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.
Benedictus
– Gilbert Alcock
Gilbert
Alcock (1870-1954), English Romantic
composer, wrote choral anthems, song cycles, piano, and organ works. He was organist at Holy Trinity Church, and
later, St. John’s Church, in Eastbourne.
Benedictus means "blessed". Saint Benedict was an Italian monk who founded the
Benedictines in the 6th century. After his time, the name was common among
Christians, being used by 16 popes. In England it did not come into use until
the 12th century, at which point it became very popular. The “Benedictus”
is the second part of the “Sanctus” in the Latin mass. The Sanctus (Latin: Sanctus, "Holy") is a hymn from Chalcedonian
Christianliturgy.
It may also be called the epinikios hymnos ("Hymn of Victory") when
referring to the Greek rendition. In Western
Christianity, the Sanctus forms part of the Ordinary and is sung (or said) as the final
words of the Preface of the Eucharistic
Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine. The
preface, which alters according to the season, usually concludes
with words describing the praise of the worshippers joining with the angels, who are pictured as praising God with
the words of the Sanctus. In Byzantine Rite and general Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Sanctus is offered
as a response by the choir during the Holy
Anaphora. The text of the
Latin Benedictus is familiar: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Drawing inspiration from
this, Alcock has written a contemplative piece, inscribed with words from the
poet, Longfellow:
The
organ sounds, and unseen choirs
Sing the old Latin hymns of peace and
love
And benedictions of the Holy Ghost.
Weinberg was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and studied at the Moscow Conservatory of Music under many prominent teachers and
studied composition for a year in Vienna.
He toured Russia as a pianist and also toured with Emil Rosenoff in
their two-piano concerts from 1912-1916. He was also very interested in
preserving the unique melodies and music scales of Jewish religious and secular
folk tunes. When the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk
Music was formed in
1908, Jacob Weinberg and his Moscow-based peers formed the Moscow branch of
this society. With the advent of the Bolshevik
Revolution, Weinberg spent two months in prison and then fled to
Palestine (now Israel). He was one of the founders of the Jewish National
Conservatory in Jerusalem. He composed the first Hebrew opera, The Pioneers (Hechalutz). It won First Prize
in an international composition contest, sponsored by the Philadelphia
Sesquicentennial. With the prize money, he took his family to New York. His
many works include religious Jewish works; he set the Sabbath service to music
in several versions. These works are still performed at Temple Emanu-el, a prominent Reform synagogue in Manhattan. He
joined the music faculty of the New
York College of Music in
1929, and later joined the faculty at Hunter College.
Weinberg set the text “Grant
Us Peace”, a World Healing Prayer from The Gates of Prayer:, The New
Union Prayer Book - Mishkan T'fila. It published in the Union Songster: Songs and Prayers for Jewish
Youth (שִׁיר וּתְפִלָּה)
Grant us peace, Your most
precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace,
and give us the will to
proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth.
Bless our country, that it may
always be a stronghold of peace,
and its advocate among the
nations. May contentment reign within its border,
health and happiness within its
homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship
among the inhabitants of all
lands, and may the love of Your name hallow
every home and every heart.
Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace.
In
addition to being an accomplished organ recitalist, Dr. Charles Ore (b. 1936)
composes organ and choral music, and is a leader in the use and development of
improvisation in organ playing. He is organist at First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Neb.
Et
in terra pax – André Raison
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the
highest") is a Christian hymn known also
as the Greater Doxology (as
distinguished from the "Minor Doxology" or Gloria Patri) and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or
simply Gloria. The hymn begins with the words that the angels sang when the birth of Christ was
announced to shepherds in Luke 2:14. Other verses were added very early, forming a doxology. It is an example of the psalmi idiotici ("private psalms", i.e. compositions
by individuals in imitation of the biblical Psalter) that were popular in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The Latin translation is traditionally attributed to Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 300–368), who may have learned it
while in the East (359–360); as such, it is part of a loose tradition of early
Latin translations of the scripture known as the Vetus Latina. The Vulgate Latin translation of the Bible was commissioned only in 382. In
the Roman Rite this hymn is sung or recited in the Mass, after the Kyrie, on Sundays outside of Lent and Advent and on solemnities and feasts.
Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae
voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias
agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam,
Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You,
we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great
glory,
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis [coelestis], Deus Pater omnipotens.
