April 6, 2014

Each week, you may find information here about the organ music and hymns in the traditional worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas.  Some of this information is original; much of it is "borrowed" from other sources such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org.  It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.  

About the Organ Music:

I Wonder (as I Wander) – David Evan Thomas

"I Wonder as I Wander" is a folk hymn written by folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles. The hymn has its origins in a song fragment collected by Niles on July 16, 1933. While in the town of Murphy in Appalachian North Carolina, Niles attended a fundraising meeting held by evangelicals who had been ordered out of town by the police. In his unpublished autobiography, he wrote of hearing the song:

A girl had stepped out to the edge of the little platform attached to the automobile. She began to sing. Her clothes were unbelievable dirty and ragged, and she, too, was unwashed. Her ash-blond hair hung down in long skeins.... But, best of all, she was beautiful, and in her untutored way, she could sing. She smiled as she sang, smiled rather sadly, and sang only a single line of a song.

The girl, named Annie Morgan, repeated the fragment seven times in exchange for a quarter per performance, and Niles left with "three lines of verse, a garbled fragment of melodic material—and a magnificent idea".  Based on this fragment, Niles composed the version of "I Wonder as I Wander" that is known today, extending the melody to four lines and the lyrics to three stanzas. It was originally published in Songs of the Hill Folk in 1934.

Although often sung at Christmas, the text of the first verse is very appropriate for Lent.

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on'ry people like you and like I...
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

The music of David Evan Thomas has been praised for its eloquence, power, and craft.  A 2013 McKnight Foundation Fellow, he has also received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Guild of Organists.  Born in 1958, Thomas received degrees from Northwestern University, Eastman School of Music, and the University of Minnesota.

Wondrous Love – Dale Wood

What Wondrous Love Is This is sometimes described as a "white spiritual", from the American South. Its text was first published in 1811, during the Second Great Awakening, and its melody derived that of from an English popular ballad. The hymn's lyrics were first published in Lynchburg, Virginia in the c. 1811 camp meeting songbook A General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use. The lyrics may also have been printed, in a slightly different form, in the 1811 book Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected published in Lexington, Kentucky. In most early printings, the hymn's text was attributed to an anonymous author, though the 1848 hymnal The Hesperian Harp attributes the text to a Methodist pastor from Oxford, Georgia named Alexander Means.  Camp meeting attendees during the Second Great Awakening would sing the hymns printed in these hymnals to a variety of popular melodies, including "The Ballad of Captain Kidd", which was well known at the time; this is likely how the text and melody came to be paired.  The text and melody were first published together in The Southern Harmony, a book of shape note hymns compiled by William Walker.  In 1966, the United Methodist Hymnal became the first standard hymnal to incorporate “What Wondrous Love Is This”.  Today it is a widely known hymn included in many hymnals. 

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul!

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing!

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I’ll sing on.

Dale Wood (1934-2003) was a prominent composer, organist, choral director, and clinician.  He was honored many times by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “very important contribution towards the creation and development of contemporary American church music”.  He wrote many collections of organ works, most of which are based on both old and new hymn tunes.  Over eight million copies of his publications have been purchased in over 50 countries.

Passion – Reger

"Herzliebster Jesu" (often translated into English as "Ah, Holy Jesus", sometimes as "O Dearest Jesus") is a German hymn written in 1630 by Johann Heermann. Heerman took his inspiration for "Ah, Holy Jesus" from a Latin text attributed to either Augustine (354-430) or Jean de Fecamp (c.1000-1079). The poetry was originally published in a fifteenth-century devotional book entitled Meditationes sanctorum patrum. Heerman's hymn version first appeared in his Devoti Musica Cordis, ca. 1630. Heerman wrote during the Thirty Years War, a time when many hymn writers became introspective. Writing during this time of uncertainty and trouble, Heerman's hymn emerged from a backdrop of his own personal suffering.

Its tune, also called "Herzliebster Jesu", was written ten years later by Johann Crüger. The hymn first appeared in Crüger's Neues vollkömmliches Gesangbuch Augsburgischer Confession (1640).

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted. 

