THE LOVE MOVEMENT

YESTERDAY & TODAY
BERNADETTE SCOTT TALKS ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVEMENT AND WHERE IT IS TODAY

The Love Movement was born from an idea I had in 1972 to add a little sparkle to my performance at Trinidad Country Club's Annual concert. Instead of performing alone, I invited a few girls from my Church choir to sing with me. Our offering was a hit. The following year I decided to use my talents and those of my friends to raise funds for the poor. The Love Movement's first full-length concert took place at the Holy Name Convent Hall in 1973 and was entitled "Love Must Be The Reason".

In the early years, The Love Movement concerts featured Pop, Folk, Religious and Calypso music. This grew to include light Classical and Negro Spirituals when it became a mixed voice choir in 1975. The members of the group enjoyed dancing, acting and drama, so all our music was presented in this way, which made it more exciting and appealing to the public.

The style of our costumes has changed from mini-skirts and high-heeled shoes to flowing robes and garments that are less revealing! More cloth, more movement, more dramatic expression! Our accompaniment was a live band led by my close and special friend Maurice Connor on piano. He was responsible for the arrangement of our songs. Names like Mervyn de Gannes, Vic Gonsalves, Mike Georges, Sandra Scott, Dave Protain, Angus Nunes, Stephen Bayne and Kathleen Yip Choy will ring a bell in the minds of those who attended our concerts in the early days. These are a few of the people who provide the back up music for us to sing. Now I use taped accompaniment, as it is easier to obtain, less expensive and more portable, since we moved about frequently with our ministry of evangelism.

My dear friend Barry Francheschi was responsible for giving the group its name and we will always cherish the years he spent with us being our Artistic Director and costume and set designer. We miss him very much and will hold the memories of our times together in a special place in our hearts.

Fifteen years ago I began to have misgivings about whether The Love Movement was doing enough to make a real difference in people's lives. It was true that the group was enjoying enormous popularity and that we were continually donating to charity, but even so I felt I was not doing enough to touch people's hearts and feed the hunger in their souls.

Around the same time I witnessed a performance by the Continental Singers which changed my life and the direction The Love Movement would take. They combined upbeat Christian music with dramatic moves and interpretation and I knew instinctively that this would be the best route for The Love Movement to take.

The first Gospel musical we presented was "Dreamer" in 1986. It stands out as our most successful ad highly acclaimed production and because of this we would repeat it for our 25^th Anniversary concert, which opens on Thursday, November 20^th at the Central bank Auditorium. Through this musical The Love Movement was able to evangelize and the public's response confirmed my feelings that The Love Movement's call lay in evangelizing through our music.

The Love Movement took another direction in 1991, when we decided to reach out to the youth through our music. Our Youth Outreach Programme was born out of the desire to provide them with a release for their energies and frustrations, which invariably caused them to succumb to negative peer pressure. It was not long after that I was approached and encouraged to start a programme for the younger ones, whose parents were eager to find a way to channel their children's energies and talents into a positive force, while they were still young and pliable. In 1991 another baby was born into The Love Movement family.

Looking back there are so many 'outstanding' events and experiences that I would like to share, but space limits me to mention a few. There was the recording of the first album "Feelings", which was never released to the public, because of financial constraints. I sang three solos on that album and we will be making it available to the public at our upcoming concert. Our 10^th Anniversary concert "Memory of Love" when our Country and Western section sent the audiences wild! "Dreamer" our first Gospel musical. "Scroll" our second in 1992. Our guest appearance with "All Stars Orchestra".

Our concert at the world famous St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York transported our bodies and souls to the realms of Heaven as the "Hallelujah Chorus" was sung to the strains of the music from one of the greatest pipe organs in the world. Sharing our music with the people of Harlem in New York and hearing their shouts of "Amen", "Praise God" made us realize that though poor, they were so rich in spirit. The entire tour of Barbados and USA helped to knit us closer as a family as we shared so many hours together.

The Outreach Programme, the video "The Message", our Christmas video and our concerts at the Brian Lara Promenade after which we were given an opportunity to minister to some of the poor and homeless people in the area through prayer. Our all night vigils, when we spend time in prayer together.

Yes, The Love Movement has grown, given birth and changed direction over the past 25 years. I feel a sense of pride and joy but this is underlined by a humility and gratitude to God for His Amazing Love for us, as He continues to use us, all the members of The Love Movement, both young and old, to spread his message of love and healing to the world.
 
 

MOVEMENTS & ACHIEVEMENTS

Bernadette Scott reviews her past twenty-five years with a critical eye and remarks philosophically that God has used her for a far greater work than could have been achieved had she still been performing as a soloist.

She compares herself to a tree that must be pruned in order for new life to spring forth. The comparison is very fitting, for it was only after the very painful experience of losing her voice that Bernadette turned to evangelizing, and started a youth ministry programme. She also began writing her own music and has produced two albums of her original compositions. The music video of her song, The Message, which deals with promiscuity among young people, has appeared on television in England, the United States, and the Caribbean. Another of her compositions, The Appeal, speaks to the taxi drivers and DJs and appeals to them to change the music in order to save the lives of the youth. As one of the lines in the songs says, "So when we hear the words, 'flex, time to have sex,' don't hold your head and bawl when we use your daughter next!"

All of Bernadette Scott's compositions speak of her love of country and her people. People of La Trinity, which is now considered a national song, speaks of racial harmony, and Christmas in Our Twin Islands speaks of the uniqueness of Christmas in Trinidad and Tobago. Some of her other compositions are Spiritual Revolution, What Have You Brought to the Manger? Why Do We Leave Christ out of Christmas? Dance de Parang, See the Baby Jesus, Reflections, which spoke about the attempted coup in 1990, and Parang Gloria. She has also written a Folk Mass, hymns and other songs still to be recorded.

Looking back at the Love Movement's concerts, one can see a conscious attempt to include Christian values in their shows. The group's major concert titles easily support this statement.
 
 

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