March 8, 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:

Prelude on “Ista Confessor” - Healey Willan

Iste confessor is a Latin hymn used in the Divine Office at Lauds and Vespers on feasts of confessors. It exists in two forms. Iste confessor Domini sacratus is the original 8th Century hymn and Iste confessor Domini colentes is a 1632 edition, published by Pope Urban VIII with improved Latin style. The hymn is written in Sapphic and Adonic meter.  The earliest versions of the hymn can be found in 8th century manuscripts for the feast of St Martin of Tours (d.397) and this is reflected in the third verse which originally referred to the shrine of St Martin which was an extremely popular pilgrimage site for the sick.  Although St Martin was a bishop and confessor, the hymn was gradually extended and came to be used for all confessors, including non-bishops in the Roman Breviary and other Latin liturgical rites.  In the reforms following the Second Vatican Council, the 1974 Liturgy of the Hours has attempted to restore the hymn for primary use with bishop confessors, however it retains its more general usage where the pre-1974 Liturgies (such as the Roman Breviary) are used.

Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern (1594-1648) wrote a Lutheran hymn text for this historic tune.  He was born at Neustadt, in Silesia, where his father was a saddler. His musical abilities were discovered early, and he was appointed by Duke Heinrich Wenzel of Münsterberg as his music director and treasurer and director of the princely school at Bernstadt. Later, he entered the service of the Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III as Rath, and was ennobled by the latter.  Lowenstern's hymns, thirty in all, are of very varied worth, many being written in imitation of antique verse forms.  When or where they were first published is not clear. They were included in the Breslau Kirchen und Haus-Music, 1644.  “Christe, du Beistand deiner Kreuzgemeine” was published as 4 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled "Sapphic Ode. For spiritual and temporal peace." It was included in many later collections, including the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851. It was a favorite hymn of Niebuhr, and also of Bunsen, who included it in his Versuch , 1833, and concluded the preface to his Bibelwerk with it.

One of the English translations of this hymn is “Lord of our life, and God of our Salvation”. It was written by Philip Pusey (1799-1885) and published in A. R. Reinagle's Psalm and Hymn Tunes, 1840. It is based on the German than a direct translation,. The tune to which it was set was marked by Bunsen as an "old Latin melody," and so the Pusey hymn has sometimes been erroneously called a tr. from a Latin hymn of the 8th century. From Reinagle it passed into the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, and has been repeated in Hymns Ancient & Modern, Sarum Hymnal, Hymnary, Church Hymns; and in America in the Evangelical Hymnal, N. Y., 1880, Laudes Domini, 1884, and others.  Pusey stated of this hymn, "It refers to the state of the Church—that is to say, of the Church of England in 1834—assailed from without, enfeebled and distracted within, but on the eve of a great awakening”.

Lord of our life and God of our salvation,

Star of our night and Hope of ev'ry nation:

Hear and receive Your Church's supplication,

Lord God Almighty.

See round Your ark the hungry billows curling;

See how Your foes their banners are unfurling

And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling,

O Lord, preserve us.

Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us;

Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;

And in the day when hell itself assails us,

Grant us Your peace, Lord:

Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging,

Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,

Peace when the world its endless war is waging,

Peace in Your heaven.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) was an Canadian organist and composer.  He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano, but is best known for his religious music.  Willan was born in England, and he began musical training at age eight, with studies at St. Saviour's Choir School in Eastbourne.  He earned, by examination in organ playing, harmony, counterpoint, history and orchestration, the Royal College of Organists' Associateship in 1897 and Fellowship in 1899. The Anglo-Catholic Tractarian movement led to an Anglican revival of plainsong, and in 1910, Willan joined the London Gregorian Association (which strove to preserve and revive "plain-chant").  In 1913, Willan emigrated to Canada.  In 1921, he become Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), where he remained until his death.  St. Mary Magdalene, under Willan, became a North American mecca for choral and Anglican church musicians.  In 1920, the Toronto Conservatory (now the Royal Conservatory of Music) appointed Willan Head of its Theory Department.  In 1934, he founded the Tudor Singers, which he conducted until it disbanded in 1939.  From 1937 to 1950, Willan was University of Toronto Professor of Music and Organist. When the Order of Canada was established in 1967, it named Willan a Companion. In Britain, it was customary for the Archbishop of Canterbury to occasionally grant very distinguished English cathedral musicians the Lambeth Doctorate, Mus. D Cantaur; in 1956, Willan, "the Dean of Canadian composers", became the first non-English church musician to be so honoured.  People who remember Willan from his time at St Mary Magdalene's like to moderate his somewhat dourly pious public image by quoting him: "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption.”

