Day 87: Thanking God for the gift of music (1960)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 87 of 150 days of prayer.

• ‘The singers and the musicians will say, “All our blessings come from you, Zion.”’ (Psalm 87:7, EasyEnglish Bible). 

1960

On 11 November 1960, The South Wales Gazette and Newport News wrote:

‘Tomorrow will bring us the opportunity to pay the town’s tribute to the Abertillery Salvation Army Band for they will be celebrating their 70th – yes, 70th – anniversary. The pioneers of 1890 had plenty of enthusiasm – but only two instruments… For 64 of those years there has been a Bandmaster Veal in command [Albert and his two sons Ray and Vincent].’

Asking, ‘Did you know?’ the Abertillery souvenir brochure included a fascinating fact about a former band member:

‘Anthony Yorath, who won the cornet championship of Great Britain at the Crystal Palace pre 1914 and [was] later principal cornet in Her Majesty’s Grenadier Guards, learnt his music at Abertillery and played in the band for a while.’

It also referred to ‘Howard Snell, the well-known brass band conductor, composer and arranger’ and said: ‘His father, Frank, was a bass player in the band before entering the training college … and his grandfather was Corps Sergeant-Major Andrew Snell.’

Prayer

• Thank God for the gift of music. We can easily reflect the words of the psalmist: ‘The singers and the musicians will say, “All our blessings come from you…”’ (Psalm 87:7).