April 29, 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:

Emendemus in melius - Cristobal Morales

Emendemus is an ancient prayer, which was set by several composers Italy during the Renaissance. The text comes from Esther 13 and Joel 2.  Some of Esther appeared two centuries after the rest of the book, and not in Hebrew but in Greek.  This extra material was found in the Septuagint and then the Latin Vulgate, but it was expunged after the Reformation. 

Make us perfect, Lord.

Let us amend for the better in those things

in which we have sinned through ignorance;
we seek space for repentance and are not able to find it.
Hearken, O Lord, and have mercy: for we have sinned against thee.
Help us, O God of our salvation, and for the honor of thy name deliver us.

Cristóbal de Morales (c. 1500-1553) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Tomás Luis de Victoria.  Cristóbal de Morales was born in Seville and, after an exceptional early education there, which included rigorous training in the classics as well as musical study with some of the foremost composers, he held posts at Ávila and Plasencia. Early Spanish popes of the Borja family held a long tradition of employing Spanish singers in the papal chapel’s choir. This had a significant effect on Morales' success. Starting in 1522, there are three different occurrences Morales was indicated to be an organist. is documented three times in Rome as ‘presbyter toletanus’ in May and December 1534. By 1535, he had moved to Rome, where he was a singer in the papal choir, evidently due to the interest of Pope Paul III who was partial to Spanish singers. He remained in Rome until 1545, in the employ of the Vatican; then, after a period of unsuccessfully seeking other employment in Italy, he returned to Spain, where he held a succession of posts, many of which were marred by financial or political difficulties. There is some evidence that he was a difficult character, aware of his exceptional talent, but incapable of getting along with those of lesser musical abilities. He made severe demands on thesingers in his employ, alienated employers, and likely came across as arrogant. In spite of this, he was regarded as one of the finest composers in Europe around the middle of the 16th century.  The Spanish theorist Juan Bermudo declared him “the light of Spain in music”, while in 1559, a Mexican choir – Spanish polyphony in particular was quick to reach the New World – sang his music at a service commemorating the death of Charles V the previous year. His fame held strong on into the 18th century when Andrea Adami da Bolsena, biographer of many papal musicians, praised him as the papal chapel’s most important composer between Josquin des Prez and Palestrina.

Reflection – Frank Asper

Frank Wilson Asper (1892-1973) was a Mormon Tabernacle organist for more than 40 years. During his impressive career, Asper performed approximately 5,000 organ recitals for Temple Square visitors and played for more than 1,000 network Choir broadcasts, plus he had his own weekly organ broadcast. Additionally, he published many volumes of organ compositions and, for more than 30 years, conducted the McCune Symphony Orchestra, which he founded. He was also the organist of the First United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The melodeon was Asper’s first instrument. His father had brought one across the plains in a covered wagon. By age seven, Frank was playing piano accompaniments, and by 12, he played his first organ solo in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Asper studied at Stern’s Conservatory in Berlin, Germany, and later he graduated with honors from from Boston’s New England Conservatory. In 1938, Bates College awarded him an honorary doctor of music degree.  He was a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.

Asper wrote lyrics or composed music for several LDS hymns. Seven of his hymns are included in the current LDS hymnbook, including “God Is in His Holy Temple,” “’Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love,” “O Thou, Before the World Began,” “Hear Thou Our Hymn, O Lord,” “This House We Dedicate to Thee,” “Rejoice! A Glorious Sound Is Heard,” and “Rise Up, O Men of God.”

Clarifica me Pater - William Byrd

“Clarifica me pater apud temetipsum, claritate quam habui, priusquam mundus fieret” is a Sarum antiphon which was originally sung at first Vespers on Palm Sunday.  The text is a prayer for perfection and is drawn from the Gethsemane prayer from John 17.  By the early 17^th century, this plainsong was no longer included in Catholic or Anglican liturgies.

Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world was.  I have made your name known to the men you took from the world to give me.  They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  Now at last they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you; for I have given them the teaching you gave to me, and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you and have believed that it was you who sent me.

William Byrd (1540-1623) studied composition with Thomas Tallis at the chapel Royal, and served as assistant organist and choral accompanist.  In 1563, Byrd was appointed organist and choirmaster at the cathedral in Lincoln.  It seems that in order to secure his services, cathedral officials (the Chapter) offered him a rectory in Hainton, Lincolnshire, and a house (free of rent), as well as an impressive salary.  For reasons unknown, in 1570 Byrd was briefly suspended from his duties.  It has been suggested that, as Byrd was a Roman Catholic, his organ playing during services exceeded the acceptable Anglican limits as they concerned time and style. During this forced leave, he produced some of his most extensive keyboard fantasias. 

Byrd moved to London in 1572 to fill a post at the Chapel Royal left when composer Robert Parsons died.  Thus, he became known as a “Gentleman of the Chapel.”  Armed with letters from influential members of the nobility, he was able to convince the Lincoln Cathedral to keep sending him a portion of his former salary, retaining his old position to a degree while working at court.  This agreement, in which Byrd was obliged to continue providing music to Lincoln, was honored until 1581.  He continued to produce both sacred and secular works, including the keyboard pavans and galliards begun in the 1570s.

In London, Byrd formed important relationships with noblemen who later became his patrons.  Most were fellow Catholics, and political difficulties made these alliances somewhat unstable; the Earl of Northumberland, for example, was executed, and Thomas, Lord Paget, ended up having to leave England in the aftermath of a supposed pro-Catholic plot against Queen Elizabeth I.  The queen herself also contributed to Byrd’s career, conferring a twenty-one year patent and monopoly to Byrd and Tallis for music printing and for lined music paper.  Their first endeavor was a collection of their own motets, published as Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur. In spite of good intentions and a dedication to the queen, the book did not do well commercially.  Demand was generally lower than had been expected, printed music continued to be imported from sources abroad, regardless of the patent’s stipulations otherwise, and printing monopolies themselves fell under increasing criticism.