About the Ukulele Music:

Oh, How I Need You - All My Sons & Daughters

All Sons & Daughters began with artist David Leonard wanting to spend less time traveling and more of it in real relationship with his local church. After experiencing the music business rush as front man in the acclaimed band Jackson Waters and then as touring keyboard player with NEEDTOBREATHE, David felt called to write songs for the spiritual community he and his wife belonged to in Franklin, Tenn. At the same time, Leslie Jordan was part of the creative staff at Journey Church where they worshipped. Her passion for singing and writing was likewise rooted in being there to live out the story of faith with her husband and a close group of believers.  “Oh, How I Need You” was a collaboration of Leslie Jordan, David Leonard, Stu Garrard, and Paul Mabury.  Leslie and David said this about the writing:

“This song started in a writing session with me, Leslie and Stu Garrard from Delirious. The man he is and the pastor he is to us turns the writing session into a beautiful worship experience for us in that moment. That day we wrote this song, Stu was going through a season of Lent and had been reading quotes from Mother Teresa. The quote, "Lord I find You in the seeking, Lord I find You in the doubt, And to know You is to love You, And to know so little else," comes right from Mother Teresa. From that, we dove right into that concept, that God is found more in the seeking than even in finding Him.”

Lord, I find You in the seeking; Lord, I find You in the doubt;

And to know You is to love You,  And to know so little else.

I need You, Oh how I need You.

Lord, I find You in the morning; Lord, I seek You everyday; 

Let my life be for Your glory Woven in your threads of grace. 

I need You, Oh how I need You.

Light glorious light, I will go where You shine .

Break the dawn, crack the skies, Make the wave right before me.

In Your light I will find  All I need, all I need is You.

Montaña - Salvador

Salvador is a Christian band that began with Art, Nic, and Josh Gonzales as part of the worship band at King of Glory church located in north east Austin, Texas. They sing in both English and Spanish.

If you would have the faith of a mustard seed,

This the Lord tells you:

You could tell the mountains to move,

And those mountains would move

About the Choral Music:

Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land - Glenn Burleigh

The songs that arose out of American slavery have preserved a poignant portrait of the hearts, sufferings, and hopes of their anonymous composers. The portrait painted by these spirituals, as well as the contexts from which the songs arose, is similar to that of ancient Israel, particularly as she sang and prayed the Psalms to the Lord in the bondage of exile, hoping for deliverance and restoration.  The primary point of continuity between the slaves' African spirituality and their new practice of Christianity was in their style of worship. The many spirituals that have been preserved are fairly consistent with orthodox Christianity, focusing on biblical narratives of deliverance and faithful heroes, but unlike their white counterparts, whose worship was very reserved, the slaves' worship involved shouting, dancing, and unique intonation around what was known as the "ring shout.” They would stomp their feet, slap their thighs, and clap their hands in rhythm with the music, and they even used tones, sounds, and meter completely unknown to white Americans. These features were almost certainly carried over from African ritual, and because whites considered them “barbarous" and "idolatrous," slaves often had to worship in hiding.

Suffering is a prominent theme in both the Psalms and the African American spirituals. In the Psalms, suffering is usually expressed through the genre of lament, or a petition for deliverance from some kind of distress based on God’s faithfulness and power to save in history. Scholars disagree whether these psalms depict a movement from suffering to hope and joy, or if they hold suffering and hope in tension, affirming the need for and possibility of joy in the midst of suffering. The spirituals also seem simultaneously to affirm both suffering and joyous hope.  Christa Tippet explains this dynamic well, describing the spiritualists' theology of suffering as one that "leans into suffering - and, in surrender, transforms and rises above it, if only in moments.”  The spiritualists held suffering and joy in a necessary balance, arguing that the suffering in the spirituals is not an entirely depressing matter, but was actually the "departure for faith” for the slaves.  The juxtaposition of suffering and praise is an example not of a denial of suffering, but an affirmation of faith.

