wfn.org | Marshall Receives Deschner Award

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (231
notes).

Note 229 by UMNS on July 21, 1997 at 16:05 Eastern (7973 characters).

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT: Thomas S. McAnally                   417(10-21-71BP){229}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470             July 21, 1997

NOTE TO EDITORS:  Photos available for use with this story.

Jane Marshall given Deschner Award
by Music, Worship Arts Fellowship

     HOUSTON (UMNS) -- Jane Marshall, whose career in church music
spans 50 years and whose choral music is in most local church
music libraries, was given the Roger N. Deschner Award here July
14 by the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship
Arts.
     The award was established in 1991 to honor individuals who
have made outstanding contributions to the music and worship life
of the church.  
     Deschner, a faculty member at Perkins School of Theology at
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, was the first person to
receive the award named in his honor.  He died of cancer in
October of 1991.
     Subsequent recipients of the award were the Rev. Carlton R.
Young, editor of the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal, and the Rev.
Hoyt Hickman, retired staff member of the United Methodist Board
of Discipleship's Section on Worship. 
     Marshall received her award on the opening night of the
Fellowship's biennial convocation at the University of Houston
July 14-19.  Presenting the award was Brad Kisner, Houston,
Fellowship president.
     At the age of 13, Marshall wrote her first music for her
mother. At 17 she played the piano in her church -- St. Andrew's
Presbyterian in Dallas.
     Her first choral piece -- "My Eternal King" -- was written in
1952 and published in 1954.  Since that time she has nearly 200
anthems to her credit.  "My Eternal King," continues to be the
best seller, followed by "He Comes to Us," the first time words of
Albert Schweitzer had been set to music; "Fanfare for Easter"; and
"Awake My Heart."
     Marshall, a member of Northaven United Methodist Church in
Dallas for more than 40 years, is a United Methodist "by marriage
and education."  She and her husband Elbert, an engineer with
Texas Instruments for more than 38 years, have three children.
     Marshall has academic degrees from SMU where she has served
on the English, music and seminary faculties.  Currently she
teaches choral conducting and music theory in the continuing
education program at Perkins School of Theology.
     Her published works include choral music for all ages.  A
strong advocate of congregational singing, she has served on
editorial committees of American hymnbooks. Her own texts and
tunes appear in many collections, both denominational and
ecumenical.  She was a consultant to the 1989 United Methodist
Hymnal which includes 22 entries bearing her name.
     "I started writing music because of my upbringing," Marshall
said in an interview with United Methodist News Service.  "I was a
church mouse.  Mother and Daddy were at the church all the time,
and naturally so was I.  Our friends and family often stood around
the piano and sang while my mother played.  The church was my
extended family." She recalls standing on the back pew as a small
child "conducting" music with the limb from a willow tree.
     While most of today's youth don't have the same exposure to
the church, Marshall believes the drama of worship can attract
them if liturgy and music are closely intertwined.
     "I feel the community is at its deepest level when it is
worshiping together," she said.  "Nothing is more helpful than a
good funeral."
     A major concern for her is the gap between young "seekers"
and older "traditionalists."  To address this concern, many
congregations have instituted separate services to appeal to each. 
That trend alarms Marshall who sees it as  "carving up the body of
Christ."
     She recommends "blending" the styles of worship which appeal
to the two groups, acknowledging that "the traditionalists will
have to do the most bending."
     "Seekers have grown up hearing ballads, pop, rock," she
observed.  "They don't have a history with the traditional
sounds."
     "What seminaries should offer to pastors is a way of
synthesizing diverse liturgy for young, old, traditionalists, and
those with no traditions so they can worship together and accept
one another as family," she said.  "I'd like to spend the rest of
my career doing that."
     Traditionalists will accept jazz or pop music if they find
music in the service with which they can identify, she said.  "I
don't have to like a particular gospel song but I can sing it
because I know that somebody else finds it meaningful. That's what
it means to be a family, a community of people willing to accept
one another."
     "I no longer turn my nose up at gospel songs," she said.  "I
just want us to use all kinds of music."  One thing that troubles
her is the use of taped music in worship.  "When music is taped
people don't do it," she explained.  "It comes from the outside. 
It's not their own and it doesn't belong to the people."
     Marshall is an optimist when it comes to the future of the
church.  "The church isn't going down the tubes.  It was built on
the rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. It's
not a Rotary Club or a place for group therapy or a place to make
us feel good and entertain us," she said.
     Some aspects of the church growth movement disturb Marshall.
"We've catered to what certain groups need in order to get them in
the door because we're paranoid about losing members," she
observed.
     As an example, she said some congregations sing only upbeat,
"happy" choruses.  "If you don't sing the whole story you don't
touch people who are searching and in pain," she said. "They may
need to hear how Jesus suffered or the bad news in Bible stories."
     For churches to reach both traditionalists and the new
generation "seekers," she said pastors in charge must be open,
seminaries must provide leadership and assistance, and musicians
must look for quality music.  "Finding good quality in all music
forms is hard when you're looking at printed music," she said. 
"Whether it's Duke Ellington, Amy Grant or Bach, it must be good. 
Bach wrote some real lemons."
     Acknowledging that quality is a nebulous term, she said music
should speak to people all over the world and at any time in
history.  She cited "Amazing Grace" which she said will last
because "it speaks to the hearts of people anywhere and at any
time. Quality music engages the whole person -- body, mind,
heart."  
     For Marshall, it is important to be true to a particular
style. When a gospel song is being used, she said it must be done
in a gospel style with piano and running chords.  When a chant is
used, she said it should not be accompanied on the organ.  When a
spiritual is used it should be sung without singing every note on
the page.
     She said the United Methodist Hymnal comes as close to
providing a wide spectrum of music forms as any on the market. 
While there was some grumbling at the time the volume was
released, she said many "came to scoff but stayed to pray." 
     "We must have that wide spectrum of material in order to
speak to the diversity in our congregations," she added.
     There is an "artistic elite" in today's culture, Marshall
said, but there is no excuse for an "elitist" attitude in the
church.  "It doesn't mean that a person doesn't have good music
taste but that he thinks his taste is better than anyone else's." 
     More than 450 people attended the Fellowship's convocation
here.  New president of the fellowship, succeeding Brad Kisner of
Houston, is Fred Lewis, pastor of the Clear Lake (Iowa) United
Methodist Church.  The Fellowship's first convocation was in 1955
in Estes Park.  The next convocation in 1999 will be in Nashville.
                            #  #  #   
     
     
     

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 To unsubscribe, send the single word "unsubscribe" (no quotes)
 in a mail message to umethnews-request@ecunet.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------