Thiruvananthapuram: Music is a way of worship for those who believe in God and thus it has a unique spot in places of worship, especially in Christian Churches. Accordingly, a section of Roman Catholic church laity has decided to revitalise the devotional music rendered in the Sakthikulangara parish under St John de Britto’s Church in Kollam and has roped in none other than legendary musician Jerry Amaldev . The octogenarian musician, who made a mark in the film world and earned a name as a music academic in India and abroad, especially in the US, has agreed to the request of the Samaritans of Sakthikulangara and Yuvajana Sushrusha Samithi to render music lessons to the Church Choir and the laity.
“Let’s see what I can do to improve the quality of music rendered. Music in most churches these days are more cinematic than devotional. Music is supposed to be based only on ACTS, which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Anything that creates a different mood is not part of the liturgy,” Amaldev told TOI. According to the musician, who won the state award for best music thrice and churned out an innumerable number of devotional songs and choral music, organs are the best-recommended musical instrument for Church choirs, whereas keyboards are the least welcome. “We used to have pedal harmoniums in churches, but as time passed and the quest for the original faded away, people started using instruments like keyboards that were originally meant f.