March 1, 2015

Each week, you may find information here about the music 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:

Vater unser in Himmelreich – J. S. Bach

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was an Augustinian monk and priest who became a professor at the University of Wittenberg.  In 1517, he published his 95 Theses, proposing major reforms in the Roman Catholic Church.  These reforms were rejected by Papal Bull, resulting in the German Reformation and leading to the foundation of the Lutheran Church.  Luther translated the Bible into German (1521-1534) and had a huge influence on German hymnody, publishing nine hymnals containing German chorales written by Luther and others.

“Vater unser im Himmelreich” was included in Geistliche Lieder auffs neu gebessert (1539), in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "The Lord's Prayer briefly expounded and turned into metre" (apparently first as a broadsheet with the same title, in 1539.  Each of the first eight stanzas amplifies one of the clauses of the Lord's Prayer (omitting the doxology), and the ninth is on the Amen. It is a beautiful rendering, and has been by some regarded as Luther's finest hymn. 

3. Es komm' dein Reich zu dieser Zeit           3. Thy kingdom come. Thine let it be
Und dort hernach in Ewigkeit;                       In time and in eternity.
Der Heil'ge Geist uns wohne bei                    Let Thy good Spirit e'er be nigh
Mit seinen Gaben mancherlei;                        Our hearts with graces to supply.
Des Satans Zorn und groß' Gewalt                 Break Satan's power, defeat his rage;
Zerbrich, vor ihm dein' Kirch' erhalt!              Preserve Thy Church from age to age.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.  He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France.  Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg concertos, the Mass in B minor, The Well-Tempered Clavier, two Passions, keyboard works, and more than 300 cantatas, of which nearly 100 cantatas have been lost to posterity.  His music is revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty.  Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognized as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the nineteenth century.  During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bach was recognized by several prominent composers.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven,  Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn were among his admirers; they began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being exposed to Bach's music.  Beethoven described him as "Urvater der Harmonie", the "original father of harmony".  He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque period and as one of the greatest composers of all time.  A highly devout Christian, Bach signed all of his compositions “soli Deo Gloria”  (to God alone be the glory).  

This chorale prelude is one of 46 found in the Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book").  The collection was originally planned as a set of 164 chorale preludes spanning the whole liturgical year. The chorale preludes form the first of Bach's masterpieces for organ with a mature compositional style in marked contrast to his previous compositions for the instrument. Although each of them takes a known Lutheran chorale and adds a motivic accompaniment, Bach explored a wide diversity of forms.  The Orgelbüchlein is at the same time a collection of organ music for church services, a treatise on composition, a religious statement and a pedagogical manual.

A Child’s Prayer – Noel Geomanne

Noël Goemanne (1926-2010) was born in December in Poperinge, Belgium, and was named "Noël" in honor of Christmas, and during his long career as a composer of sacred music, he wrote many choral and organ pieces to celebrate that season. He attended The Lemmens Institute and the Royal Conservatory of Liege in Belgium. Outspoken about the importance of music from his earliest years, he was arrested during World War II for publicly playing the music of the Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn during the Nazi occupation. In 1952, he and his wife Janine immigrated to the United States, and he took the position of church organist at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Victoria, Texas.  When the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church changed in the early 1960s, he was quick to adapt to the changes while adhering to classical good taste. He composed the first Vatican II-approved Masses in English for use in the Church.  Goemanne held organist and choirmaster positions at St. Rita's Catholic Church and Out Lady, Queen of Martyrs Church in Detroit, Michigan; St. Monica's Catholic Church and Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas; and, finally, Christ the King Catholic Church from 1972 until his death.  During his long composing career, Goemanne received the "Pro Ecclesia" medal from the Vatican in 1977, the award from the Institute of Sacred Music, Manila, Philippines in 1974, and numerous ASCAP awards.

