Children's Choirs Research Articles

The Origins of Evangelical Pianism

use of the in worship service is basically a twentieth-century phenomenon. At the end of the nineteenth century the was viewed as a secular instrument: yet by the final third of the twentieth century two distinct traditions of piano', both of them with several subtraditions, had become firmly established. This essay will deal with the early history of one of these traditions, a largely EuropeanAmerican tradition that originates in the music played at the great turnof-the-century meetings.' I refer to this tradition as evangelistic piano to differentiate it from the Afro-American styles of piano,' whose origins come from the black church rather than from the meeting. Readers should remember that writers on gospel music are likely to refer to either style as piano,' relying on context to clarify which tradition is being referred to. was occasionally used for the accompaniment of religious music in the nineteenth century. At mid-century, the hymn writer William Batchelder Bradbury (composer of such hymntunes as Just as I am, The Solid Rock, and Sweet Hour of Prayer) used accompaniment for his thousand-voice children's choirs at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City.2 Another gospel songwriter, Charles Edward Prior (1856-?) served as pianist for the Italian Baptist Mission in Hartford, Connecticut, in the late nineteenth century.3 And although Ira Sankey is usually associated with the reed organ, he apparently had no qualms about using the piano. In 1898 he was asked to sing at an American Mission meeting in Cairo, Egypt. He replied that al-

The Voyage of St. Brendan: A Music-Drama for Baritone Solo, Children's Choirs, Dancers and Orchestra

The Voyage of St. Brendan: A Music-Drama for Baritone Solo, Children's Choirs, Dancers and Orchestra

The Ministry of Children's Choirs

The Ministry of Children's Choirs

The Bodra Smyana Choir

A Bulgarian children's choir so enchanted delegates to the 1964 meeting of the International Society for Music Education in Budapest, that Karl Ernst called their performance “ the highlight of the event.” Mr. Ernst. a past-president of the MENC who was elected ISME president at the Budapest meeting. added that he had “ never heard children respond so artistically or with such a sense of dedication.” This praise, echoed by the several hundred music educators in Budapest. was directed to the Bodra Smyana Choir of Sofia. Bulgaria. Albert Wassell. a delegate from Trenton. New Jersey. was not content merely to praise: He wanted to know how these children were trained to such heights. To find out, he began an interview-by-mail with the choir's director. Bontcho Botchev. For many months questions went out from Trenton and answers came back from Sofia. Bontcho Bofchev, through his generosity to share his techniques with music educators in the United States, employed a translator to make the project practical. All quesaions were freely and fully answered. The questions and answers that follow are the result of that interview-by-mail. Answers are printed substantially as submitted in order to preserve the “flavor” of the translator's English. The Editorial Board of the Journal appreciates the resourcefulness of Mr. Wassell and the cooperation of Bontcho Botchev for providing this provocative material about one of the world's outstanding children's choirs.

Organizing and Directing Children's Choirs

Organizing and Directing Children's Choirs