What's your favorite Hymn and why?

[Copelius]

There are organs with built-in touch screens that control the stops (e.g. a Hauptwerk organ) but the church doesn't use these. Furthermore, users of these organs rarely use the touchscreens to display music. What many organists use these days for music is an iPad Pro running an app called forScore to display the music. forScore works really well and you can even turn pages using facial expressions (e.g. gesture with your lips). All of my music is on my iPad now and I plan to never go back to the old days of having to turn pages manually.

In this video you can see the organist playing on a Hauptwerk organ with touchscreens on both sides where you would normally have physical stops, as well as using his iPad for the music.

One of the problems in singing the new hymns with the congregation is getting them the music. We can put the words in the program but it's harder to put the music in the program unless you want to do a lot of printing and we don't even do a printed program any more. The words and music are in the church's Sacred Music app as well as in the Gospel Library app but it just doesn't go as well when everyone has to pull out their phones, navigate to the app, navigate to the music, find the hymn, and then sing it off their phone screen's tiny display. It especially won't go well for a hymn that nobody has ever sung before.

The choir travels with a portable organ with the stops on touchscreens. Some organists use the I-Pad some still use paper. I noted that one that was using an I-pad in conference had a page turning button hooked up by the stop memory buttons.

[originalsocal]

The new hymnbook comes out in 2026. See the video about the 2-minute mark:

About This Collection: Hymns—For Home and Church (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Man, we really are a smiling people--so weird.

[BigFatMeanie]

The choir travels with a portable organ with the stops on touchscreens. Some organists use the I-Pad some still use paper. I noted that one that was using an I-pad in conference had a page turning button hooked up by the stop memory buttons.

Yup - it's a Hauptwerk-based organ. It has Italian Fatar keyboards and Classic Midi Works, a Canadian company, built the midi switches into the keyboards and the pedal board. It runs the Hauptwerk software. At least that's what the specs were back in 2015 when they made this video. They may have upgraded stuff since then.

I have the exact same four-manual organ in my home although my keys are white, not natural wood color.

IMG_0857.JPG

[Pelado]

Yup - it's a Hauptwerk-based organ. It has Italian Fatar keyboards and Classic Midi Works, a Canadian company, built the midi switches into the keyboards and the pedal board. It runs the Hauptwerk software. At least that's what the specs were back in 2015 when they made this video. They may have upgraded stuff since then.

I have the exact same four-manual organ in my home although my keys are white, not natural wood color.

IMG_0857.JPG

Damn.

[Donuthole]

Newest batch of Hymns dropped today. “This Little Light of Mine” is included. FOH with that nonsense, thanks very much. Can we stop trying to be Baptist, already?

[Moliere]

Newest batch of Hymns dropped today. “This Little Light of Mine” is included. FOH with that nonsense, thanks very much. Can we stop trying to be Baptist, already?

Agreed. Not a fan.

[beefytee]

I know they are all group together now, but this is being added as a children’s song. There’s no harmony and such. I think that is fine. It’s a great song for primary.

[All-American]

I know they are all group together now, but this is being added as a children’s song. There’s no harmony and such. I think that is fine. It’s a great song for primary.

I agree, but I also don’t trust a lot of ward music directors to know the difference between what is supposed to be a congregational hymn and what is not.

[Bo Diddley]

I agree, but I also don’t trust a lot of ward music directors to know the difference between what is supposed to be a congregational hymn and what is not.

The Bishop should be managing this if the music director gets confused.

The CHOI says some hymns may be more appropriate for youth gatherings than for sacrament meeting.

[Jeff Lebowski]

The Bishop should be managing this if the music director gets confused.

The CHOI says some hymns may be more appropriate for youth gatherings than for sacrament meeting.

That’s funny you think bishops pay that much attention to what the word music leader happens to pick for the hymns.

[Bo Diddley]

That’s funny you think bishops pay that much attention to what the word music leader happens to pick for the hymns.

Just going of my experience.

[Joe Public]

Just going of my experience.

My experience has been similar to yours.

[Donuthole]

The last thing the bishop needs on Sunday is to spend any time thinking about what hymns are being sung that day. I suppose a proactive/preemptive edict from the bishop might be helpful to head off issues. But most bishops have a dozen other things on their plates as sacrament meeting approaches.

[beefytee]

That’s funny you think bishops pay that much attention to what the word music leader happens to pick for the hymns.

Our bishop has been very active with it.

He has been limiting any use of the new hymns.

[Bo Diddley]

The last thing the bishop needs on Sunday is to spend any time thinking about what hymns are being sung that day. I suppose a proactive/preemptive edict from the bishop might be helpful to head off issues. But most bishops have a dozen other things on their plates as sacrament meeting approaches.

I think you're overestimating the time commitment on this. When I was in a bishopric, the bishop always did a quick vetting of proposed hymns. It took all af about a minute or less, depending on the feedback he had to give.

Our current music director says our Bishop also vets the music. I know the stake is always very thoughtful about which hymns are selected for a particular meeting. I think leadership on this issue is important.