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:
Toccata on “On Our Way Rejoicing” - Gregory Hamilton
(c. 2019, Lorenz Publishing)
Why on our way rejoicing? The phrase is actually from Acts 8 where Philip explains the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch who immediately asks to be baptized. When they came up out of the water, Philip was carried away and the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). In other words, the eunuch’s life had been completely transformed through an encounter with Jesus as he read the book of Isaiah. The gospel had infused his life with joy. That’s what we mean by “on our way rejoicing”. We want the entire journey of our lives to be defined by this joy in the gospel of Christ, no matter where he may take us.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-1875) was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and served as a chaplain and rector of several churches in Ireland after his ordination in 1835. Transferred to England in 1853, he became rector of Egham in Surrey and was rector of St. Nicholas Church in Guilford from 1870 until his death (caused by a construction accident at his church). A prolific poet, Monsell published his verse in eleven volumes. His three hundred hymns, many celebrating the seasons of the church year, were issued in collections such as Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems (1837), Spiritual Songs (1857), Hymns of Love and Praise (1863), and The Parish Hymnal (1873).
“On our way rejoicing as we homeward [onward] move” appeared in his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines, and suggested for the 1st Sunday after Trinity. It was rewritten by him for his Parish Hymnal, 1873, the principal change being the addition of the first four lines from stanza i., as a refrain to each stanza. These changes were made to adapt the hymn as a Processional.
The tune HERMAS was written by Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879). She studied Mrs. Teed's school in Worchester, which had a great influence on her. In the following year she said, "I committed my soul to the Saviour, and earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment." A short time in Germany followed, and on her return she was confirmed in Worcester Cathedral. She lived in various places in England, Switzerland, Scotland, and North Wales during her life. She wrote a number of hymn tunes and many hymn texts.
On our way rejoicing, As we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love!
Is there grief or sadness? Thine it cannot be!
Is our sky beclouded? Clouds are not from Thee!
On our way rejoicing, As we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love!
If with honest-hearted Love for God and man,
Day by day Thou find us Doing what we can,
Thou Who giv'st the seed-time Wilt give large increase,
Crown the head with blessings, Fill the heart with peace.
On our way rejoicing Gladly let us go;
Conquered hath our Leader! Vanquished is our foe!
Christ without, our safety; Christ within, our joy;
Who, if we be faithful, Can our hope destroy?
Unto God the Father Joyful songs we sing;
Unto God the Saviour Thankful hearts we bring;
Unto God the Spirit Bow we and adore,
On our way rejoicing Now and evermore.
Dr. Gregory Hamilton (b. 1959) presently serves as music director for St. Theresa Catholic Church in Houston, Texas. He attended Baldwin-Wallace College, and studied Musicology and Early music performance in London, England at the Royal College of Music where he completed his M.Mus. and A.R.C.M. in 1986, and completed his Doctorate in sacred music/organ in 2000 at the University of Michigan. He has performed internationally at The Boston Early Music Festival; the Music in Time Festival, Stanford, California; Notre Dame Opera; Glimmerglass Opera; on WFMT Chicago; BBC England; National Catholic Radio, and others. His compositions have been published by a variety of music publishers, and have been performed in churches, concerts and festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Hamilton is an authority on the works of the French composer-organist Dom Paul Benoit (1895-1976), and has performed many of his works in the U.S. and abroad.
About the Piano Music:
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me - Mary McDonald
(c. 2010, Lorenz Publishing)
This text is an anonymous spiritual, most likely of the African-American tradition. Paul Westermeyer categorizes the song as a “communal lament”. Robert Anderson classifies it as a 'sorrow song,' meant for individual rather than group singing” Both concur that this is not a happy song. It is a plea for the companionship of Jesus throughout life, using the metaphor of a journey on foot. The tune is also anonymous. It is named after Sojourner Truth, the freed slave woman who publicly spoke for freedom and equality for all. Though this spiritual focuses on a plea for Jesus to walk alongside us, there is an element of assurance that His answer is “yes.” As the psalmist writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4, ESV). It speaks of the presence of God, even when no human companionship is available.
The composer of the hymn tune SOJOURNER is also unknown. The tune is named for Sojourner Truth.
I want Jesus to walk with me; I want Jesus to walk with me.
All along my pilgrim journey, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my trial, Lord, walk with me; In my trials, Lord, walk with me.
When the shades of life are falling, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my sorrow, Lord walk with me; In my sorrows, Lord walk with me.
When my heart is aching, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
In my troubles, Lord walk with me; In my troubles, Lord walk with me.
