February 24, 2019

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:

Idilio - Theodore (Ted) Lack

The French pianist and composer, Théodore Lack (1846-1921), began to work as a musician early, when he was appointed organist of the church in his village at the age of 10. At 14, he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied piano with Antoine François Marmontel, harmony with François Bazin and theory with Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély. A graduate of the Conservatory at 18 years, he was appointed assistant professor of piano and retain this position for 57 years (1864-1921), until his death, without leaving Paris.  Théodore Lack wrote many salon pieces for piano (Tarentelle, Boléro, Etudes élégantes, Valse espagnole, Scènes enfantines, Souvenir d'Alsace, Polonaise de concert ... etc.). He undertook to annotate and fingered the book Les classiques favoris that was published in 1916 (perhaps even earlier). He published other collections of sheet music for piano beginners, such as mademoiselle Didi. It is for his Méthode de piano (Ed. Leduc, 1909) that Debussy composed a ragtime-style piece Golliwogs'cakewalk. 

Toccata in G - Theodore (Ted) Dubois

François-Clément Théodore Dubois (1837-1924) was a French composer, organist, and music teacher.  Théodore Dubois studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He won the Prix de Rome in 1861. In 1868, he became choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine, and in 1871 took over from César Franck as choirmaster at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1877, Dubois returned to the Church of the Madeleine, succeeding Camille Saint-Saëns as organist there. 

From 1871 he taught at the Paris Conservatoire.  Dubois was director of the Conservatoire from 1896-1905, continuing his predecessor's intransigently conservative regime. The music of Auber, Halévy and especially Meyerbeer was regarded as the correct model for students, and old French music such as that of Rameau and modern music, including that of Wagner were kept rigorously out of the curriculum.  Dubois was unremittingly hostile to Maurice Ravel who, when a Conservatoire student, did not conform to the faculty's anti-modernism, and in 1902 Dubois unavailingly forbade Conservatoire students to attend performances of Debussy's ground-breaking new opera, Pelléas et Mélisande. In June 1905 he was forced to bring his planned retirement forward after a public scandal caused by the faculty's blatant attempt to stop Ravel winning the Prix de Rome. Gabriel Fauré was appointed to succeed Dubois as director, with a brief from the French government to modernize the institution.

Although he wrote many religious works, Dubois also wrote opera, ballets, oratorios and three symphonies. His best known work is the oratorio Les sept paroles du Christ ("The Seven Last Words of Christ" [1867]), which continues to be given an occasional airing; his Toccata in G (1889), for the organ, is a recital staple, by no means solely in France. The rest of his large output has almost entirely disappeared from view. He has had a more lasting influence in teaching, with his theoretical works Traité de contrepoint et de fugue (on counterpoint and fugue) and Traité d'harmonie théorique et pratique (on harmony) still being sometimes used today.

               

About the Piano Music:

Holy, Holy, Holy/It is Well - Ruth Elaine Schram

Reginald Heber  (1783-1826) wrote “Holy, Holy, Holy” for Trinity Sunday, the day for which lectionary in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer prescribes the reading of Revelation 4. Using reverent and apocalyptic language, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" alludes to Revelation 4:6-11; 5:13; 15:2-4; and Isaiah 6:1-3 to sing the great majesty of the triune God. Note the cosmic scope of the text: human beings (st. 1), saints and angels in glory (st. 2), and all creation (st. 4) praise the name of the Lord. Though God's holiness, love, and purity are cloaked in mystery, we can still experience God's mercy and mighty power, and we can participate in praising God.  It references the Sanctus, which is often called the "Holy holy holy" in English. The name is a tribute to the First Council of Nicaea which formalized the doctrine of the Trinity in 325.

It was first published in the third edition (1826) of  A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Parish Church of Banbury  and was also published posthumously in Heber's Hymns Written and Adapted to the Weekly Church Services of the Year (1827). The unusual single rhyme (all on the "ee" sound) and the uneven number of syllables in some lines have not detracted from the hymn's popularity.  It was soon adopted by hymn-book compilers, and is the best known and most widely used of the author's hymns

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted their voices to sing, It Is Well With My Soul.  Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known Christians of the day.

At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had. In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to  recover from the tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.  With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul..