Lord
God, heavenly King, O God Almighty Father.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei,
Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis;
Lord
Jesus Christ, Only-Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who
take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui
sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Who
take away the sins of the world, hear our prayer. You Who sit at the right hand
of the Father, have mercy on us.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus,
Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
For You alone are the Holy
One, you alone the Lord, you alone the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy
Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
André Raison (c.1640-1719)
was a French Baroque composer and organist. During his lifetime he was one of the most
famous French organists and an important influence on French organ music. He
published two collections of organ works, in 1688 and 1714. The first contains
liturgical music intended for monasteries and a preface with information on
contemporary performance practice. The second contains mostly noëls (variations
on Christmas carols).
Raison was educated there
at the seminary of the Church of St. Geneviève (today a commune of Paris). Raison's later life was evidently greatly
influenced by the experiences at St. Geneviève. Writing in 1687 or 1688 (in the
preface to his Premier
livre d’orgue, published in 1688) the composer mentioned that
he found the purpose of his life while studying at the seminary. The Premier
livre d'orgue of 1688, consists entirely of liturgical music: five masses (in order of
appearance, in the first, second, third, sixth and eighth modes) and an offertory in the fifth mode. The collection features a long
preface in which Raison explains that Premier
livre d'orgue was composed to assist the musicians
of secluded monasteries; for them he provides important instructions
concerning style, ornamentation, registration and other aspects of performance practice. All five masses follow the same
standard scheme: 5 versets for Kyrie, 9 for Gloria, 3 for Sanctus, one
Elevation, 2 Agnus Dei versets and a Deo Gratias.
The French organ mass consisted of such versets, to be
played in alternatum with the sung
chant of the Ordinary portion of the Mass. This
brief verset was to precede the “Et in terra pax” verse of the Gloria.
About the Choral Music:
Dream
a Dream – Ed Robertson
Ed Robertson is Professor
Emeritus of Music at the University of Montevallo, where he was Professor of
Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition. At the University
of Montevallo, he established the UM Music Technology Lab. He earned his Doctor
of Music at Florida State University. His works have been performed on five
continents and in venues such as the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall,
and Symphony Hall in Atlanta. A winner of multiple ASCAP awards, he has
been recognized by the University of Richmond for "outstanding achievement
in the arts". Dr. Robertson was three times named Distinguished
Teacher of the Year in the University of Montevallo College of Fine Arts, and
the UM Alumni Association granted him its Outstanding Commitment to Teaching
Award. He was the Carnegie Foundation/Council for the Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE) Alabama Professor of the Year in 2004. He wrote the words and music for “Dream a
Dream” in 1977.
Dream a dream of
a new tomorrow when the people learn to love their fellow man.
Dare to hope for
a peaceful morning, when we’ve learned to walk together hand in hand.
Dream a dream of
a world united when the nations choose to lay their weapons down.
Dare to hope for
a day of gladness when the world can let a smile replace a frown.
If we all will dare to dream dreams of a new and brighter day,
If we work to
make them come true, we will surely find a way.
Dream a dream of
the world we long to see,
Dare to hope for
the day when men are free and dreams come true.
Maybe we can make
it happen soon.
Dream a dream of
a new tomorrow, maybe someday we can see our dreams come true.
About the Hymns:
Christ
for the World We Sing
Samuel Wolcott (1813-1886) was the pastor of
the Plymouth Congregational Church in Cleveland, Ohio when the local branch of
the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) asked to hold a meeting in his
sanctuary. Wolcott not only agreed to allow their meeting, but also made
it a point to attend. As he listened to the speakers, he couldn't help
but notice the large banner that the YMCA sponsors had hung over the pulpit to
announce the theme of the rally. The banner read, "Christ for the
World and the World for Christ."
Wolcott was very much in sympathy with that motto, having served as a
missionary for several years. He knew the need that existed in other
countries, but he also thought of Cleveland and the other cities of this
country as part of the world that needed Christ. Wolcott had tried his hand at hymn-writing on
a previous occasion, and was surprised when “Christ for the World We Sing” was
published in 1869. Wolcott wrote two hundred hymns during his
lifetime, but this is the only one in common usage today.
Where
Charity and Love Prevail
Omer
Westendorf (1916-1997) was one of the leading composers following the
liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Beginning at age 20, he received his master’s
degree in music at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and for most of his
professional musical career served as organist and choirmaster at St.
