May 28, 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:

Christi Himmelfartsdag - Otto Malling

“Christ Ascends into Heaven” is from a collection of pieces covering the entire church year, “Die Festtage des Kirchenjahres”, by Otto Valdemar Malling (1848 –1915).  Malling was a Danish composer, the cathedral organist in Copenhagen and Director of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. Malling wrote the first Danish textbook in orchestration, along French conservatory lines. His scores of organ music brought him some reputation abroad, but after his death he was soon forgotten in his native country, as musical tastes changed.

With Timbrel and Dance – Dale Wood

This sparkly piece is based on Jeremiah 31:4, “Adorn yourself with tibrels and go forth in the dance”.  Dale Wood (1934-2003) was a prominent composer, organist, choral director, and clinician.  He was honored many times by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “very important contribution towards the creation and development of contemporary American church music”.  He wrote many collections of organ works, most of which are based on both old and new hymn tunes.  Over eight million copies of his publications have been purchased in over 50 countries.

Trumpet Recessional on Hanover – Franklin Ashdown

Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone, or in conjunction with his brother. The number of his separate hymns is at least five thousand.

The year 1744 was a time of great opposition to, and persecution of, the Methodists in England. The country was at war with France. An invasion for the purpose of dethroning George II, and crowning the exiled representative of the House of Stuart was expected. The Methodists were represented as Papists in disguise, working for the Pretender. Their meetings were broken up by mobs, and many of their preachers were impressed into the army. Even the Wesleys were brought before the magistrates for examination. To strengthen and reassure his Methodist followers, Charles Wesley published Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution (1744) anonymously. This text, in seventeen stanzas, was the first of the "Hymns to be Sung in a Tumult," which the small but heroic Methodist groups sang in the face of violent opposition.  It is a hymn of thankful praise to Christ for his victorious reign and for providing salvation for his people. It reveals the cosmic scope of Christ's kingdom and helps us to join our voices with the great doxology to Christ, the Lamb, as foretold in Revelation 5:9-14. In the first stanza "servants" refers to all Christians, not just clergy, to those made "to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God" (Rev. 5:10).

You servants of God, your Master proclaim, 

and publish abroad his wonderful name;
the name all-victorious of Jesus extol; 

his kingdom is glorious and rules over all. 

God rules in the height, almighty to save; 

though hid from our sight, his presence we have;
the great congregation his triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King. 

"Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!"
let all cry aloud, and honor the Son;
the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb. 

Then let us adore and give him his right:
all glory and power, all wisdom and might,
all honor and blessing with angels above
and thanks never ceasing for infinite love. 

Franklin Ashdown is a composer and a medical doctor, and has pursued dual careers for the past three decades. Born in 1942, he was recruited to play the organ for a local congregation at age 13.  He is a widely published composer of organ and choral music.  A resident of Alamogordo, NM, Dr. Ashdown enjoys a full life as an internist, composer, and organist-choir director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

About the Choral Music:

Be Not Afraid – Taylor Davis

Taylor Davis (b. 1980) is currently the Director of Music and Worship at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Houston, TX. A 2003 graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana, Taylor earned a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree while studying conducting with Dr. Julia Brasher Thorn, as well as intensive courses with Dr. Sandra Willets, Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Paul Oakley, Alice Parker and Jane Marshall. He has also studied composition with Dr. Eric McIntyre, Ms. Parker, and Ms. Marshall. In 2004 he became a Fellow of Melodious Accord. In demand across the country, with commissions coming from a wide variety of groups, his music has been performed throughout the US, Europe, South America and South Africa by youth and adults.

“Be Not Afraid” is based on Isaiah 43:1-7.

            Be not afraid, for I have redeemed you.

Be not afraid, I’ve called you by name.

            My love for you is everlasting, my love for you shall have no end.

            You are my child, and I’ll love you always.

Just hold my hand, and I’ll lead you home.

When you feel lost, always remember: I am right here, just call my name.

When you pass through the waters, I will surround you,

            When you pass through the floods, they will not sweep o’er.

            When you walk through the fire, you will not be consumed.

            You are my child, you are so precious to me.