This piece is from the “Church Windows” suite and bears the inscription, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the Kingdom of God.”  Mark 10: 14

I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord – Harold DeCou

“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord” (1801) is perhaps the earliest hymn still currently used that was composed by a citizen of the United States. The author, Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), was one of the outstanding leaders of his time. Dwight was the grandson of the Calvinist preacher Jonathan Edwards. He demonstrated a precocious spirit at a young age, reading the Bible at age 4, learning Latin during grammar school and entering Yale College at age 13.  Graduating from Yale at 17, he taught grammar school in New Haven and then became a tutor at Yale. Dwight obtained a preacher’s license and served as a chaplain during the Revolutionary War with George Washington. Hymnologist Albert Bailey notes Dwight’s sermons and songs were an inspiration for the soldiers he served.

After the war, Dwight became a Congregational minister in Fairfield, Conn.  Dwight supplemented his insufficient pastoral salary by opening a private academy. The success of this academy led to his election in 1795 as president of Yale College.  Dwight left a legacy of improved scholastic standards at Yale College, serving not only as the school’s president, but also as professor of literature, oratory and theology, and college chaplain. He is credited with fostering a revival among the students through his sermons in the college chapel, a revival that spread to other New England colleges.

Dwight’s literary accomplishments were many. He may be best known today for his 1797 revision of Isaac Watts’ 1719 Psalms of David, to which he added 33 of his own texts. “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord,” published in the 1801 revision of Watts’ Psalms of David, is the only remaining text from Dwight’s Watts, prepared at the request of the General Association (Congregational) of Connecticut, that has survived. The original eight stanzas have been reduced to four or five in most hymnals. This paraphrase of a portion of Psalm 137 appeared originally under the title, “Love to the Church.”

I love thy kingdom, Lord,
the house of thy abode,
the church our blest Redeemer saved
with his own precious blood.

Harold H. DeCou (1932-2008) attended Temple University in Philadelphia and was long associated with Billy Graham and the Singspiration staff.  His output as artist, composer, arranger and orchestrator ensures that he will be remembered as one of the giants of Christian gospel music. He served as church organist at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria from 1988 to 2001. He was also an Honorary Fellow of Shenandoah Society Award.

About the Choral Music:

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Roland E. Martin

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was written by the 18th century pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson. Robert Robinson (1735-1790) was eight years old at the time of his father's death. He was a very bright, headstrong boy who became increasingly more difficult for his mother to handle. When Robert turned 14, she sent him to London for an apprenticeship with a barber. Robert proceeded to get into even more trouble, taking on a life of drinking and gambling.  At 17, Robert and some of his drinking buddies decided to attend an evangelistic meeting, with a plan to make fun of the proceedings. When George Whitfield began to preach, Robert felt as if the sermon was just for him. He did not respond to the altar call that night, but the words of the evangelist would haunt him for the next three years.  On Dec. 10, 1755, at age 20, Robert finally yielded his life to Christ, and very soon thereafter answered a call to the ministry. Three years later, as he was preparing to preach a sermon at the Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, England, Robert wrote “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” to complement his sermon. The music for the hymn was composed by Asahel Nettleton in 1813.

          Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace!

            Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

            Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.

            Praise the mount!  Oh, fix me on it, mount of God’s unchanging love.

            Here I find my greatest treasure; hither, by thy help, I’ve come;

            And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

            Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God;

            He, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.

            O, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!

            Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee:

            Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;

            Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

Roland E. Martin is a member of the Music Faculty of the University at Buffalo where he teaches organ, harpsichord and piano. Since November of 1992 he has been Director of Music for St. Joseph's University Church in Buffalo.  He is also Assistant Musical Director and accompanist for the Chautauqua Chamber Singers, as well as founder and director of Speculum Musicae: an ensemble for early music.  Martin is a member of the Trumpet/Organ duo "Baroque Consort" with trumpeter Wade Weast. Together they have completed successful tours including one in Europe (England, Germany, Austria) in August 1987.  As organist he has played recitals in the U.S., Canada, Spain, and Europe.  An active composer and conductor, he is the recipient of two "Meet the Composer" grants, two Pennsylvania State Council of the Arts grants, and two Alcoa Arts Endowment awards.

