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.
Our sermon series on hard questions continues with "What is the Point of This Life?"
Ach
wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig - J. S. Bach
Michael
Franck (1609-1667) was a German baker, teacher, poet, and composer. Franck
initially established a career as a baker. Although he was fairly successful,
"he became completely impoverished, because of nocturnal thefts and
plunders of his house". He
moved to Coburg and began
teaching, and also wrote hymns and poems.
Ah how fleeting,
ah how insubstantial is man’s life!
As a
mist soon arises and soon also vanishes again, so is our life!
Ah how
intubstantial, ah how fleeting are man’s days!
As a
stream begins to flow and in its course is not kept together,
So our
time goes away from us here!
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial are man’s joys!
As there
is change in hours and times, light and darkness, peace and strife,
So are
our times of happiness.
Ah how
insubstantial, ah how fleeting is man’s beauty!
As a
flower soon perishes when a cold breeze blows, so is our beauty!
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial is man’s strength!
Someone
who proved himself a lion, contended with giants,
Is overthrown
by a small abscess.
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial is man’s luck!
Just as
a ball spins, one moment here, next moment there,
So is
our luck.
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial is man’s honour!
Someone
whose hand people had to politely kiss today
Is on
the next day trodden beneath their feet.
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial is man’s knowledge!
Someone
who can make a splendid speech and discourse intelligently
Must soon
lose all his wits!
Ah how
fleeting, ah how insubstantial are man’s creations!
Someone
who has dearly acquired skill and thought out many a beautiful work
Is in
the end overtaken by death.
Ah how
insubstantial, ah how fleeting are man’s treasures.
Fire and
flood may come whereby, before we can take care,
Everything
is ruined.
Ah how fleeting, ah how insubstantial
is man’s rule.
Someone who through might has ascended
on high
Must in the end lie powerless in the
grave.
Ah how fleeting, ah how insubstantial
is man’s spendour!
Someone who most presumptuously in
purple took his seat like a god
Is forgotten in death.
Ah how insubstantial, ah how fleeting are
mankind's affairs.
All, all that we see must fall and vanish.
The person who fears God stands firm forever.
All, all that we see must fall and vanish.
The person who fears God stands firm forever.
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).
Mitten
wir im Leben sind - Helmut Walcha
Martin
Luther (1483-1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, former monk and a
seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.
Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom
from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He proposed an
academic discussion of the power and usefulness of indulgences in
his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517. His refusal to retract all of
his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in
1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in
1521 resulted in his excommunication by
the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the
Emperor.
Luther taught
that salvation and
subsequently eternal life is not earned by good deeds but is received only as a
free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of
the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed
knowledge from God and opposed sacerdotalism by
considering all baptized Christians to be a
holy priesthood. Those
who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans even
though Luther insisted on Christianor Evangelical as the only acceptable names for
individuals who professed Christ.
His translation of the Bible into
the vernacular (instead
of Latin)
made it more accessible, which had a tremendous impact on the church and German
culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added
several principles to the art of translation, and
influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible.
Luther was a prolific
hymn-writer, authoring hymns such as "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"
("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"), based on Psalm 46, and "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come"), based
on Luke 2:11–12. Luther
connected high art and folk music, also all classes, clergy and laity, men,
women and children. His tool of choice for this connection was the singing of
German hymns in connection with worship, school, home, and the public arena. He often accompanied the sung hymns
with a lute, later recreated as the waldzither that
became a national instrument of Germany in the 20th century.
Media vita in morte sumus is the title and first line of a Latin antiphon, which
translates as In the midst of life we are in death. It was erroneously attributed to Notker the
Stammerer (840-912) late in the Middle Ages, but was more
probably written around 750 in France.
This antiphon inspired Martin Luther’s hymn, “Mitten wir in Leben sind”,
which was first published in Erfurter
Enchiridien (1524).
Where shall we for succor flee, Lest our foes confound us?
To thee alone, our Saviour.
We mourn our grievous sin which hath Stirr’d the fire of thy fierce wrath.
Holy and gracious God! Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Saviour! Thou eternal God!
Save us, Lord, from sinking In the deep and bitter flood.
Kyrie eleison.
Whilst in midst of death we be, Hell’s grim jaws o’ertake us;
Who from such distress will free. Who secure will make us?
Thou only, Lord, canst do it!
It moves thy tender heart to see Our great sin and misery.
Holy and gracious God! Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all merciful Saviour! Thou eternal God!