Slaves also had a refuge in the church and, more importantly, in the Lord. Throughout the Psalter, God is portrayed as a "refuge," "shelter," “rock,"  and "hiding place" in storms and trials. Psalm 55 is replete with such imagery.  Just as the psalmist finds safety, assurance, and hope in the Lord's profection and in Zion, so also the African American slave sought refuge in the Lord and in the church. “Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land” is steeped in imagery similar to the Psalter.

Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, a shelter in a time of storm.

I would not be a sinner.  I’ll tell you the reason why.

I’m afraid my Lord might call my name, and I wouldn’t be ready to die.

I would not be a backslider. I’ll tell you the reason why.

I’m afraid my Lord might call my name, and I wouldn’t be ready to die.

Has He ever made a way when you didn’t have a dime?

Has He ever stepped in just right on time?

Has He ever picked you up when you were down?

Has He ever placed your feet on solid ground?

Then you know He is a Rock in a weary land, a shelter in a time of storm.

Jesus is a Rock and He is my shelter in a time of storm.  Oh yes!

He’s a Rock of Ages in a weary land, a shelter in a time of storm.

I’m a witness He’s a rock and a shelter in a time of storm!

Glenn Burleigh (1949-2007) was born into a family of ministers in Guthrie, Okla., Burleigh grew up to be a renowned pianist, conductor and clinician, as well as composer. His music has been performed on every continent in venues ranging from churches to classical concert stages.  His "Alpha Mass" and "Lamentation and Celebration," (dedicated to the victims and survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing) were recorded by the Choral Arts Society of Racine, Wisconsin.  One of Burleigh's many gifts was his ability to take disparate styles of music such as classical, blues, gospel and jazz, and bring them together.  Burleigh operated his own publishing company in Oklahoma City assisted by his brother, Kenneth. In addition, he served as Director of Music for the National Baptist Congress for five years and as Composer-in-Residence for the Ambassadors’ Concert Choir of Oklahoma City from 1984-2000.  He was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014.

About the Hymns:

When Jesus the Healer Passed through Galilee

Peter David Smith was born in Weybridge, Surrey, England, in 1938. After working for a time in the aircraft industry, he became a Methodist minister. A hallmark of his ministry was his gift as a folksinger. Though trained as a classical pianist, the folk guitar became his instrument of choice. Smith composed this song during a course he was teaching on contemporary worship for the Iona Community in 1975. Later, he served on the editorial committee for the hymnal, Partners in Praise (1979), and this was one of ten contributions by the composer included in its contents. 

What Gift Can We Bring

Jane Manton Marshall (1924-2019) has established herself as a leading composer of church music, teaching conducting and composition for more than two decades at Southern Methodist University. From 1975-2010, she served an integral role in the Church Music Summer School, hosted by Perkins School of Theology, to provide training for musicians who have not usually attended seminary. As a clinician and composer, Marshall has had a profound influence on at least two generations of church musicians.

Her anthems are carried by numerous publishers, and she has received lifetime achievement awards for her contribution to church music by the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference and the Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians and Worship Arts. In addition to "What Gift Can We Bring," Marshall contributed greatly to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), especially in the area of responses for the psalms. Grace, Noted, a collection of her homilies and essays, was published in 1992.  Many of her compositions are standard items in academic and church choral libraries. Marshall is in a very select group of successful composers/lyricists, a dual-talent exemplified in her early works: 'Awake my heart,' 'My Eternal King,' 'He Comes to Us,' the first setting of Albert Schweitzer's words; and 'Fanfare for Easter.'"

The Rev. John Thornburg, a United Methodist hymn writer, served as her pastor during the 1990s. She mentored the Rev. Thornburg, and they often partnered, pairing texts he wrote with tunes she composed for them. Examples of their work may be found in Can God Be Seen in Other Ways (2003) and What Gift Can We Bring (2003). The second volume derives its title from her most well known hymn, "What gift can we bring."

Jane Marshall’s "What gift can we bring" is a hymn of pure gratitude. A lifelong Dallas resident, she composed this hymn in 1980 for the twenty-fifth anniversary of her congregation, Northaven United Methodist Church. Stanza two reflects on heritage, giving thanks for the past and those "who planted and watered so dreams could come true." Stanza three looks to the future that is "full of surprises," yet knowing that regardless of what happens, "we rest in God’s keeping and live in God’s love."

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

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