About the Hymns:

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

“Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a hymn by Isaac Watts which paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five, seven and nine. In 1738, John Wesley in his hymnal, Psalms and Hymns, changed the first line of the text from "Our God" to "O God." Both Watts' wording and Wesley's rewording remain in current use.  The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. In this book he paraphrased in Christian verse the entire psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms which he felt were unsuited for Christian usage.

The hymn tune "St. Anne" to which the text is most often sung was composed by William Croft in 1708 whilst he was the organist of the church of St Anne, Soho.  It first appeared anonymously in the Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms, 6th edition in 1708. It was originally intended to be used with a version of Psalm 62. It was not until sometime later when set to Watts' text that the tune gained recognition.

The complete nine verses are as follows:

Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust, Return, ye sons of men:

All nations rose from earth at first, And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood, With all their lives and cares,

Are carried downwards by the flood, And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand Pleased with the morning light;

The flowers beneath the mower’s hand Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last, And our eternal home.

Because He Lives

UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young says this gospel hymn “is one of the five most requested... to be included in this hymnal.” Based on John 14:19c—“because I live, you also will live”—the hymn’s theme is effectively supported by a soaring melody in the refrain. The words were written by two of the longest-lasting performing couples of Christian contemporary music, Gloria (b. 1942) and William J. (b. 1936) Gaither. “Because He Lives” was awarded the recognition of Gospel Song of the Year for 1974 by the Gospel Music Association and the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP).   This gospel song has undoubtedly offered hope for many people because of its connection between the Resurrection and a “life... worth the living.”

The Gaithers said this about this hymn:  “‘Because he lives’ [1971] was written in the midst of social upheaval, threats of war, and betrayals of national and personal trust. It was into this world at such a time that we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write:‘How sweet to hold our newborn baby, And feel the pride, and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain day because He lives.’”

Bill Gaither began as a teacher of English, literature and journalism in 1959 in his hometown of Alexandra, La. Gloria Sickal taught French and English in the same high school. They started to sing together and were married in 1962. By 1967, the couple left the teaching profession to become full-time recording and performing artists. Gloria Gaither has authored several books since 1971 including Make Warm Noises, Rainbows Live at Easter, Because He Lives, Decisions: A Christian Approach to Making Right Choices and Let’s Make a Memory (co-authored with Shirley Dobson). In addition to a number of popular Christian musicals, the Gaithers co-edited the hymnal Hymns for the Family of God (1976) with the assistance of the late composer Fred Bock.

Standing on the Promises

R. Kelso Carter became an ordained Methodist minister (1887) at the age of 38. A year earlier, he was a professor at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, where he wrote the hymn, "Standing On the Promises," after reading Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians I: 20:  "For all the promise of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."  I was published in Songs of Perfect Love, one of two hymns compiled by Carter.  The drum-beating, military march style of the music reflects the influence of the military academy life that surrounded Carter when it was written.  Carter was active in the Methodist Camp-Meeting movement, and “Standing on the Promises” was widely used in evangelistic crusades well into the 20^th  century and is still found in many hymnals.  It is a reminder of the Christian’s daily dependence on the promises of God.

May 21, 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:

I’ll Ever Love Thee, Strength and Stay – Sigfrid Karg-Elert

Ich will dich lieben, meine Stärke is a hymn by Angelus Silesius, first published as the tenth hymn in Book 1 of his Heilige Seelen-Lust of 1657. Verses from the hymn were translated into English by both John Wesley and Catherine Winkworth: both translations begin Thee will I love, my strength, my tower.

Angelus Silesius (1624-1677) was the son of a Polish nobleman, and his true name was John Scheffler; but he adopted the name Angelus from a Spanish mystic of the 16th century--John ab Angelis--and added the name Silesius, because of his own country. He studied medicine, and obtained his degree of M.D. at Padua. While physician to the Duke Sylvius Nimrod, he had a conflict with the Lutheran clergy, and in 1653 entered the Roman Catholic Church. Subsequently he was physician to the Emperor Ferdinand III., but at length entered the priesthood and retired to the Jesuit monastery of S. Matthias. His hymns were mostly written before he joined the Catholic Church, and were intended for private devotion.

Translation by John Wesley:

Thee will I love, my strength, my tower; Thee will I love, my joy, my crown;
Thee will I love, with all my power, In all thy works, and thee alone:
Thee will I love, till the pure fire Fills my whole soul with chaste desire.