Though it is not known when William or his wife Julian became Catholics (there is no evidence that any of Byrd’s relatives were Catholic), it is certain that this affiliation had a significant effect on their lives.  Anti-Catholic sentiment was rising in England, and from 1577 on, Byrd, his wife, their children, and members of his household were frequently cited as recusants. Under Elizabeth’s law, recusants risked spiritual censure (exclusion) and fines, which were to be donated to charity. John Reason, a high-ranking servant and former musician in Byrd’s household, was imprisoned more than once for religious offenses, and probably died in the Gatehouse prison of the plague in 1603.  Byrd’s most subversive activities, however, took place in the context of his compositional choices. These included: Latin motets with texts specifically referring to those executed in the Catholic recusant cause and a setting of a poem that had gained infamy as a protest of the execution of three Jesuits.  Though Byrd was cited often as a recusant, he was considered to be loyal to the crown, and was protected from the harshest punishments because of the esteem he was held in by the queen and by his noble patrons.  The queen’s admiration was such that in 1588 she commissioned Byrd to set her poem “Look and bow down Thine ear, O Lord,” in celebration of the defeat of the Spanish Armada.  Byrd also protected himself by dedicating some of his printed scores to noted anti-Catholics, such as Queen Elizabeth I. Moreover he did not abandon composing for the Church of England, completing the Anglican Great Service sometime in the late 1580s.

Byrd retained the printing patent upon Tallis’ death in 1585, and as he gradually retired from active service in the Chapel Royal, he spent more time collecting and publishing his own works.  He may have already begun planning his withdrawal from the Chapel Royal at the time that he published Psalmes, sonets, & songs of sadnes and pietie (1588).  It is thought to be the third book of English songs ever printed, and its success led to Byrd’s next collection, Songs of Sundrie Natures (1589).  These collections included consort songs for voice and viols, and various arrangements of such songs, as well as anthems and other song forms.  Other collections from this period include Cantiones sacrae (1589), which anthologized Byrd’s motets for five voices (a second volume soon followed) and a manuscript of 1591 titled My Ladye Nevells Booke, in which a number of keyboard works are compiled.  In the 1590s, he also published three masses and corresponded with Philippe de Monte, the Kapellmeister of the Holy Roman Emperor, the two participating in a kind of compositional conversation through the texts of their successive, biblically-based motets. In 1605, the first of two volumes called Gradualia, ac cantiones sacrae appeared, containing sixty-three vocal compositions for Catholic worship, and dedicated to Catholic sympathizer Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton.  That same year, a plot by Catholics intending to kill King James I and to blow up the Houses of Parliament led to a resurgence of anti-Catholic activity.  This conspiracy against the Protestant government was known as the Gunpowder Plot, in which Guy Fawkes was famously involved.  Subsequently, Byrd had to withdraw the volume Gradualia I, and there is even evidence that someone found in possession of the music was arrested. But the book was re-released in 1610.

Byrd wrote three pieces based on “Clarifica me pater”. This third setting is in four-voice counterpoint, with 6 voices at the end.  Each repetition of the theme becomes more ornamented and altered, until the original plainsong has disappeared.  After reaching to the upper registers of the instrument, Byrd’s closing allows this profound and sonorous piece to sink calmly back to the lowest registers, a most satisfying effect that owes as much to the nature of the instrument and to the resonances in a large building as it does to musical ideas noted on paper. Neighbour places this movement “beside the best of Redford and Tallis among the finest things in English organ music”.

About the Choral Music:

A Solemn Supplication – Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by Christian Gottlob Neefe. During his first 22 years in Bonn, Beethoven intended to study with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and befriended Joseph Haydn. Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 and began studying with Haydn, quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. He lived in Vienna until his death. In about 1800 his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost totally deaf. He gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from this period.  His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets. He also composed other chamber music, choral works (including the celebrated Missa solemnis), and songs.

          O God, thy grace doth reach so far as clouds may wander,

            And by thy grace, we walk in the light, as we Thy wondrous words do ponder.

            Almighty God, our refuge be.  Teach us to pray, believing in Thee.

            And in Thy mercy, grant that we may thy salvation see.

            Amen.

About the Hymns:

Great is Thy Faithfulness

A native of the small Kentucky town of Franklin, Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960) was born in a log cabin. He lacked formal education. Nevertheless, he became a teacher at age sixteen and the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, the “Franklin Advocate”, at age twenty-one.  Though he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903, he served only a single, brief appointment at Scottsville, Kentucky, due to ill health.  He wrote more than 1200 poems, 800 of which were published. They often appeared in religious periodicals such as the “Sunday School Times”, “Moody Monthly”, and “Alliance Weekly”. Many of these were set to music.

Chisholm had sent a number of his poems to the Rev. William H. Runyan (1870-1957), a musician with the Moody Bible Institute and one of the editors of Hope Publishing Company in Chicago.  Runyan wrote the tune FAITHFULNESS for the text and wrote this about the hymn: "This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer.  It was written in Baldwin, Kansas, in 1923, and was first published in my private song pamphlets."  A phrase in Lamentations 3:22-23 provides a basis for the refrain: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  

George Beverly Shea (1909-2013), the famous Canadian-born singer of the Billy Graham Crusades, introduced this hymn to those attending the evangelistic meetings in Great Britain in 1954.  It immediately became a favorite.  This hymn appeared in many evangelical hymnals and song collections but was not chosen for an official Methodist hymnal until The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), even though the author was a Methodist.  It was a very popular hymn of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church and had been included in their hymnals.

