Sunday, September 12, 2021

 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; most of it is copied from other websites 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:

Postlude on "St. Anne" - Anthony Giamanco 

(c.2020, Lorenz Publishing)

“Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a hymn by Isaac Watts which paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five, seven and nine. In 1738, John Wesley in his hymnal, Psalms and Hymns, changed the first line of the text from "Our God" to "O God." Both Watts' wording and Wesley's rewording remain in current use.  The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. In this book he paraphrased in Christian verse the entire psalter with the exception of twelve Psalms which he felt were unsuited for Christian usage.

The hymn tune "St. Anne" to which the text is most often sung was composed by William Croft in 1708 whilst he was the organist of the church of St Anne, Soho.  It first appeared anonymously in the Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms, 6th edition in 1708. It was originally intended to be used with a version of Psalm 62. It was not until sometime later when set to Watts' text that the tune gained recognition.

The complete nine verses are as follows:

Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust, Return, ye sons of men:

All nations rose from earth at first, And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood, With all their lives and cares,

Are carried downwards by the flood, And lost in following years. 

Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand Pleased with the morning light;

The flowers beneath the mower’s hand Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last, And our eternal home.

Anthony Giamanco (b. 1958), born in Detroit, Michigan, has been a professional church musician since the age of 17. Currently he serves as music director at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Pinckney, Michigan, where he oversees an adult choir, two children's choirs, a handchime ensemble, instrumental ensembles, and two contemporary ensembles. Anthony's many choral, organ, and piano works are featured in the catalogs of numerous publishers, including GIA, for whom the octavo "Love Comes Trick-a-lin' Down" was a top ten seller in 2007.

About the Piano Music:

Like a River Glorious - Lloyd Larson 

(c.2008, Lorenz Publishing)

A hymn which talks about the peace of God that flows like a river is “Like a River Glorious”.  The text was written by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879).  She is the author of a number of well-known hymns including “Take My Life, and Let It Be” and “True-Hearted, Whole-Hearted”.  When Frances Havergal was vacationing in the south of Wales, 1876, she caught a severe cold, accompanied by inflammation of the lungs. Hearing how ill she was, and that she might die, she replied, "If I am really going, it is too good to be true." Her friends were amazed at how peacefully she received this information. She did survive that illness, and later that year she wrote the hymn "Like a River Glorious" in which she pointed to the source of her perfect peace: "Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.”  Havergal, a devout Bible scholar, echoed Isaiah in "Like a River Glorious" in which God promises "peace like a river." She also incorporated Isaiah 26:3, which states "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." "Like a River Glorious" paints the picture of this peace.

The tune (WYE VALLEY) was composed by James Mountain (1844-1933), who was born in Yorkshire, England.   After attending Gainford Academy near Darlington, Rotherham College, Nottingham Institute, and Chesthunt College, he became a minister at Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire.  However, he had to leave local church work due to ill health and began conducting evangelism campaigns throughout Britain from 1874 to 1882. In 1876, Mountain published his Hymns of Consecration and Faith, and Sacred Songs for Missions, Prayer and Praise Meetings which included this hymn. 

Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,

Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;

Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,

Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Every joy or trial falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully, all for us to do;

They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

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 Vocal Solo Music:

Come to the Waters - G. F. Handel 

(c. 1959, Row Music)

Georg Friederich Handel (1685-1759) became a musician and composer despite objections from his father, who wanted him to become a lawyer. Handel studied music with Zachau, organist at the Halle Cathedral, and became an accomplished violinist and keyboard performer. He traveled and studied in Italy for some time and then settled permanently in England in 1713. Although he wrote a large number of instrumental works, he is known mainly for his Italian operas, oratorios (including “Messiah”, 1741), various anthems for church and royal festivities, and organ concertos, which he interpolated into his oratorio performances. He composed only three hymn tunes, one of which still appears in some modern hymnals. A number of hymnal editors, including Lowell Mason, took themes from some of Handel's oratorios and turned them into hymn tunes.

Carl Fredrickson, an editor and arranger for Carl Fischer publishing, set many classical works to English texts for choirs and soloists.  He has set this Handel piece to a text adapted from Isaiah 55:1.

Come to the waters, all ye that thirsteth;

All that hunger, come, buy and eat, and your soul shall live.

Come ye, com eye, come to the waters;

He with no money, come, buy and eat.

Come, ye weary, and your soul shall live.

Come ye, come to the waters, and your soul shall live.

