March 13, 2016

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.  

This week's topic for the Lenten sermon series, Cativated by Christ, is Jesus fought injustice.

About the Organ Music:

Tui sunt coeli – John Redford

The Missam in Die has its origins in the Medieval period.  It is one of the Gregorian masses originally used during the Christmas season. The text of the Propers of the Missam in Die is a fully mature expression of the evangelical message, proclaiming “The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.”  “Tui sunt coeli” is the offertory text from that mass.  It is a setting of Psalm 89, which recalls God’s promise that David’s seed would endure forever.  This provides its connection to Christmas; however the rest of the Psalm is not specific to the Christmas season.  Many composers of the Medieval and Renaissance periods wrote vocal settings of this mass.  Organ pieces were written to be played in “alternatum” with the mass, with an organ piece occurring between chant sections which prepared and provided the intonation for the chant which followed.

John Redford (c. 1500-1547) was a major English composer, organist, and dramatist of the Tudor period.  From about 1525, he was organist at St Paul's Cathedral. He was choirmaster there from 1531 until his death. Many of his works are represented in the Mulliner Book. Redford is notable as one of the earliest composers, rather than improvisers, of organ music, having notated a significant quantity of keyboard music, all of it liturgical in function, based on plainchant melodies; a few vocal works by him also survive.

As he held the post of Almoner and Master of the Choristers, Redford was responsible for the arrangement of the choristers performances, including writing and directing plays and interludes. The most celebrated of these entertainments is the morality play, The Play of Wyt and Science (written ca 1530-1550). However, the first five pages of the manuscript are missing; there is no way to know how much is lost.  Redford also wrote a number of poems, including the 23 verse Nolo mortem peccatoris, which was set to music by Thomas Morley, who was a later organist at St Paul's. Another famous poem is The Chorister's Lament, in which choirboys complain of the cruel beatings meted out to them.

Tui sunt caeli et tua est terra, Orbem terrarum et plenitudinem ejus tu fundasti.
Justitia et judicium praeparatio sedis tuae.

Thine are the heavens and thine is the earth, the world and the fullness thereof thou hast founded.

Justice and judgement are the preparation of thy throne.

Felix namque – Thomas Tallis

Despite his stature as one of the great composers of English sacred music, little is known about the personality of English composer Thomas Tallis (c. 150 -1585). The last two lines of his epitaph - "As he did live, so also did he die, in mild and quiet sort (O happy man!); To God full oft for mercy did he cry, wherefore he lives, let death do what it can." - allude to a quiet, pious man, but little else.

Tallis' music, however, suggests much more. The composer lived in an England whose political and religious landscape was much more volatile than that of its 21st century counterpart. As monarchs changed - and Thomas Tallis saw four of them - so did the national faith. The pendulum swung from Catholic to Protestant to Catholic, and back to Protestant again. Both religions claimed numerous martyrs in defence of the "One True Faith;" kings and queens demanded different loyalties. And they also demanded liturgical music to fit the prevailing order of the day. Thus at least two conclusions can be drawn, reliably, about Tallis' personality from his work: first and most obvious, his creativity, and second, his adaptability. His output, for the most part, did not display the floridity of composers like Cornysh; nor did he compose much in the way of madrigals or other secular music; his music demonstrated more restraint than the exuberance of his pupil Byrd. Much of Tallis' work possesses a moody, reflective quality (for example, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Suscipe quaeso, Miserere), but occasionally he could demonstrate supreme technical skill. The best, and most well-known, example may be the 40-part Spem in alium, with its amazing tapestry of voices, but one can also point to pieces such as the giant six-voice antiphon Gaude gloriosa (probably written to honour Queen Mary Tudor) and some of Tallis' intricate keyboard pieces, most notably the two Felix namque settings, displaying a spirit of experimentation wildly at odds with the more reserved nature of much of his music.

