March 19, 2017

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:

Choral Dorien – Jehan Alain

Jehan Ariste Alain (1911-1940) was born in  Paris into a family of musicians. His father, Albert Alain (1880–1971) was an organist, composer and organ builder who had studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Louis Vierne. His younger brother was the composer, organist and pianist Olivier Alain (1918–1994), his youngest sister the organist Marie-Claire Alain (1926–2013). Jehan received his initial training in the piano from Augustin Pierson, the organist of Saint-Louis at Versailles, and in the organ from his father, who had built a four-manual instrument in the family sitting room. By the age of 11, Jehan was substituting at St. Germain-en-Laye.

Between 1927 and 1939, he attended the Paris Conservatoire and achieved First Prize in Harmony and First Prize in Fugue. He studied the organ with Marcel Dupré, under whose direction he took first prize for Organ and Improvisation in 1939. His studies in composition with Paul Dukas and Jean Roger-Ducasse won him the Prix des amis de l'orgue in 1936 for his Suite for Organ Op. 48, Introduction, Variations, Scherzo and Choral.  He was appointed organist of Saint-Nicholas de Maisons Laffitte in Paris in 1935, and remained there for four years. He also played regularly at the Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth synagogue. The only known recording of his playing—a six-minute improvisation—was made in 1938 at that synagogue.

His short career as a composer began in 1929, when Alain was 18, and lasted until the outbreak of the Second World War 10 years later. His music was influenced not only by the musical language of the earlier Claude Debussy and his contemporary Olivier Messiaen, but also by an interest in the music, dance and philosophies of the far east, a renaissance of baroque music, and in jazz.  He wrote choral music, including a Requiem mass, chamber music, songs and three volumes of piano music. But it is his organ music for which he is best known. His most famous work is Litanies.  That work is prefaced with the text: Quand l’âme chrétienne ne trouve plus de mots nouveaux dans la détresse pour implorer la miséricorde de Dieu, elle répète sans cesse la même invocation avec une foi véhémente. La raison atteint sa limite. Seule la foi poursuit son ascension. ('When, in its distress, the Christian soul can find no more words to invoke God's mercy, it repeats endlessly the same litany....for reason has reached its limit; only faith can take one further...')

Always interested in mechanics, Alain was a skilled motorcyclist and became a dispatch rider in the Eighth Motorised Armour Division of the French Army. On 20 June 1940, he was assigned to reconnoitre the German advance on the eastern side of Saumur, and encountered a group of German soldiers at Le Petit-Puy. Coming around a curve, and hearing the approaching tread of the Germans, he abandoned his motorcycle and engaged the enemy troops with his carbine, killing 16 of them before being killed himself. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre for his bravery,  and according to Nicolas Slonimsky was buried, by the Germans, with full military honours.

The Choral Dorien is also a litany.  A litany is a short prayer or chant which is repeated over and over, in order to focus the mind and open oneself to God.  “Jesus, Remember Me” is a litany from the Taize traditional in France.  Alain’s Choral also creates an atmosphere of prayer and contemplation.

Carlisle – Healey Willian

Hyde Wyndham Beadon (1812-1891) was educated at Eton and at St. John's College, Cambridge, B.A., 1835, M.A., 1839. He became, in 1837, Vicar of Haselbury Plucknett, and, in 1838, Vicar of Latton. His hymns were published in The Parish Hymn Book, 1863 and 1875, of which he was co-editor with the Rev. G. Phillimore.

All praise to you, O Lord, who by your mighty pow'r
did manifest your glory forth in Cana's marriage hour.

You speak, and it is done; obedient to your word,
the water redd'ning into wine proclaims the present Lord.

O, may this grace be ours: in you always to live
and drink of those refreshing streams which you alone can give.

