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 and Handbell Music:Thine be the Glory, from “Judas Maccabeus” – Handel/ arr. Brian Childers Tintinnabulators
Thine is the glory, risen,
conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes where Thy body lay.
Thine is
the glory, risen conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, Thou o’er death hast won.
The tune is an
arrangement of a tune from the chorus "See, the Conquering Hero
Comes" in Handel's oratorio “Judas Maccabeus” (first performed
without this chorus in 1746). Handel initially used the tune in his oratorio “Joshua”
(1747) but transferred it to “Judas Maccabeus” in 1751; such changes were common in
Handel's operas and oratorios. Handel is reported to have said to a friend,
"you will live to see it [the tune] a greater favorite with the people than
my other finer things."
Brian Childers is an accomplished pianist, composer and
clinician. His choral, instrumental, and
handbell works have been performed frequently in churches across the nation and
abroad. He has been a featured performer and clinician at numerous music
conferences and workshops across the state of North Carolina. An ordained minister, he serves as minister
of music at First Baptist Church in Mount Holly, North Carolina. Brian directs
5 vocal choirs, 5 handbell choirs, and the church orchestra. Among Brian’s favorite groups is Drastic
Measures, an advanced children’s handbell group that rehearses three times each
week. This group of 8 children performs regularly throughout the community and
across the state.
Allegro,
from “Judas Maccabeus” – G. F. Handel
Georg Friederich Handel
(1685-1759) became a musician and composer despite objections from his father,
who wanted him to become a lawyer. Handel studied music with Zachau, organist
at the Halle Cathedral, and became an accomplished violinist and keyboard
performer. He traveled and studied in Italy for some time and then settled
permanently in England in 1713. Although he wrote a large number of
instrumental works, he is known mainly for his Italian operas, oratorios
(including “Messiah”,
1741), various anthems for church and royal festivities, and organ concertos,
which he interpolated into his oratorio performances. He composed only three hymn
tunes, one of which still appears in some modern hymnals. A number of hymnal editors,
including Lowell Mason, took themes from some of Handel's oratorios and turned
them into hymn tunes.
Judas Maccabaeus (HWV
63) is an oratorio in three acts composed in 1746 by George Frideric Handel
based on a libretto written by Thomas Morell. The oratorio was devised as a compliment to the
victorious Prince William
Augustus, Duke of Cumberland upon his return from the Battle of Culloden (16
April 1746). The first performance
took place on 1 April 1747 at Covent Garden, and Judas
Maccabaeus became one of Handel's most popular oratorios. Judas Maccabaeus is one of the few oratorios to have
remained popular from Handel's day through to the twenty-first century. A singular
hit with the Jewish population of London at the time, it remains a celebration
of the Feast of Hanukkah, which commemorates the events it depicts.
Spirited Spirituals – Fred Merrett
Rings
& Strings
Fred
Merrett is well known as a composer and arranger of handbell music, with more
than 100 publications. In 1966, when Merrett
introduced handbells into his high school music program in Winnipeg, it was a
first for Manitoba. Moving to Edmonton
in 1973, he again pioneered as the first teacher to acquire and utilize
handbells in a classroom in that city. There are presently over 100 sets now
being used in Edmonton schools, and 450 sets throughout the province of
Alberta. Merrett served the
American Guild as a member of the "Committee for Handbells in Formal
Education" for six years, and in this connection was on the teaching staff
at the Directors' Convention held in Denver, Colorado in 1990. He frequently conducts workshops for directors
and ringers in schools, churches, and senior citizen centers in Edmonton and
other parts of Canada and the U.S. He is
the founder/conductor of the Bronze Harmony Handbell Choir, a community group
which began in the Fall of 1986, and consists of graduates from his school
ringing groups, from the Handbell Sessions at IMC, teachers who use
handbells/handchimes in their music programs, or other interested adults who
love to ring handbells.
Merrett
has set five spirituals in this medley:
"Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" is a folk song composed by William L. Dawson. The song recounts the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel's divine vision.
Ezekiel saw the wheel; Way up in the
middle of the air.
Now Ezekiel saw the wheel in a wheel; Way
in the middle of the air.
And the big wheel run by Faith, good
Lordy;
And the little wheel run by the Grace
of God;
In the wheel in the wheel in the wheel
good Lord; Way in the middle of the air.
