December 3, 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:

Pastorale on “Divinum Mysterium” – Austin Lovelace

Of the Father's Love Begotten is a Christmas carol based on the Latin poem Corde natus by the Roman poet Aurelius Prudentius, from his Liber Cathemerinon (hymn no. IX) beginning "Da puer plectrum"   The ancient poem was translated and paired with a medieval plainchant melody Divinum mysterium. Divinum mysterium was a "Sanctus trope" - an ancient plainchant melody which over the years had been musically embellished. An early version of this chant appears in manuscript form as early as the 10th century, although without the melodic additions, and "trope" versions with various melodic differences appear in Italian, German, Gallacian, Bohemian and Spanish manuscripts dating from the 13th to 16th centuries.  Divinum mysterium first appeared in print in 1582 in the Finnish song book Piae Cantiones, a collection of seventy-four sacred and secular church and school songs of medieval Europe compiled by Jaakko Suomalainen and published by Theodoric Petri. In this collection, Divinum mysterium was classified as "De Eucharistia" reflecting its original use for the Mass.

The text of the Divinum mysterium was substituted for Prudentius's poem when it was published by Thomas Helmore in 1851. In making this fusion, the original meter of the chant was disturbed, changing the original triple meter rhythm into a duple meter and therefore altering stresses and note lengths. A later version by Charles Winfred Douglas corrected this using an "equalist" method of transcription, although the hymn is now found in both versions as well as a more dance-like interpretation of the original melody.

Of the Father’s love begotten, Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!

At His Word the worlds were framèd; He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!

He is found in human fashion, Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children Doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!

O that birth forever blessèd, When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving, Bare the Savior of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer, First revealed His sacred face,
Evermore and evermore!

This is He whom seers in old time Chanted of with one accord;
Whom the voices of the prophets Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long expected, Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven adore Him; Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him, And extol our God and king!
Let no tongue on earth be silent, Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!

Righteous judge of souls departed, Righteous king of them that live,
On the Father’s throne exalted None in might with Thee may strive;
Who at last in vengeance coming, Sinners from Thy face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men, Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens, With glad voices answering:
Let their guileless songs re-echo, And the heart its music bring,
Evermore and evermore!

Christ, to Thee with God the Father, And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving, And unwearied praises be:
Honor, glory, and dominion, And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!

Austin C. Lovelace (1919-2010) was called by many the Dean of American Church music. Over many years he worked at a number of Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Colorado, North Carolina, Illinois, and Nebraska. He also worked at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C. and Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. He traveled widely as a Director of Music for general conferences, lecturer, and consultant. He was the organist for the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954. He was a prolific writer and composer with over 700 compositions for church in print, as well as numerous articles and books on church hymnody.

Prepare the Way – James Mansfield

Bereden väg för Herran is a Swedish hymn with lyrics written by Frans Michael Franzén in 1812.    It was first published in Ars Psalmbok (1819).  Franzén (1772-1847) was educated at the University of Abo, where he became Librarian and Professor of Literary History. He was subsequently Minister at Kumla, Orebro, Sweden, and then of Santa Clara, in Stockholm. He was consecrated Bishop of Hernosand, in 1841.  The melody was taken from a Swedish folk song from the mid-sixteenth century. The text was translated into English by Augustus Nelson (1863-1949)

Prepare the way, O Zion! Ye awful deeps, rise high;
Sink low, ye towering mountains, The Lord is drawing nigh;
The righteous King of glory, Foretold in sacred story.

O blest is He that came In God the Father’s name.

James Mansfield has a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Iowa and is a retired staff composer/editor from Lorenz Music Publishing.  Many composers on the staff at Lorenz wrote under more than one name, sometimes corresponding to particular styles.

About the Handbell Music:

Savior of the Nations, Come – Cathy Moklebust

“Savior of the Nations, Come”, by Martin Luther (1483-1546), was one of 37 hymns composed by the reformer. The English translation that we sing is actually a third-hand version from the German “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” in 1523 which was, in turn, a translation of the Latin “Veni, Redemptor gentium” ascribed to Ambrose of Milan (c. 340-397).  The music of this Advent chorale is an adaptation of a plainsong melody. Some sources cite as many as six Reformation melodies derived from plainsong sources. Plainsong is a body of melodies that developed in the Roman Catholic Church throughout and beyond the medieval period.  Therefore Luther’s composition is less an original hymn than a reworking of an existing Latin text and plainsong tune. While Luther did compose original hymns, he also borrowed hymns from his Roman Catholic heritage, translating them into the vernacular German and making them accessible for congregational use.  Luther’s translation was included in two volumes in 1524: Enchiridion Oder handbüchlein and Johann Walther’s Geistliches Gesangbuchlein (“Spiritual Songbook”).

