­gational singing needs more than a good choice of hymns and good instrumental lead­ership. It needs a congrega­tion! What can you, as an individual believer do to "improve your singing"?

The most obvious way is to pay attention to the text. This is primary! The text dictates what you are confessing in praise to God and you need to mean the text. The words we say and the emotion with which we say them affects the sound of our speech. If we say to our children, "Stop it!" there is sure to be a strong "the sound on the word "stop." This is very different than the soft way we murmur "I love you honey" in our child's ear at bedtime. The meaning of the word affects the pronunciation of it.

When we sing with the same sort of variety of expression the song comes alive in our hearts. "When Peace Like A River" is a good example of this. It is a good hymn because a wide variety of emotions can be expressed using the same melody. It begins smooth and serene: When peace like a river atten­deth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Because of the shape of the melody we can sing "sorrow" in such a sorrowful way by emphasizing the first syllable. The refrain is so versatile — if done quiet­ly and smoothly it conveys humble contentedness; if done louder and accented (with a "punch" in the voice) it conveys firm resolve that all is well in the Lord.

The very same melodic line that serves "sorrow" so well, suits the text of stanza 4 when we say "the clouds be rolled back." As we jump up to the word "clouds", we can attack it with a strong "cl" sound and we can almost envision that sudden rending of the heavens at the Lord's return.

Next we sing "the trump" (another leap up to give emphasis) "shall resound and the Lord" (yet another higher leap up to give primacy) "shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul."

Most of us have never tried singing expressively with our voices and so singing is about as exciting as speaking like a monotonous robot. But, once we realize that the same expression we use in speech is part of singing, it becomes exciting and invigorating. It's all part of singing with the heart to our God. He wants to hear us really mean what we sing.

We've covered a lot of ground in these short articles, and much has been left untouched. It is my desire that you have been encour­aged in your task as a singer in the worship of God, and that as God's people we may all praise Him in the way Psalm 33 says: "Sing for joy ... give thanks ... sing a new song ... play skillfully." Remember why? Because the "word of the Lord is upright." As confessionally Reformed believers, we are eager to uphold the uprightness of the Lord's word — now let's show it the way He tells us to! Soli Deo Gloria!