As stated before, little is known about Thomas Tallis himself. His date of birth is murky, and at best music history scholars can narrow it down to "about 1505." Tallis' musical education as a youth is not known either, though he was probably a choirboy somewhere (it has been suggested he was probably one of the "children of the Chapel Royal," but there is nothing to confirm this), as that was how many composers in his day learned their music.  The first definite date marking the start of Tallis' musical career is 1532, when he was appointed organist of Benedictine Priory in Dover. The year 1537 found him at his second job, organist at St Mary-le-Hill in Billingsgate, London, and then on to Waltham Abbey in London until its dissolution in 1540 under Henry VIII. The unemployed Tallis then set out to find work, which he did in 1541 at Canterbury Cathedral as a lay clerk. Finally, he settled into the King's service, appointed as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1543. He sang with the Chapel Royal, played the organ, helped in running the choir, and continued to compose. In 1575, with William Byrd, Tallis secured a monopoly on printing music and music paper in England.  Tallis remained with the Chapel Royal until his death in 1585, while finding time to marry his wife Joan and taking on the young Byrd as a pupil (both probably around the same time, in 1552).  While Tallis was undoubtedly composing before he entered the Chapel Royal - Missa salve intemerata, for example, was written by the young composer in the late 1520s or early 1530s - it was this move into the King's service which marked the real beginning of a career which would establish him as England's main composer of church music.

Thomas Tallis would prove himself adept in writing for both the Catholic and Protestant liturgies. Born a Catholic, he managed to survive - apparently without being persecuted - as a member of the "Old Faith," while becoming the chief composer for the new Church of England. For the Catholic Church he set Latin texts to music in the form of vocal polyphony; for the new Anglican Church he provided clear chordal settings for English texts, many of which are still used by church choirs today (Tallis' Canon is perhaps the best-known example).  Though not as "in your face" about retaining his Catholic faith as Byrd was (Byrd was fined on several occasions for being a recusant), Tallis may have very well intended some of his pieces to make a point about the persecution of Catholics in a newly Protestant England. The haunting, expressive quality of his Lamentations of Jeremiah suggests desolation, penitence; the work, says Paul Doe, was more than likely not conceived as church music at all, "but rather for private recreational singing by loyal Catholics." For Tallis, the words "Ierusalem, Ierusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum" - Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God - may have had special significance for Tallis, a Catholic in a Protestant country.

One of Tallis' most famous compositions, the 40-voice Spem in alium, also alludes to a strong allegiance to Roman Catholicism, with its mix of voices both polyphonic and chordal. Spem is also a work with an interesting history in its own right. It was ostensibly the result of a challenge by one of the composer's supporters, the Catholic Thomas Howard, fourth Duke of Norfolk (executed not long after as the result of trumped-up charges accusing Norfolk of colluding with Mary Queen of Scots). The work challenged was Striggio's 40-part Ecce beatum lautam; the challenge was for an Englishman to produce a work that would excel this piece produced by an Italian. Tallis answered the challenge, perhaps to defend England's creative honour; or to prove himself as an old man still capable of creating great work; or to produce - like many composers - a masterwork which history would remember him by. At any rate, Tallis set to work answering Howard's challenge. And answer it he did: Apparently after its first performance at the palace of Nonsuch (or the Long Hall), owned by Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel, Spem in alium moved Thomas Howard enough to remove a heavy gold chain from around his neck, placing it around Tallis' own, thanking the older Thomas for the glorious piece he had crafted.

Whether Tallis was a subversive Catholic, following one faith professionally but the other one in private, or merely demonstrating a love of the old liturgy he knew as a child, one may never know for certain, but it is clear that Thomas Tallis' music stands up not just for its creative merit, but as a reflection of one man's response to the tumultuous - and often treacherous - politics of Tudor England.

“Felix Namque” is one of a pair of 'Offertories': unique both for their structure, virtuosity and duration. They might have been written prior to the Reformation for liturgical use. It was the custom in the late medieval period to substitute the chanting of an Offertory hymn to the Virgin, Felix Namque, with a keyboard elaboration of the plainchant or the cantus firmus. By using its entirety as equal-length notes in the treble Tallis commits himself to a nine minute piece, which he builds through many rhythmic developments into a near-Lisztian climax while keeping everything subordinated to the cantus firmus. Probably written for organ, Felix Namque works equally well on harpsichord. Doubtless intended as a tour de force it set bench-marks that were not overtaken for a century, both in keyboard technique and what we would now call 'pure' composition, that is to say music that was intended neither for the practical purposes of dance or devotion.

“Felix namque” is the offertory from the Ladymass, a 13th century Gregorian mass in honor of the Virgin Mary.  Organ settings appeared as early as 1420.

Felix namque es sacra Virgo Maria et omni laude dignissima,
quia ex te ortus est sol justitiae, Christus Deus noster.
Ora pro populo, intervene pro clero, intercede pro devote femineo sexu:
Sentiant omnes tuum juvamen, quicumque celebrant tuam sanctam commemorationem.
Quia ex te ortus est sol justitiae, Christus Deus noster.

