Alicia’s Accents – September 21st
The prelude will be an arrangement of the hymn “Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices” written in the 1800s. The words were written by Thomas Kelly (1769-1854) who as a young man aspired to be a lawyer, but when he was converted to Christ became an Anglican minister in 1792. The music was written by Lowell Mason (1792-1872) who lived in Savannah, Georgia working as a bank clerk and pursued his true love of music on the side. In 1826 he moved to Boston after his music was published selling over 50,000 copies. He became the director of music at the Hanover, Green, and Park Street churches, alternating six months with each congregation. He co-founded the Boston Academy of Music and became the music superintendent for the Boston school system. Lowell Mason is often called the “father of American church music”. The arrangement of this gospel hymn was written by Diane Bish, and a favorite hymn and arrangement of Al Watts.
May our worship together bring us to a closer relationship with God and each other.
Alicia Adams