Ah, why did I so late thee know, Thee, lovelier than the sons of men!
Ah, why did I no sooner go To thee, the only ease in pain!
Ashamed, I sigh, and inly mourn, That I so late to thee did turn.

In darkness willingly I stray'd; I sought thee, yet from thee I roved;
Far wide my wandering thoughts were spread; Thy creatures more than thee I loved:
And now if more at length I see, 'Tis through thy light, and comes from thee.

I thank thee, uncreated Sun, That thy bright beams on me have shined;
I thank thee, who hast overthrown My foes, and heal'd my wounded mind;
I thank thee, whose enlivening voice Bids my freed heart in thee rejoice.

Uphold me in the doubtful race, Nor suffer me again to stray;
Strengthen my feet with steady pace Still to press forward in thy way;
My soul and flesh, O Lord of might, Fill, satiate, with thy heavenly light.

Give to mine eyes refreshing tears ; Give to my heart chaste, hallow'd fires ;
Give to my soul, with filial fears, The love that all heaven's host inspires;
That all my powers, with all their might, In thy sole glory may unite.

Thee will I love, my joy, my crown, Thee will I love, my Lord, my God;
Thee will I love, beneath thy frown, Or smile, thy sceptre, or thy rod:
What though my flesh and heart decay, Thee shall I love in endless day!

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (November 21, 1877 – April 9, 1933) was a German composer of considerable fame in the early twentieth century.  The cultural climate in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s was very hostile to the internationally oriented, French-influenced Karg-Elert; and although his works were admired outside Germany, especially in the U.K. (the Organ Music Society of London held a ten-day festival in his honour in 1930) and in the U.S.A., in his home country his music was almost completely neglected.  Karg-Elert regarded himself as an outsider. Notable influences in his work include composers Johann Sebastian Bach (he often used the B.A.C.H. motif in Bach's honour), Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, Max Reger, Aleksandr Scriabin, and early Arnold Schoenberg. In general terms, his musical style can be characterised as being late-romantic with impressionistic and expressionistic tendencies. His profound knowledge of music theory allowed him to stretch the limits of traditional harmony without losing tonal coherence.

His favorite instrument to compose for was the Kunstharmonium, a versatile reed organ that allowed him the range of colors he preferred.  He created one of the most significant and extensive catalogs of original works for this instrument. Encouraged by the organist Paul Homeyer, he reworked several of these harmonium compositions for organ.  He also composed many works for organ, piano and small chamber ensembles.

God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale – Timothy Albrecht

Jaroslav Vajda (1919-2008) was one of the leading hymn writers in the 20th century and arguably the preeminent Lutheran hymn writer of his day.  Vajda (pronounced vaheeduh) was born in Lorain, Ohio, the son of a Lutheran pastor of Slovak descent. Thoroughly Lutheran, he was educated at Concordia College and Concordia Seminary, and he pastored several bilingual parishes (German and English) in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Jary (as his friends call him) served as the editor of several Lutheran magazines and retired as a book editor from Concordia Publishing House.

Vajda began translating classical Slovak poetry at the age of 18, and his work was published in the United States and Europe. He wrote his first hymn at age 49, followed by more than 225 original and translated hymns that now appear worldwide in more than 60 hymnals. He served Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregations between 1945 and 1976. In 1963, he became the editor of the This Day magazine and later served as book developer/editor for Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis. He served on the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship that prepared the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), one of the most important later twentieth-century hymnals. Elected a Fellow of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 1988, Vajda has received numerous honorary doctorates validating his contributions to hymn singing.

“God of the sparrow God of the whale” was written as a result of a commission from Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, Mo., “to compose a hymn text that would provide answers from the users of the hymn as to why and how God’s creatures (and children) are to serve him. The Law of God demands perfect love from every creature; the love of God and the Gospel coax a willing response to live as an expression of gratitude.”  A noticeable feature of this hymn is its lack of punctuation and rhyme. To the singer this creates a sense of openness—a text that is not bound by the conventional patterns of poetry. Each of the six stanzas is perfectly balanced: the first two lines of each stanza offer a glimpse into the actions of God in the world and the bond God has with God’s creatures. The last two lines of each stanza ask two rhetorical questions: “How does the creature... ” The lack of a question mark gives one the sense that these questions are not so much expecting an answer as making a statement of profound wonder about the relationship between the Creator and the Creator’s creatures. 

