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:
Thine Is the Glory - Robert Lau
(c.2019, Lorenz Publishing)
Thine Be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son (French: À toi la gloire O Ressuscité), also titled Thine Is the Glory, is hymn for Easter, written by the Swiss Protestant minister, Edmond Budry (1854–1932), and set to the tune of the chorus "See, the Conqu'ring hero comes" from the third section of Handel's oratorio Judas Maccabaeus.
"Thine Be the Glory" is sung to the hymn tune Maccabaeus. The tune was originally written by the German-British composer George Frideric Handel. He composed it initially for his 1747 oratorio Joshua, in which it features as a chorus, "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!", celebrating the military victories of the Biblical figure Joshua. The chorus is sung three times, and its final rendition is accompanied by a military side drum. It is thought that Handel may have taken inspiration from a march in Componimenti musicali written by Georg Muffat. Handel was confident that the tune would prove popular, and claimed to the music historian John Hawkins that “You will live to see it a greater favourite with the people than my other fine things.” So confident was Handel of its popularity that he added the chorus to his other oratorio Judas Maccabaeus, written the previous year. "See, the Conquering Hero Comes!" was repurposed to celebrate the military victory of another Old Testament figure, Judas Maccabaeus. Handel's tune bears some historic anti-Jacobite associations. The composition of Judas Maccabaeus was reportedly influenced by Frederick, Prince of Wales; the subject matter of an old testament military victory was chosen as an oblique tribute to the victory of his brother, the Duke of Cumberland, at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.
Handel's popular chorus tune was first put to use as a hymn tune in Harmonia Sacra, a hymnal compiled in 1754 by Thomas Butts, in which it is used as a setting for Charles Wesley's hymn "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today". His choice of Handel's militaristic theme was intended to reinforce the metaphor the resurrected Christ as a victorious warrior who has vanquished death and the powers of evil.
In 1884, Handel's tune was used as a setting for a new French-language hymn, "A Toi la Gloire." It was written by Edmond Louis Budry, a minister of the Swiss Eglise évangélique du Canton de Vaud. It is reported that he was inspired to write it after the death of his first wife, Marie de Vayenborg in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was later published in French hymn book Chants Evangéliques (1885), and in the YMCA Hymnbook (1904).
The hymn was first translated from French into English by Richard Birch Hoyle in 1923. He was commissioned to translate the hymn by the World Student Christian Federation after Budry granted authorisation to reproduce it from the French version. It was later published in the World Student Christian Federation's hymn book, Cantate Domino Hymnal. World Student Christian Federation retained copyright on Hoyle's English translation. The hymn's popularity was cemented when it was included in The Methodist Hymn Book in 1933.
Budry's text also celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus with references to the appearance of angels in the scene of the empty tomb and uses elements of Isaiah 25:8. The hymn makes particular reference to verses of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15). The central theme of the victorious Christ is drawn from 1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.", while line in the second verse of the hymn, "death hath lost its sting", is taken directly from 1 Corinthians 15:55: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". The line "No more we doubt thee" may also be a reference to Doubting Thomas.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay.
Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb.
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!!
Life is nought without Thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conqu'rors, through Thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Robert C. Lau (b. 1943) holds degrees in music from Lebanon Valley College, the Eastman School of Music and Catholic University of America. Currently an adjunct member of the School of Humanities of Penn State Harrisburg, Dr. Lau was formerly a member of the faculty of Lebanon Valley College, chairing the Department of Music from 1978-89. An active composer, Lau has over 150 choral and organ works published by the leading music publishing companies of the United States. In addition to his work at Mount Calvary, he frequently adjudicates and conducts choral and orchestral festivals and workshops. Lau holds professional affiliations with the American Guild of Organists, the American Choral Directors Association and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and teaches in the Leadership Program for Musicians jointly sponsored by the national Episcopal and Lutheran churches.
About the Choral Music:
He is not Here! He has Risen! - Allen Pote
“Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hearts to heaven and voices raise” was written by Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln and was first published in Holy Year, 1862, as the first of two hymns for Easter-day. it ranks with the best of the author's hymns.
Dr. Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885) was the nephew of the great lake-poet, William Wordsworth--was born in 1807. He was educated at Winchester, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was elected Fellow of his College in 1830, and public orator of the University in 1836; received Priest's Orders in 1835; head master of Harrow School in 1836; Canon of Westminster Abbey in 1844; Hulsean Lecturer at Cambridge in 1847-48; Vicar of Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berks, in 1850; Archdeacon of Westminster, in 1865; Bishop of Lincoln, in 1868. His writings are numerous, and most are in prose. Of his many works, however, the only one which claims notice from the hynmologist's point of view is The Holy Year, which contains hymns, not only for every season of the Church's year, but also for every phase of that season, as indicated in the Book of Common Prayer. Dr. Wordsworth, like the Wesleys, looked upon hymns as a valuable means of stamping permanently upon the memory the great doctrines of the Christian Church. He held it to be "the first duty of a hymn-writer to teach sound doctrine, and thus to save souls." He thought that the materials for English Church hymns should be sought (1) in the Holy Scriptures, (2) in the writings of Christian Antiquity, and (3) in the Poetry of the Ancient Church.
