Not every member of the church's congregation will approve, but
at least it solves the problem of who will play the organ. The "Hymnal
Plus," a karaoke-like machine with a repertoire of almost 3,000 hymns and
psalms, is becoming your local church's latest must-have item.
As well as traditional songs of praise, the British-made machine can
play a disco version of Amazing Grace and a jazzy adaptation of The Lord's My
Shepherd. Churchgoers who struggle to remember the words can look up at a big
screen for help, just like real karaoke.
Traditional churches will, no doubt, favor the "pipe organ and piano"
settings or perhaps even try the "big strings and harpsichord," but the more
adventurous will be able to experiment with driving drum beats and horn
sections.
Built-in Midi and MP3 players mean that music directors can add their
own songs to the standard repertoire.
And clergy beware, the Hymnal Plus can also lead parishioners in
prayers and recite pre-recorded sermons.
Worried by the shortage and aging population of organists, churches
are beginning to snap up the machine, which in the UK costs ?1,900
(US$3,386).
The 15th century St Mary the Virgin church in Mudford, near Yeovil in
Somerset, in the west of England, was one of the first customers. The parish
does have an organist, Christine Whitby, but she is in her 80s and sometimes
wants a week off.
Bill Watkins, a church warden and now "hymn DJ," will have his fingers
on the remote control when it makes its debut next month.
He said: "We don't want to replace Christine with this box of tricks
but it will allow her to take a break or to stay away without her feeling
guilty when she is feeling under the weather."
"There are no young organists on the horizon, which is a nationwide
problem so one day it might be all we have," he said.
Watkins is impressed with the flexibility of the machine. If the
congregation is struggling to hit a particular note, he can change the pitch at
a touch of the button. If a rousing finale is required, he could alter the
tone, volume or style.
But he said: "We are quite a traditional church so I don't think we'll
be going for any disco beats or jazzy sounds just yet."
Alan Kempster, a director at the company that manufactures the
machine, Hymn Technology Ltd (motto: No organist? No musicians? No problem!),
said there had been growing interest in the product, not just from churches but
also hospitals, prisons and military chaplaincies.
He said the response from organists had been positive.
"It's not about putting organists out of business. It's about giving
churches an alternative. I spoke to one church organist recently who had been
playing the organ for 50 years and was sick to death of it. This takes the
pressure of people like that," he said.
Churches use karaoke to draw new members
Hymnal Plus can help congregations jazz up stale services or just give the regular
organist a day off
By Shelley Emling
LONDON - Karaoke bars have become trendy around the world, with countless wannabe
singers mangling songs like Frank Sinatra's "My Way" while following along with
lyrics displayed on a big screen.
So why not karaoke churches?
With attendance plummeting and youthful organists hard to find, churches across
Britain are turning to a new karaoke-like machine called Hymnal Plus as a means of
jazzing up stale services - and also giving church organists a break.
The new Hymnal Plus, or HT-300, from Hymn Technology Ltd. of London is designed
and manufactured in Britain.
Priced at $3,500, the HT-300 can play more than 2,750 traditional hymns and modern
worship songs and play imported MP3 audio files.
Besides traditional tunes, the machine can blast a disco version of "Amazing
Grace" and a jazzy variant of "The Lord's My Shepherd."
The machine will play any song in a variety of styles, speeds, and keys, depending
on the congregation's enthusiasm.
"This is not designed to replace real organists, but to help churches in those
areas where there just aren't enough organists," said Alan Kempster, a Hymn
Technology director.
"We want to keep hymn singing alive because it's always been a very important part
of the church service.
Smaller than a laptop, the HT-300 is designed to be portable and self-contained so
that it can stand in at funerals, weddings, choir rehearsals and graveside
services.
One of Hymn Technology's newest customers is the 15th-century St. Mary the Virgin
Church in Mudford, England, which used the HT-300 for the first time on May 7 to give
its organist, Christine Whitby, who is in her 80s, a rare rest.
"Our organist is elderly, and so if she's feeling poorly it's nice to have this
new box of tricks to do the music," said Bill Watkins, a church warden and now "hymn
DJ."
"It will never replace an organist but it's certainly better than nothing," he
said.
"The members liked the machine, and their only complaint was that the hymns were
taken at a cracking pace," he said. "Most of our members are elderly people, so I am
going to have to slow the tempo down by about 5 percent."
Although some might believe the Hymnal Plus to be the answer to every church's
prayers, others worry that the machine might replace organists.
Kempster insists that the machines will supplement, not replace the humans.
Even so, clergy might want to be forewarned: The Hymnal Plus can lead a
congregation in prayer and also deliver pre-recorded sermons via an electronic voice
box.
