August 26, 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:

Es ist das Heil – J. S. Bach


Paulus Speratus (1484-1551) was born in Swabia at the castle of Röthlen, near Ellwangen. The family name seems to have been Hoffer or Offer, and to have been Latinized into Speratus, following a practice common in the 16th cent. He is probably the "Paul Offer de Ellwangen," who attended the University of Freiburg (Baden) and also studied at universities in Paris and Italy. He became the preacher in Würzburg in 1519, but his preaching was much too evangelical for the new bishop, and he had to leave, apparently in the beginning of 1520. Proceeding to Salzburg he preached for some time in the cathedral, until the archbishop there also would not tolerate his pronounced opinions. He left Salzburg in the autumn of 1520, and went to Vienna, where he appears to have graduated D.D. at the University. He was already married (probably as early as 1519), and was one of the first priests who had dared to take this step. After a violent sermon against marriage, delivered by a monk in St. Peter's church, at Vienna, the governor of Lower Austria (Count Leonhard von Zech) asked Speratus to make a reply. With the consent of the bishop he did so, and preached, on Jan. 12, 1522, a sermon in the cathedral (St. Stephen's) in which he expressed his opinions very freely regarding the monastic life and enforced celibacy, and also clearly set forth the doctrine of Justification by Faith. This sermon (published at Königsberg in 1524) made a great impression, and was condemned by the Theological Faculty at Vienna.  On his way from Vienna to the north he stayed at Iglau in Moravia, where the abbot of the Dominican monastery appointed him as preacher. Here the people became greatly enamored of him and of the Reformation doctrines, and stood firmly by him, notwithstanding the remonstrances and threats of the king and of the bishop of Olmütz. In the summer of 1523, King Ludwig put him in prison without trail, but after three months he released him, probably through the influence of his queen (Maria of Hungary).  In the end of 1523, Speratus came to Wittenberg, where he worked with Luther, and assisted him in the preparation of the first Lutheran hymn book (the Etlich cristlich lider. It contained 4 German hymns by Luther, 3 by Speratus, and 1 anonymous German hymn). Luther then recommended him to the Margrave Albrecht, and about May 1524, the Margrave appointed him as court preacher at Königsberg. He seems to have had the principal share in drawing up the Liturgy and Canons (Kirchenordnung or "Book of Church Order") for the Prussian church, which was presented to the Diet in December 1525. On March 31, 1526, he was chosen as the clerical commissioner to visit the parishes of Prussia and see that the new arrangements were carried out; and in the end of 1529 he was appointed Lutheran bishop of Pomesania, with his residence at Marienwerder, where he remained until his death.

”Es ist das Heil uns kommen her”, his most famous hymn, is founded on Romans 3:28. It was probably written in the autumn of 1523, either during his imprisonment at Olmütz, or else during his stay at Wittenberg. Included as one of the 8 hymns in the Etlich cristlich lider (1524), and entitled, “A hymn of Law and Faith, powerfully furnished with God's Word. Doctor Paul Speratus." Lauxmann, in Koch, calls it "the true confessional hymn of the Reformation”, or, as Albert Knapp puts it, 'the poetical counterpart of Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans.'" It is a Scriptural ballad, setting forth, in what was, for the time, excellent verse, the characteristic teachings of the German Reformers; and is indeed of considerable historical importance.

The English translation of the 14 verses of this chorale follow:

Salvation has come to us from grace and sheer kindness.
Works never help, they cannot protect us..
Faith looks towards Jesus Christ who has done enough for all of us.
He has become our mediator

Since we could not keep what God had commanded in the law,

There arose wrath and great distress in many ways before God;

The spirit was unwilling to get away from the flesh,

Especially when the law demanded, our situation was desperate

It was a misleading delusion to think that God had given his law

As if we ourselves could freely live according to his will.

The law is in fact a subtle mirror that reveals to us the sinful nature

Hidden within our flesh.

It was not possible to escape from this nature through our own strength.

Though attempts were often made, sin increased without measure.

For God greatly condemns hypocrisy and the shame of sin

Was always innate in the flesh.

Yet the law had to be fulfilled, or else we were all ruined.

God therefore sent his Son to us, who himself became man;

He fulfilled the whole law, and so appeased the Father’s wrath

Which hung over all of us.

