{"id":41526,"date":"2018-04-07T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-04-07T16:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=41526"},"modified":"2018-04-16T07:50:54","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T12:50:54","slug":"revival-tony-alonso-gives-new-life-to-classic-hymns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/07\/revival-tony-alonso-gives-new-life-to-classic-hymns\/","title":{"rendered":"Revival! Tony Alonso Gives New Life to Classic Hymns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Do you know of Revival<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>by Tony Alonso? Click \u201cPreview\u201d in that link and you\u2019ll see that Alonso\u2019s music collection is filled with classic old hymns such as \u201cPraise to the Lord,\u201d \u201cHow Firm a Foundation,\u201d \u201cHoly, Holy, Holy,\u201d \u201cLet All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,\u201d \u201cCome, Holy Ghost,\u201d \u201cThe King of Love,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n

But these golden oldies are revived<\/em> in an entirely new style \u2013 with contemporary piano accompaniment, gentle syncopation, chords with added seconds and major sevenths, rhythm parts, and the like. As the subtitle has it, \u201cTraditional hymns for contemporary ensembles.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a taste of what this sounds like, here<\/a>\u00a0is the Easter hymn \u201cChrist the Lord is Risen Today,\u201d text by Charles Wesley (1707-1788), Welsh tune from the 19th century. Click \u201cpreview\u201d to hear it when you see this:\"\"<\/p>\n

This collection from Alonso is part of a movement underfoot, especially in contemporary Protestant circles, to modernize or reimagine<\/a>\u00a0classic hymns. Sometimes \u2013 and this is different from Alonso\u2019s aim \u2013 old classics are turned into Christian contemporary music to listen to. Here\u2019s Audrey Assad singing (or is it \u201csighing\u201d?) \u201cHoly, Holy Holy.\u201d<\/p>\n