They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love – arr. Sara Martin

Peter Scholtes (1938–2009) wrote the hymn "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" while he was a parish priest at St. Brendan's on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s. At the time, he was leading a youth choir out of the church basement and was looking for an appropriate song for a series of ecumenical, interracial events. When he couldn't find such a song, he wrote the now-famous hymn in a single day. It is inspired by John 13:35. It was released on an LP of the same name featuring the congregation of Scholtes' church singing this hymn and others.  His experiences at St. Brendan's, and in the Chicago Civil Rights movement, influenced him for the rest of his life.

We are one in the Spirit,
we are one in the Lord.
We are one in the Spirit,
we are one in the Lord,
and we pray that all unity
may one day be restored.

And they’ll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love.
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

The arrangement God’s Project is singing today was put together by our very own interim director, Sara Martin.

About the Hymns:

Rejoice the Lord is King

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley.  As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique. He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly amazing how many there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumors of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift.  The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley; for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream.

“Rejoice, the Lord is King” was first published in John Wesley's Moral and Sacred Poems (1744) and is currently found in 484 hymnals.  The text rejoices in the kingship of Christ whose rule extends "o'er earth and heaven". All will bow the knee to Christ when he returns in glory to judge "the living and dead". The refrain line based on Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice,” is the keynote of the entire text.

Seek Ye First

"Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God." was written in 1972 by Karen Lafferty.  The following is an excerpt from an interview in Reformed Worship magazine.

I was raised in a Christian home, but like many young people I wanted to discover life for myself and did some drifting. I was working as a nightclub entertainer in New Orleans when a friend came to visit me and got me back on the right track. I decided to pursue entertainment for the time being—to try to be salt and light in the entertainment world. So I moved to California.  Soon I did find a church, Calvary Chapel, and at my first service I met a lot of other young musicians.  At this time "Maranatha! Music" was part of Calvary Chapel. It was very small yet and had produced only one album, An Everlasting Jesus Music Concert. At the chapel we had a special fellowship for musicians which taught us principles on how to serve through music. Most of us were especially interested in contemporary Christian music, music that would reach young people.  I stayed with Maranatha! Music for about eight years. In 1980, and out of that relationship came Musicians for Missions. Youth with a Mission is very involved with the idea of cross-cultural missions. Even though we dealt with a subculture of young people who all liked the same kind of music, there were still many cultural differences. I felt I had to live outside of the U.S. to really learn what it is to be in another country. And under the umbrella of Youth with a Mission, I was able to organize Musicians for Missions.

Back in 1971, I had quit my entertainment job and was trying to support myself with teaching guitar lessons. I had three students! When my savings were all gone and I had no money to make my car payments, I became very discouraged and confused.  One evening I went to a Bible study at church, and we talked about Matthew 6:33.1 was tremendously encouraged and challenged by the words about Christ's kingdom. So I went home, wrote the tune, recorded it on a tape recorder, and then sang this little descant part.  I taught the song at church the next week, and it caught on right away. The Lord really paved the way for me with that song. "Seek Ye First" has opened doors for me all over the world. And because it's in so many hymnbooks, about 40 percent of my mission support comes from that song!

We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

H. Ernest Nichol (1862-1926) had begun a study program in civil engineering when he decided to study music instead. In 1888 he received a bachelor's degree in music from Oxford University. Nichol wrote some 130 hymn tunes and texts, many under the pseudonym “Colin Sterne” (derived from his middle and last name); many were first sung at church school programs.  “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations was written in 1896 and published in Sunday School Hymnary, 1905.