Incline your ear and hear Me, incline your ear and hear Me,

And you soul shall live in peace.  Ye shall have great joy and gladness;

Joy and gladness shall go with thee.  Incline your ear to Me,

Incline your ear and live.

Come to the waters, all ye that thirsteth;

All that hunger, come by and eat, and your soul shall live.

Come ye, come to the waters, and your soul shall live.

About the Hymns:

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

William Williams (1717-1791) is considered by many to be the father of Welsh hymnody.  In 1738, Williams heard a sermon by the revivalist preacher Howell Harris, a fiery Welsh layman who had been influenced by the Methodist movement in England. It was through this sermon that Williams discerned his calling to go into the ministry.  Williams first pursued becoming an Anglican priest (in the Church of Wales) and entered as a deacon in 1740. However, he soon came to discover that his heart was with Harris and his itinerant work, and before long he left his small curacy in the mountains to join with the traveling Methodist preachers.

The revivalists realized that the Welsh language was lacking in hymns—the church in Wales was still primarily singing metrical psalms in their worship services. In order to promote the creation of hymns, Harris put together a hymn-writing competition between the different preachers.  As Louis Benson relates, “the prize fell easily to Williams, who had the poet’s passion and a gift of verse-writing. Therefore it was not very long before he was recognized as poet laureate of the Welsh revival.”

Williams would go on to write many hymns in both Welsh and English. “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” appeared in Welsh in 1745. Twenty six years later, in 1771, a Rev. Peter Williams translated the first verse into English, prompting William Williams to translate the rest of it into English as well.  It is fitting that Williams should be the author of a hymn about the Christian’s pilgrimage on earth since as a traveling Methodist preacher, he was a pilgrim in both the spiritual and physical sense.

Williams made an extraordinary record as an itinerant evangelist. He took the whole of Wales for his parish. His travels for forty-three years are said to make an average of 2230 miles a year, at a time when there were no railroads and few stage-coaches. In this way the greater part of Williams’ life was spent, not in a preacher’s study, but in the great world of out of doors. 

The popularity of Williams's text ("Guide me, O thou great Jehovah") is undoubtedly aided by its association with CWM RHONDDA, composed in 1905 by John Hughes (b. Dowlais, Glamorganshire, Wales, 1873; d. Llantwit Fardre, Wales, 1932) during a church service for a Baptist Cymanfa Ganu(song festival) in Capel Rhondda, Pontypridd, Wales. Hughes received little formal education; at age twelve he was already working as a doorboy at a local mining company in Llantwit Fardre. He eventually became an official in the traffic department of the Great Western Railway. Much of his energy was devoted to the Salem Baptist Church in Pontypridd, where he served as both deacon and precentor. Hughes composed two anthems, a number of Sunday school marches, and a few hymn tunes, of which CWM RHONDDA is universally known.

At first widely disseminated in leaflet form, CWM RHONDDA gradually was adopted into various hymnals. The tune is named after the valley of the Rhondda River, a coal mining area in Wales. Though composed with simple melodic means, CWM RHONDDA is a vigorous melody in major tonality (contrary to the popular belief that most Welsh tunes are minor). 

Guide me, O my great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty; hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.

Open now the crystal fountain, where the healing waters flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer, ever be my strength and shield,
ever be my strength and shield.

    When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside.
    Death of death, and hell's Destruction, land me safe on Canaan's side.

    Songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever sing to you,
    I will ever sing to you. 

God Will Take Care of You

Walter Stillman Martin (1862-1935) was born in Massachusetts and attended Harvard University, where he studied for the ministry and was later ordained as a Baptist minister. His wife, Civilla Durfee Holden (1866-1948), was born in Canada.  Civilla wrote many hymn texts for which he produced the tunes, including their very popular, "God Will Take Care of You". 

The Martins were visiting a Bible school in New York, where Walter was to preach.  Civilla became ill and was unable to attend.  Due to her illness, Walter wanted to cancel, but their nine year old son said, "Father, don't you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you are away?" He kept his appointment and when he returned he found his wife greatly improved. Mrs. Martin had written a new hymn based on her son's faithful remark earlier that day.  Civilla related, “When he returned I gave the words to him. He immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.” It was first published in 1905 in "Songs of Redemption," compiled by Martin and John A. Davis.

Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you;

Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;

When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;

Lean, weary one, upon his breast, God will take care of you. 

