At Ecclémusica’s conference “Ancient and New Songs,” we welcomed 100 participants to the Pastorale conference center near Toulon: singles, couples, and families of up to three generations. This group represented thirty-three churches: a special gift for the 10th anniversary of the Ecclémusica association.
Testimonies : "Many of us do not have the opportunity in our churches to sing in four-part harmony, or to have excellent instrumental accompaniment. It was a real joy to experience these things, even in our yet-unperfected state!” “Seeing my kids serving the Lord with music and making other Christian friends was extremely special.” “All the songs communicated profound truths: an excellent application of Chris’s teaching."
What exactly is an "ancient" song or a "new" song?
Anne Hoffmann provided an excellent introduction to this theme. She is well-acquainted with the subject, having done a doctoral thesis on the evolution of songs from the French Huguenot Psalter.
Our participants proposed their own excellent definitions.
We have combined them here along with Anne’s written presentation.
Spiritual Concert at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Toulon
Click below to watch a recording of the concert. The children, led by Estelle Truschel, began with several songs and instrumental pieces. A translation of the concert program is available for download below.
Chris Anderson’s workshop series
How can we choose excellent ancient and new songs?
English recordings of Chris Anderson’s workshop series are available here.
What challenges do we face in composing and compiling songbooks?
Marc Dirlewanger, our choir director, shared his experience with us during a workshop. The French recording is available here on our site.