A song which encourages us to “go therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) was a very popular "missionary hymn" among denominational churches in past years, typical of the hundreds that were penned to express the determined, dynamic, energetic, and expansive attributes of late nineteenth-century "Christian missions."  Among hymnbooks published by members during the twentieth century, this song appears rarely, primarily because the chorus expresses postmillennialism, which implies that Christians will bring the kingdom of God in its fullness to earth by our own efforts.

In spite of its controversial theology, this is a rousing hymn which motivates God’s people to sound forth the word of God and reminds us of the great blessings that are available to those who receive the word of God.

Lenten sermon series

We are now entering a Lenten sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer.  During this series, I will be playing various settings of the “Vater unser” chorale by Martin Luther.  In nine verses, Luther treats a phrase of the chorale in each verse, much as Andy will examine a different phrase each week.  This is considered Luther’s greatest chorale.  The complete text follows:

Vater unser in Himmelreich – chorale text by Martin Luther, 1539

1 Vater unser im Himmelreich,                         Our Father, Thou in heaven above,
Der du uns alle heißest gleich                           Who biddest us to dwell in love,
Brüder sein und dich rufen an                           As brethren of one family,
Und willst das Beten von uns hab'n,               To cry in every need to Thee,
Gib, daß nicht bet' allein der Mund,                Teach us no thoughtless word to say,
Hilf, daß es geh' von Herzensgrund!                But from our inmost heart to pray.

2. Geheiligt werd' der Name dein,                     Thy name be hallowed. Help us, Lord,
Dein Wort bei uns hilf halten rein,                    In purity to keep Thy Word,
Daß auch wir leben heiliglich,                           That to the glory of thy name
Nach deinem Namen würdiglich.                      We walk before Thee free from blame.
Behüt uns, Herr, vor falscher Lehr',                    Let no false doctrine us pervert;
Das arm' verführte Volk bekehr!                        All poor, deluded souls convert.

3. Es komm' dein Reich zu dieser Zeit             Thy kingdom come. Thine let it be
Und dort hernach in Ewigkeit;                          In time and in eternity.
Der Heil'ge Geist uns wohne bei                       Let Thy good Spirit e'er be nigh
Mit seinen Gaben mancherlei;                          Our hearts with graces to supply.
Des Satans Zorn und groß' Gewalt                   Break Satan's power, defeat his rage;
Zerbrich, vor ihm dein' Kirch' erhalt!               Preserve Thy Church from age to age.

4. Dein Will' gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich      Thy gracious will on earth be done
Auf Erden wie im Himmelreich;                        As 'tis in heaven before Thy throne;
Gib uns Geduld in Leidenszeit,                         Obedience in our weal and woe
Gehorsam sein in Lieb' und Leid;                      And patience in all grief bestow.
Wehr und steur allem Fleisch und Blut,           Curb flesh and blood and every ill
Das wider deinen Willen tut!                             That sets itself against Thy will.

5. Gib uns heut' unser täglich Brot,                   Give us this day our daily bread
Und was man braucht zur Leibesnot;               And let us all be clothed and fed.
B'hüt uns, Herr, vor Unfried' und Streit,           From war and strife be our Defense,
Vor Seuchen und vor teurer Zeit,                      From famine and from pestilence,
Daß wir in gutem Frieden stehn,                       That we may live in godly peace,
Der Sorg' und Geizes müßig gehn!                   Free from all care and avarice.

6. All unsre Schuld vergib uns, Herr,               Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,
Daß sie uns nicht betrübe mehr,                        Remove from us their burden sore,
Wie wir auch unsern Schuldigern                     As we their trespasses forgive
Ihr' Schuld und Fehl' vergeben gern;                Who by offenses us do grieve.
Zu dienen mach uns all' bereit                           Thus let us dwell in charity
In rechter Lieb' und Einigkeit!                           And serve our brother willingly.

