#9 "Come, Rejoice"

"Shout hosanna to his name; One and all his might proclaim."
This hymn has a fun memory for me. In the summer and fall of 1977, I was attending BYU in Provo, Utah. I was called as the music director of the "BYU 71st Branch". Our stake music director held a workshop/inservice training one Sunday evening and she showed a training film (in black and white on a movie projector!) of the "BYU Singers" performing this hymn. The director of the group asked the choir to sing the song very solemnly--like a funeral dirge. They did. It was good; but, then, he asked them to sing the song again, but this time he asked them to sing "joyfully" and with a big smile. They did--and what a difference! Even though the song was sung at the same tempo each time, when the choir members smiled and looked enthusiastic the hymn sounded so much better! I learned a lesson that day--that singing with "spirit" makes a difference in how the audience/congregation perceives the hymn and its message.

The next week in our Sunday School Hymn Practice, I told my "BYU 71st Branch" about my experience and then had them sing it both ways. Again, the sound was so much better when the singers smiled and enjoyed the hymn. I will always remember the lesson that the BYU Stake Music Director taught during her inservice that day.