When my life becomes a burden, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
Mary McDonald’s sacred music career spans over thirty-five years. More than eight hundred anthems, seasonal musicals and keyboard collections testify to her significant contribution to sacred literature. In 2000, Mary became the first ever woman President of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. In addition, she has served as accompanist for the Tennessee Men's Chorale since 1985. Her greatest desire is "to give God glory for the songs He has allowed me to compose. He alone, is the true Creator behind my pen." In 2011, after serving as sacred music editor for The Lorenz Corporation in Dayton, Ohio for more than twenty years, Mary answered a new call. Now she takes her tremendous passion and love for music making directly to churches as an independent artist by holding Composer Weekend workshops.
About the Choral Music:
The King of Love, My Shepherd Is - Mark Schweizer
(c. 2001, St. James Press)
“The King of Love My Shepherd Is” a Sir Henry Baker (1821-1877) paraphrase of Psalm 23. Baker took Holy Orders in the Church of England in 1844. He was closely associated with hymnody in the Church. He wrote many hymns of fine emotion and intellect, and yet his lyrical transcription of the 23rd Psalm was what came to him as he approached “death’s dark vale.” He died in the parsonage of the church where he had served for more than thirty years, a country vicar in the poor edges of Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s mighty Britain. It is said that as he lay dying his final words were those of the 3rd stanza: "Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me; and on his shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing, brought me."
Sir Henry Baker would not at first glance be a candidate for “perverse and foolish.” The son of a vice-admiral, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was ordained in 1844 as a priest in the Church of England. After a curacy, he became the vicar of Monkland. He served his whole adult life in this parish, even after inheriting a baronetcy upon the death of his father. He lived in a nearby parsonage as a bachelor, believing in the celibacy of the clergy, and was cared for by his sister.
A great passion of his life, however, was the production of the innovative Hymns Ancient & Modern (1861), a monumental milestone in the history of English hymnody and a collection of great variety and musical effectiveness. Most congregations in Anglican churches were not singing hymns during the middle of the nineteenth century, being devoted only to metrical psalms. Methodists and evangelicals in England were singing hymns during the first half of the nineteenth century, and their influence spurred the Anglicans to join the ranks of hymn singers by the second half of the century.
A notable feature of this landmark hymnal was the printing of text and tune for each hymn on the same page, so any singer could see and sing the distinctive pairings. Each musical setting was intended to enhance the poetic text of the hymn, making the sensibilities and emotion of the hymn clear. Until this time, most published hymnals contained text only, or a limited number of tunes meant to be used repeatedly with various texts.
Sir Henry Baker led a committee of hymn writers, composers, and editors who compiled the hymns for publication. Many of these contributors were adherents of the Oxford movement. The Oxford movement was an ecclesiastical trend that Susan Drain (author of The Anglican Church in Nineteenth Century Britain: Hymns Ancient and Modern) describes as a deep regard for church rituals and the sacraments, respect for Apostolic traditions and the Roman Catholic Church, and a desire by clergy to preserve the past. With this standpoint in mind, many of the hymns chosen were translated from medieval Latin and German sources. Others were accepted from hymn writers of the day and edited, so much so that one contributor said “HA&M” should mean “Hymns Asked for and Mutilated.”
“The King of Love my Shepherd Is,” a metrical paraphrase of Psalm 23, was written by Baker for the Second Edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern in 1868, and included in the appendix. His friend John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876), a musical editor on the committee, wrote the tune DOMINUS REGIT ME specifically for it, which is the title of Psalm 23 in the Latin Vulgate translation. Many writers have commented on the compelling beauty of this well-suited tune and text, which British hymnologist Ian Bradley described as a regularity of rhythm and even balance between rising lines in phrases one and three and falling lines in phrases two and four. The unique double rhymes Baker uses in many places at the end of lines two and four are well-enhanced by this tune.
Later, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) sought to republish the hymn in The English Hymnal (1906) and was denied the right to use the tune. He then paired Baker’s text with his own arrangement of an Irish Air, ST. COLUMBA, which is the tune most often used today.
Mark Schweizer (b. 1956) is an American musician, composer, writer, and music professor. A native of Florida, Schweizer received music degrees from Stetson University in DeLand and the University of Arizona including a doctorate in vocal performance. He has taught at Stetson University, Louisiana College, Austin Peay State University, Murray State University, Hopkinsville Community College and the University of the South. Schweizer is the president and editor of St. James Music Press. He is also the author of the St. Germaine mystery series. As a composer, his work consists primarily of choral works for sacred use, including church operas and musicals.
The King of love my Shepherd is, Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his And he is mine for ever.
Where streams of living water flow My ransomed soul he leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow With food celestial feedeth.