Let not hell dismay us With its deep and burning flood.
Kyrie eleison.
Into hell’s fierce agony Sin doth headlong drive us:
Where shall we for succor flee, Who, O, who will hide us?
Thou only, blesséd Saviour. Thy precious blood was shed to win
Peace and pardon for our sin.
Holy and gracious God! Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Saviour! Let us not, we pray,
From the true faith’s comfort Fall in our last need away.
Kyrie eleison.
The
renowned German organist, harpsichordist and pedagogue, (Arthur Emil) Helmut
Walcha (1907-1991), was stricken with blindness at age 16. He pursued organ
studies with Günther Ramin at the Leipzig Conservatory. He
learned new pieces by having musicians (including his mother in his childhood
and his wife in later years), play for him four times (each hand separately,
the pedal part separately, and the complete piece). Having perfect pitch, he
would memorize the piece while listening.
At 17,
Helmut Walcha made his debut in Leipzig, where he then served as assistant organist at the Thomaskirche from 1926
to 1929. In 1929, he settled in Frankfurt am Main as organist of the
Friedenskirche. In 1944, he became organist at the Dreikönigskirche. In 1933,
he became a teacher at the Hoch Conservatory. From 1938 to 1972, he was a
professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt, lecturing on organ music
and composition. After World War II, he became internationally known via his
recital tours and recordings. His performances of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach were distinguished by their insightful interpretations and
virtuoso execution. He also championed J.S. Bach's music on period instruments and made appearances as a
harpsichordist. Helmut Walcha had
a formidable memory. His ability to retain the complete keyboard works of Bach
(plus a number of other works from the early North German repertoire) was
nothing short of phenomenal. He credited this ability in part to his blindness
and felt that being deprived of sight focused his hearing and concentration.
One could bring any Bach work to a lesson and find him able to perform it,
virtually note perfect, and with a spontaneity and freshness not always
apparent in his Bach recordings.
Helmut Walcha recorded J.S. Bach's complete works twice. Walcha's performances set a new standard in their day, and they have not yet been supplanted by more recent attempts for several reasons: his search for and use of two of the best Baroque organs (which he preferred to those of the modern or romantic period): the great organ of the St. Laurenskerk in Alkmaar (Holland) and the organ of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune in Strasbourg (he held fundraisers for the authentic restoration of these and other Baroque organs); his brilliant registrations enable multiple voice lines to be clearly legible; his supple pedal technique and keyboard skill give balanced and complete musical images which remain in the mind long after listening; his musical inner vision. They are an extraordinary example not only of the human and his music but also of the human spirit. Helmut Walcha could envision Bach's multiple lines simultaneously and share each of them with the listener, not crowding them with unnecessary ranks for the sake of volume, enabling the sheer drama of the music, a view of its architectural genius, and allowing attention to any line at any time.
Helmut Walcha recorded J.S. Bach's complete works twice. Walcha's performances set a new standard in their day, and they have not yet been supplanted by more recent attempts for several reasons: his search for and use of two of the best Baroque organs (which he preferred to those of the modern or romantic period): the great organ of the St. Laurenskerk in Alkmaar (Holland) and the organ of Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune in Strasbourg (he held fundraisers for the authentic restoration of these and other Baroque organs); his brilliant registrations enable multiple voice lines to be clearly legible; his supple pedal technique and keyboard skill give balanced and complete musical images which remain in the mind long after listening; his musical inner vision. They are an extraordinary example not only of the human and his music but also of the human spirit. Helmut Walcha could envision Bach's multiple lines simultaneously and share each of them with the listener, not crowding them with unnecessary ranks for the sake of volume, enabling the sheer drama of the music, a view of its architectural genius, and allowing attention to any line at any time.
Walcha
edited the organ concertos of George Frideric Handel, and also composed for the organ. He published four volumes
of original chorale preludes as well as arrangements for organ of orchestral
works written by others. One other contribution to music scholarship is his
attempted completion of the final (unfinished) fugue of The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080). He taught many significant American organists of the 20th century who travelled to Germany as
Fulbright scholars: these include Robert Anderson, Margaret Leupold Dickinson, Melvin Dickinson, Betty Louise Lumby, and
David Mulbury, all of whom became major teachers and performers after their
studies abroad.
God of our life all glorious Lord, be
now and evermore adored!
Into the op’ning of this day bring
grace and love and peace, we pray.
Make clear our path, that we may see
where we must walk to be with thee
and ever listen for Thy voice, that we
may make Thy way our choice.