According to Carlton Young, "Great is thy faithfulness" was second only to "In the garden" as the most requested hymn for inclusion in The United Methodist Hymnal. A survey conducted in 2000 by Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources, General Board of Discipleship, revealed that "Great is thy faithfulness" remains one of the favorite hymns among United Methodists.

I Need Thee Every Hour

Annie S. Hawks’ (1836-1918) poems first began appearing in newspapers when she was 14 years old. She married Charles H. Hawks in 1857. They lived in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the Hanson Place Baptist Church, where Robert Lowry was pastor. She wrote 400 hymns in her life, mostly for use in Sunday schools.

“I Need Thee Every Hour” was written by Hawks in 1872. She showed Lowry her poem, and he wrote the lyrics of the refrain and the tune NEED. The song was first sung publicly at the 1872 meeting of the National Baptist Sunday School Association in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its first publication was in 1873 in a Sunday School hymnbook compiled by Lowry and William H. Doane, Royal Diadem for the Sunday School.

When this hymn was first published in 1873, this Bible verse was included underneath the title: “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5 KJV). Each of the first four stanzas of this hymn dwells on a different facet of our dependence on God: our need for His peace, our inability to resist temptation alone, our need to find true meaning in life, and our desire to see God's promises fulfilled. The fifth stanza is an intense plea for God's presence.

April 22, 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:

Leoni – Frank Ferko

The roots of early Christian worship grew in the soil of the first-century Jewish synagogue service. In Scripture and psalm, in sermon and prayer, the gathered community celebrated what God had done—and anticipated God’s mighty acts yet to come. In light of this, the well-known hymn “The God of Abraham Praise” offers a glimpse of history.

Thomas Olivers (1725–1799), the hymn’s author, was born in Wales and orphaned at age 4. Apprenticed early to a shoemaker, he grew to adulthood a wild, rootless man. In his mid-twenties, however, Olivers was converted through the preaching of George Whitefield. Soon after, he became an evangelist with John Wesley. Olivers spent more than twenty years—end 100,000 miles—as an itinerant preacher. Later, he became co-editor of Wesley’s Arminian Magazine.

Tradition tells us that on a Friday evening in 1770, Olivers attended Sabbath worship at the Great Synagogue, Duke’s Place, London. There, as the “Yigdal” (traditional Hebrew doxology) was sung by cantor Meyer Lyon (d. 1796), Olivers was so moved that he approached the operatic vocalist personally. In the 12th century, Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides codified the 13 articles of the Jewish Creed. These articles of the Jewish faith were later shaped into the Yigdal around 1400 by Daniel ben Judah, a judge in Rome.  In the mid-eighteenth century, cantors had begun to use musical notations, and Lyon graciously provided Olivers with his tune (LEONI).  The Methodist preacher then adapted the text of the Jewish doxology (which was based on the Thirteen Articles of Faith stated by famous Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides in the twelfth century). The opening word, yigdal (Hebrew for “may He be magnified”), inspired Olivers’s free rendering. "The God of Abraham Praise" was first published as a leaflet titled "A Hymn to the God of Abraham" in 1772. It was later published nationwide by Wesley in the Methodist hymnal "Sacred Harmony". The hymn later made it to the United States after being published in Joshua Leavitt's "The Christian Lyre".

The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days, and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM! by earth and Heav’n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name forever blessed.

The God of Abraham praise, at whose supreme command
From earth I rise—and seek the joys at His right hand;
I all on earth forsake, its wisdom, fame, and power;
And Him my only portion make, my shield and tower.

The God of Abraham praise, whose all sufficient grace
Shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways.
He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God!
And He shall save me to the end, thro’ Jesus’ blood.

He by Himself has sworn; I on His oath depend,
I shall, on eagle wings upborne, to Heav’n ascend.
I shall behold His face; I shall His power adore,
And sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.

Tho’ nature’s strength decay, and earth and hell withstand,
To Canaan’s bounds I urge my way, at His command.
The watery deep I pass, with Jesus in my view;
And thro’ the howling wilderness my way pursue.

The goodly land I see, with peace and plenty blessed;
A land of sacred liberty, and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound,
And trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.

There dwells the Lord our king, the Lord our righteousness,
Triumphant o’er the world and sin, the Prince of peace;
On Sion’s sacred height His kingdom still maintains,
And glorious with His saints in light forever reigns.

He keeps His own secure, He guards them by His side,
Arrays in garments, white and pure, His spotless bride:
With streams of sacred bliss, with groves of living joys—
With all the fruits of paradise He still supplies.

Before the great Three-One they all exulting stand;
And tell the wonders He hath done, through all their land:
The listening spheres attend, and swell the growing fame;
And sing, in songs which never end, the wondrous name.

The God who reigns on high the great archangels sing,
And Holy, holy, holy! cry, Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be:
Jehovah—Father—great I AM, we worship Thee!

Before the Savior’s face the ransomed nations bow;
O’erwhelmed at His almighty grace, forever new:
He shows His prints of love—they kindle to a flame!
And sound thro’ all the worlds above the slaughtered Lamb.

The whole triumphant host give thanks to God on high;
Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, they ever cry.
Hail, Abraham’s God, and mine! (I join the heav’nly lays,)
All might and majesty are Thine, and endless praise.

Frank Ferko (b.1950) played piano from childhood, and worked as an organist and conductor in his teens. His first compositions were primarily liturgical in nature. He attended Valparaiso University, where he took particular interest in early music and the compositional and theoretical output of Olivier Messiaen.  He received a bachelor's from Valparaiso in 1972 in piano and organ performance, and then took his master's at Syracuse University in music theory. Ferko served as Director of Music at various midwestern churches before entering Northwestern University to pursue a PhD in composition. He is currently on the staff of the Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford University.  As a composer, Ferko began receiving critical acclaim and commissions in the 1980s, including the Holtkamp Award from the American Guild of Organists in 1990 for the song cycle A Practical Program for Monks. He has also worked as composer-in-residence with the Dale Warland Singers.   