And since the law has now been fulfilled through him who was able to keep it.

Each p[ious Christian should now understand the right form of faith.

Nothing more than this: my dear Lord, your death becomes my life,

You have paid the price for me.

In this matter I have no doubt, your word cannot deceive.

Now you say that nobody should despair, you will never lie about this:

Anyone who believes in me and is baptized has heaven bought for him,

So that he will not be lost.

Before God only that person is just who grasps this faith:

Faith shines out, when it does not neglect works;

For God faith is very much a matter of loving to do good to your neighbor,

If you are born from God.

Sin is known through the law and strikes down our conscience.

The gospel comes to our aid and strengthens the sinner again

And tells us: only creep close to the cross, in the law is neither rest nor peace

With all its works.

Works surely come from a true faith.  For if faith were not true,

You would be willing to deprive it of works.

But faith alone makes just, Woks are service to our neighbor,

By which we perceive faith.

Hope waits for the right time which God’s word has promised,

But as to when things will turn our joyfully, God sets no certain day.

He knows well when it is best and uses no cunning deceit against us,

And so we should trust him.

Although it seems that he is unwilling do not be dismayed,

For when he is most present with us, then he does not want to reveal that fact.

Regard his word as certain for you, and even if the flesh can only say no,

You should not be appalled.

May there be glory and honor with great praise on account of this kindness

To God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  May He be willing in his mercy to fulfil

What he has begun in us for the glory of His majesty,

So that His name may become holy.

May His kingdom come; may his will be done on earth as in the throne of heaven;

May there be daily bread for us today; forgive our wrongs,

As we do likewise to those who wrong us; do not leave us where we are tempted;

Free us from evil.  Amen.

The Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book") BWV 599−644 is a collection of 46 chorale preludes for organ. All but three of them were composed during the period 1708–1717, while Bach was court organist at the ducal court in Weimar. The remaining three, along with a short two-bar fragment, were added in 1726 or later, after Bach's appointment as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.  The collection was originally planned as a set of 164 chorale preludes spanning the whole liturgical year. The chorale preludes form the first of Bach's masterpieces for organ with a mature compositional style in marked contrast to his previous compositions for the instrument. Although each of them takes a known Lutheran chorale and adds a motivic accompaniment, Bach explored a wide diversity of forms in the Orgelbüchlein. As such, the Orgelbüchlein is a collection of organ music for church services, a treatise on composition, a religious statement, and an organ-playing manual.

Prelude and Fugue in F Major – J. S. Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.  He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France.  Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg concertos, the Mass in B minor, The Well-Tempered Clavier, two Passions, keyboard works, and more than 300 cantatas, of which nearly 100 cantatas have been lost to posterity.  His music is revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty.  Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognized as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the nineteenth century.  During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bach was recognized by several prominent composers.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven,  Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn were among his admirers; they began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being exposed to Bach's music.  Beethoven described him as "Urvater der Harmonie", the "original father of harmony".  He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque period and as one of the greatest composers of all time.  A highly devout Christian, Bach signed all of his compositions “soli Deo Gloria” (to God alone be the glory).  

Continuing our “Bach to School” celebration, this series of Preludes and Fugues is particularly appropriate, as they were used as teaching pieces by J. S. Bach. 

About the Piano Music:

Standing on the Promises – Lloyd Larson

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

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Lloyd Larson (b. 1954) is an active composer and arranger for several major publishing companies of church and school music. His compositions and arrangements include well over 1,000 published works—including choral anthems, numerous extended Christmas, Easter and non-seasonal works, keyboard collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental works for solo and ensembles, orchestrations, and handbell settings. It is Lloyd's work in his local church that continues to be the catalyst for much of his writing. He currently directs the adult choir in his home church in addition to being involved in worship planning and leadership.

About the Choral Music:

God is Our Refuge – Allen Pote

Allen Pote (b. 1945) was born in Halstead, Kansas, and educated at Texas Christian University, where his diploma was in Church Music. A Fulbright Scholar, he studied in Brussels, Belgium, and took advanced work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. For twenty-two years he served as a full-time Director of Music in churches in Texas and Florida. He is currently a full-time composer living in Pensacola, Florida, where, with his wife Susan, he is co-director of the Pensacola Children's Choir, an organization of over 200 singers which has achieved national recognition.