God of the sparrow God of the whale God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise

God of the earthquake God of the storm God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe
How does the creature cry Save

God of the rainbow God of the cross God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thanks

God of the hungry God of the sick God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care
How does the creature say Life

God of the neighbor God of the foe God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love
How does the creature say Peace

God of the ages God near at hand God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy
How do your children say Home

Dr. Timothy Albrecht spent his childhood in Los Angeles and Wisconsin.  He received his Bachelors in organ from Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory, and his masters and doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, where he won the Performer’s Certificate. Shortly after graduation, he represented the United States at the Sixth International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. He has spent two sabbaticals at Cambridge University in England, which has conferred on him Life Membership.  At Emory University, Albrecht holds a joint faculty appointment as Professor of Music at Candler Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1982, and in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music  He also serves as University Organist. Albrecht has authored twelve published volumes of organ music and has recorded nine solo compact discs, including several Bach CDs and recordings of his own compositions.

Trumpeting – Dale Wood

Dale Wood (1934-2003) was a prominent composer, organist, choral director, and clinician.  He was honored many times by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for his “very important contribution towards the creation and development of contemporary American church music”.  He wrote many collections of organ works, most of which are based on both old and new hymn tunes.  Over eight million copies of his publications have been purchased in over 50 countries.

About the Choral Music:

Prayer of St. Francis – Rene Clausen

The Prayer of Saint Francis, also known as Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, is attributed to the thirteenth-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 Holy Mass League). 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.  Summarizing the Renoux book on the prayer, an article by Egidio Picucci on the 19–20 January 2009 issue of L'Osservatore Romano says that the earliest record of the prayer is its appearance, as "a beautiful prayer to say during Mass" in the December 1912 number of the small devotional French publication La Clochette, "the bulletin of the League of the Holy Mass". In 1915, Marquis Stanislas de La Rochethulon, president of the Anglo-French association Souvenir Normand, which called itself "a work of peace and justice inspired by the testament of William the Conqueror, who is considered to be the ancestor of all the royal families of Europe", sent this prayer to Pope Benedict XV.

The Pope had an Italian translation published on the front page of L'Osservatore Romano of 20 January 1916. It appeared under the heading, "The prayer of Souvenir Normand for peace", and with the explanation: "Souvenir Normand has sent the Holy Father the text of some prayers for peace. We have pleasure in presenting in particular the prayer addressed to the Sacred Heart, inspired by the testament of William the Conqueror". On 28 January 1916, the French newspaper La Croix reprinted, in French, the Osservatore Romano article, with exactly the same heading and explanation. La Rochethulon wrote to the newspaper to clarify that it was not a prayer of Souvenir Normand, but he chose not to mention La Clochette, the first publication in which it had appeared. Because of its appearance on L'Osservatore Romano and La Croix as a prayer for peace during the First World War, this prayer then became widely known.

The prayer has been known in the United States since 1927 when its first known translation in English appeared in January of that year in the Quaker magazine Friends' Intelligencer (Philadelphia), where it was attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.   Cardinal Francis Spellman and Senator Albert W. Hawkes distributed millions of copies of the prayer during and just after World War II.

René Clausen (b. 1953) is an American composer, conductor of The Concordia Choir, and professor of music at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.  Clausen's compositional style is varied and eclectic, and put to sacred as well as secular texts.  He has created compositions and arrangements that range over many artistic media including choral, orchestral, wind ensemble, film, video, and solo voice.  Clausen's most popular harmonies are mostly based on close dissonances such as the major and minor second.  These chords based on dissonance are also called "tone clusters".  His style is sometimes classified as Neo-Romantic but this term can mean many things.  All of his works are unmistakably tonal yet they push the boundaries of chordal language.  The traditional functions of choral progression are blurred by his use of tone clusters.

Standing in the Need of Prayer – African-American spiritual

          God’s Project

"Standing in the Need" is an African American spiritual, and, like many folk songs, its origin is unknown. Both text and tune became well known after their publication in The Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925), compiled by James Weldon Johnson and his brother,]. Rosamond Johnson.

