February 23, 2020

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 Wondrous Sight, O Vision Fair - Bert Carlson

During the late 15th century, the Old Sarum Rite from Salisbury, England, supplied the church with new hymns. “O wondrous sight!,” one of the great historical hymns for the Feast of Transfiguration in The United Methodist Hymnal, was one of them. John Mason Neale, the prolific 19th-century translator of Greek and Latin hymns, was attributed with the translation. The Feast of Transfiguration had been celebrated for four to five centuries. “Caelestis formam gloriae,” the Latin title for this hymn, appears to be one of the more recent hymns dating to 1495 in the Sarum Breviary. 

The Feast of Transfiguration is rooted in accounts provided in the three synoptic gospels: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36. 

Matthew sets the context as follows: “Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain. And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!’” (Matt. 28:1-5; NET) 

This mountaintop experience is one of the miracles of Jesus that identify him as the Christ, the Son of God. The great theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) considered this to be the greatest of the miracles, complementing Christ’s baptism. 

Fifth-century custom identifies the mountain as Mount Tabor in lower Galilee, upon which now rests the Church of the Transfiguration, a space shared by Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. Other scholarship suggests that Mount Hermon, spreading over current Syria, Lebanon and Israel, is a likely location because it is closest to Caesarea Philippi, mentioned in the previous chapter of Matthew. 

This revelation that Christ is the Messiah was to be kept a secret by the disciples until “The Son of Man” had risen from the dead (Mark 9:9-10). The Book of Malachi had predicted that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4).   “O wondrous sight!” describes the wonder and majesty of this event as well as its implications in detail.

O wondrous sight, O vision fair of glory that the church shall share,

which Christ upon the mountain shows, where brighter than the sun he glows!

From age to age the tale declare, how with the three disciples there,

where Moses and Elijah meet,  the Lord holds converse high and sweet.

The law and prophets there have place, two chosen witnesses of grace;

the Father's voice from out the cloud proclaims his only Son aloud.

With shining face and bright array Christ deigns to manifest today

what glory shall be theirs above who joy in God with perfect love.

And faithful hearts are raised on high by this great vision's mystery,

for which in joyful strains we raise the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.

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

About the Piano Music:

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Heather Sorenson

Helen H. Lemmel (1863-1961) wrote the words and music of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” in 1922, to be sung at Billy Sunday evangelical meetings. The inspiration for the hymn, originally titled “The Heavenly Vision”, came from the writings of author and artist Lilias Trotter (1853-1928).  Lilias Trotter was a brilliant artist whose talent opened the doors to wealth and influence. Her other love was missions. After struggling in prayer for two years, Trotter came to the conclusion that she must lay down her love of art in order to fix her eyes solely on Jesus, and on His calling to the mission field. She subsequently served for more than 38 years as a missionary to Muslims of Algeria. She also authored several books and tracts. The following is an excerpt from her tract, Which Passion Will Prevail?

Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen harmless worlds at once -- art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the good hiding the best." It is easy to find out whether our lives are focused, and if so, where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day? Dare to have it out with God, and ask Him to show you whether or not all is focused on Christ and His Glory. Turn your soul's vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him.

Lemmel first published the hymn in England as a pamphlet in 1918 and then included it in a 1922 collection called Glad Songs. It was included in a 1924 American collection entitled Gospel Truth in Song and was widely reprinted in other collections. Today the chorus is most widely known and has become a standard reprinted in many hymnals.

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free.

Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there;

O’er us sin no more hath dominion for more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you, He promised; Believe Him and all will be well;

Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonder face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Heather Sorenson entered the church music industry in her twenties, and her name quickly became a welcomed fixture in the publishing world.  Diversity is the characteristic that makes Heather somewhat of an anomaly in the industry: she easily maneuvers both the traditional and contemporary genres of Christian music, often combining the two for a unique blend that has become her artistic fingerprint. Initially recognized for her skill as a pianist, Heather is now known for her compositions in choral anthems, solo piano collections, and orchestrations. She taught all elementary levels of music at Grace Academy of Dallas for 4 years, served as an adjunct music professor at Baylor University, and has served on many master class panels in piano and songwriting. Heather regularly is a guest speaker and conductor at churches across America and leads scores of sessions each year at various worship conferences, schools, and universities. Heather makes her home in the Dallas, TX area with her beloved (and very vocal) beagle, Lucy. 

About the Choral Music:

The Majesty and Glory of Your Name – Tom Fettke

Tom Fettke has taught music in both public and Christian schools and has served as a church choir director and minister of music in churches large and small for over 30 years. He is a composer, arranger, clinician, and producer of Christian music recordings.  Fettke was the creator and senior editor of the Hymnal for Worship and Celebration (1986).  