The text of this anthem is taken from Psalm 46.

            God is our refuge and strength; A present help in time of trouble.

            Though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,

            Though the waters roar and foam, we will not fear.

            Come and behold the work of the Lord, the awesome acts of God.

            He is in the midst of His people, in all the earth.

            He is the Word, we are his hands, He will lead us.

            He is the air, we are His song, We will celebrate His presence all the day long.

            He is the rain, we are the stones, He will cleanse us.

            He is the air, we are His song, We will celebrate His presence all the day long

About the Hymns:

Victory in Jesus

Eugene Monroe Bartlett, Sr. (1885-1941) is considered one of the founding fathers of Southern Gospel Music.  Bartlett at­tend­ed the Hall-Moody In­sti­tute in Mar­tin, Ten­nes­see, and William Jewell College, Li­ber­ty, Mis­sou­ri.   Bartlett lived in the south and enjoyed a reputation as a fine music teacher. Based in Arkansas, he traveled the entire southern portion of the country holding singing schools for anyone interested. These and similar schools trained aspiring musicians in vocal technique, sight reading, and conducting and were influential in the development of church music in the south.  Bartlett founded the Hartford Music Company in Hartford, Arkansas sometime in 1918.  Within the first year of business he sold more than 15, 000 copies of his hymnbook.  Many writers, singers and musicians received their first opportunity in gospel music at Hartford Music Company including Albert E. Brumley who wrote "I'll Fly Away" and "Turn Your Radio On." Bartlett's mission was to publish hymns and teach singers to sight read.  He hired instructors to teach voice, piano, piano tuning, rudiments, harmony and stringed instruments.  He also was editor of the music magazine, Her­ald of Song. His son Eugene, Jr. was al­so a hym­nist and com­pos­er.  When he was not instructing, Bartlett was an avid composer of hymns and gospel songs.

Though almost all of his songs have sunk into oblivion, "Victory In Jesus" remains one of the most popular and widely known.   In 1939, a stroke rendered Bartlett partially paralyzed and unable to perform or travel.  He spent the last two years of his life bedridden.  Amid such bleak circumstances, he wrote his final and most beloved song, “Victory in Jesus”. It's said that Bartlett missed traveling and teaching, but he could still study the Bible, a study from which he gave us this wonderful song during a time when much of the earth sat on the brink of World War II.  The song first appeared that year in "Gospel Choruses," a paperback songbook published by James Vaughan in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
         
Throughout his 56 years of his life, Bartlett composed more than 800 songs. Since the early 1960s, "Victory in Jesus" has become popular among evangelical congregations, Quartets, and many hymnals have included it within their published pages.  Bartlett was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1973.

Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above

Philip Spener became the pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Frankfurt am Main in the mid-1600s, and effected a revival by fervent preaching that emphasized repentance, personal piety, and discipleship.  He encouraged prayer and Bible study as a means to personal spiritual growth.  He spelled out his five guiding principles in a document entitled Pia Desideria (Pious Desires).  These included: the increased use of scripture; lay participation in small groups, emphasizing prayer and Bible study; a balance of faith and actions; an emphasis on a pious clergy; sermons that encourage an active faith. Not only did the church that Spener was serving in Frankfurt prosper, but a pietistic movement swept across Germany through his influence.

An enthusiastic member of Spener's congregation was a young attorney, Johann Jakob Schutz, who not only encouraged Spener's work but also wrote hymns.  He wrote "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above" in 1675, and published it in Christliches Gedenkbüchlein that same year. 

The hymn is usually sung to the tune, "Mit Freuden Zart" ("With great delight!").

The most common English translation in use is by Frances E. Cox from 1864, which was published in Orby Shipley's Lyra Eucharistica and her own Hymns from the German.  Deuteronomy 32:3 was the basis for this hymn of praise – “For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!” (ESV) Using a variety of metaphors for God and for His works, this text overflows with proclamations of God's loving care for His people.  Note the second verse, which emphasizes the presence of the Lord, a typical pietistic emphasis:  "The Lord is never far away, but thru all grief distressing an ever-present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing."