Lest We Forget Part I

Page 112

Euell Porter EUELL PORTER Thoughts of Lyndal Bingham First thought: One of God's choice men in choral church music. A friend - From the first time I saw him direct his Chapel Choir from HardinSimmons at 1st Baptist in Spur, TX, I knew he was so much more than just a very polished choral director. He was so warm to invite two really country boys, Ralph Gibson and myself to come to Hardin-Simmons and musically fulfill our God calling to church music ministry. Second thought: The more involved I became at Hardin-Simmons, the more I realized, by observation, what a great choral interpreter he was. He always knew exactly the sound he wanted from each piece of music. All of this came from his facial expression, his eyes, and even the exact way he held his fingers on his right hand. Intonation and wording. "Always make sure the people on the back row can understand the words and appreciate the exact intonation of each note." Last thought: I always wanted to stand, to interpret, to understand the musical message and try my best to emulate the exact presence of Dr. Euell Porter. My church music calling was always on a little higher plane because of him.

111


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.