God will take care of you, through ev'ry day, o’er all the way;

He will take care of you, God will take care of you.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

Sunday, September 5, 2021

 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; most of it is copied from other websites 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:

Trio on “McAfee” - Brenda Portman

(c. 2019, Sacred Music Press)

Clcland B. McAfee (1866-1944) is known for this one hymn, his “one-hit-wonder”.  McAfee wrote “Near to the Heart of God” and its tune MCAFEE in 1903, after two daughters of his brother Howard died of diphtheria within 24 hours of each other.  The choir of Park College went to Howard McAfee’s quarantined house and sang it outside the window to encourage the grieving family.  McAfee was at Park College, Parkville, MO, for almost 20 years, serving on the faculty and as college chaplain and choir director.  He then pastored in Chicago, IL and Brooklyn, NY.  He was also on the faculty at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and directed the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.

There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God;

A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet, Near to the heart of God;

A place where we our Savior meet, Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of full release, Near to the heart of God;

A place where all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Sent from the heart of God;

Hold us, who wait before Thee, Near to the heart of God.

Organist and composer Brenda Portman (b. 1980) was educated at Wheaton College, Northwestern University, and University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. Her doctoral research was on minimalism in twentieth-century Dutch organ music.  Portman has received numerous awards in organ competitions, spanning a decade: from First Place in the Arthur Poister Organ Competition in Connecticut (2006) to Finalist and Audience Prize winner in the Sursa American Organ Competition at Ball State University (2016). In October of 2014, she was the only American woman to compete in the prestigious Canadian International Organ Competition in Montréal. Her performance there led to a collaboration with acclaimed Canadian composer Rachel Laurin and a recording on the 88-rank Casavant organ of HPCUMC Cincinnati: Pilgrimages: Organ Music of Rachel Laurin Inspired by Sacred Themes, which was released in April 2016 on the Raven label.  Other prizes include First Place in the Arthur Poister Organ Competition (2007), First Place in the Bank District British/American Organ Competition (2009), performing a winner's recital at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and Third Place in the Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition (2012). She has also been a finalist in the Fort Wayne National Organ-Playing Competition (2010) and a semifinalist in the AGO's National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (2010).

As a composer, Portman primarily composes sacred choral, vocal, and organ works. Her concert settings of hymns for solo voice and piano have been highly acclaimed by many professional singers, and three hymn preludes for organ were included in the Bayoubûchlein (published by Selah) for the 2016 AGO convention in Houston. Her Elegy for solo organ was the winner of the Twin Cities AGO Composition Competition in 2016, and her musical setting of the commissioned hymn text “Christ, Who Was Before the World Began” won an award in 2014 for the 300th anniversary of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Portman is currently Resident Organist at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church in Cincinnati where she provides music for worship services, accompanies the Wesley Choir and Cathedral Choir, and serves as Executive Director of the church's renowned Organ Concert Series. She is also Adjunct Organ Instructor at Xavier University in Cincinnati. Portman has held previous positions as Organist at First Presbyterian Church in Flint, Michigan, and Director of Music Ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church and School and Jackson, Michigan.

Toccata on "Aberswyth" - Brenda Portman 

(c.2018, Sacred Music Press)

“Jesus, lover of my soul” is perhaps one of the most personal hymns penned by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). The understanding that Jesus as a “lover” seems to have made many squeamish at the very idea, especially an idea that should be expressed in public worship. Is this hymn better for private devotions? Yet, according to hymnologist Kenneth W. Osbeck, this hymn is considered to be among Wesley’s greatest hymns. It demonstrates, among many other things, Charles Wesley’s vast knowledge of biblical texts, classic literature, and other intellectual sources of his era.

Wesley, always meticulous in drawing upon biblical or classical sources, continued this practice in this hymn. The apocryphal book, The Wisdom of Solomon, 11:23-26, provides the inspiration for this primary theme of this hymn: “But thou hast mercy upon all; for thou canst do all things, and winkest at the sins of men, because they should amend. For thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made: for never wouldest thou have made any thing, if thou hadst hated it. And how could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy will? or been preserved, if not called by thee? But thou sparest all: for they are thine, O Lord, thou lover of souls.” Another possible source is Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471), who often commented on the nature of love. In The Imitation of Christ, for example, he states: “A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.” Another quote also addresses Jesus’ followers as “lovers”: “Jesus has now many lovers of the heavenly kingdom but few bearers of His cross.”