Give us Thy help in ev’ry task, nor
let us fail of Thee to ask
for grace in speech, for love in deed from wrongful
actions to be freed.
About the Choral Music:
There
is a Season – Janey Nance Hall
Janey Nance-Hall, of the
Women's Chorus of Dallas, composed this anthem upon the death of her teenaged
daughter. “There Is a Season” has
moments of soaring melody and quiet stillness. The melody is haunting, but full
of resolve and empowerment! The well-known text is one of the most moving and
comforting passages from the Old Testament, Eccleasiastes 3.
To
everything there is a season. To
everything there is a time:
A
time to be born and a time to die; a time to plan and uproot.
To
everything, there is a season. To
everything there is a time.
A
time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and for laughter.
If
we dance the dance of life, we must dance the dance of death!
To
everything there is a season. To
everything there is a time;
A
time to embrace, and a time to refrain; a time to keep, and a time to lose,
And
a time for all to keep silence.
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.
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!
A Charge to Keep I Have
As is
the case with hymns by Charles Wesley, “A charge to keep I have” is grounded in
Scripture. In this case, Leviticus 8:36 is the primary source: “Keep the charge
of the Lord, that ye die not” (KJV). The hymn was included in Short Hymns on Select Passages of Holy
Scripture (1762), a massive two-volume collection of 2,030
hymns based on biblical texts from Genesis to Revelation.
Wesley scholars F. Hildebrandt and Oliver A. Beckerlegge propose in their commentary on the important Wesley hymnbook A Collection of Hymns for Use of the People Called Methodists (1780) that Charles Wesley (1708-1788) based his text on Mathew Henry’s Commentary on Leviticus. Henry notes: “We have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, needful duty to be done, our generation to serve; and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is our peril if we neglect it. Keep it ‘that ye die not’; it is death, eternal death, to betray the truth we are charged with.”
This hymn is an unequivocal call to commitment to follow the Master and to fulfill our vocation through service. The language is unambiguous. Our calling is to save a “never dying soul” and “fit it for the sky”—that is for eternal life with Christ. This eschatological goal is central to Charles Wesley’s hymns: Our goal is heaven. In the second stanza, we find that we fulfill this calling by our service to “the present age.” Fulfilling this calling requires us to engage “all [our] powers.” The third stanza is a petition that God should “arm [us] with jealous care” as we live in God’s sight. Wesley is not afraid to offer a stern admonition that we will one day be required to give “a strict account” of our activities in pursuit of our calling. The final stanza is perhaps the most uncompromising. The singer begins with the imperative verb—a petition to the unnamed Holy Spirit—to “Help me to watch and pray . . . ” Rather than suggesting a positive reward for faithfulness, Wesley warns us of the outcome “if [we] our trust betray”: we “shall forever die.”
The tune BOYLSTON was composed by the famous New England music educator Lowell Mason (1792-1872) and was first found in his The Choir, or Union Collection of Church Music (1832).
Wesley scholars F. Hildebrandt and Oliver A. Beckerlegge propose in their commentary on the important Wesley hymnbook A Collection of Hymns for Use of the People Called Methodists (1780) that Charles Wesley (1708-1788) based his text on Mathew Henry’s Commentary on Leviticus. Henry notes: “We have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, needful duty to be done, our generation to serve; and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is our peril if we neglect it. Keep it ‘that ye die not’; it is death, eternal death, to betray the truth we are charged with.”
This hymn is an unequivocal call to commitment to follow the Master and to fulfill our vocation through service. The language is unambiguous. Our calling is to save a “never dying soul” and “fit it for the sky”—that is for eternal life with Christ. This eschatological goal is central to Charles Wesley’s hymns: Our goal is heaven. In the second stanza, we find that we fulfill this calling by our service to “the present age.” Fulfilling this calling requires us to engage “all [our] powers.” The third stanza is a petition that God should “arm [us] with jealous care” as we live in God’s sight. Wesley is not afraid to offer a stern admonition that we will one day be required to give “a strict account” of our activities in pursuit of our calling. The final stanza is perhaps the most uncompromising. The singer begins with the imperative verb—a petition to the unnamed Holy Spirit—to “Help me to watch and pray . . . ” Rather than suggesting a positive reward for faithfulness, Wesley warns us of the outcome “if [we] our trust betray”: we “shall forever die.”
The tune BOYLSTON was composed by the famous New England music educator Lowell Mason (1792-1872) and was first found in his The Choir, or Union Collection of Church Music (1832).
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