So, led from strength to strength, grant us, O Lord, to see
the marriage supper of the Lamb, the great epiphany.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) was an Canadian organist and composer.  He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano, but is best known for his religious music.  Willan was born in England, and he began musical training at age eight, with studies at St. Saviour's Choir School in Eastbourne.  He earned, by examination in organ playing, harmony, counterpoint, history and orchestration, the Royal College of Organists' Associateship in 1897 and Fellowship in 1899. The Anglo-Catholic Tractarian movement led to an Anglican revival of plainsong, and in 1910, Willan joined the London Gregorian Association (which strove to preserve and revive "plain-chant").  In 1913, Willan emigrated to Canada.  In 1921, he become Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), where he remained until his death.  St. Mary Magdalene, under Willan, became a North American mecca for choral and Anglican church musicians.  In 1920, the Toronto Conservatory (now the Royal Conservatory of Music) appointed Willan Head of its Theory Department.  In 1934, he founded the Tudor Singers, which he conducted until it disbanded in 1939.  From 1937 to 1950, Willan was University of Toronto Professor of Music and Organist. When the Order of Canada was established in 1967, it named Willan a Companion. In Britain, it was customary for the Archbishop of Canterbury to occasionally grant very distinguished English cathedral musicians the Lambeth Doctorate, Mus. D Cantaur; in 1956, Willan, "the Dean of Canadian composers", became the first non-English church musician to be so honoured.  People who remember Willan from his time at St Mary Magdalene's like to moderate his somewhat dourly pious public image by quoting him: "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption."

About the Handbell Music:

His Eye is on the Sparrow – Anna Laura Page

          Jubilation Ringers

Civilla Durfee Martin (1866-1948) was born in Nova Scotia and died in Atlanta, Ga. In “His eye is on the sparrow” (1905), she has provided one of the most influential and often-recorded gospel hymns of the 20th century. Martin was the daughter of James N. and Irene Harding Holden, and was a schoolteacher with modest musical training. Together with her husband, Walter (1862-1935), they often wrote gospel songs for revival meetings. “Be not dismayed” is an example of their collaboration.  Walter Stillman Martin was a Baptist minister who received his education at Harvard. He later became a member of the Disciples of Christ, teaching at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, N.C., before moving to Atlanta in 1919, a location that became the base for revivals that he held throughout the U.S.

The song was obviously inspired by Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Gather feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”  Later in Matthew (10:29-31), the Gospel writer continues on this theme: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Similar thoughts are cited in Luke 12:6-7. Stanza two quotes part of John 1:14 directly, “Let not your heart be troubled...”

Civilla Martin describes the context out of which the hymn was born: “Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheelchair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s response was simple: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ was the outcome of that experience.”  The next day she mailed the poem to Charles Gabriel, a famous composer of gospel songs, who wrote a tune for it. 

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart feel lonely And long for Heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? A constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me;

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth But one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me;

Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He cares for me;

Refrain:

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me

Anna Laura Page (b. 1943) received a B.M. degree in vocal music education with a concentration in piano, and a M.M. in music theory with a concentration in organ from the University of Kentucky. Active as a composer, clinician and organist, she served on the Music Committee of the Southern Baptist 1991 Hymnal Committee and has received the ASCAP Standards Award for the past several years. She has taught organ as an adjunct faculty member at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and theory/organ as an adjunct faculty member at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. She served as director of the Austin Peay Community Children's Chorus in Clarksville, Tennessee for three years. Mrs. Page currently serves as Handbell Music Editor for Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Her publications include choral works for children, youth and adults, and compositions for handbells, organ and piano. She is married to Dr. Oscar C. Page, President of Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

About the Choral Music:

Restore My Joy – Cindy Berry

Cindy Woods Berry was born in Houston, Texas and attended Houston Baptist University. She is a composer and arranger of numerous sacred choral works, children's musicals and piano collections. She frequently serves as a choral and keyboard clinician, leading "composer weekends" and various other workshops throughout the country. She has been the recipient of annual ASCAP Special Awards for many years.  Cindy and her husband Bruce (a Minister of Music) currently serve at First Baptist Church in Killeen, Texas. Cindy serves as a church pianist and director of the children's choir. Her goal as a musician is to always present her music as an offering of worship to God.

“Restore My Joy” is based on Psalm 51.

            Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy love.

            Wash me from my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin and make me whole again.

            Accept the sacrifices that I bring, a broken spirit, a contrite heart.

            Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean.

            Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

            Hide Thy face from my sin, let me once again hear joy.

            Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

            Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, restore my joy.

            Then will I sing of Thy mercy.

            Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways.

            I will sing of Thy righteousness, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.

            O Lord, have mercy.

            Create in me a clean heart, O God, and restore my joy.