“Jesus, lover of my soul” foreshadows famous hymns on a related theme including “Rock of Ages” (1776) by English Anglican turned Calvinist Augustus M. Toplady, and “Abide with me” (1847) by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte. Like these hymns, “Jesus, lover of my soul” has attracted a number of stories. Some have tried to connect the sea images in the hymn to the tumultuous voyage of the Wesley brothers to America in 1736. Rather than focusing on the circumstances surrounding the poem’s composition, there can be no doubt as to its influence and popularity on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1877), the great American preacher, stated: “I would rather have written this hymn of Wesley’s than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on earth.” Richard Watson does not doubt the veracity of the “story of the soldier in the American Civil War who was about to shoot a picket from the other side when he heard him singing, ‘Cover my defenseless head/With the shadow of thy wing.’”

ABERSTWYTH is a hymn tune composed by Joseph Parry, written in 1876 and first published in 1879 in Edward Stephen's Ail Lyfr Tonau ac Emynau (Welsh for "Second Book of Tunes and Hymns”).  Parry was at the time the first professor and head of the new department of music at the recently founded University College Wales, Aberystwyth, now called Aberystwyth University.  The tune "Aberystwyth" has been the most popular setting for Charles Wesley's hymn "Jesus, Lover of My Soul".

Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; Oh, receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head With the shadow of Thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall— Lo! on Thee I cast my care.
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, Dying, and behold, I live.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, More than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, Source of all true righteousness;
Thou art evermore the same, Thou art full of truth and grace.

    Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin;
    Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within.
    Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee;
    Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity.

About the Piano Music:

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus - Mark Hayes

(c. 2011, Lorenz Publishing Co.)

Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925) was born in Chestnut, a village north of London.  As a child, he enjoyed poetry and compiled a volume of his own work. He also developed a love for music and joined a church choir at age nine.

However, throughout his youth, religion was primarily a matter of tradition for Samuel — until someone invited him to come “see a man buried alive.” It was actually a baptismal service held by Andrew Jukes, an English theologian who greatly influenced Hudson Taylor, the famous English missionary to China. Samuel was moved by the service and was introduced to people that spoke passionately about the gospel. In time, Samuel made the decision to surrender his life to the Lord.  Soon thereafter, Samuel began open-air preaching, and during the English Revival of 1859, his preaching led many people to the Lord. Samuel was not only a gifted preacher, but he was a talented singer and hymn writer. When American evangelists, Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey came to London in 1873-1874, Samuel served as one of the chief assistants to their outreaches. Sankey typically led the singing before Moody preached, and in some meetings, Samuel substituted for Sankey.  Samuel went on to serve in many evangelistic campaigns around the world, including Canada, Australia, and the Middle East. He had the privilege of hearing his songs sung wherever he went, in both English and other languages.

In this hymn written in 1875, Francis compares the vastness of the ocean with the vastness of God’s love. He says it is reassuring to know God’s love is underneath us and around us, and leads us onward and upward. It should also motivate us as we think of others on distant shores who do not yet know of God’s love for them. We are called to spread His praise “from shore to shore”.

Francis published a number of hymns in religious newspapers and periodicals. He belonged to the Plymouth Brethren congregation in London, and served as an open air preacher. His hymns and poems appeared in The Life of Faith and other papers and periodicals.

The tune EBENEZER was written by Thomas John Williams (1869-1944), who was born in Wales in 1869. He studied music under David Evans, a well-known professor of music who edited the Church Hymnary (used in many English-speaking Presbyterian churches around the world).  Williams served as an organist and choir director at churches in Wales.  His tune “Ebenezer” was originally associated with his Welsh anthem “Goleu yn y Glyn” (Light in the Valley). The tune is also known by the name “Ton-Y-Botel” – a name “given to it by a young English singer who told the romantic-but-fictional story of the ‘tune-in-a-bottle’ which had been washed ashore on the coast of Wales.”

     O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Mark Hayes is an award-winning concert pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. His personal catalog, totaling over 1,000 published works, includes work for solo voice, solo piano, multiple pianos, orchestra, jazz combo, small instrumental ensembles, and choruses of all kinds.  Mark received a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in Piano Performance from Baylor University in 1975. He has conducted the SWACDA and MCDA Community and Church Honor Choir, and served as guest conductor at Carnegie Hall, featuring his Te Deum and Magnificat. In 2010, Baylor University Center for Christian Music Studies awarded Mark the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music. Mark arranged and orchestrated the music for Civil War Voices, which won six awards including "Best Musical" in the 2010 Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York. He conducted the world premiere of his work for chorus, orchestra and narrator, The American Spirit, at Lincoln Center in May 2011 and the world premiere of his Requiem in Lincoln Center in May 2013.  Whether concertizing on the other side of the globe or composing at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark is blessed to live out his mission "to create beautiful music for the world".

