John Hallett M

Continuing in John Hallett: From A to Z

M = Music

This was John Hallett’s life!

“But he loved baseball and he loved music, but ultimately it was music that won out, because of his love for music. (emphasis added)

"Those loves stayed with him throughout his life. And his musical gifts attracted the, then famous, evangelist Harry Vom Bruch. And while still a young man, just after high school, having the gift from God to play the piano, (a few people have been able to play the piano) he began traveling with Dr. Harry Vom Bruch in those evangelistic campaigns. It was during that time that he went to the Moody Bible Institute where I also attended. And it was for that reason that he and I have been friends for these past sixty years. And I got to know something about Johnnie. He got to know some of my foibles. I never discovered any of his. But anyhow, it was while traveling with Dr. Harry Vom Bruch that Johnnie enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute. And it was there that our friendship of more than sixty year was begun and continued to the very hour that the Lords saw that his work was done.” (recounted by his life-long friend Dr. Carl (Kelly) Bihl during John Hallett’s Memorial Service)

As you read through the postings on this blog, you will see many aspects of John’s music and musicianship, his colleagues and his accomplishments. He also did a lot of writing for talks at workshops, clinics and in his church choir ministry. The following expresses his heart about the purpose and value of good sacred music.

The Purpose and Value of Good Sacred Music:

1. Spiritual songs in soul-winning effort create an evangelistic atmosphere, tune and temper the heart as nothing else can do. It kindles the revival fires.

2. It enriches the life of the preacher and people and brings the power of God into the hearts of men. The prophet Elisha valued music as the instrument which brought on him the hand of God in order that he might prophesy aright (2 Kings 3:14.,15)

3. It gives the martial spirit to the people as they make their marches against sin. It stirs men to their best in the service of God.

4. It is a powerful evangel of the Gospel. It preaches and teaches mightily the truth of God. The basic doctrines of grace are taught and applied in human hearts in a most effective way by gospel song.

5. Its spiritual cultural effect is very great. It lifts and elevated the people and gives wings to their aspirations.

6. It wins souls. Conviction is carried by song into hearts never otherwise open to the Gospel. It melts and breaks down hard hearts.

7. It unites, cements and solidifies fellowship and marshals the forces of Christ’s Kingdom. Gospel song will aid greatly in the unification of Christian people.

(un-dated notes from John C. Hallett’s files)

Minister of Music

1947-1955 Minister of Music at Brookdale Baptist Church Bloomfield, New Jersey,
Dr. Charles W. Anderson, Pastor.

Spring 1955 – October 15, 1967 Minister of Music Long Hill Chapel Chatham, New Jersey, Pastor Lee Webber

1967-1977 Minister of Music First Baptist Church of Lakewood, Long Beach, California, Dr. James A. Borror, pastor.

In addition to planning music for the services of the church, he directed and supervised the Sanctuary Choir, the Choristers, handbells, children’s and youth choirs, orchestra and ensembles. During this time he continued to arrange and compose.

Lakewood Choristers
First Baptist Church of Lakewood
Long Beach, California, Dr. James A. Borror, pastor. (undated photo)
(click pages to enlarge)




Mentor

John was a mentor to many people, including students young and old. I first learned about one he mentored as a boy in an interview with Ruth. “Bill Mial. He’s way up in Trans World Radio. We use do pick him up. Johnny had that Radio Kids Roundup and we’d pick him up…He and his sister played the trumpet. And he’d play…and we knew that guy from just a kid.”

Bill Mial wrote to me: “John in many ways was my primary mentor when playing my trumpet with his team (I was around 11 yrs old at the time!!). So, the relationship goes back a ways!!” (6/8/07 e-mail)

Bill went from being an 11 year old trumpet player to an illustrious career as a Trans World Radio missionary and strategic global initiatives representative. His work has included being the founder of TWR- India 1978, former Director of Trans World Radio-Bonair, former Director, TWR Europe,

Bill’s wife, Joan, his partner in ministry all these years, share her thoughts about John as a mentor to Bill and to her in an e-mail:

“From the time Bill Mial and I met at John Brown University I began to hear about John and Ruth Hallett. They were such a big part of Bill's adolescent years from the time he began to play the trumpet after a few lessons from a Salvation Army bandsman at age 9. Johnnie Hallett and Larry McGill had started a ministry called Radio Kids Round-up and Bill began to play with that group.

One summer Johnnie put together a Gospel team comprising a girls' trio, men's quartet and Bill as trumpeter. The first stop was York, Pennsylvania, for a series of meetings organized by Pastor Boyer. Johnnie was the pianist. Bill, a young teenager, was very impressed with the He-man broad shoulders on the two young men who had come to preach and lead the singing. One night after the service, the whole team went out for ice cream and again Bill was admiring those shoulders. Then one of the fellows said to the other, "Hey, I like your sport jacket." The other replied, "Wow, I like yours too. Let's trade!" So, off came the jackets and to Bill's great disappointment a lot of the broad shoulders was in the jackets and not on the 2 men! It seems neither of these young men had much of a wardrobe so they traded jackets in order to avoid wearing the same thing at each meeting.

The names of these 2 men were Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows! You can imagine everyone's surprise when a few years later they became famous from coast to coast because of God's blessing on their meetings in California.

I remember Johnnie mentioning one time that Mr. Graham had invited him to be their pianist and travel with them in their evangelistic ministry. Instead, Johnnie became one of the founders of Northeastern Bible Institute in Essex Fells, New Jersey and was head of the music department. Bill and I sang and traveled with the NBI choir under Johnnie's leadership. I must say, I learned more voice technique from singing under Johnnie's direction than I had learned in a year of private lessons.

Truly, Ruth and Johnnie Hallett were Bill's mentors during his youth, and in the years before we joined Trans World Radio and went to the mission field they helped us 'young marrieds' greatly as well as advising us in our deputation experience of raising support and starting out in Christian ministry. Years later Johnnie was asked to join the board of directors of Trans World Radio and this pleased us very much. It was our joy to host them in Monte-Carlo and on the island of Bonaire, two of the places where we served. We have always considered the Halletts some of our dearest friends and most faithful prayer partners.

Johnnie was also a prolific composer of gospel music and we feel he was far ahead of his time. Many of his songs could and should be a part of today's 'worship music'. One of his early compositions, for which Ruthie wrote the words, 'Thank You, Jesus, For All You've Done' is still a favorite of ours.

Johnnie also brought much blessing and joy into people's lives when he formed his own Chorale and took it out in ministry. Johnnie's life and music was a testimony to the goodness of God and to his own commitment to Jesus Christ. The opening line of one of his songs sums up John C. Hallett's life, "My Song of Songs is Christ My Savior."(Sent: July 10, 2007)

Radio Kids’ Roundup: a radio program organized by John Hallett and Larry McGuill, 1947, Paterson, N.J. (left picture: John Hallett, director, far right, front row)

(click on picture to enlarge)

The group of which Bill Mial was a member.