Allen Pote (b. 1945) was born in Halstead, Kansas, and educated at Texas Christian University, where his diploma was in Church Music. A Fulbright Scholar, he studied in Brussels, Belgium, and took advanced work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. For twenty-two years he served as a full-time Director of Music in churches in Texas and Florida. He is currently a full-time composer living in Pensacola, Florida, where, with his wife Susan, he is co-director of the Pensacola Children's Choir, an organization of over 200 singers which has achieved national recognition.
In this anthem, he has combined text based on Luke 24: 1-10 with the text of Dr. Wordsworth’s hymn to create an exultant Easter song.
Early in the morning came women bringing spices and perfume,
to anoint the body of Jesus, lying in the tomb.
But the stone was rolled away, and the body was not there.
Then two men in dazzling clothes spoke to them:
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?
He is not here, he is not here for he has risen.”
He is not here for he has risen from the dead.
He is not here! Jesus is alive!
Go and tell all the apostles, go and tell Peter and John.
Go and tell those who will listen, Jesus is risen, He is alive!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to heaven and voices raise,
Sing to God a hymn of gladness, sing to God a hymn of praise;
he who on the cross a victim for the world’s salvation bled,
Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, now is risen from the dead!
He is not here, he has risen. Alleluia!
Joy in the Morning – Natalee Sleeth
(c.1977, Hope Publishing)
Natalie Allyn Sleeth (née Wakeley) (1930-1992) was born in Evanston, Illinois. In 1934, she began to study the piano at the early age of four. In 1952, she received an Academic major in music theory and a BA in music theory at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She married a Professor of Homiletics, Reverend Ronald E. Sleeth. In her later life she received an honorary doctorate from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1959, and from Nebraska Wesleyan College in 1990. An organist, she wrote over 180 selections for church and school. She was a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX.
One of Sleeth's best-known anthems for choir is entitled "Joy in the Morning" and was written for the West Virginia Wesleyan College concert chorale on the occasion of her husband's inauguration as the president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1977. Far and away the best-selling anthem in the Hope catalog with over one million copies sold, "Joy in the Morning" is a true classic.
Joy, there’ll be joy, there’ll be joy in the morning on that day,
For the daylight will dawn when the darkness is gone.
There’ll be peace evermore, there’ll be peace on the earth once more,
Every heart and voice will again rejoice, there’ll be peace evermore.
And the glory of the Lord will shine upon us,
And the glory of the Lord will bring the truth divine.
There’ll be love and forgiveness everywhere,
And the way of the Lord will that day be restored,
There’ll be love, sweet love everywhere.
There’ll be love and forgiveness,
There’ll be peace and contentment,
There’ll be joy, joy, joy, joy, joy!
Hallelujah, from Messiah – G. F. Handel
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.
Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.
Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; Messiah was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus Christ as Messiah. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the shepherds, the only "scene" taken from the Gospels. In Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion and ends with the "Hallelujah" chorus. In Part III he covers the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in heaven.
Handel wrote Messiah for modest vocal and instrumental forces, with optional settings for many of the individual numbers. In the years after his death, the work was adapted for performance on a much larger scale, with giant orchestras and choirs. In other efforts to update it, its orchestration was revised and amplified by (among others) Mozart. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the trend has been towards reproducing a greater fidelity to Handel's original intentions, although "big Messiah" productions continue to be mounted. A near-complete version was issued on 78 rpm discs in 1928; since then the work has been recorded many times.
Part II closes with the chorus "Hallelujah", in the key of D major with trumpets and timpani. This chorus is often performed out of context, especially around Christmas and Easter. The choir introduces in homophony a characteristic simple motif on the word, playing with the interval of a second, which re-appears throughout the piece. Several lines from the Book of Revelation (Revelation 19:6,16, Revelation 11:15) are treated differently, as in a motet, but unified by "Hallelujah" as a conclusion or as a countersubject in a fugal section. The line "for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" is sung by all voices, first in unison, then in imitation with Hallelujah-exclamations interspersed. The second line "The kingdom of this world is become" is sung in a four part setting like a chorale. The third idea "and he shall reign for ever and ever" starts as a fugue on a theme with bold leaps, reminiscent in sequence of Philipp Nicolai's Lutheran chorale Wachet auf. As a countersubject, the words "forever – and ever" assume the rhythm of the Hallelujah-motif. The final acclamation "King of Kings...and Lord of Lords" is sung on one note, energized by repeated calls "Hallelujah" and "forever – and ever", raised higher and higher (the sopranos and the trumpets part), up to a rest full of tension and a final solemn "Hallelujah".