This is an old spiritual, barely sung anymore, that captures the essence of a heart’s cry to God. “It’s me, it’s me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” What a hard word, sometimes, to say. To admit.Many people are in need of prayer, but at the end of the day, one thing stands out clearly: we all need prayer. And, we all need to pray.  To stand in the need, to just stand in that place where you know you need God, whatever else happens.

            It’s me, It’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

            It’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

            Not my mother, not my father, but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

                Not my brother, not my sister, but  it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.

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.

This is the Day

Based on Psalms 118:24, “This Is the Day” celebrates God’s mighty acts of redemption (originally referring to the Passover before the Exodus), hailing “the day” as a special day of the Lord.  Paraphrased by Leslie Norman Garret (b. New Zealand, 1943), it was first published in his collection Scripture in Song (1967). Les Garret became a pastor after graduating from the Word of Faith Bible School. Currently he ministers at the Christian Family Center in Maddington (Perth), Australia. He is also a lecturer at Hebron Bible College and has traveled throughout the world speaking at conventions and churches. Garret promotes the singing of Scripture choruses in books such as Scripture in Song.

Go Make of All Disciples

Leon McKinley Adkins (1896-1986) was a Methodist pastor, serving congregations between 1921-1955, and an administrator, serving at the Board of Education of the Methodist Church in Nashville from 1955-1966.  His hymn, “Go Make of All Disciples” was first sung at the commissioning of teachers and church school officials during Christian Education Week, 1955, at University Methodist Church, Syracuse, where the author was pastor.  The hymn was printed in the February 1956 issue of Church School and first appeared in a hymnal in the 1966 Book of Hymns.  This hymn begins with the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20, KJV) 

May 14, 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:

Kule Mbinguni Nataka Kwanda - Carl Heine

“Kule Mbinguni Nataka Kwanda” is a Swahili hymn.  The title is translated, “The Way to Jesus”.  It is set to a traditional Kinga tune.

Taarab (sung poetry) is part of the Swahili culture of the East Coast.  It is a successful synthesis of Arab, European and African music traditions.  Taarab is classical music, folk and dance music in one. Taarab is the preservation of the cultural traditions of the Swahili mixed culture in times of globalization.  Nevertheless, the music lives, is an element of the social life of the Wa-Swahili and also popular with the youth. Both the traditional forms and the modern Taarab are constantly changing and adapting new influences. The Arabian sounds are at first sight the most striking. The instruments used are extremely varied: of Arabic origin is oud lute, dumbak (tambourine) and Qanun zither; the tabla is from India; African percussion instruments; and, of course, singing. The dominance of violins, cello, double bass and accordion in the Taarab music is also unmistakably a European-classical influence. The beginning of the Taarab in Zanzibar is attributed to Sultan Seyyid Bargash Bin Said, who ruled from 1870 to 1888. He invited an Egyptian ensemble to his palace Beit el Ajab, and conversely, he sent Mohammed Ibrahim to Egypt to study the Taarab music, which, after his return, founded the first Taarab orchestra. In 1905 this was the oldest orchestra in Africa, Ikhwani Safaa, which is almost 100 years old

In the early 1960s an African Christian visited one of the missionary societies in Europe. As a friendly gesture his host asked him to sing an African song before the congregation. Without hesitation he stood up and sang "Njooni tumsifuni Mungu aliye Mwenyezi" known as: “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”. His surprise was great, when the whole congregation joined in the song, but he sang it in his own language. After the service, he asked the priest to explain to him how the church knew this African song. The priest replied that this song came from Germany and not from Africa; In fact he would have expected his guest to sing an African song with an African melody. The African was confused. On the one hand, he could not understand why the priest was not quite satisfied with the song. For him, it made no difference whether the song came from Africa or from Germany. Since it had been introduced into his church to praise Almighty God, it was not a monopoly of European Christians, but belonged to the wealth of Christians around the world. Secondly, he was disappointed that his church clearly did not encourage the church members to write and sing African songs with traditional melodies. 