Celestia – Dale Wood

The great Danish hymn writer Nikolai F. S. Grundtvig (1783-1872) wrote this hymn for Christmas, 1810. One of his earliest texts, it was first published in Knud L. Rahbek's Sandsigeren on April 10, 1811. Based on the Epiphany gospel (Matt. 1: 1-12) and on Psalm 119:105, the text compares the light of the star to the Bible–the light that leads us to the Christ.  Grundtvig was a famous Danish preacher, educator, and hymn writer. Although he had studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, because of the influence of rationalist theology, he lost his faith. After a period of intense spiritual reflection, he regained both his faith and renewed appreciation for his orthodox Lutheran heritage. His ordination in 1811 was delayed for a year because he preached a sermon in which he criticized the rationalist theology of the Danish clergy. Later, he experienced other confrontations with the established church leaders and for some ten years did not have a regular parish, but in 1839 he was appointed pastor to Vartov. An effective preacher and a much-loved author of hymns, Grundtvig finally was accepted by the church and upon his golden jubilee was given the title of bishop. The most influential and prolific writer of devotional poems and orthodox hymns in nineteenth-century Scandinavia, he published two significant hymnals, Sang-Vark til den Danske Kirke (1837) and Festsalmer (1850). All of his hymns and poems were published posthumously in five volumes. As an educator Grundtvig was instrumental in initiating public high schools in some Danish cities and raising educational standards; these schools became very popular and were copied in neighboring countries. Consequently, Grundtvig is often called the "father of public schools" in Scandinavia. The translation combines Jens C. Aaberg's translation from the Hymnal for Church and Home (1927) and Fred C. M. Hansen's and Thorvald O. Burntvedt's from the Service Book and Hymnal (1958). Aaberg (1877-1970) immigrated to the United States in 1901. Educated at Grand View College and Seminary in Des Moines, Iowa, he entered the ministry of the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served congregations in Marinette, Wisconsin; Dwight, Illinois; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Aaberg wrote Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark (1945), translated at least eighty hymns from Danish into English, and served on four hymnal committees. In 1947 King Frederick of Denmark awarded him the Knight Cross of Denmark.

DEJLIG ER DEN HIMMEL BLAA is an anonymous Danish tune said to be the work of an old man unversed in music composition (around 1840). The tune was first published in Andreas Berggren's Melodier til den af Roeskildes Praesteconvent udgivne Psalmebog (1853). A charming tune, DEJLIG ER DEN HIMMEL BLAA is built with several repetitions and sequences. It has a fine "rising star" figure in the first phrase and provides its own ritardando in the rhythm of the final phrase.

Bright and glorious is the sky, Radiant are the heavens high
Where the golden stars were shining And their rays to earth inclining,
Beckoning us to Heaven above.

On that holy Christmas night Through the darkness beamed a light
All the stars above were paling, All their luster slowly failing,
As the Christmas star drew nigh.

Sages from the East afar, When they saw this wondrous star,
Went to the find the King of nations, And to offer their oblations
Unto Him as Lord and King.

Him they found in Bethlehem, Yet He wore no diadem;
They but saw a maiden lowly With an Infant pure and holy,
Resting in her loving arms.

Guided by the star they found Him whose praise the ages sound,
We too have a star to guide us Which forever will provide us
With the light to find our Lord.

As a star God’s holy Word Leads us to our King and Lord;
Brightly from its sacred pages Shall this light throughout the ages
Shine upon our path of life.

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.

Recessional – Frank W. Asper

Frank Wilson Asper (1892-1973) was a Mormon Tabernacle organist for more than 40 years. During his impressive career, Asper performed approximately 5,000 organ recitals for Temple Square visitors and played for more than 1,000 network Choir broadcasts, plus he had his own weekly organ broadcast. Additionally, he published many volumes of organ compositions and, for more than 30 years, conducted the McCune Symphony Orchestra, which he founded. He was also the organist of the First United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The melodeon was Asper’s first instrument. His father had brought one across the plains in a covered wagon. By age seven, Frank was playing piano accompaniments, and by 12, he played his first organ solo in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Asper studied at Stern’s Conservatory in Berlin, Germany, and later he graduated with honors from from Boston’s New England Conservatory. In 1938, Bates College awarded him an honorary doctor of music degree.  He was a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.

Asper wrote lyrics or composed music for several LDS hymns. Seven of his hymns are included in the current LDS hymnbook, including “God Is in His Holy Temple,” “’Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love,” “O Thou, Before the World Began,” “Hear Thou Our Hymn, O Lord,” “This House We Dedicate to Thee,” “Rejoice! A Glorious Sound Is Heard,” and “Rise Up, O Men of God.”

About the Choral Music:

Jacob’s Ladder – John Carter

Jacob's Ladder is the connection between the earth and heaven that the biblical Patriarch Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau, as described in the Book of Genesis. The significance of the dream has been debated, but most interpretations agree that it identified Jacob with the obligations and inheritance of the ethnic people chosen by God, as understood in Abrahamic religions. The classic Torah commentaries offer several interpretations of Jacob's ladder. According to the Midrash Genesis Rabbah, the ladder signified the exiles which the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Messiah. First the angel representing the 70-year exile of Babylonia climbed "up" 70 rungs, and then fell "down". Then the angel representing the exile of Persia went up a number of steps, and fell, as did the angel representing the exile of Greece. Only the fourth angel, which represented the final exile of Rome/Edom (whose guardian angel was Esau himself), kept climbing higher and higher into the clouds. Jacob feared that his children would never be free of Esau's domination, but God assured him that at the End of Days, Edom too would come falling down.   Another interpretation of the ladder keys into the fact that the angels first "ascended" and then "descended". The Midrash explains that Jacob, as a holy man, was always accompanied by angels. When he reached the border of the land of Canaan (the future land of Israel), the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land went back up to Heaven and the angels assigned to other lands came down to meet Jacob. When Jacob returned to Canaan he was greeted by the angels who were assigned to the Holy Land.

