The Federation is indebted to Mrs. Thomas J. Cole of Amory, Mississippi, for arranging the Federation Collect which is now used by the Federation and its Clubs to open all meetings.

Mrs. Cole composed the beautiful prayer for a meeting of the Mississippi Federation of Music Clubs in 1929, using excerpts from the Ritual which had been written for the Chicago Biennial Convention Song Book by Mrs. Frank A. Seiberling, Past President of NFMC.

In 1938, Collects also written by Mrs. Cole were formally adopted for use by the Student and Junior Divisions. (See Student Collect and Junior Collect)

Numerous musical settings have been written for the Collects. In 1945 a three part women’s chorus musical setting written by Gertrude M. Rohrer of Pennsylvania and copyrighted was officially adopted for use by the National Federation of Music Clubs. A “Musical Setting” for three part treble voices was first used by the Junior Division in 1942 and in 1970, “Gratitude for Music”, a musical setting for two part treble voices, words by May Belle Cole, music by Mary Mann Hepburn, was adopted as the Official Junior Musical Collect.

Sheet music for these settings are available for purchase.

The Federation Collect

We praise and thank Thee, Father, for the gift of music. Through us, as channels of Thy grace, may this blessed legacy be shared with all mankind. Grant that we may exemplify in our own lives the harmony of Thy great purpose for us.

Give us magnitude of soul, and such understanding hearts that we who make music may be as players upon rightly tuned instruments responding to Thy leading.

Let us with renewed consecration dedicate ourselves to the purpose of our Federation, to bring the spiritualizing force of music to the inner life of our nation. Open our minds that divine knowledge and wisdom may teach us how best to execute our pledge.

Mrs. Thomas J. Cole
Excerpts from A Musical Ritual,
Mrs. Frank A. Seiberling