Ever since The Church Music Report's "Favorite Anthem Survey" began surveying music ministers decades ago, only one anthem has appeared every year at the top of their "All-time Favorite Anthems" list: Tom Fettke's "The Majesty and Glory of Your Name."  This is his story of that anthem:

This work is not mine.  The text is Psalm 8 and I wasn’t the author of Psalm 8.  The lyric setting is by Linda Lee Johnson and this was her first attempt at lyric writing.  She was a choir member at a church where I was Minister of Music.  Linda had written a children’s Sunday School Program which revealed some of her creative abilities.  When I asked her to try writing a text based on my favorite Psalm, her response was less than confident, but she was willing to give it a try.  A few days later she presented to me a lyric that I felt was nearly perfect and ready for my attempt at a musical setting.

The original piece ended with “little children praise You perfectly, and so would we”.  However, it never felt quite right and remained in a drawer in its old form for several months.  Then, during a concert in which my choir performed the Ken Medema anthem, “Moses”, I realized what was needed was a warm, emotional, more fully developed personal response to God’s majesty and glory.  The next day, I wrote the “Alleluia” section.  Playing through the completed work was an incredibly moving experience, and I just knew that God had chosen to touch this musical and textual creation.

That’s the story.  This song is not mine, it’s God’s.  It is one of those things in life that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you had nothing to do with; you were only a tool in the hands of God to display His handiwork.

When I gaze into the night skies  and see the work of your fingers;
The moon and stars suspended in space. Oh, what is man that you are mindful of him? 

You have given man a crown of glory and honor,
And have made him a little lower than the angels.
You have put him in charge of all creation:
The beasts of the field, The birds of the air, The fish of the sea.
Oh, what is man? Oh, what is man that you are mindful of him? 

O Lord, our God the majesty and glory of your name
Transcends the earth and fills the heavens.
O Lord, our God; little children praise You perfectly, And so would we. 

Alleluia! Alleluia!  The majesty and glory of Your name.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands 

Genesis 1

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is a traditional American spiritual. It was first published in the paperbound hymnal Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New in 1927. In 1933, it was collected by Frank Warner from the singing of Sue Thomas in North Carolina. It was also recorded by other collectors such as Robert Sonkin of the Library of Congress, who recorded it in Gee's Bend, Alabama in 1941. That version is still available at the Library's American Folklife Center.   Frank Warner performed the song during the 1940s and 1950s, and introduced it to the American folk scene. Warner recorded it on the Elektra album American Folk Songs and Ballads in 1952. It was quickly picked up by both American gospel singers and British skiffle and pop musicians.

The Admirable Admiral - Walter S. Horsley

Genesis 2

“The Admirable Admiral” is from the jazz children’s cantata, “100% Chance of Rain”.  It is the story of Noah and the Ark.  Although he has written plays and cantatas for children, anthems for adults and children, and handbell arrangements, there is no biographical information available for Walter Horsley.  This cantata is without doubt his most popular work, and continues to be performed widely since its first publication in 1972.  

About the Hymns:

Shine, Jesus, Shine

"Shine, Jesus, Shine" (also known by its first line, "Lord, the Light of Your Love") is a Christian praise song written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick.  The song was voted tenth in a 2005 survey of the United Kingdom's favorite hymns by the BBC's Songs of Praise program. However, Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald, called Shine, Jesus, Shine "the most loathed of all happy-clappy hymns”.  Thus, it shares a distinction with “How Great Thou Art” of appearing on lists of both most loved and most hated hymns.

Graham Kendrick (b. 1950), is a native of Blisworth, Northamptonshire, England. The son of a Baptist pastor, he began writing songs in the early 1970s and today is one of the most prolific British Christian singer-songwriters and worship leaders. Initially trained as a teacher, he began his career as a singer/songwriter in 1972. He now has over 30 albums and 400 songs to his credit, and his songs are sung throughout the world in many languages. 

“Shine, Jesus, Shine” has been a song of hope at noteworthy events such as the 1996 Dunblane memorial service for 16 students and teacher who were tragically killed, and the Tasmania massacre memorial service for the 40 people killed by a lone gunman, also in 1996. Other large gatherings that used the song include the Billy Graham crusades to the largest ever open-air mass in 1995 in Manila, where Pope John Paul II is said to have “swung his cane in time to the music.” 

Mr. Kendrick says of the song’s origin: “Bearing in mind the worldwide popularity of this song, perhaps the most surprising thing about the writing of it is the ordinariness of the circumstances. I had been thinking for some time about the holiness of God, and how that as a community of believers and as individuals, His desire is for us to live continually in his presence. My longing for revival in the churches and spiritual awakening in the nation was growing, but also a recognition that we cannot stand in God’s presence without ‘clean hands and a pure heart.’ So I wrote the three verses and ‘road tested’ it in my home church. Though there was clearly merit to the song, it seemed incomplete, so as I was unable at the time to take it any further, I put it back in the file. 