Jesus said in John 1:51 "And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." This statement has been interpreted as associating or implicating Jesus with the mythical ladder, in that Christ bridges the gap between Heaven and Earth. Jesus presents himself as the reality to which the ladder points; as Jacob saw in a dream the reunion of Heaven and Earth, Jesus brought this reunion, metaphorically the ladder, into reality.

“We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder” an African American slave spiritual based in part on the Biblical story of Jacob's Ladder. As a folk song originating in a repressed culture, the song's origins are lost. Some academics believe it emerged as early as 1750, and definitely no later than 1825, and was composed by American slaves taken from the area now known as Liberia. The spiritual utilizes the image of Jacob's ladder, and equates it with the body of Christ. The song is in the form of call and response, and although lyrics vary from place to place and over time, they generally emphasize spiritual growth, increasing one's knowledge about God, and a call to discipleship. The striving nature of this "climb" toward god is depicted as a series of tests, and draws heavily on the New Testament tradition of the Christian as warrior—in this case, overcoming the slave-owner. The traditional lyrics hold out hope that the slave can rise up and escape slavery, and the nature of the call-and-response asks both the singing respondents and the listener for greater sacrifice to reach the next level.  The spiritual implies that God's promise to the Biblical patriarch Jacob will also lead the slave to freedom. The song became one of the first African American spirituals to become popular among white Christians. 

John Carter is a productive and versatile composer with a notable and long-standing career in choral composition. In addition to hundreds of sacred and secular choral pieces, Carter has written several collections of piano and organ literature, bell choir arrangements, a number of works for musical theatre and an opera. He is a well-known clinician and guest conductor throughout the United States.  He is currently serving as Director of Music at the University Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio.

            We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, soldiers of the cross.

            Every round goes higher, higher, soldiers of the cross.

            Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Soldiers of the cross.

            If you love him, why not serve him?  Soldiers of the cross.

            Rise, shine, give God glory!  Soldiers of the cross.

About the Hymns:

This is My Father’s World

This is My Father's World was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858-1901), a minister from New York. When Babcock lived in Lockport, he took frequent walks along the Niagara Escarpment to enjoy the overlook's panoramic vista of upstate New York scenery and Lake Ontario, telling his wife he was "going out to see the Father's world". Shortly after his death in 1901, she published a compilation of Babcock's writings entitled Thoughts for Every-Day Living that contained the poem "My Father's World." The original poem contained sixteen stanzas of four lines each. In 1916, Franklin Sheppard chose only three verses of the sixteen when he set the poem to music to a tune entitled "Terra Beata" (Latin for "Blessed Earth"). Most sources state that Sheppard adapted the music from a traditional English melody that he learned from his mother as a child.

Scripture references in the original poem include Psalm 33:5 "He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love." and Psalm 50:12 "For the world is mine, and all that is it."  In ancient times, people believed that as the planets revolved in the universe, they made music or harmony. This is the belief Maltbie Babcock referred to in the line, “and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Though this belief has since been disproven, we know that objects in space do in fact emit sounds. Even more amazing, the ocean is also making noises at its very lowest and darkest depths - sounds which scientists are still unable to identify. The whole universe is singing a song of its creation, revealing something to us about He who created it.  The author shifts his focus in the final stanza from describing the visual and aural beauty of nature to the reality that all is not right with the world. Babcock observes “that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” The closing couplet, posing and answering a question, offers hope: “Why should my heart be sad?... God reigns, let the earth be glad.”

How Great Thou Art

"How Great Thou Art" is a based on a Swedish poem written by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859–1940) in Sweden in 1885.  “O Store Gud” (O Great God) is a paraphrase of Psalm 8 and has nine verses.  It was sung in the underground church in Sweden in the late 1800s when the Baptists and Mission Friends were persecuted.  Boberg himself gave the following information about his inspiration for this hymn:

It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring;; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere.  It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning.  We had to hurry to shelter.  But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.  When I came home I opened my window toward the sea.  There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of “When eternity’s clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest”.  That evening, I wrote the song, “O Store Gud”.

Boberg first published "O Store Gud" in the “Mönsterås Tidningen” (Mönsterås News) on 13 March 1886.The poem became matched to an old Swedish folk tune and sung in public for the first known occasion in a church in the Swedish province of Värmland in 1888.   It was soon published in additional hymn collections and was translated into German and Russian.

British Methodist missionary Stuart Wesley Keene Hine (1899-1989)  heard the Russian translation of the German version of the song while on an evangelistic mission to the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, near the Polish border, in 1931. Upon hearing it, Hine was inspired to create his English paraphrase known as “How Great Thou Art".   According to Michael Ireland, "Hine and his wife, Edith, learned the Russian translation, and started using it in their evangelistic services.  Hine also started re-writing some of the verses --- and writing new verses (all in Russian) --- as events inspired him."  Hine finalized his English translation in 1949

When the Billy Graham team went to London in 1954 for the Harringay Crusade, they were given a pamphlet containing Hine's work.  They worked closely with Hine to prepare the song for use in their campaigns. They sang it in the 1955 Toronto campaign, but it didn't really catch on until they took it to the Madison Square Garden in 1957. According to Cliff Barrows (Dr. Graham's longtime associate), they sang it one hundred times during that campaign because the people wouldn't let them stop.   

George Beverly Shea's recording of the beloved hymn ranks number 204 on the top recordings of the 20th century according to the Recording Industry Association of America.  It was voted the United Kingdom's favourite hymn by BBC's Songs of Praise. "How Great Thou Art" was ranked second (after "Amazing Grace") on a list of the favorite hymns of all time in a survey by Today's Christian magazine in 2001.

Evangelist Billy Graham indicated: “The reason I like 'How Great Thou Art' is because it glorifies God. It turns Christian’s eyes toward God, rather than upon themselves. I use it as often as possible because it is such a God-honoring song.”

April 15, 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 Blessed Spring – James Biery

The images of “O Blessed Spring” draw the singer into the seasons of life with warmth and beauty. Many hymns have a theological treatise to prove. Each stanza advances information like a legal case that culminates in a closing argument in the final stanza. By contrast, each stanza of “O Blessed Spring” unfolds like a bud into a blossom. The singer comes to the final stanza, not with the triumph of a well-made theological argument, but with a sense of wonder that comes from glimpsing sacred mystery.

The concept of the Tree of Life is pervasive around the world. The writer carefully distinguishes between the mythology associated with the Tree of Life theme throughout the ages and the Christian understanding of Christ the Vine and source of life from which we grow. Many religious traditions as ancient as pre-Islamic Persia, ancient Egypt, ancient Armenia, and Assyria include symbols of the Tree of Life. Buddhism has the tradition of the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha sat when he attained Enlightenment.

Within the Christian tradition, one must distinguish between the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis 2-3 where the fall of humanity took place, and the Tree of Life, a symbol of Christ himself. More recently, Pope Benedict XVI has said, “The Cross is the true tree of life.”

A baptismal image was the source for “O Blessed Spring.” Susan Palo Cherwien (b. 1953) describes her inspiration: “Above the baptismal font in Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis hangs a striking bronze sculpture by the late Paul Granlund, a sculpture which embodies the image of John 15:5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches.’ Granlund cast a tree with four branches depicting the four ages of human life, with Christ as the central trunk. This bronze provided the structure for the text ‘O Blessed Spring,’ the words of which are woven around a central Christ image.”

In stanza two of the hymn, Mrs. Cherwien equates the “summer heat” with “youthful years” and “uncertain faith, rebellious tears.” During the season of autumn (stanza three), the limbs of the tree are ripe with “heavy harvest.” This season offers “beauty, wisdom, love.” Stanza four explores the season of winter where “We breathe our last, return to dust.” Yet, “in Christ, our souls take wing”; thus the lifecycle is complete in the “promise of spring.” The final stanza introduces a baptismal, sacramental tone, the original inspiration of the hymn, in “this blest mystery” as “Word and water thus revive And join us to your Tree of Life”.

Mrs. Cherwien is a freelance writer and musician. She received her bachelor’s degree in church music and voice from Wittenberg University, her Abschlussprüfung (final examination) in voice from the Hochschule der Künste Berlin, and a Master of Liberal Studies from Mundelein College, where she focused on spirituality, ritual, and the arts.

Susan Palo Cherwien has written numerous hymn texts that appear in increasing frequency since 2000 in denominational hymnals in the United States and Canada. Her hymn texts are available from Augsburg Fortress in two collections, O Blessed Spring: Hymn Texts of Susan Palo Cherwien (1997) and Come, Beloved of the Maker (2010), as well as a compilation of vocal solos, To God Will I Sing: Vocal Solos for the Church Year (2001). She has other books of worship meditations and home devotions and articles on worship and music published in several journals. Recent publications include Crossings: Meditations for Worship (2003) and From Glory into Glory: Reflections for Worship (2009).

O blessed spring, where Word and sign Embrace us into Christ the Vine:
Here Christ enjoins each one to be A branch of this life-giving Tree.
 

Through summer heat of youthful years, Uncertain faith, rebellious tears,
Sustained by Christ’s infusing rain, The boughs will shout for joy again.
 

When autumn cools and youth is cold, When limbs their heavy harvest hold,
Then through us, warm, the Christ will move With gifts of beauty, wisdom, love.
 

As winter comes, as winters must, We breathe our last, return to dust;
Still held in Christ, our souls take wing And trust the promise of the spring.
 

Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree, Be praised for this blest mystery:
That Word and water thus revive And join us to your Tree of Life.

James Biery (b. 1956) is an American organist, composer and conductor who is Minister of Music at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Presbyterian) in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.  Biery was educated at Northwestern University, where he earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance.  Biery developed his compositional skills from two disciplines: years of study of the organ and its literature and intense scrutiny of the orchestral scores of numerous composers whose music he transcribed for organ duet and organ solo. His facility at the organ combined with his demonstrated ability to perform and study a vast amount of literature has given Biery a firm basis upon which to compose for the instrument.

Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters – Wayne Wold

Ruth Duck (b. 1947) is professor of worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.  Duck has been writing hymns since 1974. The first time she heard one of her hymns being sung was in 1983 at a United Church of Christ General Synod. She writes, "2,000 people were singing my hymn. I was crying while two friends on either side held my hands. I feel that writing hymn texts is a central part of my call." That is a call she has followed ever since, a call that has resulted in hymns in most hymnals in use today.

Ruth Duck's hymn-texts sing many names for God as she lives the promises of her baptism. "Our language in worship says something about God and not just ourselves."  The idea of God that most people carry is too small and containing, Ruth said. In 1972, while at seminary, she was guest guitarist at a local church. Asked to use inclusive language, she took care to substitute "humanity" for "man" and "mankind."  Yet in one song, she sang "Father" over and over for God. Then, inclusive language meant changing language about humanity, not expanding the language of worship.  Biblical images for God reached beyond masculine and feminine dimensions of expression.  New names awaited discovery. She would use them in hymns or

ritual words of the church.

“Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters” is one of those hymns in which she uses both mother and father images of God.  Speaking of her baptism, she said: "The baptismal water washed over me. It made tangible my dying and rising with Christ to new life in the Spirit. Baptism became then a sacrament of God's presence. I belonged to Christ. I was 'water-washed and Spirit-born.' I could feel God's presence as the pastor immersed me in the water. It was as if the Spirit of God were moving over the waters as at the first creation."  Her baptismal promise shaped her life, theology and hymn texts. Baptism is not an isolated event but a lifelong process, part of a

continuing faith journey. In Dwight Vogel's words, Ruth reveals an understanding that "expanding our language is one way we can live out the grace, love, justice, and hope of our baptisms and our table communion."   "Baptism reaches beyond us," she writes. "It makes a difference in how we relate to other people and to God . . . even how we relate to ourselves. We belong to one another, for at the water God makes us one people."

Word by word, Ruth Duck’s hymn texts became standards. At least fourteen denominational hymnals include them. "This pioneer in worship and hymnody continues to write remarkably apt and artistic hymns and service music, articulating our faith with insight and sensitivity," said composer and musician, Jim Manley. "She combines the personal and the theological in a beautiful manner."

Wash, O God, our sons and daughters, where your cleansing waters flow.
Number them among your people; bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling; compass them with love and light
Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit, holy dove and heart's delight.

We who bring them long for nurture; by your milk may we be fed.
Let us join your feast, partaking cup of blessing, living bread.
God, renew us, guide our footsteps; free from sin and all its snares,
one with Christ in living, dying, by your Spirit, children, heirs

Oh, how deep your holy wisdom! Unimagined, all your ways!
To your name be glory, honor! With our lives we worship, praise!
We your people stand before you, water washed and Spirit born.
By your grace, our lives we offer. Recreate us; God, transform!

Wayne L. Wold (b. 1954) is active as a teacher, church musician, composer, author, performer, and clinician. He serves as Associate Professor of Music and College Organist at Hood College in Frederick, Md. Over 200 of his compositions are published by fourteen different companies in the U.S. and Australia and include twenty volumes of works for organ and instruments with organ, 30 choir anthems, a children's musical, a recorder suite, and several hymn tunes. He is the author of numerous hymn and anthem texts, articles in professional journals, and two books -- Tune My Heart to Sing: Devotions for Choirs Based on the Revised Common Lectionary and Preaching to the Choir: The Care and Nurture of the Church Choir.

About the Handbell Music:

Because He Lives – Tammy Waldrop

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.

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!


And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, Just because He lives!

Tammy Waldrop holds a Bachelor of music degree and a Master of music degree in theory and composition from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. As a writer for handbells since 1980, she has served as Assistant Choral Editor and Handbell Editor for Word Music. Presently, Tammy is Handbell Editor for Ring Out! Press, the handbell publishing company she began in 1990, which is now a part of the Jeffers Publishing Group.  In 1988, Tammy collaborated with Bob Burroughs and won the AGEHR national composition contest, and in 1991 she won the Area III competition. She served as Publications Chair for Area IX from 1994–1996 and currently serves on the Greater Houston Handbell Association Board.

About the Choral Music:

Devotion – John Ness Beck

Fanny Jane Crosby (1820-1915) set the standard for the successful writing of gospel hymns. She was the author of over 8,500 gospel songs.  Blind at six weeks of age, Crosby began composing texts at age 6. At 12, she began her study at the New York School for the Blind, a school she later served as a teacher. A friend of several presidents, she became one of the country’s most important advocates for the cause of the blind, addressing a session of Congress on the topic.

Her texts were set to the compositions of some of the most prominent gospel song composers of the day including William Bradbury, William Doane, Robert Lowry and Ira Sankey. Crosby also composed under a number of pen names. She married blind musician Alexander Van Alstyne, and British hymnals have always used her married name, Frances Van Alstyne.

“I am Thine” is one of many collaborations between Crosby and composer William Doane (1832-1915). The late Baptist hymnologist William J. Reynolds provides the context for the composition of the hymn in 1874 during a visit by Crosby to Doane’s home in Cincinnati:
“One evening she and Doane talked at length about the nearness of God in their lives. When Fanny went to her room, her mind and heart were flooded with ideas from their conversation. Before she went to sleep, the lines of “I am thine, O Lord” were in her mind. . . . The next morning she recited the words to Doane, who wrote down the stanzas and composed the tune.”
The text appeared with the following inscription from Hebrews 10:22: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (KJV)

Crosby seems to mix her cleansing metaphors intentionally—“pure water” and “bleeding side.” The connection becomes clearer when one reads the previous verses in Hebrews 10:  “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God. . . .”

Like so many of Crosby’s hymns, “I am thine, O Lord” is written in the first person—a personal testimony of her relationship with Christ. Stanza one begins with a total surrender to Christ, “I am thine, O Lord,” and the desire to “be closer drawn to thee.” The second stanza appropriately draws upon the closeness of this relationship as an impetus of service: “Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine.  The refrain is the theological hub around which the spokes of the stanzas all connect: “Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy precious bleeding side.”  In this case, it is Christ’s blood that cleanses and perfects the relationship. Fanny Crosby is thoroughly Wesleyan in her understanding of grace and perfection.

In Negro Slave Songs in the United States (1953), Miles Mark Fisher suggests that “Lord, I Want to be a Christian” could well have originated in Virginia in the 1750s, based on this story from Hanover, Virginia, 1756: "A black slave asked Presbyterian preacher William Davies, 'I come to you, sir, that you may tell me some good things concerning Jesus Christ and my duty to God, for I am resolved not to live any more as I have done. . . Lord [Sir], I want to be a Christian.'"  Both text and tune were first published in Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907), compiled by brothers Frederick Work and John W. Work, Jr.

