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:
Partita on "Ein Feste Burg: Postludium - Charles Callahan
(c.1987, Morning Star Music)
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (“Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”) is one of the best known of Martin Luther's hymns. Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529. It has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages. The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 46. "A Mighty Fortress" is one of the best loved hymns of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. It has been called the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation" for the effect it had in increasing the support for the Reformers' causeHeinrich Heine states that it was sung by Luther and his companions as they entered Worms on 16 April 1521 for the Diet.
The earliest extant hymnal in which it appears is that of Andrew Rauscher (1531), but it is supposed to have been in Joseph Klug's Wittenberg hymnal of 1529, of which no copy exists. Its title was “Der xxxxvi. Psalm. Deus noster refugium et virtus.” Before that it is supposed to have appeared in the Hans Weiss’ Wittenberg hymnal of 1528, also lost. This evidence would support its being written in 1527–1529, since Luther's hymns were printed shortly after they were written.
Tradition states that the third Protestant King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, had it played as his forces went to battle in the Thirty Years' War. The hymn had been translated into Swedish already in 1536, presumably by Olaus Petri, with the incipit, “Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg.” In the late 19th century the song also became an anthem of the early Swedish socialist movement.
It was first translated into English by Myles Coverdale in 1539 with the title, “Oure God is a defence and towre.” The first English translation in common usage was “God is our Refuge in Distress, Our strong Defence” in J.C. Jacobi's Psal. Ger. in 1722. The most popular English version is “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing” and was translated by Frederick H. Hedge in 1853.
The hymn's enduring popularity in Western Christendom has breached boundaries set in the Reformation as it is now a suggested hymn for Catholic Masses. It currently appears in the second edition of the Catholic Book of Worship, published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, though its adoption is not without controversy.
Luther composed the melody, named "Ein feste Burg" from the text's first line, in meter 87.87.55.56.7. This is sometimes denoted "rhythmic tune" to distinguish it from the later isometric variant, in 87.87.66.66.7 meter which is more widely known and used. In 1906 Edouard Rœhrich wrote, "The authentic form of this melody differs very much from that which one sings in most Protestant churches and figures in (Giacomo Meyerbeer's) The Huguenots. ... The original melody is extremely rhythmic, by the way it bends to all the nuances of the text ..." While 19th-century musicologists disputed Luther's authorship of the music to the hymn, that opinion has been modified by more recent research; it is now the consensus view of musical scholars that Luther did indeed compose the famous tune to go with the words.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill: God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!
Charles Callahan (b. 1951) is one of America’s leading organist-composers. A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Catholic University of America. In recognition of his service to the church and his commissioned compositions for Papal visits to the U.S., he was awared the Papal Honor of Knighthood in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in 1999. In addition to compositions and performances, Charles Callahan is a noted educator and author whose two books on American organ-building have become standard reference works.
About the Handbell Music:
Adagio, from Concerto for Clarinet - W. A. Mozart/Malcolm Wilson
(c.2008, Agape, div. of Hope Publishing)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition resulted in more than 800 works of virtually every genre of his time. Many of these compositions are acknowledged as pinnacles of the symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral repertoire. Mozart is widely regarded as among the greatest composers in the history of Western music, with his music admired for its "melodic beauty, its formal elegance and its richness of harmony and texture".
Born in Salzburg, then in the Holy Roman Empire and currently in Austria, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. His father took him on a grand tour of Europe and then three trips to Italy. At 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position. While visiting Vienna in 1781, Mozart was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He stayed in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years there, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas. His Requiem was largely unfinished by the time of his death at the age of 35, the circumstances of which are uncertain and much mythologized.
Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, was completed in October 1791 for the clarinettist Anton Stadler. It consists of three movements, in a fast–slow–fast succession: Allegro (in A major and in sonata form); Adagio (in D major and in ternary form); Rondo: Allegro (in A major and in rondo form). The work was completed a few weeks before the composer's death, and has been described as his swan-song and his last great completed work. The date of its first performance is not certain, but may have been 16 October 1791 in Prague. The concerto was written to be played on the basset clarinet, which can play lower notes than an ordinary clarinet, but after the death of Mozart it was published with changes to the solo part to allow performance on conventional instruments. The manuscript score is lost, but from the latter part of the 20th century onwards many performances of the work have been given on basset clarinets in conjectural reconstructions of Mozart's original.
Malcolm Wilson has arranged the main theme of the second movement for handbells. Wilson is Britain’s most published composer and arranger of handbell music. He has directed the multiple handbell groups at Dunblane Cathedral since 1987, a group which is widely regarded as having Scotland’s leading handbell ensemble. Under his direction they have made many television appearances, radio broadcasts, and traveled tens of thousands of miles throughout the UK to give several hundred performances, shared stages with many orchestras, bands, and choirs, performed in 9 different countries, and produced 3 commercial recordings. He initiated ringing at Shieldhill Primary School, Falkirk. He was National Membership Secretary of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain (HRGB) for 7 years, was conferred Honorary Life Membership of HRGB in recognition of his work in promoting ringing in Scotland, and served as first Chairman of the Scottish Regional Association of HRGB for 9 years. He has been church organist, piano tutor, and accompanist. He was massed ringing conductor at three International Handbell Symposia both in the UK and Canada. He initiated and has organized the National Ring in Praise Handbell Seminars for Church Musicians every year since 1989, and the National Residential Ringing Weeks every second year from 1997 until 2003. He was founding director of Scotland’s national handbell ensemble, Celtic Carillon.