About the Vocal Solo Music:

I Have Returned - Marijohn Wilkin

(c. 1974 Buckhorn Music)

Marijohn Wilkin (1920-2006) was an American songwriter, famous in country music for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography Lord, Let Me Leave a Song (authored with Darryl E. Hicks). It was honored as “One of the 100 Most Important Books about Nashville’s Music Industry.”  Wilkin was born in Kemp, Texas and raised in Sanger, Texas. She became a teacher, and was widowed when her husband Bedford Russell was killed in World War II. Her father, a baker, had been a fiddle player. From 1955, she toured with Red Foley, and in 1956 her songs were recorded by Mitchell Torok and Wanda Jackson. In 1958, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and had major hits, written with John D. Loudermilk, for Stonewall Jackson (the number one country hit "Waterloo", which made the pop top ten) and Jimmy C. Newman.  Although she was primarily a country songwriter, her songs have been recorded by several pop and rock acts, including Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger. Wilkin also recorded occasionally for Columbia Records and Dot Records in the 1960s and at times worked as a background vocalist. She is billed simply as Marijohn on a few of her recordings. On DOT records, she recorded under the name Romi Spain.

Marijohn Wilkin may be most famous for "One Day at a Time", often considered the biggest gospel song of the 1970s. Wilkin wrote the song in 1973 with some assistance by her former protégé Kris Kristofferson. The song won a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association in 1975 (see also: Dove Award for Song of the Year). It launched a career as a gospel recording artist for Wilkin, who released several albums on Word Records.  Wilkin is credited for the discovery of Kristofferson and being the first person to give him work as a legitimate songwriter.  In 1975, Marijohn was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Wilkin formed 17th Avenue Music, a publishing company. It became profitable when its songs were recorded by LeAnn Rimes. In 2005, Wilkin was honored by the SOURCE organization as a pioneering Music Row businesswoman.

I have returned to the God of my childhood

To the same simple faith as a child I once knew.

Like the prodigal son I longed for my loved ones

For the comforts of home and the God I outgrew.

I have returned to the God of my childhood,

Bethlehem's Babe, the prophet's Messiah;

He's Jesus to me, Eternal Deity;

Praise His Name, I have returned.

I have returned to the God of my mother

With unfailing faith for the child of her heart;

She said bring them up the way that you want them,

Thank God when they're grown they'll never depart.

I have returned to the God of my mother,

I learned at her knee He's the Lily of the valley.

He's Jesus to me, Eternal Deity;

Praise His Name, I have returned.

I have returned to the God of my father,

The most God-like man a child could know.

I just hear a shout from the angels in glory,

Praising the Lord a child has come home.

I have returned to the God of my father,

Creator of heav'n and earth, God of the universe.

He's Jesus to me, Eternal Deity;

Praise His Name, I have returned.

I have returned to the Yahweh of Judah,

On my knees I did fall where the wall now stands;

This lesson I learned as I've worked my way homeward,

The Savior of all is a comfort to man.

I have returned to the Father of Abraham, 

The shepherd of Moses who called Him the great I Am;

He's Jesus to me, Eternal Deity;

Praise His Name, I have returned.

About the Hymns:

The Gift of Love

Among the most prominent New Testament texts is the discourse on love found in I Corinthians 13. Hal H. Hopson has paraphrased part of this beautiful text in what has become one of the most popular late 20th-century hymns, appearing in many major hymnals published in the U.S. since 1980. "The Gift of Love" first appeared as a very popular anthem in 1972. Both the text and the music are effective paraphrases -- the text of I Corinthians 13:1-3 and the melody as an adaptation of the beautiful folk melody "O Waly, Waly." The original tune was collected by American folksong specialist Cecil Sharp and published in his Folk Songs from Somerset (1906).  "The Gift of Love" is very flexible and, according to Hope Publishing Co., is Mr. Hopson's most popular composition -- widely used as an anthem, solo and as a hymn. Speaking of the popularity of his hymn, Hopson said: "The first 'Gift of Love' was a two-part choral arrangement. Years later, at the suggestion of George Shorney at Hope Publishing Company, I cast it in a form to be used as a congregational hymn. Since then it has become a standard hymn to be included in many hymnals. It is noteworthy that The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989, was the first hymnal that included 'The Gift of Love.' I was once surprised to be introduced at a seminar as the Gift-of-Love-Man."