About the Hymns:

Come and Find the Quiet Center

Shirley Erena Murray (b. 1931) is a hymn text writer, born in Invercargill, New Zealand in 1931. Her texts have appeared in more than 100 collections worldwide and have been translated into several languages. She has been an editor with the New Zealand Hymnbook Trust and received international acclaim for her writing, including being made a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (2006) and becoming a Member of the NZ Order of Merit (2001) for services to the community through hymn writing. She is the first citizen to be so honored. Most recently, she has been honored by the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada at its July 2009 annual conference by being named a Fellow of the Society in recognition of her contributions as a hymn writer to the international community of congregational song.  Her hymns and carols address a wide spectrum of themes ranging from the seasons of the Church year to human rights, care of creation, women's concerns and above all, peace. Methodist by upbringing, and ecumenical by persuasion, she has spent most of her life as a Presbyterian.

Since it was first published in 1992 and after its inclusion in The Faith We Sing (FWS) in 2000, Murray’s popular “Come and Find the Quiet Center” has become a touchstone of peace and spiritual calm for many faith communities. The text of the hymn has found its way into informational pamphlets about labyrinth walks and prayer gardens, chapel dedications, personal devotional materials, and many worship services.  We are not called to live in isolation with our peace and calm but to share the fullness of life’s experiences with others on the journey. By sharing in the pain, joy and fear of life, there is a “place for deepest dreaming” and, with the Spirit, “there is always room to share.”  Murray speaks of the gift of peace within the chaos but then asks us to draw strength from that peace, that connection with the Spirit, to face the challenges and triumphs of the Christian journey.

Jesus, Remember Me

“Jesus Remember Me” (1978) is a simple tune from the hand of Jacques Berthier (1923-1994), one of the primary composers associated with the Taizé community. Consisting of just two phrases in melodic sequence, the tune is intended for singing in harmony, with repeats optional at the discretion of the performers. One can forgo the quarter rest at the middle of each line, singing basically two long lines for the entire song. In a meditative service, repeat the song a number of times – sometimes softly, sometimes forcefully, sometimes only humming. The song can also be sung as a "frame" surrounding spoken or silent prayers, or as a refrain to a series of spoken prayers.

A son of musical parents Berthier studied music at the Ecole Cesar Franck in Paris. From 1961 until his death he served as organist at St. Ignace Church, Paris. Although his published works include numerous compositions for organ, voice, and Instruments, Berthier is best known as the composer of service music for the Taizé community near Cluny, Burgundy. Influenced by the French liturgist and church musician Joseph Gelineau, Berthier began writing songs for equal voices in 1955 for the services of the then nascent community of twenty brothers at Taizé. As the Taizé community grew, Berthier continued to compose most of the mini-hymns, canons, and various associated instrumental arrangements, which are now universally known as the Taizé repertoire. In the past two decades this repertoire has become widely used in North American church music in both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions.

“Jesus, Remember Me” is a litany.  As you repeat the chant, allow your mind to clear of outside distractions and find your center.

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know

Johann Christoph Schwedler (1672-1730)  was born at Krobsdorf, the son of a farmer and rural magistrate.  He was appointed assistant minister at Niederwiese and later became pastor.  Schwedler was a powerful and popular preacher, and peculiarly gifted in prayer. It is said that sometimes, beginning service at 5 or 6 a.m., he would continue the service to relays who in succession filled the church, till 2 or 3 p.m. He also founded an orphanage at Niederwiese.  He was a popular hymn-writer. The principal theme of his hymns was the Grace of God through Christ, and the joyful confidence imparted to the soul that experienced it. Of his hymns, 462 appeared in his Die Lieder Mose und des Lammes, oder neu eingerichtetes Gesang-Buch, Budissin, 1720. Others are in his Wöchentliche Hauss-Andacht, in his various devotional works, and in the hymn-books of the period.

“Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know” was pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hirsch­berg­er Ge­sang­buch, 1741 (Wollt ihr wis­sen, was mein Preis?). It was trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ben­ja­min H. Ken­ne­dy in Hymn­o­lo­gia Christ­i­a­na, or Psalms and Hymns Se­lect­ed and Ar­ranged in the Or­der of the Christ­ian Sea­sons, 1863.