About the Choral Music:
The Lord Is My Shepherd - Thomas Matthews
(c.1956, H. T. FitzSimons Co)
Thomas Matthews (1915-1999) was born at Utica, NY, and, at the age of 8, sang under Norman Coke-Jephcott recently arrived from Coventry Cathedral. At 17 he assisted Coke-Jephcott at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City where he continued to be influenced by the leading church musicians of the time. In 1936 he accepted the post of Organist/Choirmaster at St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Chestnut Hill) in Philadelphia. During WWII Dr. Matthews conducted the famous Blue Jacket Choir and after the war assumed the music position at St. Luke’s, Evanston, Illinois. He also served on the Northwestern University School of Music faculty and was director of music for Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He founded the North Shore Chapter of the AGO and the Evanston Bach Choir, and became Dean of the Evergreen Conferences. In 1960, at the urging of Bishop Powell of Oklahoma, He became Trinity Church’s Organist/Choirmaster in Tulsa and founded the music department at Holland Hall School, served on the faculty of the University of Tulsa, and supervised the design and installation of the IV/82 Moller which continues to serve the greater Tulsa community. Dr. Matthews composed over thirty published anthems of which “The Lord Is My Shepherd” is best known. It has sold well over one million copies. Tom’s skills as an improviser were legendary and some of the extant recordings of his improvisations are being transcribed for publication.
The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me, the comfort me,
they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
Forever.
Song of Hope (Canto de Esperanza)
Written in 1984 by Alvin L. Schutmaat, a PC(USA) missionary to Latin America, this joyful hymn set to a traditional Argentine folk melody, inspires us to be hopeful and work for peace and justice in the world. Bringing in images of light and darkness, the hymn references John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” This is a reminder of Jesus’ promise to us to never leave us in the dark, but instead, offer us eternal life. The hymn also alludes to Romans 15:13, which states, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This gives us the opening phrase and sets up the idea of hope—a hope that supports and encourages Christians to strive for justice. This theme is also supported in Isaiah 51:4, “Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.”
The author and translator, Alvin L. Schutmaat (1921-1986), was born in Michigan and was appointed by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a missionary to South America. There he taught theology and music in Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico and worked as an educator, theologian and, on occasion, a hymn writer.
May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.
Praying, let us work for peace;
Singing, share our joy with all;
Working for a world that’s new,
Faithful when we hear Christ’s call.
About the Hymns:
O For a Thousand Tongues
"O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" was written by Charles Wesley, who wrote over 6,000 hymns. Wesley was suffering a bout of pleurisy in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar Peter Böhler in London. At the time, Wesley was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21, Wesley was attended by a group of Christians who offered him testimony and basic care, and he was deeply affected by this. He read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words and at peace with God. Shortly, his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith; when his brother John had a similar experience on the 24th, the two men met and sang a hymn Wesley had written in praise of his renewal.
One year from the experience, Wesley was taken with the urge to write another hymn, this one in commemoration of his renewal of faith. This hymn took the form of an 18-stanza poem, beginning with the opening lines “Glory to God, and praise, and love Be ever, ever given” and was published in 1740 and entitled “For the anniversary day of one's conversion”. The seventh verse, which begins, 'O for a thousand tongues to sing', and which now is invariably the first verse of a shorter hymn, recalls the words of Peter Böhler who said, “Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.” The hymn was published first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists in 1780. It has appeared first in every Methodist hymnal since that time.
The original 10 verses are:
O For a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise!
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the world abroad The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the Name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears, 'Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of cancell'd sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood avail'd for me.
He speaks, - and, listening to his voice, New life the dead receive;
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice; The humble poor believe.
Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb, Your loosen'd tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come, And leap, ye lame, for joy.
Look unto him, ye nations; own Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.
See all your sins on Jesus laid; The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.
Awake from guilty nature's sleep, And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep, And wash the AEthiop white.
With me, your chief, ye then shall know, Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below, And own that love is heaven.
Go, Make of All Disciples
(c.1964, Abingdon Press)
Leon McKinley Adkins (1896-1986) was a Methodist pastor, serving congregations between 1921-1955, and an administrator, serving at the Board of Education of the Methodist Church in Nashville from 1955-1966. His hymn, “Go Make of All Disciples” was first sung at the commissioning of teachers and church school officials during Christian Education Week, 1955, at University Methodist Church, Syracuse, where the author was pastor. The hymn was printed in the February 1956 issue of Church School and first appeared in a hymnal in the 1966 Book of Hymns. This hymn begins with the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20, KJV)
Henry T. Smart composed the tune LANCASHIRE in 1835 for use at a missions festival at Blackburn, Lancashire, England. For that festival, which celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation in England, the tune was set to Reginald Heber's “From Greenland's Icy Mountains.” First printed in leaflets, LANCASHIRE was published In Smart's Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1867). It was set to Shurtleffs text in the 1905 Methodist Hymnal. In some hymnals this tune is also associated with "The Day of Resurrection”.
Go make of all disciples. We hear the call, O Lord,
That comes from Thee, our Father, In Thy eternal Word
Inspire our ways of learning Through earnest fervent prayer
And let our daily living Reveal Thee everywhere
Go make of all disciples, Baptizing in the name
Of Father Son and Spirit, From age to age the same.
We call each new disciple To follow Thee, O Lord,
Redeeming soul and body By water and the Word.
Go make of all disciples. We at Thy feet would stay
Until each life's vocation Accents Thy holy way.
We cultivate the nature God plants in every heart,
Revealing in our witness The Master Teacher's art.
Go make of all disciples. We welcome Thy command.
“Lo, I am with you always.” We take Thy guiding hand.
The task looms large before us; We follow without fear.
In heaven and earth, Thy power Shall bring God's kingdom here
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
No comments:
Post a Comment