Mr. Hopson (b. 1933) is a native of Mound, Texas, and now resides in Dallas. He has an international reputation as a clinician and composer, and has published more than 1,300 compositions, which comprise almost every musical form in church music. With a special interest in congregational song, he continues to make a significant contribution to the new repertoire of hymn tunes and responsorial psalm settings as evidenced by the proliferation of his settings that are included in newly published hymnals and psalm collections.

    Though I may speak with bravest fire,

    And have the gift to all inspire, 

And have not love; my words are vain 

As sounding brass and hopeless gain.

    Though I may give all I possess,

    And striving so my love profess, 

But not be given by love within, 

The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit come, our hearts control.

Our spirits long to be made whole.

Let inward love guide every deed.

By this we worship and are freed.

Freely, Freely

Carol Sue Owens (b.1931) attended San Jose State College and Cathedral School of the Bible, Oakland, Calif. She and her husband James make up a songwriting team that became known to the world during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s.

One Sunday evening after a church service, Jimmy and Carol were eating with Jack Hayford, pastor of the Church on the Way, just northeast of Los Angeles. Pastor Hayford suggested, “Why don’t you write a musical about our church?” This suggestion wasn’t intended to focus on their particular church as much as it was meant to focus on the principles of ministry that had made the church successful.  Jimmy and Carol began to work on the project immediately. They saw it as “a gift from God to the universal church”. Working with singer Pat Boone, they put together the Come Together musical. In 1973, they took the musical to England, where it was presented 400 times, often in large halls in cathedrals. Across the United States, young people of diverse churches were coming together in new ways that hadn’t been experienced before.

At the heart of this musical were the simple words and melody of “Freely, Freely”, written by Carol, and taken from the instructions of Jesus as He sent out His disciples: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8).

God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name. I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name.

And in Jesus’ name I come to you to share His love as He told me to.

 

All pow’r is giv’n in Jesus’ name; in earth and Heav’n in Jesus’ name,

and in Jesus’ name I come to you to share His power as He told me to.

 

God gives us life in Jesus’ name; He lives in us in Jesus’ name,

and in Jesus’ name I come to you to share His peace as He told me to.

Freely, freely, you have received; Freely, freely give.

Go in My name and, because you believe, others will know that I live.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus

Sunday, August 29, 2021

 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; most of it is copied from other websites 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 Piano Music:

Be Still My Soul - Fay Lopez

(c. 2014, Lorenz Publishing)

Little is known about the author of this hymn.  Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel was born in 1697.  The date of her death is unknown.  Some hymnologists suggest that she may have become a Lutheran nun.  We know her as the author of "Stille, mein Wille; dein Jesus hilft siegen" published in a collection entitled Neue Sammlung geistlicher Lieder (A new collection of spiritual songs) in 1752.  This text appears at the time of German pietism, similar in spirit in many regards to the Wesleyan revival in England of the same era.  Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705) led the German pietistic movement.  Though not a hymn writer himself, he inspired a revival in German hymnody characterized by faithfulness to Scripture, personal experience, and deep emotional expression.  Katharina von Schlegel is thought to be the leading female hymn writer of this period.

The hymn comes to us via a translation by Jane L. Borthwick (1813-1897), a member of the Free Church of Scotland.  Borthwick was second only to Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878) in bringing the riches of German hymn heritage to the English language.  Her translation included five of the original six stanzas, appearing in Hymns from the Land of Luther, second series (1855).  The melody comes from the symphonic tone poem “Finlandia, Op. 26”,  by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957).  David Evans (1874-1948), a Welsh organist-choirmaster, matched the translation with the tune for the Revised Church Hymnary  (1927). It was brought to the United States when it was used in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. for The Hymnal (1933).

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

    Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
    To guide the future, as He has the past.
    Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
    All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
    Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
    His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

    Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
    And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
    Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
    Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
    Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
    From His own fullness all He takes away.

    Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
    When we shall be forever with the Lord.
    When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
    Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
    Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
    All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

    Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
    On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
    Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
    So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
    Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
    Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

Faye López teaches piano, hymn improvisation, and music theory at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. She is a composer/arranger of sacred choral anthems and keyboard collections. She frequently serves as keyboard adjudicator and clinician, and leads church keyboard seminars.  Her passion is to create music for personal and corporate worship.

