Small World, Isn't It?
[Blogger's note]: due to some health problems I've been having, trying to figure out how to appropriately protect a certain degree of anonymity, and the Labor Day holiday, this blog entry posting has been delayed several days. Though a link to my blog is included in my e-mail signature, I try to preserve a high level of discretion when using the names of other people ... unless, of course, their own personal blogs give their names more freely. Maybe I'm too anal about that (won't be the first time), but there it is. And here's the blog that should have been posted last Wednesday or Thursday:
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One of the frustrations that Ministers of Music deal with from time to time is that sometimes publishers decided to allow excellent pieces of music go “permanently out of print”. What that means is that, though they still own copyright, they are no longer publishing it. We have at least a couple of anthems that we have added to our library in the past few years that fall into that category. Fortunately I had a reference copy from which we could make copies for the choir (after securing permission and paying the appropriate licensing fees and royalties to the publisher). There is another piece (David Danner’s “Give Me Jesus”) that tried to order for my choir last week. It is also permanently out of print; however I do not have a reference copy so we will have to wait until I can borrow one. We regularly lend music to other churches from our music library and I have borrowed music from other churches for our use here.
I had an interesting conversation last Tuesday with the music director (part-time) at another church in our state. I’m looking for the accompaniment CD to a Children’s Christmas musical our Young Musicians director is considering for the Children’s Choirs. We have the books, but can’t find tape or CD for accompaniment in our library. If we can’t locate the accompaniment CD to borrow, we’re out of luck. I put out a query via e-mail and heard from someone who used to be music director at the church in question that they did the musical when he served there.
Long story short, I called this fellow and identified myself. He hasn’t had a chance to look for the CD yet, but he related that several years ago that he got a call from someone from this town asking if he were [name omitted], to which he replied in the affirmative. She asked if he were [name omitted] the music director. Again he answered yes. For further confirmation of his identity, she asked if he were [name omitted] the music director from [this town name]. He again answered yes. Then, he said, she proceeded to update him regarding people he did not know from Adam.
It turns out that there was another [name omitted], who had led music in a church here in [this town], who retired to that area a number of years ago (perhaps some of you may remember him). The [name omitted] with whom I spoke was indeed from [this town name], but from [this town name] in another state. That sparked another conversation because that town is not far at all from my wife's hometown. At any rate, I feel a connection with this gentleman now (nice fellow, too) because of some common ground we have walked. As I watched tropical storm Ernesto’s progress, I prayed for the few people I know on the Carolina coast … and for someone I just met over the phone Tuesday night.
What’s the point? How often do we miss an interesting acquaintance because we just blow through without pausing to connect? It can be risky at times, because to connect often means to care … but isn’t that why we’re here?
That’s enough to think about for now.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
One of the frustrations that Ministers of Music deal with from time to time is that sometimes publishers decided to allow excellent pieces of music go “permanently out of print”. What that means is that, though they still own copyright, they are no longer publishing it. We have at least a couple of anthems that we have added to our library in the past few years that fall into that category. Fortunately I had a reference copy from which we could make copies for the choir (after securing permission and paying the appropriate licensing fees and royalties to the publisher). There is another piece (David Danner’s “Give Me Jesus”) that tried to order for my choir last week. It is also permanently out of print; however I do not have a reference copy so we will have to wait until I can borrow one. We regularly lend music to other churches from our music library and I have borrowed music from other churches for our use here.
I had an interesting conversation last Tuesday with the music director (part-time) at another church in our state. I’m looking for the accompaniment CD to a Children’s Christmas musical our Young Musicians director is considering for the Children’s Choirs. We have the books, but can’t find tape or CD for accompaniment in our library. If we can’t locate the accompaniment CD to borrow, we’re out of luck. I put out a query via e-mail and heard from someone who used to be music director at the church in question that they did the musical when he served there.
Long story short, I called this fellow and identified myself. He hasn’t had a chance to look for the CD yet, but he related that several years ago that he got a call from someone from this town asking if he were [name omitted], to which he replied in the affirmative. She asked if he were [name omitted] the music director. Again he answered yes. For further confirmation of his identity, she asked if he were [name omitted] the music director from [this town name]. He again answered yes. Then, he said, she proceeded to update him regarding people he did not know from Adam.
It turns out that there was another [name omitted], who had led music in a church here in [this town], who retired to that area a number of years ago (perhaps some of you may remember him). The [name omitted] with whom I spoke was indeed from [this town name], but from [this town name] in another state. That sparked another conversation because that town is not far at all from my wife's hometown. At any rate, I feel a connection with this gentleman now (nice fellow, too) because of some common ground we have walked. As I watched tropical storm Ernesto’s progress, I prayed for the few people I know on the Carolina coast … and for someone I just met over the phone Tuesday night.
What’s the point? How often do we miss an interesting acquaintance because we just blow through without pausing to connect? It can be risky at times, because to connect often means to care … but isn’t that why we’re here?
That’s enough to think about for now.
posted by Morris at
11:41 AM
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