“Several months later I was asked to submit new songs for a conference song book, and as I reviewed this three-verse song, I realized that it needed a chorus. I remember standing in my music room with guitar slung round my neck trying different approaches. The line ‘Shine, Jesus, Shine’ came to mind, and within about half an hour I had finished the chorus, all but some ‘polishing.’ Though I felt an excitement in my spirit at the time, I had no inkling at all that it would become so widely used. There were other songs I rated more highly at the time that most people have never heard of!” 

The song really is a prayer, asking the God-Son to do something only He can do. Kendrick says the three original verses were written first, with the chorus coming several months later. His light may be like the light He places in the sky. At dawn, I can look at it easily, without shades. It doesn’t seem like very much, and there may even still be shadows and dimness…turn on those headlights. But it grows, gradually, inexorably, so that its brilliant presence cannot be avoided. It might even burn you. Or, it can bring blessed warmth on a chilled day. That’s like Him. He will shine, if I ask Him to, just not all at once. Keep asking, and watch what He does!  

Be Thou My Vision

"Be Thou My Vision" (Old Irish: Rop tú mo baile or Rob tú mo bhoile) is a traditional hymn from Ireland. The most well known English version, with some minor variations, was translated by Eleanor Hull and published in 1912. In 1919, the lyrics were set to the tune of the Irish folk tune "Slane", to which the song is sung to this day, both in English and Irish. The song dates from at least the eighth century, though the text dates to the sixth-century.

The original Old Irish text, "Rop tú mo Baile" is often attributed to Saint Dallán Forgaill in the 6th century. Eochaid Mac Colla (c. 530 – 598), better known as Saint Dallan or Dallán Forgaill (Old Irish: Dallán Forchella; Latin: Dallanus Forcellius), was an early Christian Irish poet whose writings include the "Amra Choluim Chille" ("Elegy of Saint Columba") and "Rop Tú Mo Baile" ("Be Thou My Vision").  Saint Dallan was Chief Ollam of Ireland (similar to poet laureate), as well as a scholar of Latin scriptural learning. He helped to reform the Bardic Order at the Convention of Drumceat.  He reputedly wrote Amra Choluim Chille, which he completed shortly after the death of Saint Columba in 597, because Columba had successfully saved poets from expulsion from Ireland at the assembly of Druim Cett in 575. The “Amra Choluim Chille,” is the earliest Irish poem that can be dated.

"Rop tú mo Baile" had been a part of Irish monastic tradition for centuries before its setting to music. The Irish text was translated into literal prose by Irish scholar Mary Elizabeth Byrne (1880-1931), a Dublin native, and then published in Eriú, the journal of the School of Irish Learning, in 1905. Byrne was also known for her academic publications, including Old and Mid-Irish Dictionary, Dictionary of the Irish Language, and a treatise, England in the Age of Chaucer. 

It is at this point that Eleanor Hull (1860-1935) enters the story. Born in Manchester, England, she was the founder of the Irish Text Society and president of the Irish Literary Society of London. Hull versified the text and it was published in her Poem Book of the Gael (1912).  Following the original publication in Ireland, the hymn was included in a number of British hymnals. After World War II, the hymn came to the attention of hymnal editors in the U.S. and it has become a standard hymn in most hymnals today. 

Irish liturgy and ritual scholar Helen Phelan, a lecturer at the University of Limerick, points out how the language of this hymn is drawn from traditional Irish culture: "One of the essential characteristics of the text is the use of 'heroic' imagery to describe God. This was very typical of medieval Irish poetry, which cast God as the 'chieftain' or 'High King' (Ard Ri) who provided protection to his people or clan. The lorica is one of the most popular forms of this kind of protection prayer and is very prevalent in texts of this period." The original chieftain language of the "High King of heaven" has given way to the more inclusive "Great God" in the UM Hymnal. 

When Hull's versification was paired with the lovely traditional Irish tune SLANE in The Irish Church Hymnal in 1919, its popularity was sealed. The folk melody was taken from a non-liturgical source, Patrick Weston Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs: A Collection of 842 Airs and Songs hitherto unpublished (1909).   "Most 'traditional' Irish religious songs are non-liturgical," says Dr. Phelan. "There is a longstanding practice of 'editorial weddings' in Irish liturgical music, where traditional tunes were wedded to more liturgically appropriate texts. This is a very good example of this practice.”  The tune name SLANE is drawn from deep in Irish history. It was on Slane Hill in County Meath around 433 CE that St. Patrick lit candles on Easter Eve, defying a decree by High King Logaire of Tara that no one could light a fire before the king signaled the beginning of the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. King Logaire was so impressed by Patrick's devotion that, despite his defiance, he was permitted to continue his work as Ireland's first Christian missionary.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

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