This hymn establishes that the Savior of the world came not only to Jews, but to “Heiden”—literally to the heathen. However, “Heiden” does not carry a negative connotation; it is simply a reference to the Gentiles. Stanza one begins as a petition for the “Savior of the nations…[to] come” now! in the original German. The language of petition soon gives way to amazement that God would be born of a woman on earth.

The original German hymn consists of eight stanzas and is essentially a reaffirmation of the article related to the Incarnation from the Nicene Creed:  “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.”

This melody is first documented as a Roman Catholic Latin hymn based upon Gregorian chant in manuscript form in Einsiedeln (Schwyz) around 1120.  The Lutheran Reformation in the early 16th century led to the creation of a new repertory of sacred music based on the chorale. Chorales were initially sung by the congregation in unison and unaccompanied. Most were adapted from chant, from German devotional songs (many of which were themselves reworkings of chant) and from secular songs, or were composed using conventional melodic types and formulae. Techniques of adaptation ranged from simple contrafactum to ingenious reworkings, such as Luther's reshaping of the Gregorian hymn Veni Redemptor gentium as the chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.

Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, make here Thy home!

Marvel now, O heaven and earth, That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood; By the Spirit of our God

Was the Word of God made flesh, Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child Of the virgin undefiled!

Though by all the world disowned, Still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came And returneth to the same,

Captive leading death and hell High the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father’s only Son, Hast over sin the victory won.

Boundless shall Thy kingdom be; When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine, Glorious is its light divine.

Let not sin o’ercloud this light; Ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing, Praise to God the Son, our King,

Praise to God the Spirit be Ever and eternally.

Cathy Moklebust (b. 1958) has developed and directed handbell music programs since 1983, and has played bells since childhood. With her dynamic, positive approach and skilled conducting, she is in national demand as a handbell clinician and festival conductor. As one of today's most popular handbell music composers, she has published over 250 published compositions and arrangements. Moklebust began her musical career as a public school instrumental music instructor in South Dakota. She is an active percussionist, and has performed as principal or section percussionist with several professional and community bands and orchestras throughout the upper Midwest. Since 1989, she has worked in the music retail and publishing industry; currently she and her husband David operate Moklebust Music Services, a music preparation service.  She earned both her B.A. and M.Ed. at South Dakota State University. 

About the Choral Music:

Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light – J. S. Bach

The author of the original German stanza is Johann Rist (1607-1667) with an English translation by John Troutbeck (1832-1899). The melody was composed by Johann Schop (ca. 1590-ca. 1664). And the harmonization of the melody was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). This hymn is one of 10 Bach chorales or Bach harmonizations of German chorale melodies contained in the United Methodist Hymnal. Many readers may know two Bach chorales in the UM Hymnal, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (No. 286), a German text by Paul Gerhardt (1656) and a tune by Hans Leo Hassler (1601) sung during Holy Week; and “Jesus, Joy of Our Desiring” (No. 644), a German text by Martin Janus (1661) and a melody also by Johann Schop. 

These melodies, mostly from the 17th century, had a very different feel in their original form, usually products of the Renaissance musical style. By the time of Bach in the 18th century, the musical preferences had changed: The rhythm of the melody was made more consistent, the tempo became much slower and the harmony more complex.

“Break Forth” first appeared in German with 11 stanzas in Johann Rist’s Himmlische Lieder, published in Leipzig in 1641. Stanza nine was translated by John Troutbeck around 1885 for an English edition of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.  Because the hymn only had one stanza, it was not widely used. The Hymnal Revision Committee for the UM Hymnal invited British hymn writer Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000) to provide an English translation of two additional German stanzas. Pratt Green worked with German pastor Friedrich Hofmann, and the two additional stanzas were added.

