May 11, 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:

Speak Lord, in the Stillness – Don Hustad

Emily May Grimes (1868-1927) went to South Africa as a missionary in 1893. In 1904, she married Dr. T. W. W. Crawford of the Christian Missionary Society in Kikuyu, British East Africa. She wrote the hymn “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness” (also called “The Quiet Hour”). It was first published in 1920  Englishman Harold Green served with the South Africa General Mission in Pondoland, a region on the eastern coast of South Africa. He wrote a tune for “The Quiet Hour”, and it was first published in 1920.  “The Quiet Hour” relates to our need to have a daily time in God’s Word and in prayer - to draw aside from the busy bustle and noise of our routine to commune with God and listen to Him speak to our hearts through the Scriptures.  The hymn recalls Eli’s instructions to the boy Samuel: “If He [God] calls you…you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears’” (I Sam. 3:9). And David’s testimony: “Truly my soul silently waits for God” (Ps. 62:1).

Speak, Lord, in the stillness while I wait on Thee;
hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.

Speak, O blessed Master, in this quiet hour;
let me see your face, Lord, feel your touch of power.

For the words You speak, Lord, they are life indeed;
living bread from heaven, now on my spirit feed!

Fill me with the knowledge of your glorious will;
all your own good pleasure in your child fulfill.

Don Hustad (1918-2013) was one of the giants of Christian music of the 20th century. Hustad had a distinguished ministry and a life-long profession as a recording artist, composer, arranger, teacher, conductor, hymnal editor, and author.  He began work as staff musician of Chicago's WMBI in the early 1940s, worked with soloist George Beverly Shea on a weekly broadcast called "Club Time," and served for some 20 years as organist for a popular radio broadcast "Songs in the Night." He taught at Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee, Illinois from 1946 to 1950, at which time Hustad was appointed director of the Sacred Music Department at Moody Bible Institute—a position he held until 1961.  During his 11-year tenure at Moody he developed the Moody Chorale into a superior choral ensemble that achieved fame nationally and internationally.   In 1961 he became Crusade organist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and directed the Crusader Men Choir in the "Hour of Decision" broadcasts.  His publications include over 100 articles and five books.  Throughout his career, Hustad devoted considerable energy to music arranging and hymnal editing, serving as editorial consultant and musical advisor to Hope Publishing Company. Among his editorial contributions are fourteen hymnals and songbooks, as well as dozens of collections.  In 1989, Hustad was awarded Fellow of the Hymn Society for his outstanding contribution to American hymnody.  In 2008, he was honored by the American Choral Director's Association Southern Division Conference for his contributions to church music. He earned diplomas as an Associate of the American Guild of Organists (AAGO) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), London, UK.

 

Preghiera – Oreste Ravanello

“Preghiera” is the Italian word for “prayer”.  In the 19^th century many composers for the organ wrote meditative pieces titled “prayer” for use at quiet times in worship, as an introduction or following prayer.  This “Preghiera” is from a suite entitled “Christus Resurrexit”  (Christ has risen).  Oreste Ravanello (1871-1938) was an Italian composer and organist. Ravanello studied organ and composition at the Liceo Musicale in Venice before he was appointed organist of the San Marco Cathedral at the age of seventeen. He also taught at the Conservatory of Music in Venice and, then, became director of Instituto Musicale in Padua.  As an organ recitalist, he was well-known recitalist well known for his improvisations. His compositions are intended for the church:  30 Masses, Te Deums, etc., as well as numerous works for organ and piano. His style is late romantic and melodious.

Prelude on “Iste Confessor” – Healey Willan

The hymn “Iste confessor” was composed in honor of St. Martin in the eighth century, and was later appointed to be sung as the Office Hymn on the feasts of confessors.  It is found in many of the monastic breviaries:  Sarum (11^th century England), York (14^th century England), Aberdeen (15^th century Scotland), and the Mozarabic (16^th century Spain) and Roman (12^th century Rome).  Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern (1594-1648) paraphrased the text in a German hymn using the 8^th century Latin melody.  Philip Pusey (1799-1855) wrote an English hymn based on this German hymn text which was published in Psalm and Hymn Tunes in 1840.  Löwenstern and Pusey have, thus, altered a memorial hymn to create a prayer hymn for general use.

 

Lord of our life, and God of our salvation, Star of our night, and hope of every nation,              Hear and receive Thy Church's supplication, Lord God Almighty. 

Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us;

Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;
And in the day when hell itself assails us, Grant us Your peace.

Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging,
Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,
Peace when the world its endless war is waging, Peace in Your heaven.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) was an Canadian organist and composer.  He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano, but is best known for his religious music.  Willan was born in England, and he began musical training at age eight, with studies at St. Saviour's Choir School in Eastbourne.  He earned, by examination in organ playing, harmony, counterpoint, history and orchestration, the Royal College of Organists' Associateship in 1897 and Fellowship in 1899. The Anglo-Catholic Tractarian movement led to an Anglican revival of plainsong, and in 1910, Willan joined the London Gregorian Association (which strove to preserve and revive "plain-chant").  In 1913, Willan emigrated to Canada.  In 1921, he become Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), where he remained until his death.  St. Mary Magdalene, under Willan, became a North American mecca for choral and Anglican church musicians.  In 1920, the Toronto Conservatory (now the Royal Conservatory of Music) appointed Willan Head of its Theory Department.  In 1934, he founded the Tudor Singers, which he conducted until it disbanded in 1939.  From 1937 to 1950, Willan was University of Toronto Professor of Music and Organist. When the Order of Canada was established in 1967, it named Willan a Companion. In Britain, it was customary for the Archbishop of Canterbury to occasionally grant very distinguished English cathedral musicians the Lambeth Doctorate, Mus. D Cantaur; in 1956, Willan, "the Dean of Canadian composers", became the first non-English church musician to be so honoured.  People who remember Willan from his time at St Mary Magdalene's like to moderate his somewhat dourly pious public image by quoting him: "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption."

About the Choral Music:

A Celtic Prayer – Michael Ekbladh

Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael E. Ekbladh has served numerous churches in Dallas, Houston, Ft. Worth, and Illinois and Arkansas. He holds a Masters in Music-Conducting from Texas Christian University and has pursued a Masters in Sacred Music from Southern Methodist University. Michael currently serves as director of choirs for Pulaski Technical College in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is President-elect for the Arkansas Chapter of The Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians. Most recently, Michael served as Associate Director of Music and Arts for Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Copyright and License Administrator for the Choristers Guild.

In this anthem, Ekbladh has set texts from two sources.

          God be in my head, and in my understanding;

            God be in my mouth and in my speaking;

            God be in my heart and in my thinking;

            God be at my end and at my departing.

This portion of the text is from the Sarum Primer of 1514, which was a book of prayers and Christian worship resources in the Roman Catholic Church that was collected by the clergy at Salisbury Cathedral in the south central part of England. It was published in 1514 in the “Book of Hours” (Cambridge) and republished as the “Sarum Primer” in Salisbury in 1558. (“Sarum” is the abbreviation for Sarisburium, the Latin word for Salisbury, which was and is both a city and a diocese in England.).

            Christ be with me, Christ be within me,

            Christ behind me and Christ before me,

            Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

            Christ to comfort and restore me,

            Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

            Christ in hearts of all that love me,

            Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

This text is an excerpt of a prayer written by St. Patrick in 433, known as “St . Patrick’s Breastplate.”  According to tradition, St. Patrick wrote it for divine protection before successfully converting the Irish King Leoghaire and his subjects from paganism to Christianity.   For the full story, see  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm

About the Hymns:

Christ is Alive

Brian Wren (b. 1936) is Emeritus Professor of Worship, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. He is a writer, preacher, worship and workshop leader, and internationally published hymn-poet, with entries in most recent denominational hymnals in North America, Britain and Australia. Some of his hymn-poems have been translated into Finnish, French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and Korean.  Wren wrote this text in England, during April of 1968. Wren writes:

It was written for Easter Sunday, two weeks after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I could not let Easter go by without speaking of this tragic event which was on all our minds. . . . The hymn tries to see God's love winning over tragedy and suffering in the world. . . . There is tension and tragedy in these words, not just Easter rejoicing.

First published in the British supplement New Church Praise (1975), the text was revised by Wren in 1978.  "Christ Is Alive" is a joyful celebration of Christ's resurrection and of his personal rule in a human world in which pain, war, and injustice abound. Christ’s transcendent and immanent reign is empowered by the Holy Spirit and will ultimately bring about a new creation.

In God Alone

The Taizé Community is a community ecumenical based in Taize in France. Founded in 1940 by Brother Roger, it brings together a hundred brothers from around the world and have chosen to live together a life of prayer and celibacy in simplicity. The unity of Christian denominations and care for young adults are among the commitments of the Community since its inception.  The Taizé Community was founded in Taizé in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz, with the goal of "building a life together in which the gospel of reconciliation would be a concretely lived reality".  The Taizé songs are sung by the worshiping community, with times and translations in various languages. The celebrations include long moments of silence for meditation.  Songs of Taizé, a passage from the gospel, a time of silence, meditations, prayers are linked for 40 to 50 minutes.

“In God Alone” is a chant from the Taizé tradition.  It would have been sung repeatedly, for 30 minutes or more, as a litany.  During the singing a cantor might chant various scriptures.   In this way, the chant is used to center the mind, blocking out distractions, for prayer and meditation.

Breath on Me, Breath of God

Edwin Hatch (1835-1883) was an English minister and educator.  His hymn-writing was limited. “Breathe on me, Breath of God” was published in Allon's Congregational Psalmist Hymnal, 1886. The text is a prayer for renewal by God's Spirit, a renewal that is to be expressed in a life of love, in purity of heart and will, and in an intimacy with God that heralds the perfection of eternal life. In both Hebrew and Greek the Word for "spirit" is the same as "wind/air/breath"; thus, in this text the Spirit of God is referred to as "Breath of God."