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.
Warum
betrübst du dich, mein Herz? - Johann Christoph Bach
"Warum
betrübst du dich, mein Herz?" is a
very old German chorale, which has been set by many composers, both for organ
and for choir. The chorale melody is
found on undated manuscripts that appeared around the middle of the 16th
century in Nürnberg. One of these is listed as coming from Nürnberg in 1561.
The composer and/or text author is unknown. For many years it had been thought
that Hans Sachs could have
written both song and melody. The melody was noted on a manuscript from
Crailsheim in 1565. The chorale text has
a total of 14 verses. The source of the
text and general theme are very similar to “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” A rough translation of 3 of the verses is as
follows:
Why do you trouble yourself, my heart, tormenting
yourself and bearing pain only about perishable goods? Alas, I am poor; heavy worries oppress
me. From evening until morning, my dear
necessity lasts. May God have
mercy! Who will rescue me yet from the body
of this evil and cruel world? How
wretched it is beset around me!
Alas! If I were only dead!
Trust in your Lord God, who has created
everything. He can and will not abandon
you. He knows well what you lack; heaven and earth are His! Ah, how?
God freely tends to the wild animal: He gives the bird his meal; He
nourishes the young raven. Your Father
and your Lord God, He will stand with you in all necessity.
Well then! I
will also rest quite peacefully. Now I
can live as if in heaven.
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.
Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ – Mark Sedio
“Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ” was written by Fred
Kaan in 1975. Kaan was known and honored
throughout the English speaking world as a hymn writer. He was in the tradition
of reformed ministers who wrote hymns to follow and sum up the sermons they
preached. Having started to write hymns early in his ministry, his output grew
steadily during his career.
Let us talents and tongues employ, Reaching out with a
shout of joy.
Bread is broken, the wine is poured, Christ is spoken and
seen and heard.
Christ is able to make us one. At the table he sets the tone,
Teaching people to live to bless, Love in word and in
deed express.
Jesus calls us
in, sends us out Bearing fruit in a world of doubt
Gives
us love to tell, bread to share. God
(Immanuel) everywhere!
Jesus
lives again, earth can breathe again,
Pass
the Word around: loaves abound!
Mark Sedio currently serves as Cantor, organist, and choirmaster at Central Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. He is also on the music
staff of Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Born in Minneapolis.
Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr - Georg Kauffman
From my heart I hold you dear, o
Lord,
I ask that it may be your will to be
not far from me with your kindness and mercy.
The whole world gives me no delight;
I do not ask for heaven and earth,
if only I can have you.
And even if my heart at once breaks,
you are still my reassurance,
My portion and my heart’s comfort,
who has redeemed me through his blood.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord,
My God and Lord,
Never again let me be put to shame!
It is, Lord, your present and gift,
My body and soul and what I have in
this poor life.
So that I may use this for your
praise, for the benefit and service of my neighbor,
May it be your will to grant me your
grace!
Guard me, Lord, from false teaching,
defend me from Satan’s murder and lies,
Sustain me in every affliction, so
that I may endure with patience!
Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and God,
my Lord and God,
Comfort
my soul in death’s distress.
About the Choral Music:
Praise
and Adore – Tom Fettke
“Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore Him” first appeared in a four-paged tract which
is found pasted at the end of some copies of the 1796 musical edition of the Psalms, Hymns, and Anthems of the Foundling Hospital, London and again at the end of the edition of words only,
published in 1801. A post-exilic
hymn based on Psalm 148, it maintains that God's glory displayed in creation
and redemption is so great that the praise on Israel's lips needs to be
supplemented by a chorus from all creation. Let everything created in the
heavens praise God for the majesty and ordered goodness of the celestial realm.
Let all created things on earth and in the seas praise their Maker. Let all
people join in praising God for salvation "from sin and shame". The question of the authorship of this hymn
has been a matter of serious inquiry for some years, with the result that on
the one hand it is attributed to John Kempthorne, and on the other to Bishop
Mant, and both in error. The leaflet found in the 1796 hymnal is
neither signed nor dated. The authorship and date of the writing and first
printing of the hymn are therefore still open to investigation and research.
Tom
Fettke has taught music in both public and Christian schools and has
served as a church choir
director and minister of music in churches large and small
for over 30 years. He is a composer, arranger, clinician, and producer of
Christian music recordings. Fettke was
the creator and senior editor of the Hymnal
for Worship and Celebration (1986).
Praise
the Lord! O heavens adore Him; praise Him, angels in the height;
Sun
and moon rejoice before Him; praise Him, shining stars of light.