7. Führ uns, Herr, in Versuchung nicht;           Into temptation lead us not.
Wenn uns der böse Geist anficht                      When evil foes against us plot
Zur linken und zur rechten Hand,                     And vex our souls on every hand,
Hilf uns tun starken Widerstand,                      Oh, give us strength that we may stand
Im Glauben fest und wohlgerüst't                     Firm in the faith, a well-armed host,
Und durch des Heil'gen Geistes Trost.             Through comfort of the Holy Ghost!

8. Von allem Übel uns erlös,                              From evil, Lord, deliver us;
Es sind die Zeit und Tage bös;                          The times and days are perilous.
Erlös uns von dem ew'gen Tod                          Redeem us from eternal death,
Und tröst uns in der letzten Not;                       And when we yield our dying breath,
Bescher uns auch ein selig End',                        Console us, grant us calm release,
Nimm unsre Seel' in deine Händ'!                     And take our souls to Thee in peace.

9. Amen, das ist, es werde wahr!                       Amen, that is, So shall it be.
Stärk unsern Glauben immerdar,                       Confirm our faith and hope in Thee
Auf daß wir ja nicht zweifeln dran,                  That we may doubt not, but believe
Was wir hiermit gebeten hab'n                          What here we ask we shall receive.
Auf dein Wort in dem Namen dein;                 Thus in Thy name and at Thy word
So sprechen wir das Amen fein.                        We say: Amen. Oh, hear us, Lord! Amen.

February 22, 2015

Each week, you may find information here about the music 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:

Aus meines herzens grunde - Max Drischner

This chorale was written by David Wolder (d. 1604) and first published in Neu Catechismus Gesangbüchlein, Hamburg, 1598.

            In the depths of my heart Your name and cross alone

            Shine every moment and hour so that I can be blessed.

            Appear to me for comfort in my need.

Max Drischner (1891-1971) was a German composer, Kantor, organist, and harpsichordist.  Drischner was born in Silesia. 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.

Rhosymedre – Ralph Vaughn-Williams

“Our Father by Whose Name” was written by Francis Bland Tucker. (1895-1984). The son of a bishop and brother of a Presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, he was was ordained a priest

in 1920, after having served as a private in Evacuation Hospital No.15 of the American

Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. He was rector of John Wesley's parish in

Georgia, old Christ Church, Savannah. In "Reflections of a Hymn Writer", he speaks of never

having a thought of writing a hymn until he was named a member of the Joint Commission on

the Revision of the Hymnal in 1937 which prepared the Hymnal 1940, and was then named to

the Joint Commission on Church Music of the Episcopal Church where he served from 1946 to

1958. Subsequently he served on the Theological Committee which reviewed material for the

successor to The Hymnal 1940. There his poetic talent was most adept at providing new phrases

in older hymns where the original lines were too obsolete or sexist for late-twentieth-century

users of the hymnal.  Several of the hymns which he wrote for The Hymnal 1940 have been

adopted by hymnals of other denominations throughout the English-speaking world. At its

annual convocation, Princeton, New Jersey, 1980, Fr. Tucker was named a Fellow of the Hymn

Society of America.

Our Father, by whose name  All fatherhood is known,
In love divine you claim Each fam'ly as your own.
Bless mothers, fathers, guarding well,
With constant love as sentinel,
The homes in which your people dwell.

O Christ, yourself a child Within an earthly home,
With heart still undefiled You did to manhood come.
Our children bless in ev'ry place
That they may all behold your face
And, knowing you, may grow in grace.

O Holy Spirit, bind Our hearts in unity,
And teach us how to find The love from self set free.
In all our hearts such love increase
That  ev'ry home by this release
May be the dwelling-place of peace.

John David Edwards (1805-1885) was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, England, and ordained an Anglican priest in 1833. He served parishes in Rhosymedre and Llanddoget and published a collection of hymn tunes, Original Sacred Music for use in Anglican churches in Wales.  RHOSYMEDRE was published in the 1836 collection. The tune's title is derived from the Welsh parish where Edwards was pastor for some years after 1843. In Wales, this tune is associated with Easter and is thought of as a jubilant hymn tune. Outside of Wales, however, it often receives a more devotional treatment.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1982-1958) is arguably the greatest composer Britain has seen since the days of Henry Purcell. In a long and extensive career, he composed music notable for its power, nobility and expressiveness, representing, perhaps, the essence of ‘Englishness’.