 

The celebrated German composer Johann Baptist Joseph  Maximilian Reger (1873-1916), was the son of a school-teacher and amateur musician, who gave him instruction on the piano organ, and various string instruments. In 1874 the family moved to Weiden, where he studied organ and theory with Adalbert Lindner. He then attended the teacher-training college; after visiting the Bayreuth Festival in 1888, he decided on a career in music. He went to Sondershausen to study with Riemann in 1890, and continued as his pupil in Wiesbaden (1890-1893).  From 1890 to 1896, Max Reger was active as a teacher of piano, organ, and

theory. Following military service, he returned to Weiden in 1898 and wrote a number of his finest works for organ. He went to Munich in 1901, first gaining general recognition as a pianist and later as a composer.  He was professor of counterpoint at the Königliche Akademie der Tonkünst. He went to Leipzig as music director of the University and as professor of composition at the Conservatory.

Max Reger's fame as a composer was enhanced by his successful tours as a soloist and conductor in Germany and throughout Europe. Max Reger was an extraordinarily gifted musician, widely respected as a composer, pianist, organist, conductor and teacher. A master of polyphonic and harmonic writing, he carried on the hallowed Classical and Romantic schools of composition. Although he wrote major works in nearly every genre, he is best known for his organ compositions.

Aus Tiefer Not – Max Drischner

Martin Luther (1483-1546) is important in the history of hymnody for restoring congregational singing in worship. In addition, Luther wrote hymns and composed hymn tunes. Luther was one of the primary theologians of the Protestant Reformation and established the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany. Lutheranism eventually spread throughout Europe and North America.  Luther had a unique theological perspective: Justification by Faith (salvation is a gift from God and is available through acceptance. It is not attained through 'works.').  Luther's theological views are evident in his hymns.   Luther wrote both the text and tune of “Aus Tiefer Not (Out of the deep)” and published it in the Achtliederbuch in 1524, one of several hymnals he published.  The text is based on Psalm 130.

Out of the deep I cry to thee; O Lord God, hear my crying:
Incline thy gracious ear to me, With prayer to thee applying.
For if thou fix thy searching eye On all sin and iniquity,
Who, Lord, can stand before thee?

For this, my hope in God shall rest, Naught building on my merit;
My heart confides, of him possest, His goodness stays my spirit.
His precious word assureth me; My solace, my sure rock is he,
Whereon my soul abideth.

What though our sins are manifold? Supreme his mercy reigneth;
No limit can his hand withhold, Where evil most obtaineth.
He the good Shepherd is alone, Who Israel will redeem and won,
Forgiving all transgression.

Max Drischner (1891-1971) was a German composer, Kantor, organist, and harpsichordist.  Drischner was born in Silesia. After completing his secondary education, he pursued studies in theology in Leipzig and Breslau, beginning in 1910. By 1914, however, he had decided to quit his theological studies in favor of studying music. At this time, Drischner relocated to Berlin, and was enrolled in the Berlin University of the Arts, where he studied harpsichord.  In 1924, Drischner was named Kantor and organist of St. Nicholas Church in Brieg.  While in Brieg, Drischer built a reputation for himself as a choirmaster, as well, organizing and directing many successful events, and founding a youth choir. This earned him a renown that stretched beyond Brieg. His efforts earned him the title of Kirchenmusikdirektor ("Church music director"), a very high honor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

About the Hymns:

Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service

Albert F. Bayly (1901-1984) was ed­u­cat­ed at Lon­don Un­i­ver­si­ty and Mans­field Coll­ege, Ox­ford.  Be­gin­ning in the late 1920’s, he served at four Cong­re­ga­tion­al church­es in North­um­ber­land, Lan­ca­shire and East York­shire; in 1962, he be­came pas­tor in Thax­ted, Es­sex.  Af­ter re­tir­ing in 1971, he moved to Spring­field, Chelms­ford, and was ac­tive in the local Unit­ed Re­formed Church.  He wrote sev­er­al pa­geants on mis­sion themes, and li­bret­tos for can­ta­tas by W. L. Lloyd Web­ber (father of Andrew). 

