September 14, 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:

In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr – Johann Christoph Bach

Adam Reissner (1496-1575) was born at Mündelsheim  in Swabian Bavaria. He first studied at Wittenberg, and then, about 1521, he learned Hebrew and Greek under Johann Keuchlin. He then became private secretary to Georg von Freundsberg  and accompanied him during the campaign in Italy, 1530-27. After the capture of Rome in 1527 he went back to Germany, and spent some time at Strassburg, where he became a friend and adherent of Caspar Schwenkfeldt.   The only hymn by Reissner translated into English is: In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr, based on Psalm 31.  First published in the Form und ordnung Gaystlicher Gesang und Psalmen, Augsburg, 1533, in 7 stanzas of 6 lines. It was included in V. Babst's Gesang-Buch , 1545, and repeated in almost all the German hymnbooks up to the period of Rationalism. It is one of the best Psalm-versions of the Reformation period. The translation in common use is:  In Thee, Lord, have I put my trust. A good translation by Catherine Winkworth is found in her Chorale Book for England, 1863.

In Thee, Lord, have I put my trust;
Leave me not helpless in the dust;
Let me not be confounded.
Let in Thy Word  my faith, 0 Lord,
Be always firmly grounded.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s life was surrounded by Johann Christophs:  an uncle, a cousin, an older brother, and a son.  Here we have a chorale prelude by his 1st cousin once removed, who became the town organist in Eisenach in the year 1665 and court chamber musician there in 1700.  Prior to Johann Sebastian, Johann Christoph (1642-1703) would have been considered the most famous musician of the Bach family. His work is of the highest quality and, in some instances, has been improperly attributed to Johann Sebastian himself (e.g. the motet Ich lasse dich nicht). Johann Christoph composed choral works (motets and cantatas) and works for organ (preludes and fugues). Johann Sebastian described his cousin as "the great and expressive composer," and performed his works often as did Carl Philipp Emanuel.

Whispering Hope – Charles Callahan

This beautiful and popular hymn was written by a man named Septimus Winner (1827-1902). He is best remembered for his popular songs which he usually published under the name of Alice Hawthorne. He is also the author of many classic folk tunes loved by children such as "Oh Where, Oh Where has my little dog gone?"  Winner's secular works are known in American folk music history as "Hawthorne's Ballads." the most popular songs were "Listen to the Mocking Bird" which he later sold to another Philadelphia publisher for five dollars.  He was a popular music instructor in Philadelphia, giving lessons in violin, guitar, and banjo and performing with several of the city's bands and orchestras. Winner produced over two hundred instructional books for more than twenty instruments.  He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

It is said that the most interesting experience in his life occurred in 1862, after Abraham Lincoln had fired General George B. McClellan for delays in attacking the Confederate Army. The firing of McClellan angered Septimus who quickly published a song entitled, "Give Us Back Our Old Commander: Little Mac, The People's Pride." The song sold over 80,000 copies in the first couple of days, leading to his arrest for treason. Septimus was released when he agreed to destroy all the remaining copies of the song and apologized.

Septimus Winner based  "Whispering Hope," on Hebrews 6:19, 1Thessalonians 5:8 and Hebrews 12:1. The hymn was published in 1868.  "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." Hebrews 6: 19.  The original text follows:

Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.

Whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.

Charles Callahan (b. 1951) is one of America’s leading organist-composers.  A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Catholic University of America.  In recognition of his service to the church and his commissioned compositions for Papal visits to the U.S., he was awared the Papal Honor of Knighthood in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 1999.  In addition to compositions and performances, Charles Callahan is a noted educator and author whose two books on American organ-building have become standard reference works.

God of Majesty and Hope – Beatrice Miller

Beatrice (Bea) Anderson (b. 1923) was born into a large family in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, a Lutheran pastor, choir director and superb musician, led the family in singing hymns after evening devotions. She credits her early immersion in the great musical tradition of the church with an abiding love for religious music. For many years, Bea was a piano teacher, church organist, and choir director in Corvallis, Oregon. When she retired from teaching in 1979, composing took center stage, and she began publishing her music in 1987. Oregon Music Teacher's Association voted Bea Composer of the Year in 1997.

About the Choral Music:

How Firm a Foundation – Alice Parker

Alice Parker (b.1925) is an American composer, arranger and conductor.  She began composing early, and wrote her first orchestral score while still in high school. She graduated from Smith College with a major in music performance and composition, then receiving her master's degree from the Juilliard School where she studied choral conducting with Robert Shaw.  Her life-work has been in choral and vocal music, combining composing, conducting and teaching in a creative balance. Her arrangements with Robert Shaw of folksongs, hymns and spirituals form an enduring repertoire for choruses all around the world. She continues composing in many forms, from operas to cantatas, sacred anthems to secular dances, song cycles to string quartets.  Parker has published books on melodic styles, choral improvisation and Good Singing in Church. Her detailed analysis, The Anatomy of Melody, was released in 2006. Five videos have appeared, showing her work with hymns and folksongs. She has been recognized by Chorus America, the American Guild of Organists, the American Choral Directors Association, The Hymn Society and Choral Arts New England for her lifetime contributions to choral music.