About the Organ Music:

O dass ich tausend Zungen hatte - Paul Manz 

(c. 1970, Concordia Publishing House)

Johann Mentzer (1657-1734) was born at Jahmen, near Rothenburg, in Silesia, and became a student of theology at Wittenberg, In 1691 he was appointed pastor at Merzdorf; in 1693 at Hauswalde, near Bischofswerda; and in 1696 at Kemnitz, near Bernstadt, Saxony.  He was a great friend of J. C. Schwedler, of Henrietta Catherine von Gersdorf, and of N. L. von Zinzendorf, all hymnwriters and all his near neighbours. He wrote a large number of hymns, over 30 of which appeared in the various hymnbooks of his time. Many of them, especially those of Praise and Thanksgiving, and those of Cross and Consolation, are of high merit, though sometimes exaggerated and not very refined in their imagery, and are full of ardent love to Christ, Scriptural, poetical, and also popular in style.  The only one in common use is “0 dass ich tausend Zungen hatte”, his best hymn. First published in Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 1704, and repeated in many later collections as the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851.  This hymn was inspired by the destruction of a farmhouse where he was living by lightening.

Johann Balthaser König (1691-1758) composed this tune, which later became associated with Johann Mentzer's hymn "O dass ich tausend Zungen hätte" (Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices). The harmonization is from the Wurttembergische Choralbuch (1653).

Oh would I had a thousand tongues, 

To sound Thy praise o'er land and sea! 

Oh! rich and sweet should be my songs, 

Of all my God has done for me! 

With thankfulness my heart must often swell, 

But mortal lips Thy praises faintly tell. 

Oh that my voice could far resound 

Up to yon stars that o'er me shine! 

Would that my blood for joy might bound 

Through every vein while life is mine! 

Would that each pulse were gratitude, each breath 

A song to Him who keeps me safe from death! 

O all ye powers of soul and mind, 

Arise, keep silence thus no more; 

Put forth your strength, and ye shall find 

Your noblest work is to adore. 

O soul and body, make ye pure and meet, 

With heartfelt praise your God and Lord to greet. 

Ye little leaves so fresh and green, 

That dance for joy in summer air, 

Ye slender grasses, bright and keen, 

Ye flowers so wondrous sweet and fair; 

Ye only for your Maker's glory live, 

Help me, for all His love, meet praise to give. 

O all ye living things that throng 

With breath and motion earth and sky, 

Be ye companions in my song, 

Help me to raise His praises high; 

For my unaided powers are far too weak 

The glories of His mighty works to speak. 

And first, O Father, praise to Thee 

For all I am and all I have, 

It was Thy merciful decree 

That all those blessings richly gave, 

Which o'er the earth are scattered far and near, 

To help and gladden us who sojourn here. 

And, dearest Jesus, blest be Thou, 

Whose heart with pity overflows, 

Thou rich in help! who deign'dst to bow 

To earth, and taste her keenest woes; 

Thy death has burst my bonds and set me free, 

Has made me Thine; henceforth I cling to Thee. 

Nor less to Thee, O Holy Ghost, 

Be everlasting honours paid, 

For all Thy comfort, Lord, and most 

That I a child of life am made 

By Thy deep love; my good deeds are not mine, 

Thou workest them through me, O Light Divine.

 

Yes, Lord, through all my changing days, 

With each new scene afresh I mark 

How wondrously Thou guid'st my ways, 

Where all seems troubled, wilder'd, dark; 

When dangers thicken fast, and hopes depart, 

Thy light beams comfort on my sinking heart. 

Shall I not then be filled with joy, 

Shall I not praise Thee evermore? 

Triumphant songs my lips employ, 

E'en when my cup of woe runs o'er; 

Nay, though the heavens should vanish as a scroll, 

Nothing shall shake or daunt my trusting soul. 

But of Thy goodness will I sing 

As long as I have life and breath, 

Offerings of thanks I'll daily bring 

Until my heart is still in death; 

And when at last my lips grow pale and cold, 

Yet in my sighs Thy praises shall be told. 

Father, do Thou in mercy deign

To listen to my earthly lays; 

Once shall I learn a nobler strain, 

Where angels ever hymn Thy praise, 

There in the radiant choir I too shall sing 

Loud hallelujahs to my glorious Kings. 

Paul Manz (1919 – 2009), was an American composer for choir and organ. His most famous choral work is the Advent motet "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come", which has been performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge. His most famous organ works are his volumes of neo-Baroque chorale preludes and partitas. Paul Manz long served the church as recitalist, composer, teacher and leader in worship. He was the director of the newly established Paul Manz Institute of Church Music, and was Professor Emeritus of Church Music at Christ Seminary Seminex at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Paul Manz concertized extensively in North America.  As a performer, Manz was most famous for his celebrated hymn festivals. Instead of playing traditional organ recitals, Manz would generally lead a "festival" of hymns from the organ, in which he introduced each hymn an organ improvisation based on the hymn tune in question. The congregation would then sing the hymn with his accompaniment. Many volumes of these improvisations have been written out and published and are played by church organists throughout the world. 