In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) the singing of African songs began in the 1950s. Individual Christians, especially priests, evangelists and theologians of the Makumira Church, had taken the initiative. Pastor Sila Msangi from the Pare Diocese in North Tanzania was the first composer to write Christian songs with African melodies. He wrote more than 300 songs. Also from the awakening movement, which took place in Bukoba in the north-west diocese and the Karagwe diocese, new songs were born, which were sung in communities at many events. These songs clearly showed that only the cross and blood of Jesus reconciled people with God. In the south of Tanzania, the Ubena and Unyakyusa peoples wrote Christian songs, some of which were later included in the hymnbook of the ELCT. In the past, African musical instruments had been banned by missionaries. New songs with African melodies and rhythms were sung and played. It was a revolution in the musical history of the Church in Tanzania. 

Makumira published many of the songs in Tumshangilie Mungu. Churches and missionaries in Europe and America began to include some of the songs with the new melodies of Tumshangilie Mungu in their hymns. Unfortunately, the African hymn-writers were not asked for permission publish their songs.  The authors were not given a copyright.  Sometimes the name of the author is given, but he received no fee. The European publishers hold the copyrights.  In addition to original compositions and published songs, the majority of the tunes in Tumshangilie were in the public domain and obtained from folk traditions. Using folksongs for hymns is consistent with ancient Lutheran practice.  In the early editions of Tumshangilie Mungu most of these ethnic songs are derived from oral tradition, transcribed with a simple melodic line. Only a very few songs came to us in polyphonic form as the Kinga song "Kule Mbinguni Nataka Kwenda". However, over the course of time many African musicians created harmonized ethnic songs. Consequently in the sixth edition of Tumshangilie Mungu, many of the songs have been harmonized by a variety of musicians. Some of the hymns also had the Swahili text with a pronunciation guide. 

Carl Heine is an architect, who is also music director at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheaton, IL

For All the Faithful Women – Emily Maxson Porter

Rev. Dr. Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. (1924-2007) was a graduate of Susquehanna University and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He received additional advanced degrees from Union Theological Seminary in New York and a doctoral degree at Southern California School of Theology at Claremont. He served as President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg.  Stuempfle was the author of several books and numerous articles and lectures on preaching, history, and theology. He was also among the most honored and respected hymn writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. He was known for his leadership in community and civic projects. Always taking an active stance on social issues, he participated in the creation of day care centers, served on the Gettysburg interchurch social action committee, helped create and support prison ministries and a homeless shelter, and tutored young people in the after school program of Christ Lutheran Church, where he was a long time member.

Stuempfle draws from multiple Bible stories for “For All the Faithful Women”. 

For all the faithful women who served in days of old

To you shall thanks be given, to all their story told. 

They served with strength and gladness in tasks your wisdom gave. 

To you their lives bore witness, proclaimed your power to save.

O God, for saints and servants, those named and those unknown

In whom through all the ages Your light of glory shone,

We offer glad thanksgiving and fervent prayer we raise

That faithful in Your service, our lives may sing Your praise.

We praise your name for Miriam, who sang triumphantly

While Pharaoh's vaunted army lay drowned beneath the sea.

As Israel marched to freedom, her chains of bondage gone,

So we may reach the kingdom your mighty arm has won.

To Hannah, praying childless, before the throne of grace,

You gave a son and called him to serve before your face.

Grant us her perseverance; Lord, teach us how to pray

And trust in your deliverance when darkness hides our way.

For Ruth, who left her homeland and ventured forth in faith,

Who pledged to serve and worship Naomi's God till death.

We praise you, God of Israel, and pray for hearts set free

To bind ourselves to others in love and loyalty.

We honor faithful Mary, fair maiden, full of grace.

She bore the Christ, our brother, who saved our human race.

May we, with her, surrender ourselves to your command

And lay upon your altar our gifts of heart and hand.

We sing of busy Martha, who toiled with pot and pan

While Mary sat in silence to hear the word again.

Christ, keep our hearts attentive, to truth that you declare,

And strengthen us for service when work becomes our prayer.

Recall the outcast woman with whom our Lord conversed,

Christ gave her living water to quench her deepest thirst.

Like her, our hearts are yearning, Christ offers us his word,

Then may our lips be burning to witness to our Lord.

We praise the other Mary, who came at Easter dawn,

And near the tomb did tarry, but found her Lord was gone.

As joyfully she saw him in resurrection light,

May we by faith behold him, the day who ends all night.