In 1787, Dr. John Rippon published A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors as a supplement to Isaac Watts’ classic Psalms and Hymns. The book was an immense success, partly due to the large number of original hymns first printer there.  Among these original hymns was the title “How Firm a Foundation.”  Rippon attributed the authorship simply to “K-.”   He says in the preface that such attributions meant either that the author was unknown or that the hymn had undergone significant revisions for publication.  The anonymous tune “Foundation” first appeared in Joseph Funk's A Compilation of Genuine Church Music (1832) as a setting for this text. The tune was also published  in Southern Harmony and Sacred Harp.  Later studies have revealed that “K” almost certainly referred to R. Keene, who was at one time a song leader in Dr. Rippon’s church and is also known to have authored the hymn’s melody.

Hymnologist Albert Bailey carried out a detailed scriptural analysis of the hymn. Stanza two quotes Isaiah 41:10 almost verbatim: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; year, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (KJV)   The final stanza draws upon several sources but is especially influenced by Deuteronomy 31: 6, 8: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.... he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” 

“How firm a foundation” was sung frequently in both the North and the South during the Civil War. One can be sure that it comforted many on both sides.  It was a favorite hymn of Theodore Roosevelt, and that Andrew Jackson requested it be sung at his deathbed, and that Robert E. Lee asked it be sung at his funeral. This sermon in song continues to speak just as meaningfully today. 

            How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

            What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed!

For I am Thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

The soul that to Jesus hath fled for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

About the Hymns:

My Hope is Built

"My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" was written by Edward Mote (1797-1874), a pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Sussex. The hymn "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" was published anonymously in several hymn collections before first being attributed to Edward Mote in a collection of approximately 100 of his hymns published in 1837 under the title Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, Combining All the Excellencies of our Spiritual Poets, with Many Originals.  Mote's original title was "The Immutable Basis for a Sinner's Hope" in this collection.  The refrain of "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and builds around the metaphor of Christ as a rock with a firm basis (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Through it All

The opening words to the song, Through it All, written by one of gospel music’s most loved songwriters and singers, Andráe Crouch, tell the story of his life. Andráe Crouch was born in 1942 in San Francisco, California. His father, Benjamin Crouch, also had a street ministry and ministered in hospitals and in prison. When Crouch was 11, his father was invited to preach at a small church in a farming community. The church didn't have a regular pastor so the bishop asked Benjamin to fill the post. The first Sunday, Benjamin asked his son to come up front and asked, "Andraé, if God gave you the gift of music to play and sing for Him, would you do it for His glory all your life?" Crouch said, "Yeah, Daddy." Weeks later, Benjamin summoned his son again as the congregation sang, with: "If you're gonna play, play." Crouch found the key and started to play the piano. He soon began to write songs and lead a choir.

The opening words to the song, Through it All, written by one of gospel music’s most loved songwriters and singers, Andráe Crouch, tell the story of his life.  His father, Benjamin Crouch Sr., his mother, Catherine, and his brother, Benjamin Jr., all died within two years of each other. Later, he was afflicted with four different kinds of cancer and had congestive heart failure for a year-and-a-half.  Through everything, he has kept up his music career and also is the pastor of Christ Memorial Church in Pacoima, California.  He has been singing and writing gospel songs for over 40 years.  Crouch was a key figure in the Jesus Music movement of the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, helped bring about contemporary Christian music, and began to bridge the gap between black and white Christian music. Though sometimes criticized for diluting the Gospel message by using contemporary styles, his songs have become staples in churches all around the world and recorded by mainstream artists such as Elvis Presley and Paul Simon.  His diverse styles of Christian music include hymns, traditional gospel songs, like the ones pioneered by Thomas A. Dorsey, contemporary light rock and pop-oriented songs backed by jazz musicians, to contemporary rhythm and blues.

In Christ Alone

“In Christ Alone” was the first hymn written by Keith Getty (b. 1974) and Stuart Townend (b. 1963).  Getty wrote:

"In 2000, I sat down with Stuart Townsend for one of our first songwriting sessions. We'd recently been introduced and encouraged to collaborate as musicians. Stuart's strengths center around an extraordinary ability with lyrics, while mine lean toward composing melodies, though we each enjoy the freedom of speaking into each other's work. As artists, we both brought to the table a conviction that rich theology greatly matters in the songs we sing on Sunday morning, that what we sing week after week ultimately makes its way into every part of our faith and life.

I believe the lyrics of "In Christ Alone" succinctly express theological truths about the life, death, and saving power of Christ through his sacrificial death on the cross. Yet the song is more than didactic theology. As we've shared the hymn in churches, we've witnessed the passion and emotion it evokes. I think this is what makes it so memorable.  Believers are hungry to celebrate truth put to music, and Stuart and I are grateful to have played a small part in helping facilitate such opportunities for the church."