And so through all the length of days, Thy goodness faileth never.
Good shepherd, may I sing Thy praise Within Thy house forever.
About the Hymns:
Jesus Calls Us
Cecil Frances Alexander (1823-1850) married William Alexander, an Anglican clergyman who later became the Anglican Archbishop for all of Ireland. Alexander was an outstanding young woman by virtue of ability, education, and service. While still quite young, she and her sister operated a school for the deaf, and she also published a highly successful book of hymns for children––designating the profits for the benefit of the school. Her hymns are mostly for children, and were published in her Verses for Holy Seasons, with Preface by Dr. Hook, 1846; Poems on Subjects in the Old Testament, pt. i. 1854, pt. ii. 1857; Narrative Hymns for Village Schools, 1853; Hymns for Little Children, 1848; Hymns Descriptive and Devotional, 1858; The Legend of the Golden Prayers 1859; Moral Songs, N.B.; The Lord of the Forest and his Vassals, an Allegory, &c.; or contributed to the Lyra Anglicana, the S.P.C.K. Psalms and Hymns, Hymns Ancient & Modern, and other collections. She wrote 400 hymns during her lifetime –– mostly children's hymns––but "Jesus Calls Us" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful" are the best known.
Impressed by her hymns, her husband, Bishop Alexander, asked her to write a hymn for use during the coming Sunday worship on St. Andrew's Day based on the call of Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-18). She wrote this hymn, "Jesus Calls Us," for that occasion. The first verse of this hymn begins, "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea"––acknowledging the call of those first disciples by the Sea of Galilee. A recurring theme is "Christian, love me more"––"Christian, love me more than these" ––"serve and love thee best of all." Those words were inspired by John 21:15, where Jesus, after the resurrection, asked Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Her text was published in the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge's (SPCK) Hymns for Public Worship (1852). Though written for a relatively minor saint's day, this hymn quickly gained popularity.
The tune GALILEE was written for this text by W. H. Jude in 1887. William Herbert Jude (1851-1922) was an English composer and organist. He was a precocious child, and attended Wisbech Grammar School where records note that by age eight he was composing incidental music for school plays. He later attended Liverpool Organ School and Liverpool College of Music. By 1881, he was organist for the Blue Coat Hospital and Stretford Town Hall near Manchester, as well as being a lecturer and teacher. As a recitalist, he was asked to "open" over 1000 new organs across the UK, Ireland and Australia. He was frequently referred to as "the most brilliant organist of the day". Christian texts and topics appear frequently in Jude's compositions. He was an admirer of the British evangelist Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, and published a collection of Gipsy Smith's Favourite Solos in 1903. Jude appears to have supported the temperance movement; "Fight the Drink", a song by Jude with lyrics by A Sargant, appears in a collection of his music with the note that it was "sung at the Crystal Palace Festival by 5000 people". Between 1890 and 1894, the composer embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. Beginning in 1904, he served as editor for several musical periodicals, including Monthly Hymnal, Minister of Music, and Music and the Higher Life. He also compiled several hymnbooks: Mission Hymns in 1911 and Festival Hymns in 1916.
Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea;
day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying "Christian, follow me."
As, of old, apostles heard it by the Galilean lake,
turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for his dear sake.
Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world's golden store,
from each idol that would keep us, saying "Christian, love me more."
In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease,
still he calls, in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love me more than these."
Jesus calls us; by thy mercies, Savior, may we hear thy call,
give our hearts to thine obedience, serve and love thee best of all.
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Julia Harriet Johnston (1849-1919) was a Sunday school teacher at First Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois, and for 41 years was head of the infant class in the children’s department. For twenty years, Julia was president of the Presbyterian Missionary Society of Peoria which had been founded by her mother. Also a prolific author, she produced primary Sunday school lesson material for the David C. Cook Publishing Co. of Chicago, IL, and had several of her own works published, including School of the Master in 1880, Bright Threads in 1897, Indian and Spanish Neighbors in 1905, and Fifty Missionary Heroes in 1913. Furthermore, Miss Johnston is credited with about 500 hymns, set to music provided by a number of different composers.
"Grace Greater Than Our Sin" is dated 1910, and the tune MOODY, was composed that same year by Daniel Brink Towner (1850-1919), the director of the music department at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL The first appearance of "Grace Greater Than Our Sin" seems to have been in Towner’s Hymns Tried and True, published in 1911 by the Bible Institute Colportage Association of Chicago.
This “marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe,” finds a scriptural basis in Paul’s teaching of justification by faith in Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Paul continues in verses 14-16, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift of grace. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.”
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide; What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide, Brighter than snow you may be today.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
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