Lord, hear our praise of Dorcas, who served the sick and poor.

Her hands were cups of kindness, her heart an open door.

Send us, O Christ, your body, where people cry in pain,

And touch them with compassion to make them whole again.

For Eunice and for Lois, we sing our thanks and praise.

Young Timothy they nurtured and led him in your ways.

Raise up in ev'ry household true teachers of your word

Whose lives will bear clear witness to Christ, our risen Lord.

All praise to God the Father!  All praise to Christ the Son!

All praise the Holy Spirit, who binds the Church in one!

With saints who went before us, with saints who witness still,

We sing glad alleluias and strive to do Your will.

Emily Maxson Porter (b. 1942) is organist at St. Philip’s Lutheran Church in Fridley, Minnesota.  She has previously taught organ and theory at Lynchburg College and Concordia College, St. Paul.  She has numerous published works, including anthems, vocal, choral, instrumental pieces, and larger organ works.  Porter won the 2002 Holtkamp-AGO Award in Organ Composition.

A Mighty Fortress – Timothy Albrecht

"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"  (“Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”) is one of the best known of Martin Luther's hymns. Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529.  It has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages.  The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 46.  "A Mighty Fortress" is one of the best loved hymns of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. It has been called the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation" for the effect it had in increasing the support for the Reformers' causeHeinrich Heine states that it was sung by Luther and his companions as they entered Worms on 16 April 1521 for the Diet.

The earliest extant hymnal in which it appears is that of Andrew Rauscher (1531), but it is supposed to have been in Joseph Klug's Wittenberg hymnal of 1529, of which no copy exists. Its title was “Der xxxxvi. Psalm. Deus noster refugium et virtus.”  Before that it is supposed to have appeared in the Hans Weiss’ Wittenberg hymnal of 1528, also lost.  This evidence would support its being written in 1527–1529, since Luther's hymns were printed shortly after they were written.

Tradition states that the third Protestant King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, had it played as his forces went to battle in the Thirty Years' War. The hymn had been translated into Swedish already in 1536, presumably by Olaus Petri, with the incipit, “Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg.”  In the late 19th century the song also became an anthem of the early Swedish socialist movement.

It was first translated into English by Myles Coverdale in 1539 with the title, “Oure God is a defence and towre.” The first English translation in common usage was “God is our Refuge in Distress, Our strong Defence” in J.C. Jacobi's Psal. Ger. in 1722. The most popular English version is “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing” and was translated by Frederick H. Hedge in 1853.

The hymn's enduring popularity in Western Christendom has breached boundaries set in the Reformation as it is now a suggested hymn for Catholic Masses.  It currently appears in the second edition of the Catholic Book of Worship, published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, though its adoption is not without controversy.

Luther composed the melody, named "Ein feste Burg" from the text's first line, in meter 87.87.55.56.7. This is sometimes denoted "rhythmic tune" to distinguish it from the later isometric variant, in 87.87.66.66.7 meter which is more widely known and used. In 1906 Edouard Rœhrich wrote, "The authentic form of this melody differs very much from that which one sings in most Protestant churches and figures in (Giacomo Meyerbeer's) The Huguenots. ... The original melody is extremely rhythmic, by the way it bends to all the nuances of the text ..." While 19th-century musicologists disputed Luther's authorship of the music to the hymn, that opinion has been modified by more recent research; it is now the consensus view of musical scholars that Luther did indeed compose the famous tune to go with the words.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill: God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever! 

Dr. Timothy Albrecht spent his childhood in Los Angeles and Wisconsin.  He received his Bachelors in organ from Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory, and his masters and doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, where he won the Performer’s Certificate. Shortly after graduation, he represented the United States at the Sixth International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. He has spent two sabbaticals at Cambridge University in England, which has conferred on him Life Membership.  At Emory University, Albrecht holds a joint faculty appointment as Professor of Music at Candler Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1982, and in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music  He also serves as University Organist. Albrecht has authored twelve published volumes of organ music and has recorded nine solo compact discs, including several Bach CDs and recordings of his own compositions.

About the Choral Music:

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise – Gordon Young

Walter C. Smith based this text on 1 Timothy 1: 17: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever." The six-stanza text was published in Smith's Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life (1867) and, after having been revised by Smith, in W. Garrett Horder's Congregational Hymns (1884).