Philip Bliss (1838-1876), composer of many songs including Hold the Fort, Let the Lower Lights be Burning, and Jesus Loves Even Me, was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn that he composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the lyrics. The song was published by Bliss and Sankey, in 1876.

Original lyrics:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know 

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

   And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   A song in the night, oh my soul!

Ruth Elaine Schram wrote her first song at the age of twelve, and her first octavo was published twenty years later, in 1988. In 1992, she became a full-time composer and arranger and now has over 2,000 published works.  Over seventeen million copies of her songs have been purchased in their various venues, and she has been a recipient of the ASCAP Special Award each year since 1990.  In addition to her choral music for church and school choirs, her songs appear on thirty albums (four of which have been Dove Award Finalists) and numerous children's videos, including sixteen songs on four gold videos, and four songs on one multi-platinum video.  Her songs have also appeared on such diverse television shows as "The 700 Club" and HBO's acclaimed series "The Sopranos.”  Ruthie began piano and theory lessons at the age of five. She studied music at Lancaster Bible College and Millersville State College and taught Elementary Music in Pennsylvania for several years. 

About the Choral Music:

Music of Creation - Shirley Erena Murray & Sheldon Ridge Love

Born in 1931 and raised in a Methodist family, Shirley Erena Murray married a Presbyterian minister, John Murray (later a Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand) and some of her earliest hymns were responses to John’s need for an apt text to accompany a particular sermon or service. But the main impetus that has transformed Shirley over the years from an occasional writer of hymns into a prolific author with a distinctive voice has been her desire to express Christian faith in a contemporary way from out of her distinctively New Zealand experience.  “The reason why I began to write hymns is… connected to the ethos of being a New Zealander. We have an attitude of ‘do it yoursel’’ – a kind of pioneer spirit which is not intimated by too much tradition and actually welcomes inventiveness. It seemed to me that the hymns we sang had no resonance with the world I lived in… there was no imagery that evoked a particular environment, no landscape of thought to accommodate the southern hemisphere (think of ‘In the bleak midwinter’ in high summer, for example), no connection with the Maori culture of our society, which is officially bicultural, nothing to articulate our own hopes and visions.”

Shirley and John were among the drivers for a New Zealand hymn book that would be indigenous, ecumenical and contemporary. The result, published in 1993, was Alleluia Aotearoa. (The Maori word Aotearoa commonly, though not exclusively, refers to the entire country of New Zealand.) Shirley was also to become involved in another product of “contextual” hymnody, the ground-breaking Asian hymnal Sound the Bamboo (2000). She was asked by her friend, the Taiwanese ethnomusicologist, Dr I-to Loh, to work on English-language versions of some of the texts that he had collected. When she finally visited Taiwan, she recalls, she was “overwhelmed by their appreciation there of what it meant to sing hymns in one’s own idiom and culture”.

But writing out of a given context is not just about reflecting a climate or landscape. It’s also about responding to the questions, issues and preoccupations of those you live and work amongst. “Because I live in a highly secular society in Aotearoa/New Zealand, I am conscious of how the stereotypes of Christianity can be cynically dismissed. I long to say that there is so much to understand and embrace in the wisdom, spiritual treasury and survival skills that Jesus has given the world.” Shirley herself has worked as a teacher of languages, researcher (including for the Labour Party in Wellington) and radio hymn programme producer. Her hymns and carols address a wide spectrum of themes ranging from the seasons of the Church year to human rights, care of creation, women’s concerns and above all, peace. “Creating justice and joy means walking into the territory of basic human rights, as Jesus did. It means being aware of our own fragility as well as our planet’s, and using technology wisely.”

“I have wanted to move to where Christ consciousness as well as Christian conscience meshes with the world I experience in my own life and time. Almost everything I have written revolves, ultimately, round the concept of ‘peace’ in all its manifestations.” Peace, for Shirley Erena Murray, is a many faceted concept, always tied to justice. It includes being at one with our environment as well as with other people.

Shelton Ridge Love grew up in a musical family. His love for music began by watching his mother play the organ at the church where his father served as pastor. It was not long before Shelton was actively involved in the church music ministry. Since that time, he has served as pianist, organist, and director of music in several churches in Kansas City, Missouri and upstate South Carolina.  Shelton earned his undergraduate degree in Organ Performance from Bob Jones University.  Currently, Shelton serves as organist at First Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina and works as a composer, arranger, and piano instructor.

