COLLECTS
The Federation is indebted to Mrs. Thomas J. Cole of Amory, Mississippi, for arranging the Federation Collect which is now used by the Federation and its Clubs to open all meetings.
Mrs. Cole composed the beautiful prayer for a meeting of the Mississippi Federation of Music Clubs in 1929, using excerpts from the Ritual which had been written for the Chicago Biennial Convention Song Book by Mrs. Frank A. Seiberling, Past President of NFMC.
In 1938, Collects also written by Mrs. Cole were formally adopted for use by the Student and Junior Divisions. (See Student Collect and Junior Collect)
Numerous musical settings have been written for the Collects. In 1945 a three part women’s chorus musical setting written by Gertrude M. Rohrer of Pennsylvania and copyrighted was officially adopted for use by the National Federation of Music Clubs. A “Musical Setting” for three part treble voices was first used by the Junior Division in 1942 and in 1970, “Gratitude for Music”, a musical setting for two part treble voices, words by May Belle Cole, music by Mary Mann Hepburn, was adopted as the Official Junior Musical Collect.
Sheet music for these settings are available for purchase.
The NFMC Collect
We praise and thank Thee, Father, for the gift of music. Through us, as channels of Thy grace, may this blessed legacy be shared with all mankind. Grant that we may exemplify in our own lives the harmony of Thy great purpose for us.
Give us magnitude of soul, and such understanding hearts that we who make music may be as players upon rightly tuned instruments responding to Thy leading.
Let us with renewed consecration dedicate ourselves to the purpose of our Federation, to bring the spiritualizing force of music to the inner life of our nation. Open our minds that divine knowledge and wisdom may teach us how best to execute our pledge.
Mrs. Thomas J. Cole
Excerpts from A Musical Ritual,
Mrs. Frank A. Seiberling
The Student Collect
Dear God and Giver of all things good,
Grant us the grace of truly hearing Music.
Release us to the divine idea beneath its sonant forms
And quicken us to the inmost beauty of it
That we may perceive Thee, patterned in the miracle of Song;
Teach us to discern above Earth’s discord
The purposed Melody of Thy eternal love
And transpose our lives to tones of higher impulse
That, through us, as ministers of Music
Earth’s birth-right of Harmony may be redeemed
And Men’s hearts may sing again together
In the concord of fellow-service
And the great Amen of universal peace.”
The Junior Collect
We thank Thee, our Father,
For all things beautiful.
Open our minds to the Beauty that is Music
And teach us to remember it
As part of Thy great goodness to us.
Help us to grow each day
Unto the stature of Thy Grace.
And keep our hearts so tuned with Thy heart
That our lives may resound
Thy very Music
In the melody of lovely living
And in service that is Song.
The Junior Pledge
I acknowledge my indebtedness to good music;
I know that the music of a nation inspires or degrades;
I realize that acquaintance with great music instills a love
of that which brings courage and lofty ideals
and tends toward clean, noble living;
I promise to do all in my power
to make America truly musical.
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