April 26, 2015

We continue our sermon series on religions of the world, which are now religions of Lewisville.  In examining our similarities and our differences, we build understanding and acceptance.  This week our focus is on Hinduism.

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:

Allah Ho Tum Īśvara Bhī Tum

The bhajan has a special place in Indian society.  Most bhajans were written between the 14th through 17th centuries.  They are simple songs sung in the praise of God.  Complex spiritual truths are portrayed in the simple language of the farmers, merchants, and other common people of the time.  Bhajan is an important part of a Hindu revivalist movement which swept through India during the Mogul period; this movement was known as the Bhakti movement.  The crux of this movement was simple; spiritual salvation was attainable to anyone who had a pure and selfless love of God.  This salvation was not predicated upon formalised yagnas, pujas, knowledge of Sanskrit, or any of the characteristics of the older forms of Hinduism.  This was a spiritual empowerment of the masses.
Bhajan is difficult to describe musically because it is not defined by any musical characteristics; it is defined by a sense of devotion (bhakti).  Bhajans cover a broad spectrum of musical styles from the simple musical chant (dhun) to highly developed versions comparable to thumri.  The poetic content of the bhajan also covers a broad spectrum.  The more traditional ones by great saint musicians such as Mira, or Kabir are considered to be of the highest literary quality.  The lowest poetic form is the dhun, which is actually nothing more than a musical version of a chant.

Bhajan is often accompanied by the harmonium, also known as peti or baja.  This instrument is not a native Indian instrument.  It is a European instrument which was imported in the 19th century.  It is a reed organ with hand pumped bellows.  Although it is a relatively recent introduction, it has spread throughout the subcontinent.  It has evolved into a truly bi-cultural instrument.  The keyboard is European, but it has a number of drone reeds which are particularly Indian.  European models came in both hand pumped and foot pumped models.  The foot pumped models disappeared in India many years ago because the foot pedals required one to sit in a chair; something which is unusual for an Indian musician.  Also, the only advantage of the foot model was that it freed both hands so that both melody and chords could be played.  Indian music has no chords, so this was no advantage.  Although the hand pumped models required one hand to pump they were more portable and comfortable when played on the floor.

“Allah Ho Tum Īśvara Bhī Tum” is a traditional bhajan which speaks of the unity of God across all names and religions.

            You are Alla and Ishvara, You are Mahavira, Guru Nanaka and Rama.

            You are prosperous.  Sai, God from Puttaparthi, You are my life force, too.

            You are Zoroaster, Jesus, Buddha.  You are the all protecting God.

            Being, consciousness and bliss.  Sai, those are Your names shining in Brindavan.

Psalm-Prelude II – Herbert Howells

Herbert Norman Howells (1892- 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.  Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucestershire, the youngest of the six children of Oliver Howells, a plumber, painter, decorator and builder, and his wife Elizabeth. His father played the organ at the local Baptist church, and Herbert himself showed early musical promise, first assisting his father, and then moving at the age of eleven to the local Church of England parish church as choirboy and unofficial assistant organist.   In 1912, Howells moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music.  Howells' promise seemed likely to be cut short in 1915 when he was diagnosed with Graves' disease and given six months to live. His poor health prevented him from being conscripted in World War I.  At St Thomas' Hospital he was given the previously untried treatment of radium injections in the neck, administered twice a week over a period of two years. For much of this time Howells travelled between London for treatment and Lydney where he was nursed by his mother.  In 1920, he joined the staff of the Royal College of Music, where he was to remain until 1979.

In September 1935 Howells' placid existence as teacher, adjudicator and occasional composer was abruptly shattered when his nine-year-old son Michael contracted polio during a family holiday, dying in London three days later. Howells was deeply affected and continued to commemorate the event until the end of his life.  From that point on Howells turned increasingly to choral and organ music.    In 1941, Howells became  organist of St John's College, Cambridge.   Howells continued to compose until his late 80s.   He died in 1983, and his ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey.   Howells was appointed CBE in 1953 and Companion of Honour in 1972.

The first set of Three Psalm-Preludes, Op. 32, was published in 1921.  The second piece in the set cites Psalm 37: 11, “and the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”  (KJV)

Prelude in Classic Style – Gordon Young

Gordon Young (1919-1998) was born in McPherson, Kansas, and during his lifetime was recognized as one of this country's great church organists. He was a prolific and talented composer for both organ and choir, with nearly 1000 published works.  During the course of his career, he was a radio organist in Tulsa, a music critic and columnist for daily newspapers in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, and choirmaster in churches in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Mr. Young taught organ in conjunction with Wayne State University and for 15 years was organist and choir director at the First Presbyterian Church in Detroit.

About the Choral Music:

This is My Song – Marty Haugen

This is of the most stirring tunes in the United Methodist Hymnal. The melody comes from a symphonic tone poem by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) by the name of “Finlandia”, Op. 26. It was adapted for the 1933 hymnal of the Presbyterian Church in the United States to be sung to the text “Be Still, My Soul”.  Not only is the spirit of the music appropriate for “This Is My Song,” but the history of Sibelius’ composition also adds meaning. He wrote “Finlandia” as a patriotic offering in 1899. The composition was performed as the last of seven musical pieces that accompanied a series of tableaus, each reflecting portions of Finnish history. Out of agitated and tumultuous opening music symbolizing the struggles of the Finnish people, the serenity of the hymn-like melody emerges, symbolizing hope and resolution.  In February 1899, a manifesto from Tsar Nicholas II declared Russia’s right to rule Finland without the consent of local legislators. Sibelius’ choice of “Finlandia” as a title for the composition served as a subtle form of protest against Russian censorship; however, that censorship was so intense that it couldn’t be performed publically as “Finlandia”, so other titles were devised including “Happy Feelings at the Awakening of Finnish Spring.”