Vaughan Williams was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. Later he was a pupil of Stanford and Parry at the Royal College of Music, after which he studied with Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in Paris. Vaughan Williams volunteered to serve in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders for the 1914-1918 war, during which he was deeply affected by the carnage and the loss of close friends such as the composer George Butterworth. For many years Vaughan Williams conducted and led the Leith Hill Music Festival, conducting Bach's St Matthew Passion on a regular basis. He also became professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in London. Vaughan Williams received the Order of Merit in 1938.  His ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey, near Purcell.

At the turn of the century he was among the very first to travel into the countryside to collect folk-songs and carols from singers.As musical editor of The English Hymnal he composed several hymns that are now world-wide favorites (For all the Saints, Come down O love Divine). Later he also helped to edit The Oxford Book of Carols.  In a long and productive life, his compositions included nine symphonies, five operas, film music, ballet and stage music, several song cycles, church music and works for chorus and orchestra.

Vater unser in Himmelreich – Johann Christoph Bach

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was an Augustinian monk and priest who became a professor at the University of Wittenberg.  In 1517, he published his 95 Theses, proposing major reforms in the Roman Catholic Church.  These reforms were rejected by Papal Bull, resulting in the German Reformation and leading to the foundation of the Lutheran Church.  Luther translated the Bible into German (1521-1534) and had a huge influence on German hymnody, publishing nine hymnals containing German chorales written by Luther and others.

“Vater unser im Himmelreich” was included in Geistliche Lieder auffs neu gebessert (1539), in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "The Lord's Prayer briefly expounded and turned into metre" (apparently first as a broadsheet with the same title, in 1539.  Each of the first eight stanzas amplifies one of the clauses of the Lord's Prayer (omitting the doxology), and the ninth is on the Amen. It is a beautiful rendering, and has been by some regarded as Luther's finest hymn. 

            Vater unser im Himmelreich,                    Our Father in Heaven,                                                             der du uns alle heissest gleich                    who calls us all to be                                                             Brüder sein, und dich rufen an,                  brothers and to call on you;                                                   und willt das Beten von uns han:               and who desires prayer from us:                                             gib, dass nicht bet allein der Mund,           grant that we do not pray just with our                                                                                                   mouths;                                                                 hilf, dass es geh von Herzengrund.            Help our prayer to come from the bottom                                                                                                      of our hearts.

Many organ composers have set this chorale tune.  Today’s setting is by J. C. Bach.  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.

About the Choral Music:

The Lord’s Prayer – Benjamin Harlan

Perhaps the most recognized passage in all scripture, “The Lord’s Prayer” has been set to music thousands of times in many languages and styles. Singing is an excellent way to pray, because it can give voice to the deepest desires of our hearts, and these will lead us to a greater love of God. Harlan’s setting promises to stir the hearts and souls of choir and congregation alike.  The lyrical choral lines along with the classical style piano accompaniment embrace this powerful text and never over-shadow the message.

Benjamin Harlan is a Professor of Church Music at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an internationally known arranger and composer of choral, keyboard and handbell works. He has received awards from ASCAP annually since 1990. Dr. Harlan is a member of ASCAP, American Choral Directors Association and the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference.

            Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

            Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

            Give us this day our daily bread,

            And forgive us our sin as we forgive each sinner.

            And lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil,

            For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

            Amen.