In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the performance. The tradition is said to have originated with the first London performance of Messiah, which was attended by King George II. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king was so moved that he rose to his feet and remained standing until the end of the chorus. Royal protocol has always dictated that when the monarch stands, everyone in the monarch's presence is also required to stand. Thus, the entire audience and orchestra stood when the king stood during the performance, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries.
There is another story told about this chorus that Handel's assistant walked in to Handel's room after shouting to him for several minutes with no response. The assistant reportedly found Handel in tears, and when asked what was wrong, Handel held up the score to this movement and said, "I thought I saw the face of God."
Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ.
And He shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!
About the Hymns:
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
"Hymn for Easter Day" was written by Charles Wesley in 1739 for the inaugural service at the Foundry Meeting House, London's first Wesleyan chapel. As with many of the most popular hymns, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" has survived the centuries thanks to a successful marriage of lyrics and music. The tune first circulated in 1708 with the Lyra Davidica hymnal, but no composer has ever been acknowledged. It was first published in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, John Wesley's hymnbook first published in 1780. Charles Wesley's original text does not include the song's most distinctive characteristic—the "Alleluia!" that ends each line. An unknown editor added the alleluias later.
“Alleluia”, meaning "Praise the Lord," prominently leads off Psalms 106, 111, 112, 113, 117, and 135 in the Hebrew hymnal. In the years immediately following Christ's resurrection, “alleluia” particularly connoted praise for Jesus' victory over death. Early Christians began greeting each other on Easter with the now-familiar call and response: "Alleluia! He is risen!" "Alleluia! He is risen indeed!" Alleluia is meant to convey emphatic joy, thanksgiving, and triumph.
John captures the triumph in Revelation 19 with his vision of the great multitude in heaven roaring, "Alleluia!" Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate, conveyed the joy when he wrote that Christian houses of worship in the fourth and fifth centuries shook from the intense alleluias shouted by believers. Roman Catholics and Anglicans refrain from speaking or singing alleluia during Lent, but they reintroduce the word into their liturgies to express their thanksgiving on Easter morning. Even in nonliturgical churches, alleluia retains a kind of liturgical significance. Bernard Lord Manning, a hymnologist, historian, and observer of Methodism during the early 20th century, explained how hymns like "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" functioned as a liturgy for John and Charles Wesley's spiritual descendants.
But in the evening at the chapel [the Dissenting church], though I was uncertain about the prayers, there was no gamble about the hymns. I knew we should have Charles Wesley's Easter hymn, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," with its 24 "Alleluias": and we did have it. Among any Dissenters worth the name that hymn is as certain to come on Easter Day as the Easter Collect in the Established Church. And mark this further—those 24 "Alleluias" are not there for nothing: the special use of "Alleluia" at Easter comes down to us from the most venerable liturgies. Our hymns are our liturgy, an excellent liturgy. Let us study it, respect it, use it, develop it, and boast of it.
This melodic liturgy conveys the triumphant joy that is ours on Easter morning. Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia! Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia! Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy pow’r to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!
The Day of Resurrection
This hymn from the early eighth century is one of the oldest expressions found in most hymnals. Its origin is rooted in the liturgy of the Greek Orthodox Church. It was written by one of the famous monks of that church, St. John of Damascus, c. 676–c. 780. He became an Orthodox priest late in life, and spent the rest of his life at St. Sabas convent near Jerusalem. He was a gifted poet ––the greatest poet of the Greek Church.
The story is told of John writing this hymn for the funeral of a fellow monk –– a monk not yet dead but at death's doorstep. After writing the hymn John started practicing it loudly. The next thing he knew, the dying monk came shuffling into the room to protest the unseemly noise.
The celebration of Easter has always been a spectacle of ecclesiastical pomp in the Greek Orthodox Church. Even today, as a vital part of the ceremony, the worshipers bury a cross under the high altar on Good Friday and dramatically resurrect it with shouts of “Christos egerthe” (“Christ is risen”) on Easter Sunday. With this announcement begins a time of joyous celebration. Torches are lit, bells and trumpets peel, and salvos of cannons fill the air.
This hymn, "The Day of Resurrection," was part of a much longer poem. John Mason Neale translated it into English in the 19th century –– a thousand years after it was first written.
The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
the passover of gladness, the passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.
Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light;
and listening to his accents, may hear, so calm and plain,
his own "All hail!" and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.
Now let the heavens be joyful! Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end.
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
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