March 4, 2018

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:

O Lamm Gottes – Charles Callahan

"O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" (O Lamb of God, innocent) is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius (1485-1541). Decius (Nicolaus a Curia or von Hofe, otherwise Hovesch, seems to have been a native of Hof, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, and to have been originally called Tech. He became a monk, and was Probst of the cloister at Steterburg, near Wolfenbüttel. Becoming a follower of Luther, he left Steterburg in July, 1522, and went to Brunswick, where he was appointed a master in the St. Katherine and Egidien School. In 1523, he was invited by the burgesses of Stettin as an Evangelical preacher along with Paulus von Rhode. He became preacher at the Church of St. Nicholas; was probably instituted by the Town Council in 1526, when von Rhode was instituted to St. Jacob's; and at the visitation in 1535 was recognized as pastor of St. Nicholas'. He died suddenly at Stettin, March 21, 1541, with some suspicion of being poisoned by his enemies of the Roman Catholic faction. He seems to have been a popular preacher and a good musician. Three hymns are ascribed to him. These are versions of the “Sanctus," the "Gloria in excelsis," and the "Agnus Dei." He is also said to have composed or adapted the melodies set to them.

In all early prints, "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" is titled Das Agnus Dei Deutsch (The Agnus Dei in German), indicating that it was supposed to take the position of the Agnus Dei during the Abendmahl (communion). This function was soon taken by Luther's "Christe, du Lamm Gottes", while "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig", which adds the memory of Christ's Passion, was used as a hymn for Passiontide. It has often been set to music, prominently as the cantus firmus in the opening chorus of Bach's St Matthew Passion. It is included in most German hymnals, and was translated by Catherine Winkworth. Until the 18th century, the hymn "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" was printed in hymnals without mentioning an author. Philipp Julius Rehtmeyer presented in his historical Braunschweigische Kirchen-Historie a Latin report from 1600, which called Decius as the author of text and melody of ""O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" and "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr". A medieval melody may have been the model for the tune. The creation of hymns by Decius is dated 1522/23, in the early Reformation, before Martin Luther's first hymns.  It was published in 1524 in the first Lutheran hymnal.  The song was first printed in Low German in Joachim Slüter's Geystlyke leder in Rostock in 1531. The first print in High German appeared in a hymnal in Leipzig in 1539. The melody appeared with the text first in Johann Spangenberg’s hymnal Kirchengesenge Deudtsch, published in Magdeburg in 1545, but it had appeared in a slightly different version a few years earlier in a Strasbourg hymnal.  Like in the Latin model, the Lamb of God is called three times, twice asking for mercy, the third time for peace.

Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer.
All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Have mercy on us, O Jesus;  Give us thy peace, O Jesus.

Charles Callahan (b. 1951) is one of America’s leading organist-composers.  A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Catholic University of America.  In recognition of his service to the church and his commissioned compositions for Papal visits to the U.S., he was awared the Papal Honor of Knighthood in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 1999.  In addition to compositions and performances, Charles Callahan is a noted educator and author whose two books on American organ-building have become standard reference works.

Come, Ye Disconsolate – Bert Carlson

Son of John Moore, a Dublin tradesman, Thomas Moore (1779-1852) received his education at a private school, and at Trinity College, Dublin. He studied law and held a post in the Bermuda government for a time. He was also a well-known poet and an Irish nationalist. His Memoirs, Journal, and Correspondence were published by Lord John Russell in 1855. In that work every detail concerning himself and his numerous publications, most of them of high poetical merit, will be found. His connection with hymnody is confined to his Sacred Songs, which were published in 1816, and again in his Collected Works, 1866. He wrote 32 hymns in all, using popular tunes of various nations.  “Come, Ye Disconsolate” was published in 1816 with the title “Relief in Prayer”.  The word “disconsolate” speaks of an unhappy person who has been unable to find any consolation or comfort.  Moore’s poem expresses the assurance that God provides comfort for all ills.

            Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,

Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;

Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,

Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,

“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

            Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing

            Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.

            Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing

            Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

J. Bert Carlson (b. 1937), retired pastor, holds a master of music from Duquesne University School of Music and has served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Whiting, NJ since 1997. Carlson wears many diverse hats as a piano teacher, organ recitalist, tenor soloist, musical director, and conductor as well as cofounder of the Chicago Oratorio Society and clinician for numerous workshops with an emphasis on choral methods, organ and hymn composition. His prodigious list of publications includes anthems, vocal songs, organ works, and piano works.

Prelude in G – William Spark

William Spark (1823-1897), English organist and writer, was a chorister at Exeter Cathedral, where his father was a lay vicar.  He was a student of S.S. Wesley for five years in 1840. When Wesley moved to Leeds parish church in 1842, Spark went with him, and was soon appointed Leeds Burough Organist. The 5 manual organ at Leeds town hall was built by Gray and Davison to his specification and was boasted to do “all that an orchestra could do but less expensively”.

About the Choral Music:

The Holy Heart – Molly Ijames

This sacred song takes us on a journey into the heart of Christ's mercy and grace. The music has the sonority of a folk hymn and yet there is fresh quality in the sound. This arrangement uses the richness of the choir to go from whispered silence to soaring crescendos of praise. The words and melody were originally written by Anne Barbour and Marsha Skidmore.  Anne Barbour has been active in the arena of contemporary worship as a singer and songwriter for 35 years. She was a founding member of the Maranatha Praise Band, now the Tommy Coomes Band, and has traveled the world leading worship on platforms for Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Chosen Women, Harvest Crusades, Anne Graham Lotz, Jill Briscoe and many others.  Marsha Skidmore, Director of Contemporary Worship at First Presbyterian Church, Bakersfield, California, incorporates the blending of hymns and sacred music with the new songs of this generation, believing that all styles of music can bring glory to God and draw peopleʼs hearts closer to Him in worship. Marsha has been in music ministry for most of her life. A gifted soloist, songwriter and worship leader, Marsha has also traveled the world with the Tommy Coomes Band supporting the ministries of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association and Samaritanʼs Purse International Relief Organization (also known for their “Operation Christmas Child” shoebox ministry). Marsha still has opportunity throughout the year to travel with the band sharing in evangelistic events around the world.

This arrangement is by Molly Ijames, a native of Flint, Michigan, who holds a B.S. in Music Education from Bob Jones University. Her love for sacred music began as a church pianist in her teenage years, and now as an adult, her ministry as an accompanist expands to church and community choirs, Christian camps, schools, and local congregations. She spent seven years working for SoundForth Publishing and BJU in Greenville, South Carolina. She is widely recognized for her sacred compositions and arrangements in various catalogs with over 200 choral anthems, several seasonal cantatas, multiple piano solo and duet collections, keyboard magazines, and instrumental ensemble pieces in publication.

            The Holy Heart was broken, sent from the Father’s side;

                The Son of God forsaken, the Holy Sacrifice.

            For me He was forsaken, for me He died alone,

            My sin forever taken, that I might be His own.

            The Holy Lamb was stricken, abandoned and alone,

            He bore the world’s affliction, He bore it as His own.

            And when my heart is broken, Torn by my sin and pride,

            The Son of God now risen, now risen will draw me to His side.

            For me He was forsaken, for me He died alone,

            My sin forever taken, that I might be His own,

            And now I am His own.

About the Hymns:

Jesus Calls Us

Cecil Frances Alexander (1823-1850) married William Alexander, an Anglican clergyman who later became the Anglican Archbishop for all of Ireland. Alexander was an outstanding young woman by virtue of ability, education, and service.  While still quite young, she and her sister operated a school for the deaf, and she also published a highly successful book of hymns for children––designating the profits for the benefit of the school. Her hymns are mostly for children, and were published in her Verses for Holy Seasons, with Preface by Dr. Hook, 1846; Poems on Subjects in the Old Testament, pt. i. 1854, pt. ii. 1857; Narrative Hymns for Village Schools, 1853; Hymns for Little Children, 1848; Hymns Descriptive and Devotional, 1858; The Legend of the Golden Prayers 1859; Moral Songs, N.B.; The Lord of the Forest and his Vassals, an Allegory, &c.; or contributed to the Lyra Anglicana, the S.P.C.K. Psalms and Hymns, Hymns Ancient & Modern, and other collections. She wrote 400 hymns during her lifetime ­­–– mostly children's hymns––but "Jesus Calls Us" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful" are the best known.

Impressed by her hymns, her husband, Bishop Alexander, asked her to write a hymn for use during the coming Sunday worship on St. Andrew's Day based on the call of  Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-18).  She wrote this hymn, "Jesus Calls Us," for that occasion.  The first verse of this hymn begins, "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea"––acknowledging the call of those first disciples by the Sea of Galilee.  A recurring theme is "Christian, love me more"––"Christian, love me more than these" ––"serve and love thee best of all."  Those words were inspired by John 21:15, where Jesus, after the resurrection, asked Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"  Her text was published in the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge's (SPCK) Hymns for Public Worship (1852). Though written for a relatively minor saint's day, this hymn quickly gained popularity. 

The tune GALILEE was written for this text by W. H. Jude in 1887.  William Herbert Jude (1851-1922) was an English composer and organist. He was a precocious child, and attended Wisbech Grammar School where records note that by age eight he was composing incidental music for school plays. He later attended Liverpool Organ School and Liverpool College of Music. By 1881, he was organist for the Blue Coat Hospital and Stretford Town Hall near Manchester, as well as being a lecturer and teacher. As a recitalist, he was asked to "open" over 1000 new organs across the UK, Ireland and Australia. He was frequently referred to as "the most brilliant organist of the day".  Christian texts and topics appear frequently in Jude's compositions. He was an admirer of the British evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, and published a collection of Gipsy Smith's Favourite Solos in 1903. Jude appears to have supported the temperance movement; "Fight the Drink", a song by Jude with lyrics by A Sargant, appears in a collection of his music with the note that it was "sung at the Crystal Palace Festival by 5000 people". Between 1890 and 1894, the composer embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. Beginning in 1904, he served as editor for several musical periodicals, including Monthly Hymnal, Minister of Music, and Music and the Higher Life. He also compiled several hymnbooks: Mission Hymns in 1911 and Festival Hymns in 1916. 

Come Down, O Love Divine

Bianco of Siena (c. 1345-c. 1412) was born in Anciolina, a small hamlet in Tuscany, Italy, but moved at a young age to Siena where he labored as a wood carver. We have little information about the life of this mystic; what we do know is due to the efforts of Feo Belcari (1410-1484), a poet and playwright from Florence, who reconstructed Bianco’s biography from his poetry. 
Bianco joined the Gesuati, a lay order founded by Giovanni Colombini, and lived for a number of years in a monastery of the order in Cittè di Castello. He spent the last years of his life in Venice. Bianco composed in the laude form, a vernacular sacred song used outside of the medieval Catholic liturgy. Lauda spirituale were popular well into the 19th century. Most laude were composed in a melody-only form, though polyphonic, or multi-part, laude developed in Italy in the early 15th century. Bianco’s more than 100 laude may be divided into two groups: doctrinal and mystical. Inspired by intense religious zeal, his poetry has its mystical roots in that of Jacopone da Todi, particularly in regard to the theme of divine madness. The immediacy of Bianco’s language and the unadorned simplicity of his statements enhanced the popular appeal of his poetry.

“Come Down, O Love Divine” (“Discendi, amor santo”) is a translation of four of the original eight stanzas from Bianco’s ‘Laudi Spirituali del Bianco de Siena, Lucca, 1851.  Richard Littledale (1833-1890), an Irish scholar and minister, translated four of the stanzas that appeared in the People’s Hymnal (1867). The hymn’s popularity increased significantly after it appeared in the English Hymnal (1906), one of the most influential hymnals of the early 20th century, with a musical setting by the eminent English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Vaughan William’s tune DOWN AMPNEY carries the majesty and mystery of the text beautifully and is now the standard musical setting for this text. Lutheran hymn writer Gracia Grindal notes that “the entire hymn is an invocation to the Holy Spirit [to] ‘kindle’ the heart so that it burns with the ardor of the Spirit.”  The text is intense—intensely personal and intensely passionate.