For thou art happy, O holy Virgin Mary, and art worthy of all praise,
for out of thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God.
Pray for the people, plead for the clergy, make intercession for women dedicated to God:
May your help be to all who keep thy holy remembrance.
For out of thee arose the Sun of justice, Christ our God.

Thy Strong Word – Aaron Miller

Martin Hans Franzmann (1907-1976) taught exegetical theology at Concordia Lutheran Seminary.  “Thy Strong Word” is characteristic of his work in its careful crafting, poetic beauty and theological depth.  It was written in 1961, during his tenure at Concordia, and is based on the seminary motto, “Anothen to Phos” (Light from above).  The hymn takes the idea of light, beginning with creation, and takes it all the way to its fulfillment as we worship the Triune God with all the company of heaven in the splendor of God’s glory.

            Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At Thy speaking it was done.

            For created light we thank Thee, While Thine ordered seasons run.

            Alleluia, alleluia, Praise to Thee who light dost send!

            Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!

Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, dark as night and deep as death,
broke the light of thy salvation, breathed thine own life-giving breath:
Alleluia, alleluia!  Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia, alleluia!  Alleluia without end!

Thy strong word  bespeaks us righteous; bright with thine own holiness,
glorious now, we press toward glory, and our lives our hopes confess:
Alleluia, alleluia!  Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia, alleluia!  Alleluia without end!

God the Father, Light-Creator, to thee laud and honor be;

to thee, Light of Light begotten, praise be sung eternally;
Holy Spirit, Light-Revealer,  glory, glory be to thee;
mortals, angels, now and ever praise the Holy Trinity.

Aaron David Miller is a renowned concert organist and composer, having won numerous international awards and given concerts across the United States.  Dr. Miller’s performances have been heard on National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, Pipe Dreams, and many television programs.   Dr. Miller’s work was recently honored with the 2004 Hellenikon Idyllion Composition Prize offered by the Olympic Committee in Athens, Greece.  In 1996, Dr. Miller won the Top Prize in Improvisation at the American Guild of Organists National Convention in New York.  In 1998, he went on to win the Bach and Improvisation Prizes at the Calgary International Organ Festival and Competition.   His other prizes include the 1999 Helen Cohn Award for Music Research for his study of late Medieval and Renaissance keyboard music.

Dr. Miller attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts and received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.  Dr. Miller completed his graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music, earning his Master of Music degree and his Doctor of Musical Arts.  Dr. Miller was a member of the theory faculty at the Manhattan School of Music from 1996-1999. He served as Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago from 1999-2000.  Dr. Miller is currently the Music Director at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, MN.

About the Choral Music:

Come Follow Me – Joseph Martin

Joseph Martin (b. 1959 ), a native of North Carolina, earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Subsequently he earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of Texas, Austin. Joseph taught for five years in the Piano Pedagogy Department of the University of Texas.. He is a member of the staff of Shawnee Press as Director of Sacred Publications, with responsibilities for overseeing the editorial and creative direction of the company’s sacred publications and also coordinating the recording and production aspects of future sacred publishing efforts. Joseph has performed solo piano recitals and has been the featured artist with symphony orchestras in the United States and Mexico. As winner of the Nina Plant Wideman Competition, he performed with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra. His solo recital in Ex-convento del Carmen was broadcast nationally throughout the country. Though he continues to perform in concert, he now devotes his efforts to playing in churches and for conferences of church musicians Recognized throughout the United States for his many choral compositions, over 1200 compositions are currently in print and the list continues to grow.

“Come Follow Me” is a movement from the cantata, A Time for Alleluia.  From the passion of Gethsemane to the victory of the empty tomb, A Time For Alleluia celebrates the life of Christ and his redemptive work, using Ecclesiasties as the biblical basis for the text.   “Come Follow Me” takes its text from Matthew 19.

            Take up thy cross and follow.

            Come, faithful seeker of the Light, my voice is calling in the night.

            Walk with me; I’ll be your guide.  Follow me.

            Come weary pilgrim, take my hand.  I’ll lift you up and help you stand.

            All who seek the promised land, follow me.

All who hunger, all who suffer, all who sorrow, all who would be free, follow me.

            The path is steep, the road is long, but with my love I’ll keep you strong;

            Then my grace will lead you home. Come follow me.

Come follow me, O faithful one, until the final race is won,

            Until the great Amen is sung!  Follow me.