The tune ERMUNTRE DICH was composed by Johann Schop who served as the musical editor for collections prepared by Rist. The tune appeared in triple meter in Himmlische Lieder along with the text. Bach probably found the tune in an altered version in Johann Cruger’s Praxis Pietatis Melica (1647).

            Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light And usher in the morning;

            Ye shepherds, shrink not with affright, But hear the angel’s warning.

            This Child, now weak in infancy, Our confidance and joy shall be,

            The power of Satan breaking, Our peace eternal making.

            The night of wonder, night of joy, was born the Christ, our brother,

            He comes, not mighty to destroy, to bid us love each other.

            How could he quit his kingly state for such a world of greed and hate?

            What deep humiliation secured the world’s salvation!

            Come, dearest child, into our hearts, and leave your crib behind you!

            Let this be where the new life starts for all who seek and find you.

            To you the honor, thanks, and praise, for all your gifts this time of grace;

            Come, conquer and deliver this world, and us, forever.

About the Hymns:

People Look East

Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) received much encouragement as a writer from her parents, Benjamin Leopold Farjeon, a successful writer and novelist, and Maggie Jefferson Farjeon, daughter of an American actor.  "Nellie," as she was affectionately called by her parents, was a small, shy young girl. She later cared for her dying mother for the twelve years of a long and difficult illness. One brother, Harry, was a composer; and her other brothers, Joseph and Herbert, were writers.  Farjeon had a vivid imagination. Her father encouraged her to write from the age of five. At age eighteen, she penned the libretto for an operetta composed by her brother Harry. In spite of her shyness, she participated in a circle of talented artists, writers, and musicians.

Farjeon grew up in England in a home surrounded by books. She and her brothers both enjoyed reading stories to one another and writing their own. In the United States, Farjeon's best-known work is the hymn "Morning Has Broken"; but in England, she is beloved as the author of more than eighty children's books and poem collections, most notably Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard, and The Little Bookroom.  Some of Farjeon's books won prestigious recognitions, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Carnegie Medal. The artist refused another prize, Dame of the British Empire, explaining that she "did not wish to become different from the milkman." Upon her death, the Children's Book Circle established the Eleanor Farjeon Award in her honor.

"People, Look East" first appeared in The Oxford Book of Carols (1928). The lively tune, a traditional French carol BESANÇON, which earlier appeared with the anonymous text, "Shepherds, shake off your drowsy sleep," provides a festive setting for this wonderful Advent text. In the last forty years, this hymn has gained increasing popularity, as evidenced by its appearance in a number of hymnals in the United States.

Key images of the season are abundant. "People, Look East" is the direction of the rising sun and, in the history of Christianity, the direction of the coming Messiah. In stanza two, the bare earth is waiting for the seed that will flourish in the reign of the Promised One. In stanza three, the stars that guided the Magi shape the "bowl" of the heavens, giving signs of hope beyond "the frosty weather." The angels' song, in stanza four, sets "every peak and valley humming," an oblique reference to Isaiah 40:4, "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. . ."  Except for one word that changes in the last two lines of each stanza, the poem and its musical setting give the sense of a refrain. "Love," in turn, is defined as "Guest," "Rose," "Star," and "Lord." Stanza three is usually omitted:

Birds, though ye long have ceased to build, Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen He for fledging-time has chosen.
People, look east, and sing today: Love, the Bird is on the way. 

This joyful Advent hymn has the spirit of a Christmas carol, but with an imaginative Advent text. Singing this carol is indeed one way to prepare both our homes and hearts for the coming of the Savior.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Charles Wesley wrote “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” and printed it in his Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord (1744). Like so many of Wesley's texts, "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" alludes to one or more Scripture passages in virtually every phrase. The double nature of Advent is reflected in this text, in which we remember Christ's first coming even while praying for his return. Stanzas 1 and 2 recall Advent prophecies in the Old Testament; stanza 3 speaks of Christ's birth and kingdom, and stanza 4 is a prayer for Christ's rule in our hearts.

We express longing when we sing the words of Charles Wesley’s beautiful Advent hymn, for though we know that Christ goes with us and before us every day, we long for the day when we are with Him in all of the fullness and glory He will bring. We long for the day when we are with Him in a New Heaven and New Earth, when all things are made new. And just as a four-year-old crawls into his father’s arms after an extended absence, so too we long for the day when we will be at rest in Christ, enfolded in the embrace of our Savior.