"Steal Away" was composed by Wallace Willis, Choctaw freedman in the old Indian Territory, sometime before 1862. Alexander Reid, a minister at a Choctaw
boarding school, heard Willis singing the songs and transcribed the words and
melodies.
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I ain’t got long to stay here.
"He's Got the Whole World in
His Hands" is a traditional American spiritual. It was first published in the paperbound hymnal Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New
in 1927.
He's got the whole world in his hands.
He's got the little bitty baby
in his hands.
He's got you and me brother in his hands.
He's got everybody here in his hands.
He's got the sun and the moon in his hands.
“There’s
No Hiding Place” is a traditional American spiritual first published in Folk
Songs of the American Negro (No. 1), in 1907.
There's no hiding place down here.
Well, I run to the rocks to hide my face.
The rocks cried out, "No hiding place".
There's no hiding place down here.
"It’s
Me, O Lord" is an African American spiritual, and, like many folk songs,
its origin is unknown. Both text and tune became well known after their
publication in The
Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925).
It's me, it's me,
O Lord, standing in the need of prayer;
it's me, it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
Souled Out - Youth Choir
God of Wonders – Marc Byrd and
Steve Hindalong
Marc Byrd (Common Children) and Steve Hindalong (The Choir) collaborated their
musical talents and topped Christian radio charts. "God of Wonders"
quickly made its way into Sunday morning worship repertoires with congregations
across America. Unlike many stories behind popular hymns from centuries ago,
"God of Wonders" wasn’t born out of tragedy but reflects "the
strong characteristics of God," according to Byrd. No strangers to writing
music together, it was Byrd who initially brought the chord progressions of
"God of Wonders" to Hindalong. Utilizing The Book of Common Prayer
for a portion of the song’s verses, Hindalong crafted lyrics that sparkle with
simplicity. "It’s just one of those things where a lot of us who write
songs all the time know you’d write something like that every day if you could,
but you just can’t… I will probably never write another ‘God of Wonders’
because it’s just one of those [moments]."
Lord of all
creation, of wter, earth and sky:
The heavens are Your tabernacle,
glory to the Lord on high!
God on wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy.
The universe declares Your majesty,
You are holy.
Lord of heaven and earth.
Early in the morning, I will
celebrate the light.
When I stumble in the darkness, I
will call Your name by night.
Hallelujah to the Lord of Heaven and
earth.
Precious Lord reveal Your heart to
me,
Father, hold me.
Wade in the Water – Moses Hogan
"Wade in the Water" is the name of a Negro spiritual first published in New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. Work. The song relates to both the Old and New Testaments. The verses reflect the Israelites' escape out of Egypt as found in Exodus:14. The chorus refers to the healing pool in John 5:4, "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."
It is associated with the songs of the Underground Railroad which contained explicit instructions to fugitive slaves on how to avoid capture and the route to take to successfully make their way to freedom. This particular song allegedly recommends leaving dry land and taking to the water as a strategy to throw pursuing bloodhounds off one's trail. It has repeatedly been reported that Harriet Tubman, who helped hundreds of slaves flee to the North, sang this spiritual as a warning to runaway slaves so she might be its author.
Moses George Hogan (1957 –2003) was an African-American composer and arranger of choral music. He was best known for his settings of over 50 spirituals. Hogan was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown. His works are celebrated and performed by high school, college, church, community, and professional choirs today. His most famous work is The Oxford Book of Spirituals, published in 2002. Born in New Orleans, he was awarded a full scholarship and studied piano performance at Oberlin Conservatory and the Julliard School. During his piano performance years, Hogan won several competitions including first place at the 28th Annual Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in New York. He was the founder and conductor of the Moses Hogan Chorale and the Moses Hogan Singers. He died suddenly at the age of 45 of a brain tumor.
Sing with All the Saints of Glory
The first time this hymn
appeared was in 1873, where it was published in the first edition of William J.
