When I first came to Covenant in November 2003, I was thrust into the busy Advent season.  There was not much time to get settled in before things shifted into high gear.  My first Spring season would soon arrive, which would also bring challenges.  Then comes the Summer. 

For a musician, the balance between worship & performance is a constant and quiet struggle.  In considering this article, I looked up in Merriam-Webster the definitions of both.  They are as follows:

Saint Augustine is said to have spoken these words, though it is a paraphrase of a much more complex and thought provoking statement:

"For he that singeth praise, not only praiseth, but only praiseth with gladness: he that singeth praise, not only singeth, but also loveth him of whom he singeth. In praise, there is the speaking forth of one confessing; in singing, the affection of one loving."
(Saint Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 73, 1)

Every now and then I get asked questions about hymns.  Most often it involves the process of choosing them for the service.  Occasionally though people ask about singing different text to familiar tunes.  I would like to talk a little about the components of a hymn: