In recent years there is a great deal of interest in revitalizing hymns (i.e., adding new instrumentation to standard hymns). I am a big fan of this procedure, particularly because it increases the chances that our young worshipers will be singing the hymns for many years to come. But another approach has been occurring for some time in the rock world. PBS recently interviewed Sting regarding his revitalization of standard rock tunes with orchestral accompaniment. Sting addresses his desire to keep his songs viable over the course of decades, but I can’t help but think that Sting felt compelled to add another layer of sophistication to these songs. Particularly, if one considers the projects he’s been involved in over the past decade (e.g., lute songs by Byrd). Young worship leaderships, I hesitantly include myself in this group as I approach 40, have a tendency to relegate all orchestrated worship songs to the category of Lawrence Welk Worship, but is Sting providing a path for adding a real aesthetic value to songs conceived originally as rock pieces?
31 Jul
(i)ncarnation of worship 