           

            I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.  Follow me.

About the Hymns:

For the Healing of the Nations

During the 1960s and 1970s, four English-language hymn writers emerged on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean who were the leaders of the “hymnic explosion.” Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000), Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) and Brian Wren (b. 1936) all were born in Great Britain.   Unlike the other three, Fred Kaan (b. 1929), though ordained in the United Reformed Church and serving in England, is a native of Haarlem, The Netherlands.   These writers, along with their counterparts from the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, brought the language and theological vision of hymnody out of the earlier Victorian era into the late 20th century. In many cases, their work continues to enrich 21st-century congregational song.

After serving congregations in England, Kaan served as minister-secretary of the International Congregational Council in Geneva, Switzerland and the executive secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.  He returned to England in 1978 as a moderator of the Western Midlands Conference of the United Reformed Church. From 1986-1989 he returned to parish ministry in the United Reformed Church.

Kaan’s linguistic ability, ecumenical service and fervent concern for the powerless are apparent in his hymns, numbering more than 200.  Collections of his hymns appear in this country as The Hymn Texts of Fred Kaan (1985), Planting Trees and Sowing Seeds (1989) and The Only Earth We Know (1999). He was elected Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 2001. His hymns have been translated into more than 15 languages.

In 1985, Dr. Kaan reflected on “For the healing of the nations,” saying, “Of all the hymns I have written, this is the text that has been more widely reprinted and incorporated in major hymnbooks than any other. It was first used in 1965 in a worship service at the Pilgrim Church, Plymouth, to mark Human Rights Day. Subsequently, it has been used on many official occasions, such as the 25th anniversary of the United Nations organization.”

Dr. Kaan reminds us to care for a world where we are inter-dependant and to use our political will, global influence and natural resources for the good of all humanity in seeking justice and “abundant living” for all. Alleluia!

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

The so-called Prayer of Saint Francis, also known as the Peace Prayer or Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, is a widely known Christian prayer. Often wrongly attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi, the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912, when it was printed in Paris in French, in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell), published by La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe (The League of the Holy Mass). The author's name was not given, although it may have been the founder of La Ligue, Fr. Esther Bouquerel.  A professor at the University of Orleans in France, Dr. Christian Renoux, published a study of the prayer and its history in French in 2001.  Around 1920, a French Franciscan priest printed the prayer on the back of an image of St. Francis, without attribution. The prayer has been known in the United States since 1927, when its first known English translation appeared in the Quaker magazine Friends' Intelligencer under the mistaken title "A prayer of St. Francis of Assissi". Senator Albert W. Hawkes and the saint's namesake Cardinal Francis Spellman distributed millions of copies of the prayer during and just after World War II.

The prayer has similarities to this saying of Blessed Giles of Assisi, one of the companions of St. Francis:

Blessed is he who loves and does not therefore desire to be loved; blessed is he who fears and does not therefore desire to be feared; blessed is he who serves and does not therefore desire to be served; blessed is he who behaves well toward others and does not desire that others behave well toward him; and because these are great things, the foolish do not rise to them.

A popular hymn version of the prayer is "Make Me A Channel of Your Peace", adapted and set to music in 1967 by South African songwriter Sebastian Temple (Johann Sebastian von Tempelhoff, 1928-1997). It is an anthem of the Royal British Legion and is usually sung every November at the Service of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall, London. In 1997, it was part of the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was sung by Sinéad O'Connor on the Princess Diana tribute album.

Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service

Albert F. Bayly (1901-1984) was ed­u­cat­ed at Lon­don Un­i­ver­si­ty and Mans­field Coll­ege, Ox­ford.  Be­gin­ning in the late 1920’s, he served at four Cong­re­ga­tion­al church­es in North­um­ber­land, Lan­ca­shire and East York­shire; in 1962, he be­came pas­tor in Thax­ted, Es­sex.  Af­ter re­tir­ing in 1971, he moved to Spring­field, Chelms­ford, and was ac­tive in the local Unit­ed Re­formed Church.  He wrote sev­er­al pa­geants on mis­sion themes, and li­bret­tos for can­ta­tas by W. L. Lloyd Web­ber (father of Andrew). 

Bayly wrote this text in response to a Hymn Society of America search for new hymns on social welfare. It was chosen as the theme hymn for the Second National Conference on the Churches and Social Welfare held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 23-27, 1961. The Hymn Society published the text in Seven New Social Welfare Hymns (1961).