Bonaventure Church in Cincinnati. Under his direction the Bonaventure Choir
sang concerts and recorded sacred music for several decades. One of his greatest achievements was the
founding of the World Library of Sacred Music in 1950 and World Library
Publications in 1957. These organizations have been primary distributors of
music for the Mass in the United States and beyond.
Westendorf was also known for his lectures and seminars on sacred music, consultations on liturgical music and as a hymn writer. Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book, 1964, was the first vernacular hymn and service book to implement the Catholic liturgies decreed by Vatican Council II. He wrote Music Lessons for the Man in the Pew to teach the art of sight reading choral music.
“Where charity and love prevail” (1961) provides an English hymn version of a 9th-century Latin hymn, “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est” (Where there is charity and love, God is there) based on 1 John 4:16. Traditionally, this is the final hymn on Maundy Thursday, called in the Latin tradition Mandatum novum (New Commandment), referring to the act of washing of the disciples’ feet initiated by Jesus.
Scholar H. Myron Braun comments on this ancient ritual: “[The Latin chant] is said to date from the ninth century . . . with its emphasis on community within the faith, on Christians holding one another in love and concern . . . It is appropriate for . . . [Maundy Thursday] when we note the “new commandment” that we love one another, and also several times in Eastertide when the lectionary leads us to reading on love from the Gospel and the epistles of John.”
The text draws directly on John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This version appeared first in Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book (1976). Before the publication of The UM Hymnal in 1989, the hymn appeared in the Supplement to the Book of Hymns (1982) with a plainsong melody.
Westendorf was also known for his lectures and seminars on sacred music, consultations on liturgical music and as a hymn writer. Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book, 1964, was the first vernacular hymn and service book to implement the Catholic liturgies decreed by Vatican Council II. He wrote Music Lessons for the Man in the Pew to teach the art of sight reading choral music.
“Where charity and love prevail” (1961) provides an English hymn version of a 9th-century Latin hymn, “Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est” (Where there is charity and love, God is there) based on 1 John 4:16. Traditionally, this is the final hymn on Maundy Thursday, called in the Latin tradition Mandatum novum (New Commandment), referring to the act of washing of the disciples’ feet initiated by Jesus.
Scholar H. Myron Braun comments on this ancient ritual: “[The Latin chant] is said to date from the ninth century . . . with its emphasis on community within the faith, on Christians holding one another in love and concern . . . It is appropriate for . . . [Maundy Thursday] when we note the “new commandment” that we love one another, and also several times in Eastertide when the lectionary leads us to reading on love from the Gospel and the epistles of John.”
The text draws directly on John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This version appeared first in Westendorf’s People’s Mass Book (1976). Before the publication of The UM Hymnal in 1989, the hymn appeared in the Supplement to the Book of Hymns (1982) with a plainsong melody.
"Be Thou My Vision" (Old Irish: Rop tú mo baile or Rob tú mo bhoile) is a traditional hymn from Ireland. The most well-known English version, with some minor variations, was translated by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. In 1919, the lyrics were set to the tune of the Irish folk tune "Slane", to which the song is sung to this day, both in English and Irish. The song dates from at least the eighth century, though the text dates to the sixth-century.
The original Old Irish text, "Rop tú mo Baile" is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century. Eochaid Mac Colla (c. 530 – 598), better known as Saint Dallan or Dallán Forgaill (Old Irish: Dallán Forchella; Latin: Dallanus Forcellius), was an early Christian Irish poet whose writings include the "Amra Choluim Chille" ("Elegy of Saint Columba") and "Rop Tú Mo Baile" ("Be Thou My Vision"). Saint Dallan was Chief Ollam of Ireland (similar to poet laureate), as well as a scholar of Latin scriptural learning. He helped to reform the Bardic Order at the Convention of Drumceat. He reputedly wrote Amra Choluim Chille, which he completed shortly after the death of Saint Columba in 597, because Columba had successfully saved poets from expulsion from Ireland at the assembly of Druim Cett in 575. The “Amra Choluim Chille,” is the earliest Irish poem that can be dated.
"Rop tú mo
Baile" had been a part of Irish monastic tradition for centuries
before its setting to music. It was translated from Old Irish into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne in Ériu (the journal of the School of Irish Learning), in 1905. The English
text was first versified by Eleanor
Hull, in 1912, and is now the most common text used.
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