Bayly wrote this text in response to a Hymn Society of America search for new hymns on social welfare. It was chosen as the theme hymn for the Second National Conference on the Churches and Social Welfare held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 23-27, 1961. The Hymn Society published the text in Seven New Social Welfare Hymns (1961).

 Jesus Paid It All

The words to the song ”Jesus Paid It All” were written by Elvina Hall (1822-1889) in 1865. Elvina was a member of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. The Choir Director of the same church was John Thomas Grape (1835-1915). Unaware of Elvina's composition, Grape composed a tune he called “All To Christ I Owe”. Grape related the story:

Our church was un­der­go­ing re­pairs, and the cab­i­net or­gan was placed in my care. Thus afford­ed a plea­sure not be­fore en­joyed, I de­light­ed my­self in play­ing over some of our Sun­day school hymns. I de­ter­mined to give tan­gi­ble shape to a theme that had been run­ning in my mind for some time. I made it a matter of pray­er and stu­dy and gave to the pub­lic the mu­sic now known as “All to Christ I Owe.” It was pro­nounced ve­ry poor by my choir and friends, but my dear wife per­sist­ent­ly de­clared that it was a good piece of mu­sic and would live. Time has proved the cor­rect­ness of her jud­gment. Soon af­ter, the Rev. George W. Schreck [pastor of Monument Street] called on me to se­lect an­y­thing new that I had to of­fer. On hear­ing this piece he ex­pressed his plea­sure with it and stat­ed that Mrs. El­vi­na M. Hall had writ­ten some words that would just suit the mu­sic. I gave him a co­py of it and it was soon sung in sev­er­al church­es here in Bal­ti­more [Mar­y­land] and well re­ceived. At the sug­gest­ion of friends I sent a co­py to Pro­fess­or The­o­dore Perk­ins and it was pub­lished in Sab­bath Car­ols. Un­der the pro­vi­dence of God it has been go­ing ev­er since. I trust that it has not failed to ac­comp­lish some good to my fel­low-men for the glo­ry of God.

Are Ye Able

Earl Bowman Marlatt (1892–1976) was an American theologian and poet.  He graduated from DePauw University and Boston University School of Theology. In 1923, he began teaching in the Boston University. From 1945 to 1957, he taught at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology.  He wrote many hymns, one of the best known being “Are Ye Able”.  He also collected church hymns, with the intent to establish a museum. Many of his papers are held at DePauw University. A signed manuscript of his hymn“Are Ye Able” actually written Feb. 23, 1926, is included in the Bridwell Library Manuscript and Documents Collection.  The text is based on Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.”

 Now Let Us From This Table Rise

The author of this hymn, the Rev Fred Kaan, was born in the Netherlands in 1929. As a young boy, his evening prayer had a three-fold thrust: 1) that their house will not burn down, 2) that his parents will not die early, and 3) that there will be no war.  The first two petitions were “granted” but the third one was not. Kaan spent five years under the Nazi Occupation where he saw his father become the leader of the resistance movement in their neighborhood and his mother a gunrunner who sheltered a Jew and one political prisoner for two-and-a-half years. He saw this as an added risk to their daily living. His experience of the war marked in him a profound and deep concern over peace and justice. 

After the war, he moved to the UK and it was there that he eventually joined the ordained ministry. During his first pastorate, a young postman, a church member, approached him and said: “I am leaving church!” Kaan asked why, and the postman replied “because the hymns don’t send me any longer!” This reply struck Kaan and he thought “if the hymns we sang in church paralysed my postman friend … then the mission of the church is seriously impaired”. This was when Kaan started to look at hymns with a critical ear.  As a minister at the Pilgrim Church in Plymouth, England he became seriously involved in exploring new ways of worship and service. He searched for hymns that “proclaimed the Gospel in the modern city in a language that can be understood”. Because he found very few he began to write hymns that spoke about justice, peace, social action and healing in broken relationships, communities and in the world.

The first hymn that he wrote was “Now Let Us From This Table Rise,” a post-communion hymn. He wrote this with the following questions in mind: “What happens after we have shared the bread and wine at the Lord’s Table? How do we make that vital transition from worship to service, from celebration to action?”