Irons’ Psalms and Hymns for the
Church. This collection of
hymns was supposed to provide hymns for offering, epistles, and gospels, and
also was labeled for use as an Advent and Lenten hymn. Though these are the official uses that are
named for the hymn, often times this hymn is sung for Easter. The hymn “Sing with All the Saints in Glory”
is found in several different denominations of the Christian faith, and each
one has the hymn listed in a different section of the hymnal. Though each denomination, Catholic, Lutheran,
and Methodist, have this hymn in their collections, the Methodist church has
been publishing this hymn for the longest time in their hymnals. “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” has been
published in a Methodist hymnal since 1878, only three years after the second
edition of the hymns original publication.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the great popularity of this hymn can be
traced to the very recognizable tune written by none other than Ludwig Van
Beethoven. The tune “Hymn to Joy” was
originally composed by Beethoven for J.C.F. von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” which
Beethoven wrote for a full chorus in the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony.
Born in England in 1812,
William J. Irons was the son of Joseph Irons, who happened to be a good friend
of John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace. In 1835, Irons took Holy Orders and became
involved in the ecclesiastical debates that were raging on during his time. He
published numerous documents on the topic in the form of sermons, pamphlets,
and letters, which all accumulated into his work, The Bampton Lectures, which was written in 1870. The work
covered Christianity as it was taught by St. Paul. W.J. Irons’ hymn writing
began during his curacy at St. Mary Newington, from 1835-1837, and continued
until his death in 1883.
Spirit of the Living God
This
is one of the most long-lasting and widely used choruses in Christian worship.
Every aspect of the song embodies a simple sincerity. The melody encompasses only five notes, and
three of the four lines repeat the same nine words. Yet for many, the
straightforward petitions of this song draw the singer into an attitude of
prayer.
During January and February of 1926, the George T. Stephans Evangelistic Party
conducted a citywide revival in the tabernacle in Orlando, Fla. Daniel Iverson, a Presbyterian minister from
Lumberton, N.C., spent several days in Orlando visiting with the Stephans team.
The day he arrived, he was greatly impressed by a message on the Holy Spirit
given by Dr. Barron, a physician from Columbia, S.C. Later that day Iverson went to the First
Presbyterian Church in Orlando, sat down at the piano, and wrote this song. Miss Birdie Loes, the pianist for the Stephans
team, wrote it out on manuscript paper. E. Powell Lee, the team song leader, was
immediately impressed and taught it to the people that evening in the
tabernacle, and used it throughout the campaign.
While the inspiration for the hymn is not known for certain, it is likely that
Iverson knew a hymn by Adelaide Pollard (1862-1934), “Have Thine Own Way,
Lord,” based on Jeremiah 18:6. The first
stanza of Pollard’s hymn uses similar language (“Mold me and make me”). Pollard’s
hymn was written about 25 years before Iverson’s 1926 composition.
The authorship of “Spirit of the Living
God” was lost for a time because the song could so easily be taught without
music or even printed words. It first appeared in Revival Songs
(1929) in a slightly revised version. Southern
Baptist gospel song composer B.B. McKinney made slight alterations and
published it again in his Songs of Victory (1937). E. Powell Lee, the song leader for the
Stephans evangelistic team, brought Iverson’s name to light and his name was
restored to the song in later printings of the Baptist Hymnal in the 1960s.
Have
Thine Own Way, Lord
Jeremiah 18:3-6 sets the scene for this hymn: "Then I went down to the potter's house,
and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of
clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel,
as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me,
saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD.
Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of
Israel."
The hymn was inspired in 1902 by a simple prayer of an elderly woman at a
prayer meeting: "It really doesn't matter what you do with us, Lord --
just have your way with our lives . . .."
The author, Adelaide A. Pollard (1862-1934) was born in Iowa. She moved to Chicago where she became a
teacher in girls' schools. In addition, she developed a fine reputation as an
itinerant Bible study teacher. Later, she worked with two evangelists, one who
developed a healing ministry, and the other who focused on the imminent return
of Christ. Pollard had a strong desire
to be a missionary in Africa. When this plan was not fulfilled, she taught at a
Missionary Training School at Nyack-on-the-Hudson. She finally made it to
Africa for a brief period before World War I, but she spent the war years in
Scotland. After returning to the United States, she continued her ministry even
though she was in poor health.
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord" was composed during a
time when Miss Pollard was trying to raise funds to make a trip to Africa. Her
unsuccessful attempt to do this left her experiencing a "distress of
soul." This crisis of the soul and the simple prayer of an elderly lady
provided a setting for personal reflection on the will of God for her life.
After the prayer meeting, she returned home and wrote the hymn as we sing it today.
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