About the Hymns:

This is My Father’s World

This is My Father's World was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901), a minister from New York. When Babcock lived in Lockport, he took frequent walks along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the overlook's panoramic vista of upstate New York scenery and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was "going out to see the Father's world". Shortly after his death in 1901, she published a compilation of Babcock's writings entitled Thoughts for Every-Day Living that contained the poem "My Father's World." The original poem contained sixteen stanzas of four lines each. In 1916, Franklin Sheppard chose only three verses of the sixteen when he set the poem to music to a tune entitled "Terra Beata" (Latin for "Blessed Earth"). Most sources state that Sheppard adapted the music from a traditional English melody that he learned from his mother as a child.

Scripture references in the original poem include Psalm 33:5 "He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love." and Psalm 50:12 "For the world is mine, and all that is it."  In ancient times, people believed that as the planets revolved in the universe, they made music or harmony. This is the belief Maltbie Babcock referred to in the line, “and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Though this belief has since been disproven, we know that objects in space do in fact emit sounds. Even more amazing, the ocean is also making noises at its very lowest and darkest depths - sounds which scientists are still unable to identify. The whole universe is singing a song of its creation, revealing something to us about He who created it.  The author shifts his focus in the final stanza from describing the visual and aural beauty of nature to the reality that all is not right with the world. Babcock observes “that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” The closing couplet, posing and answering a question, offers hope: “Why should my heart be sad?... God reigns, let the earth be glad.”

Children of the Heavenly Father

The author of this text, Caroline W. Sandell Berg (1832-1903), is better known as Lina Sandell, the "Fanny Crosby of Sweden." Originally in Swedish ("Tryggare kan ingen vara"), the text was first published in Sandell-Berg's Andeliga daggdroppar (1855). Ernst W. Olson (1870-1958) prepared the English translation for the 1925 Hymnal of the Lutheran Augustana Synod.  The four-stanza text is a confession of humble but confident trust in God's providence in the lives of his people. It reflects the Heidelberg Catechism: “in life and in death I belong to my faithful Savior.”

"Lina" Wilhelmina Sandell Berg was the daughter of a Lutheran pastor to whom she was very close; she wrote hymns partly to cope with the fact that she witnessed his tragic death by drowning. Many of her 650 hymns were used in the revival services of Carl O. Rosenius, and a number of them gained popularity particularly because of the musical settings written by gospel singer Oskar Ahnfelt.  Jenny Lind, the famous Swedish soprano, underwrote the cost of publishing a collection of Ahnfelt's music, Andeliga Sänger (1850), which consisted mainly of Berg's hymn texts.


Great is Thy Faithfulness

A native of the small Kentucky town of Franklin, Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960) was born in a log cabin. He lacked formal education. Nevertheless, he became a teacher at age sixteen and the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, the “Franklin Advocate”, at age twenty-one.  Though he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903, he served only a single, brief appointment at Scottsville, Kentucky, due to ill health.  He wrote more than 1200 poems, 800 of which were published. They often appeared in religious periodicals such as the “Sunday School Times”, “Moody Monthly”, and “Alliance Weekly”. Many of these were set to music.

Chisholm had sent a number of his poems to the Rev. William H. Runyan (1870-1957), a musician with the Moody Bible Institute and one of the editors of Hope Publishing Company in Chicago.  Runyan wrote of the hymn: "This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer.  It was written in Baldwin, Kansas, in 1923, and was first published in my private song pamphlets."  A phrase in Lamentations 3:22-23 provides a basis for the refrain: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 

George Beverly Shea (1909-2013), the famous Canadian-born singer of the Billy Graham Crusades, introduced this hymn to those attending the evangelistic meetings in Great Britain in 1954.  It immediately became a favorite.  This hymn appeared in many evangelical hymnals and song collections, but was not chosen for an official Methodist hymnal until The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), even though the author was a Methodist.  It was a very popular hymn of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church and had been included in their hymnals.

According to Carlton Young, "Great is thy faithfulness" was second only to "In the garden" as the most requested hymn for inclusion in The United Methodist Hymnal. A survey conducted in 2000 by Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources, General Board of Discipleship, revealed that "Great is thy faithfulness" remains one of the favorite hymns among United Methodists.