Lloyd Stone (1912-1993), an American public school teacher who lived in Hawaii, authored 10 books of poetry and two children’s books. He wrote the first two stanzas of “This Is My Song” for its inclusion in the collection, Sing a Tune (1934). During the brief time of peace between two world wars, it was a song of hope for all nations—“for lands afar and mine.” The poet acknowledges love for his own country, but balances that with the love that others feel around the world for their nations.  The second stanza begins by alluding to the blue skies, the ocean, sunlight, “cloverleaf and pine” of Stone’s own country, but then acknowledges that in other countries, “skies are everywhere as blue as mine.” The stanza concludes: “O hear my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.”

Methodist theologian Georgia Harkness (1881-1974) added a third stanza at the request of Marion Norris, then executive secretary of the Wesleyan Service Guild of the Methodist Church. Harkness related: “[Marion Norris] wrote me that they had been using the first two verses but wanted something with a more distinctly religious note as a supplement to them. I cannot tell you exactly how long ago this was, but since I can recall writing the stanza at my desk when I was teaching at Mount Holyoke 1937-39, it was within this period.”  The hymn was adopted as the official hymn of the Wesleyan Service Guild and was widely sung throughout the former Methodist Church.

Harkness, one of the first women ordained in the Methodist Church and a leading ecumenical theologian of her day, added two additional stanzas, the second of which appears in our hymnal as the final stanza of the hymn. It is a prayer to the “Lord of all earth’s kingdoms.” Harkness skillfully ties the reference to “earth’s kingdoms” to a petition found in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.” Christ becomes the central figure in Harkness’ stanza, as one who will unite us in service to each other and help us to “learn to live as one.” Her stanza ends with a personal dedication: “Myself I give thee; let thy will be done.”  In this stanza, Harkness transforms a hymn of peace with vague religious overtones into a prayer for peace that comes from the author of peace, Jesus Christ.

Marty Haugen (b. 1950) is a liturgical composer, workshop presenter, performing and recording artist, and author from Eagan, Minnesota. For the past 30 years, Marty has presented hundreds of workshops and concerts across North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. He has over 30 recordings and more than 400 separate printed editions available through GIA Publications, Inc. and other publishers. He has a number of published mass settings for Roman Catholic communities, including Mass of Creation, and several worship settings for Lutheran congregations, including Holden Evening Prayer and Now the Feast and Celebration, as well as a communion setting for the new Evangelical Worship Book (ELW-Augsburg Fortress).

            This is my song, O God of all the nations,

            A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

            This is my home, the country where my heart is;

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine.

But other hearts in other lands are beating

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine;

But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

So hear my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Teach us to sing, O God of all creation,

A song of hope for ocean, sky, and pine.

Teach us to walk the way that ends division,

Till every land and nation love entwines.

Then will all peoples see your glorious vision:

            The world at peace, beloved and divine.

About the Hymns:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Reginald Heber  (1783-1826) wrote this text for Trinity Sunday, the day for which lectionary in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer prescribes the reading of Revelation 4. Using reverent and apocalyptic language, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" alludes to Revelation 4:6-11; 5:13; 15:2-4; and Isaiah 6:1-3 to sing the great majesty of the triune God. Note the cosmic scope of the text: human beings (st. 1), saints and angels in glory (st. 2), and all creation (st. 4) praise the name of the Lord. Though God's holiness, love, and purity are cloaked in mystery, we can still experience God's mercy and mighty power, and we can participate in praising God.  It references the Sanctus, which is often called the "Holy holy holy" in English. The name is a tribute to the First Council of Nicaea which formalized the doctrine of the Trinity in 325.

It was first published in the third edition (1826) of  A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Parish Church of Banbury  and was also published posthumously in Heber's Hymns Written and Adapted to the Weekly Church Services of the Year (1827). The unusual single rhyme (all on the "ee" sound) and the uneven number of syllables in some lines have not detracted from the hymn's popularity.  It was soon adopted by hymn-book compilers, and is the best known and most widely used of the author's hymns.

Come and Let Us Sweetly Join

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.

“Come, and let us sweetly join” was written by Charles Wesley.  It originally had  22 double stanzas, divided into five parts, and was published in John & Charles Wesley's Hymns & Sacred Poems, 1740, and headed "The Love Feast." The five parts were subsequently published as separate hymns, as follows:
1. “Come, and let us sweetly join”  This was given in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, and still appears in most Methodist hymnals.  This is the portion we have in our hymnal today.
2. “Come, Thou High and Lofty One” was included in Toplady's Psalms and Hymns, 1776, and in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780.

3. “Let us join, 'tis God commands” is in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, and in the revised edition, 1875, and in the Baptist Hymnal, 1879.
4. “Partners of a glorious hope” appeared in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, and in the revised edition 1875, and other hymnals.
5. “Father, hail, by all adored” was in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780 and 1875.

Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love

The hymns of Charles Wesley have held a place of prominence in Methodism ever since "Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin," which was written by Charles upon his conversion in 1738. Both the quality and the quantity of his more than 6,500 hymns make Charles the most important hymn writer of the eighteenth century. The work of his brother, John, as hymn translator, compiler, editor, and distributor makes him the leading figure in English hymnody of that century. The sixty-four collections they published between 1738 and 1785 contain the substance of Wesleyan theology. Wesley hymns have always been important in Methodist devotion, instruction, proclamation, and public worship. Indeed, even today many would agree that it is the body of our Wesley hymnody that continues to give our denomination a sense of identity and unity during a period of theological, liturgical, and political diversity.  “Jesus, Thine All-Victorious Love” is found in all five of the official United Methodist hymnals.