The Centenary of Tempo Silver Band: The Sound of the Song: 6/11/11

This year we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Tempo Silver Band. So our Eucharist is special tonight. Eucharist means “giving thanks”. It means “Giving Thanks in Prayer” as we listen to the Word of God, and we break the Bread which Jesus continues to do at every Mass. We pray for all those who were founder members of the Silver Band, and all those who encouraged them. We pray for their parents, and families who worked with them, and all those members down through the years who were members, parents of members, and all who encouraged the band, and are now deceased. Their voices resound here tonight as we pray for them, and as we listen to the fruits of their work in the Temp Silver Band who, in playing at this Eucharist brings us closer together, and closer to God through the beautiful music which pervades the atmosphere of this church tonight. I would like now to tell a story.

Once upon a time there was a village where the people had never heard music. They spoke to each other very loudly, even to the point of shouting. Because they tried so hard to have their own words heard, they weren’t able to hear each others words. This only made them shout all the louder in an attempt to be head. The village became increasingly noisy.

There were three men in that village who could not speak at all. They were dumb. They weren’t able to communicate with the other people in the village, so nobody really bothered with them.

They used to meet together down by a little nearby brook. The bubbling sound of the brook seemed to make them happy.

One day, they realized why the brook made them feel so happy. It was because it was speaking to them in a special way without words and without shouting. The bubbling sounds of the little brook made music which touched their souls.

So the men began to hum a tune with the music of the brook. At once they knew that they were communicating with each other. They were so excited that they ran into the noisy village humming their tune. The people of the village marvelled and fell silent for they had never heard music before.

At that very moment, something even more wonderful happened. From over the hills came the sound of a powerful voice, not a voice of shouting, but one whose words filled the silence with song, joy, inner peace and great happiness. No one knew whose voice it was, but it was beautiful. And as the three dumb men continued to hum, one by one the people of the village began to sing. The words they sang were not all the same, not were the voices, but the tune blended them all together in a magnificent chorus of song.

So the village became a happy community in which to live. It became lively again, but this time with the sound of song, instead of shouting. And now people began to listen.

There are three/four points in this story that I want to emphasise tonight as celebrate this centenary year of Tempo Silver Band. These are as follows: (1) Music helps us to listen, and communicate. It helps us to listen and communicate with each other, and to listen, and communicate with God. (2) Music draws us together as a people into one community. (3) Music is the language of the soul, (4) and Music brings happiness, inner peace, and wonderful happiness.

Our story puts it very poetically: (1) the bubbling sounds of the little brook helped the three men, to listen and communicate with each other, and to listen and communicate with God. (2) The Brook was speaking in a special way without shouting. The bubbling sounds of the little brook made music which touched their souls. (3) And as the men continued to hum the music of the brook, the whole village began to listen, and to communicate with one another. The whole village began to sing. The words they sang were not the same, nor were the voices, but the tune blended all together. (4)The music brought a great and wondrous happiness. God had spoken for as over the hills came the sound of a powerful voice, not a voice of shouting, but one whose words filled the silence with song.

We congratulate the Tempo Silver Band tonight on the centenary year of the Silver Band for through their music they have helped us to listen to one another and to God. Through their music they have spoken to our souls through the language of the soul. And through their music they have brought us together in a great and wondrous happiness. We pray tonight that the deceased may continue their great work in heaven and that we who are still on a journey will join them one day. Let us stand; clap; and salute Tempo’s Silver Band.