Music

…with gratitude in your hearts
sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Colossians 3:16

• Concerts at Holy Trinity
• International Organ Day (Saturday 23 April, 2022)

Music matters

Music is vitally important to worship, refreshing it in ways that words alone cannot do, and helping to enable worship that renews and inspires.

Those who sing, pray twice (St Augustine)

At Holy Trinity, we use music in varied ways to enable all present to take part: fully, consciously and actively.

Some of the music is unaccompanied, allowing the natural beauty of the human voice to be heard.

Some is led by the organ or by other instruments, especially when the Music Group leads the singing.

Our main hymn resources are Common Praise, Sing Praise, Hymns for Prayer & Praise, Common Ground, Church Hymnary 4 and other contemporary publications, providing a rich and varied diet to our services.

Resources

At Holy Trinity, we have:

• a congregation who love to sing and are responsive to new texts and tunes, often unaccompanied
• a music group (4 – 6 in number, aged 10 to 50s) leading the music for all-age worship and other special occasions, featuring strings, flute, guitar, piano and occasional light percussion
• a dedicated, small choir (8 – 14 in number, aged 19 to 60s+) singing musically, mainly in unison, although with some harmony parts, using RSCM’s Voice for Life choir-training programme
• an Organ Student, shared with St Mary's, Dunblane
• a very experienced Director of Music (pastoral musician, organist and choir director), in post since April 2012

Our building

• versatile and adaptable for different types and styles of worship
• used as a local RSCM centre for workshops, training and other musical events
• used for concerts and recitals

We currently use the following keyboard instruments in the church:

• a large pipe organ with a good range of sounds suitable for leading, accompanying and performance pieces (in need of work – and funds!)
• a grand piano in the south transept, on loan from Director of Music
• a grand piano in the choir vestry, gifted by Piers Jones, our previous Organist

Musical resources are drawn from a range of publications as well as various contemporary worship songs and chant psalm settings by the Director of Music.

Holy Trinity Church is affiliated to the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) and uses its training program Voice for Life to enable its singers to enhance their musical and liturgical skills.

Over the last few years, the church has become a training centre for RSCM Scotland, with events for young people, music-reading skills and singing award exams.

Music team

Alistair Warwick Director of Music
Sarah and Alistair Shaw Music Group co-leaders
Ulrike Wutscher cantor and soloist
Laura Buxel Organ Student
Christoph Wutscher occasional organist

Malcolm Allan† played for our Friday morning Eucharist and other occasions over a period of 20 years. We are most grateful to Malcolm for his loving dedication and service.
May he rest in peace.

Instruments

The church currently has two grand pianos and a veratile three-manual pipe organ, rebuilt in 1981.