For the music of creation, for the song Your Spirit sings,

For Your sound’s divine expression, burst of joy in living things:

God , our God, the world’s composer, hear us, echoes of Your voice.

Music is your art, Your glory; let the human heart rejoice!

All creation will rejoice!

Psalms and symphonies exalt You — drum and trumpet, string and reed.

Simple melodies acclaim You — tunes that rise from deepest need.

Hymns of longing and belonging, carols from a cheerful throat,

Lilt of lullaby and love song catching heaven with a note.

All the voices of the ages in transcendent chorus meet;

Worship lifting up the senses; hands that praise and dancing feet.

Over discord and division music speaks Your joy and peace.

Harmony of earth and heaven — song of God that cannot cease.

All creation joins to sing! Amen, amen!

About the Hymns:

We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

H. Ernest Nichol (1862-1926) had begun a study program in civil engineering when he decided to study music instead. In 1888 he received a bachelor's degree in music from Oxford University. Nichol wrote some 130 hymn tunes and texts, many under the pseudonym “Colin Sterne” (derived from his middle and last name); many were first sung at church school programs.  “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations was written in 1896 and published in Sunday School Hymnary, 1905.

A song which encourages us to “go therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) was a very popular "missionary hymn" among denominational churches in past years, typical of the hundreds that were penned to express the determined, dynamic, energetic, and expansive attributes of late nineteenth-century "Christian missions."  Among hymnbooks published by members during the twentieth century, this song appears rarely, primarily because the chorus expresses postmillennialism, which implies that Christians will bring the kingdom of God in its fullness to earth by our own efforts.

In spite of its controversial theology, this is a rousing hymn which motivates God’s people to sound forth the word of God and reminds us of the great blessings that are available to those who receive the word of God.

H. Ernest Nichol (1862-1926) had begun a study program in civil engineering when he decided to study music instead. In 1888 he received a bachelor's degree in music from Oxford University. Nichol wrote some 130 hymn tunes and texts, many under the pseudonym “Colin Sterne” (derived from his middle and last name); many were first sung at church school programs.  The tune MESSAGE was first published with this text in Sunday School Hymnary, 1905

Take My Life and Let it Be

Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879) originally composed her text in eleven couplets as a hymn of "self-consecration to Christ" on February 4, 1874. She told the following story about writing this hymn:

I went for a little visit of five days [to Areley House, Worcestershire, in December 1873]. There were ten persons in the house, some unconverted and long prayed for, some converted but not rejoicing Christians. [God] gave me the prayer, "Lord, give me all this house." And He just did! Before I left the house, everyone had got a blessing. The last night of my visit. . . I was too happy to sleep and passed most of the night in praise and renewal of my own consecration, and these little couplets formed themselves and chimed in my heart, one after another, till they finished with "Ever, only, all, for Thee."

The text is a "catalog" hymn that lists aspects of our lives and offers them in Christ's service.  "Take My Life and Let It Be" was first published in the 1874 appendix to Charles B. Snepp's Songs of Grace and Glory (1872). A twelfth couplet was added at some later point, producing the six stanzas published in the Psalter Hymnal.

Although her formal education was sporadic because of poor health, Havergal learned six foreign languages, including Greek and Hebrew, and was well read in many subjects. She began writing poetry at an early age and was also an accomplished singer and pianist. The daughter of a clergyman, she had a conversion experience at the age of fourteen and was confirmed in the Church of England in 1853. Taking seriously her own words "take my silver and my gold," she sent all her jewelry to the Church Mission Society to be sold. She also supported other charitable organizations. Her more than one hundred hymns were originally published in leaflets and later gathered into seven collections: Ministry of Song (1869), Twelve Sacred Songs for Little Singers (1870), Under the Surface (1874), Loyal Responses (1878), Life Mosaic (1879), Life Chords (1880), and Life Echoes (1883), as well as in one large volume, Poetical Works (1884).

The tune MESSIAH, also sometimes called HEROLD, was written by Ferdinand Herold (1791-1833).