These two hymns are interwoven in this setting by John Ness Beck (1930-1987), who graduated from Ohio State with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees with a major in English. After working for a year in Student Union activities at the State College of Washington, he spent two years in the U.S. Army. During this time, he became increasingly involved in arranging for various musical groups. After his discharge from military service, he returned to Ohio State and completed Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees in music with composition as his major.  Beck was a faculty member of Ohio State University School of Music for seven years, teaching harmony and theory. He left the university to become owner and manager of The University Music House, a retail sheet music store in Columbus. In this capacity, he was able to observe the business side of the music industry, gaining insight into the complexities of music publishing and merchandising. As his compositions found their way into print and popularity, he joined forces in 1972 with John Tatgenhorst in the creation of Beckenhorst Press. His reputation as a composer and his experience as a choral director soon led to an increasing demand for appearances as guest conductor and lecturer at various musical clinics and festivals throughout the country.

            I am Thine, O Lord – I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me;

            But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.

            Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, by the power of grace divine;

            Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope And my will be lost in Thine.

            Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, To the cross where Thou has died;

            Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer To thy precious bleeding side.

            Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart,

            Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

            In my heart, in my heart, in my heart, Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

            Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord.

            Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

About the Hymns:

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

Anglican priest and professor Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821-1891) composed “Rejoice, ye pure in heart” as a processional hymn for a choir festival in one of England’s majestic places of worship, Peterborough Cathedral.   Plumptre was a distinguished scholar of his day. Educated at University College, Oxford, he then became a fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford, receiving his ordination in the Anglican Church in 1846. After serving as a clergyman, he became chaplain and professor of New Testament exegesis at King’s College, London, and dean of Queen’s College, Oxford. His most prominent position as a clergyman was that of dean of Wells Cathedral.

Of the original 11 stanzas, five or six stanzas appear in most hymnals.  Omitted stanzas refer to this processional in martial terms as warriors who “march in firm array.” This kind of imagery is not only consonant with the times, but also reflects the theology of the Anglican Communion that views its role on earth as the “Church Militant” while the church in heaven is the “Church Triumphant.”   Hymnologist William Reynolds noted that it “was not unusual for a cathedral processional to take from ten to thirty minutes, and the hymn that was sung by both the choir and the congregation needed to have enough stanzas for this.”   It was first published in the third edition of Plumptre's Lazarus and Other Poems (1868) and in the Appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern (1868).

Arthur H. Messiter (b. Frome, Somersetshire, England, 1834; d. New York, NY, 1916) composed MARION for this text in 1883 and named it after his wife. The tune was published in the Hymnal with Music as Used in Trinity Church (1893), a hymnal compiled by Messiter during his long term of service as organist/ choirmaster at Trinity Church (Episcopal) in New York City (1866-1897).

Educated by private tutors in England, Messiter immigrated to the United States in 1863 and had an active musical career in Philadelphia, which included an organist position at St. James the Less. At Trinity Church in New York City, he modeled with distinction the British cathedral tradition of music. Messiter was an editor of the Episcopal Hymnal (1893), compiled the Psalter (1889) and Choir Office Book (1891), and wrote a musical history of Trinity Episcopal Church, New York (1906).

Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee

Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory.  In 1716, he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726, Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepened, and he became one of the first band of "Oxford Methodists."

In 1735, he went with his brother John to Georgia, as secretary to General Oglethorpe, having before he set out received Deacon's and Priest's Orders on two successive Sundays. His stay in Georgia was very short; he returned to England in 1736, and in 1737 came under the influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, especially of that remarkable man who had so large a share in moulding John Wesley's career, Peter Bonier, and a Mr. Bray, a brazier in Little Britain. On Whitsunday, 1737, he "found rest to his soul," and in 1738 he became curate to his friend, Mr. Stonehouse, Vicar of Islington, but the opposition of the churchwardens was so great that the Vicar consented that he "should preach in his church no more." Henceforth his work was identified with that of his brother John, and he became an indefatigable itinerant and field preacher. On April 8, 1749, he married Miss Sarah Gwynne. His marriage was a most happy one; his wife was accustomed to accompany him on his evangelistic journeys, which were as frequent as ever until the year 1756, when he ceased to itinerate, and mainly devoted himself to the care of the Societies in London and Bristol. Bristol was his headquarters until 1771, when he removed with his family to London, and, besides attending to the Societies, devoted himself much, as he had done in his youth, to the spiritual care of prisoners in Newgate. He had long been troubled about the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and strongly disapproved of his brother John's "ordinations." Wesley-like, he expressed his disapproval in the most outspoken fashion, but, as in the case of Samuel at an earlier period, the differences between the brothers never led to a breach of friendship. He died in London, March 29, 1788, and was buried in Marylebone churchyard. His brother John was deeply grieved because he would not consent to be interred in the burial-ground of the City Road Chapel, where he had prepared a grave for himself, but Charles said, "I have lived, and I die, in the Communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church." Eight clergymen of the Church of England bore his pall. He had a large family, four of whom survived him; three sons, who all became distinguished in the musical world, and one daughter, who inherited some of her father's poetical genius. The widow and orphans were treated with the greatest kindness and generosity by John Wesley.

As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique. He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly marvelous how many there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumors of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift. Nor must we forget his hymns for little children, a branch of sacred poetry in which the mantle of Dr. Watts seems to have fallen upon him. The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley; for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream. [John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)]

“Jesus, Lord, we look to Thee” [Family Union desired] appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1749, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and again in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780.  The tune, SAVANNAH, was written by Johannes Thommen and first appeared in John Wesley’s Foundary Collection (1745).