Praise
the Lord, for He has spoken; worlds His mighty voice obeyed;
Laws,
which never shall be broken, for their guidance He has made.
Praise
the Lord, for He is gracious; never shall His promise fail;
God
has made His saints victorious, sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise
the God of our salvation; hosts on high, His power proclaim.
Heaven
and earth, and all creation, praise and magnify His name!
Worship,
honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer as our gift;
Young
and old, Your praise expressing, our glad songs to you we lift.
All
the saints in heaven adore You; we would join their glad acclaim;
As
Your angels bow before You, so on earth we praise Your name.
Amen!
About the Hymns:
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Edward Perronet (1726-1792) was born in
England, the grandson of a French immigrant. His father, Vincent, was a
clergyman in the Church of England and a close friend and associate of John and
Charles Wesley. Though Edward had planned to follow his father into Anglican ministry,
the influence of the Wesleys prevailed, and he became a traveling
Methodist preacher. “All Hail the
Power of Jesus’ Name” was written by Perronet while he served as a missionary in
India and first appeared in the November, 1779 issue of the Gospel Magazine
An interesting story is told about this hymn. Rev. E. P. Scott was a missionary in India
who had been urged not to go near a certain barbarous tribe, whom he wished to evangelize.
But he went forth with high courage, never wavering in his duty, and trusting
in God to protect him. When at last he reached their country among the hills,
he came upon a company of these savages.
Immediately, they surrounded him, pointing their spears at him
with threatening scowls. He had nothing
but his violin; and so, closing his eyes, he began to play and sing, “All
Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” When he opened his eyes he expected to be
killed instantly, but his life had been spared through the singing of the
hymn. Their spears had dropped, and they received him first with curiosity
and interest, and then later with eagerness, as he told them the gospel
story and won their hearts to the will of Jesus Christ.
Oh, How I Love Jesus
The stanzas of “Oh How I Love Jesus” were
written in 1855 by Frederick Whitfield (1829-1904), an English clergyman. Mr. Whitfield's works in prose and verse
number upwards of thirty, including Spiritual
unfolding from the Word of Life; Voices from the Valley Testifying of Jesus;
The Word Unveiled; Gleanings from Scripture, &c. Several of his hymns
appeared in his Sacred Poems
and Prose, 1861, 2nd Series, 1864; The Casket,
and Quiet Hours in the Sanctuary. This
text was first printed in hymn sheets and leaflets, and was published in 1861
by Whitfield in his Sacred Poems and Prose in London. It was first published in
the United States no later than 1864.
The refrain is anonymous, and was paired with many other hymns in the
second half of the nineteenth century, including “Amazing Grace” by John Newton
and “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed” by Isaac Watts. Its earliest known
appearance in publication was during the 1860s.
I
Stand Amazed in the Presence
Charles Gabriel (1856-1932) grew up on an Iowa farm and
learned music by playing the reed organ in his home. He became one of the most
prolific composers of gospel songs of his day. Gabriel's musical activities
ranged from teaching in the singing schools that were so popular in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to authoring texts, composing songs,
anthems, and cantatas, and editing song collections. He was associated with the
leading gospel song publishers of his day, including Homer Rodeheaver, Hope,
and E. O. Excell. Though self-trained,
he started leading singing school educational events as a teenager. He worked
with Grace Episcopal Methodist
Church in San Francisco from 1890-1892, and then moved to
Chicago where he worked for Homer Rodeheaver’s publishing firm. Gabriel is credited with between 7000 and
8000 songs, thirty-five gospel song collections, Sunday school song books,
collections for men's and women’s choirs, numerous cantatas, including 41
Christmas cantatas, and music education texts. He wrote under numerous
pseudonyms, making it often difficult to know the precise number of songs he
wrote.
The words of
the gospel hymn “I Stand Amazed” were written in 1905 when Gabriel was 49 years
old, after more than three decades into his life’s work in music. The hymn’s
words indicate he was not self-absorbed, as some with his talent over such a
long stretch of time might have been. Instead, Gabriel focused his attention on
the One who had gifted him musically. Gabriel’s composition shows he saw his
own faults (a sinner, condemned, unclean), but that’s not where he dwelt.
Gabriel evidently had emerged from his own struggles – including his father’s
death when Charles was still a teenager, and his failed first marriage - to
recognize the Lord’s work in his life. Look at Him, hold Him in awe, and open
your mouth in joyous response as you look forward to a face-to-face encounter.
That sums up Gabriel’s song-message. It’s not hard to find something amazing
about Him – you just have to look.
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