The esteem and respect with which Paul Manz is regarded can be seen in the many honors he received. He was twice named one of the “Ten Most Influential Lutherans,” served as National Councilor of the American Guild of Organists and is listed as one of the “101 Most Notable Organists of the 20th Century.”  The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago presented him with the distinguished "Confessor of Christ Award"; The Chicago Bible Society presented him with the “Gutenberg Award; and the Lutheran Institute of Washington, DC honored him with the first “Wittenberg Arts Award.”

About the Vocal Solo Music:

What a Friend We Have in Jesus - Dan Reed

Irish born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married. The day before his wedding his fiance died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

Many years later a friend was sitting with Joseph, as he was very ill. During this visit, the friend was very impressed when he ran across his poems, including “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. As a result of this visit, almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to his mother, Joseph's poems were published in a book called Hymns and Other Verses. Soon thereafter, noted musician Charles C. Converse (1834-1918) put music to  “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. Well-known musician and revivalist Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908) was a great admirer of Joseph Scriven. In 1875, Sankey came upon the music and words for “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and included it as the last entry in  Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number 1.

The hymn also has many versions with different lyrics in multiple languages, such as the Japanese version "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (lit. "Deep Affection"), or a version sung during World War I with the line "When this bloody war is over" in place of the original title.  The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal notes, "In spite of the fact that this hymn, with its tune, has been criticized as being too much on the order of the sentimental gospel type, its popularity remains strong, and the hymn retains a place in modern hymnals." 

The tune BEACH SPRING used here was written by B. F. White.  Benjamin F. White (1800-1879) was coeditor of The Sacred Harp (1844). He came from a family of fourteen children and was largely self-taught. Eventually White became a popular singing-school teacher and editor of the weekly Harris County newspaper.

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

Dan Reed is a Texas organist and composer.  In additional to his regular touring, he frequently works with the Rodgers organ company, recording and performing on their instruments for demonstration and dedication concerts.  He wrote this arrangement and gave it to his fellow organists to use as they wish without charge.

About the Hymns:

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

Edward Perronet (1726-1792) was born in England, the grandson of a French immigrant. His father, Vincent, was a clergyman in the Church of England and a close friend and associate of John and Charles Wesley. Though Edward had planned to follow his father into Anglican ministry, the influence of the Wesleys prevailed, and he became a traveling Methodist preacher.  “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” was written by Perronet while he served as a missionary in India and first appeared in the November, 1779 issue of the Gospel Magazine

The hymn is often called the "National Anthem of Christendom”.  The best-known tunes used for the hymn are "Coronation" (Oliver Holden, 1793),  "Miles Lane" (William Shrubsole, 1779), and "Diadem" (James Ellor, 1838).  

An interesting story is told about this hymn.  Rev. E. P. Scott was a missionary in India who had been urged not to go near a certain barbarous tribe, whom he wished to evangelize. But he went forth with high courage, never wavering in his duty, and trusting in God to protect him. When at last he reached their country among the hills, he came upon a company of these savages.  Imme-diately, they surrounded him, pointing their spears at him with threatening scowls.  He had nothing but his violin; and so, closing his eyes, he began to play and sing, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” When he opened his eyes he expected to be killed instantly, but his life had been spared through the singing of the hymn. Their spears had dropped, and they received him first with curiosity and interest, and then later with eagerness, as he told them the gospel story and won their hearts to the will of Jesus Christ.

All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall.

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all.

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!

O seed of Israel's chosen race now ransomed from the fall,

hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all.

Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all!

Let every tongue and every tribe responsive to his call,

to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all.

To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all!

Oh, that with all the sacred throng we at his feet may fall!

We'll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all.

We'll join the everlasting song and crown him Lord of all. 

I Am Thine, O Lord

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.”  Stanza three defines the relationship further as one forged in prayer: “When I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend!” In the final stanza, Crosby acknowledges that her relationship will not be complete until she reaches heaven (“cross the narrow sea”) and then she will find “rest in peace with thee.”  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.

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 pow’r of grace divine;

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

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour That before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]

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

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To Thy precious, bleeding side.

First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas

A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus