THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC

JULY 1, 2009

Music Notes



Bright Ideas
“This is your brain on Bach.” “Weary of A" Trumpeting”
Hugo Distler (UMH #442)
Musicians really do think differently than the rest of us. Vanderbilt Distler was a major composer in
psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use Germany during the Second World
a creative technique called divergent thinking, and use both the left and right sides War.
“[After the Nazis] invaded Austria in
of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.
1939 [sic]…poets enough lauded the
Previous studies of creativity have focused on divergent thinking, the ability to annexation.…[The] Nazis looked for a
come up with new solutions to open-ended, multifaceted problems. Highly creative composer and found the young, gifted
individuals often display more divergent thinking than their less creative Distler [who composed the setting]. The
counterparts.…”We studied musicians because creative thinking is part of their words [penned by Marin Franzmann,
daily experience, and we found that there were qualitative differences in the type of 1971] were printed on a postcard and
answers they gave to problems and in their associated brain activity.…” Overall, distributed for sale.” (Routley 1982, 180)
Distler was born in Nuremberg and is
researchers found that the musicians had higher IQ scores than the non-musicians,
known mostly for his church choral
supporting recent studies that intensive musical training is associated with an m u s i c . He a t t e n d e d L e i p z i g
elevated IQ score.… Conservatory studying composition &
One possible explanation for the musicians’ elevated use of both brain organ. He became organist at St. Jacobi
hemispheres is that many musicians must be able to use both hands independently in Lübeck in 1931. Distler also taught at
to play their instruments. “Musicians may be particularly good at efficiently the School for Church Music in
accessing and integrating competing information from both hemispheres. Spandau, and became a professor of
c h u r c h m u s i c i n B e r l i n i n 1 9 4 0.
Instrumental musicians often integrate different melodic lines with both hands into
Becoming increasingly depressed from
a single musical piece, and they have to be very good at simultaneously reading the the death of friends, aerial attacks, job
musical symbols, which are like left-hemisphere-based language, and integrating the pressures, and the constant threat of
written music with their own interpretation, which has been linked to the right conscription into the German army, he
hemispheres.” committed suicide in Berlin at the age
of 34. He chose to end his life by his
own hand (with fumes from his own gas
(The information presented above is excerpted $om the Spring 2009 edition of Vanderbilt
oven) rather than be conscripted into
Magazine. Vanderbilt researchers Crystal Gibson, Bradley Fo&ey and Sohee Park wi& appear in the
the Wehrmacht. This tune “Trumpets”
journal “Brain and Cognition.” Their research was partia&y supported by a Vanderbilt University
was the last known melody he wrote.
Discovery Grant.)

Hugo Distler as he appeared on a German stamp.

WWW.CHUMCKPT.ORG
PAGE 1
 THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC
JULY 1, 2009

MEMBER & FAMILY NEWS the next 6 months, in the Yale

(If you have information to share about University hospital system.
yo u o r yo u r fa m i l y, p l e a s e s e n d
information in email jimlyon@mac.com. If
we inadvertently omit your name $om passed her two boards and is now
the birthday list or omit information you a certified massage therapist.
have submitted, contact Jim. )
Happy June
Birthdays
Danny Fleming
( 7 / 5 ) , Ti p C l o u d
(7/9), Bonnie
Wi l l a r d ( 7 / 1 0 ) ,
Kennie Ebert (7/21), Tom Seay
(7/30)
Celebrating Graduates
Barbara
Y o s t ,
daughter of
M a r k
(tenor) and
Susan (alto)
P a v l i n ,
graduated on
Ma y 2 8 t h
f r o m
Gateway
Community
College, New Haven, CT, with an
Associates Degree in Nuclear
Medicine Technology, which is
pretty impressive when you
consider (as Dad does) that it
opens up real career job
opportunities even in a down
e c o n o m y. It i s e v e n m o r e
impressive in that (1) she already
had a BA degree in Illustration
from Savannah College of Art and
Design, (2) she is raising two
children, (3) the commencement
was held at Yale University, guest
speaker being Edward Kennedy
(son of Ted), (4) she promptly
passed her second board
certification tests and (5) praise
God, got a job, if temporarily, for
WWW.CHUMCKPT.ORG
July Anthems
Melissa (Mel) Hight (soprano)
July 5 (Strength for Service
Sunday & Holy Communion)
Peach on Earth/America
Congratulations! (arr. Purifoy)
Nick Jackson, son of Dick (bass) July 12
and Connie Jackson, recently Amazing Grace (arr. Coates, Jr.)
graduated from the University of
Tennessee School of Law and will July 19
be taking the BAR exams in July. As the Deer (arr. Wilson)
Ni c k w a s a m e m b e r o f o u r
Children’s Choir Ministry. Way to July 26
go Nick! Clap Your Hands (McDonald))
Musician in Demand
For several years Martha Egan
(s0prano) has provided pre-show
music at Sycamore Shoals and for
“Liberty” the drama presented at Remember When?
Sycamore Shoals State Historic
Area on the last three weekends in
July. Once again she is playing
flute at the pre-show this year
and will also participate in the
drama as one of the frontier lady
residents at the fort. The dates for
these performances are still up in
the air at this time. Martha’s pre-
show music is Celtic and period
music played on flute, fife and
penny whistle. Thank you for
representing CHUMC’s Music
Ministry in our community and
for sharing your talents with us.
Up and Coming Chef
Clay Holt placed 3rd in the State Homecoming
Culinary Arts competition this
year representing Sullivan South Celebration
High School. Clay is a computer/
lighting/audio technician for the
Front Porch Worship. Do you
think we could get him to cook for
us?
Mark Twain: “Always do right. This wi&
gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
PAGE 1