Walter Chalmbers Smith (1824-1908) was educated at the University of Aberdeen and New College, Edinburgh, and became a Presbyterian pastor in the Free Church of Scotland in 1850. He served four congregations, including the Free High Church in Edinburgh (1876¬-1894). Moderator of his denomination in 1893, Smith was a man of wide interests. His poetry was published in some six volumes entitled Poetical Works (1902), and his hymn texts were published in Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life (1886).

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might:
thy justice, like mountains high soaring above,
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

Thou reignest in glory, thou dwellest in light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render; O help us to see
'tis only the splendor of light hideth thee!

Amen, Amen!

Gordon Young (1919-1998) was born in McPherson, Kansas, and during his lifetime was recognized as one of this country's great church organists. He was a prolific and talented composer for both organ and choir, with nearly 1000 published works.  During the course of his career, he was a radio organist in Tulsa, a music critic and columnist for daily newspapers in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, and choirmaster in churches in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Mr. Young taught organ in conjunction with Wayne State University and for 15 years was organist and choir director at the First Presbyterian Church in Detroit.

About the Hymns:

All Creatures of Our God and King

The words of the hymn were initially written by St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) in 1225 in the Canticle of the Sun poem, which was based on Psalm 148. The words were translated into English by William Draper, who at the time was rector of a Church of England parish church at Adel near Leeds. Draper paraphrased the words of the Canticle and set them to music. It is not known when Draper first composed the hymn but it was between 1899 and 1919. Draper composed the hymn for his church's children's Whitsun festival celebrations and it was later published in 1919 in the Public School Hymn Book. The hymn is currently used in 179 different hymn books. The words written by St Francis are some of the oldest used in hymns after "Father We Praise Thee", written in 580 AD. The hymn is set to the tune of "Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr", a German Easter hymn written by Friedrich Spee, published in 1623 in his book Auserlesene, Catholische, Geistliche Kirchengesäng. It was first used in English hymn books in 1906.

St. Francis is famous for many things, including love of animals.  Pictures of him usually have birds flying nearby and small animals at his feet.  A popular story tells of him stopping to preach a sermon to a flock of birds.  He reminded them that God had blessed them with beautiful clothing even though they had never learned to spin or weave–– and that God had blessed them with food even thought they had never learned to sow or reap.  Then he called them to sing their songs as praises to God.  St. Francis wrote this hymn near the end of his life.  Sick and suffering bouts of blindness, he was going home to die when he stopped to visit friends at the St. Damien monastery.  While there, he felt the inspiration to compose this joyful hymn.  It calls all God's creatures ––sun and moon ––wind and water––fruits and flowers––and all who are of tender heart––to sing, "Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!" to honor our God.

Near to the Heart of God

Clcland B. McAfee (1866-1944) is known for this one hymn, his “one-hit-wonder”.  McAfee wrote “Near to the Heart of God” in 1903, after two daughters of his brother Howard died os diphtheria within 24 hours of each other.  The choir of Park College went to Howard McAfee’s quarantined house and sang it outside the window to encourage the grieving family.  McAfee was at Park College, Parkville, MO, for almost 20 years, serving on the faculty and as college chaplain and choir director.  He then pastored in Chicago, IL and Brooklyn, NY.  He was also on the faculty at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and directed the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.

Go Forth for God

"Go Forth for God" exhorts believers to "go forth for God" to the world in peace”, "in love", "in strength", and "in joy", using phrases from Romans 12:9-21 and 1 Thessalonians 5:13b¬22-.   John R. Peacey (1896-1971) wrote the original text to this hymn in 1968. The 1987 Psalter Hymnal version of the text, however, is a result of revisions made by Peacey in 1970 and by the editors of the English Hymnal supplement, English Praise (1975). Educated in theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge, Peacey was ordained in the Church of England in 1923. In addition to serving several churches in England, he was also headmaster and principal of the Bishop Cotton School in Simla, India (1927-1945), and principal of Bishop's College in Calcutta, India (1935-1945). Peacey concluded his career at Bristol Cathedral (1945-1966). Written mainly during his retirement years, his hymn texts were published posthumously in Go Forth for God (1981).