One of the questions we are often asked as members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is, "What's your favorite song to sing?" While my top favorite has not changed since the day I first sang it (more on that later), this is sort of a moving target for me. Picking a favorite is hard because here are so, so many that I just love. (There are some songs I'd be okay never singing again - let's be honest, we all have them - but I'll refrain from sharing those!) I know not everyone "gets" choir music, but to me, it is a heavenly gift. My favorite songs are the ones that have the ability to transport me to another place spiritually and emotionally, the ones that help me feel and express things that I cannot share any other way.
So, while my list might be different tomorrow, here are my top five songs and the reasons why I love them:
5. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Favorite lines:
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Why I love it: It starts as a quiet and simple prayer and grows to great pleading. I once heard someone describe it like this, "Here's my heart, Lord. Take it, break it, mold it into whatever You need it to be." That's easier said than done, but it's something I want to work towards daily. This song reminds me that I can choose to surrender my will to God's, any time of any day.
4. Pilgrim Song
Favorite line:
My soul doth long to go where I may fully know the glory of my Savior.
Why I love it: Sigh... I still remember the day I came to my second week in the Temple Square Chorale rehearsal and saw this song sitting on my chair. I don't know if I've ever been so happy! I'd heard it sung many times and been transported to this heavenly place, but never had the chance to sing it, yet here I was singing it with the composer himself as the conductor. It was one of those moments where I asked myself, "Is this real life?!" This is the happiest dying song I've ever known! Okay so, it doesn't have to be a dying song, but it reminds me that this life is temporary, it's not home. That home is joyful beyond human comprehension. I once had the chance to sing these precious words to a woman who was on the last leg of her journey to that eternal home, and it was an experience I will never forget. If I can sing during my last breaths, this is the song that will be sung. If not, I hope someone will sing it to me.
3. Battle Hymn of the Republic
Favorite line:
I don't have a favorite for this one. I love it all!
Why I love it: Because it's the Battle Hymn of the Republic! Need I say more? One of my favorite things is when we sing this on tour - during that last chorus, while the audience joins with us, it is impossible not to stand out of respect for our country and for God. It's just... that FEELING. :)
Also... if you've never watched MoTab singing Battle Hymn for President Reagan's inauguration, you probably should.
2. I Stand All Amazed
Oh, it is wonderful that He should care for me enough to die for me.
Oh, it is wonderful to me.
Why I love it: This has actually never been one of my favorite hymns until Ryan Murphy arranged the most simple, yet profound version of it for April 2014 General Conference. Because I had lost my voice, I was just listening when the choir first rehearsed it. It was a sacred experience for me personally as I was simply reminded, Jesus loves me.
And last but not least...
1. My Song in the Night
My comfort and joy, my soul's delight,
Oh Jesus, my Savior, my Song in the night.
Why I love it:
From the moment I first sang this song, I just knew it was my song. When I put up a wall spiritually, this is the one song that will break it down, every single time. The minute the beautiful strings start, I feel hope, and an ability to surrender my stubbornness that I can't seem to find any other way. The orchestral introduction has just a little bit of dissonance, enough to make me feel the sorrow of knowing that wall was built by me, but hope of knowing I can choose to break it down. I feel like I'm saying, "Heavenly Father, I'm ridiculous sometimes. But I'm here now." In other words, this is my "coming home" song.
What about YOU?
What are your favorite MoTab songs to listen to or sing?
Come Thou Fount is my absolute FAVORITE song and I pray every conference (I know silly) that it will be sung because like you said about #1, it's MY song. There is just something about it that testifies to me that the gospel is true and that my Heavenly Father loves me and wants me to make it back to him. Thanks for sharing these Katie! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving us a choir member’s perspective. I love “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing” as I’m sure many others do. I may be in the minority but I also like “The Ground” because I found it, in part, refreshing; something not usually in the choir’s repertoire.
ReplyDeleteCome to my Garden - beautiful
ReplyDeleteBetelehemu. Hands down, it is my very favorite. I realize it's not particularly reverent, but the joy is undeniably infectious. The first time I heard it was at the Christmas concert with Bryn Terfel and Frederica Von Stade. As the choir sang, everyone was smiling - from the conductor to the orchestra to the members of the choir; the expressions seemed to extend to the audience into the most welcoming, warm invitation to be a part of the experience I've ever had at any choir concert. I wasn't just there to watch them experience, they were sharing their joy, they wanted me to feel what they felt and to be happy. It was marvelous.
ReplyDelete