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:
The King of Love My Shepherd Is - G. Winston Cassler
(c.1962, Augsburg Publishing House)
“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.
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.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me,
And on his shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death's dark vale I fear no ill With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still, Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spread'st a table in my sight; Thy unction, grace bestoweth:
And O what transport of delight From thy pure chalice floweth!
G. Winston Cassler (1906-1990) was a member of the faculty of St. Olaf College from 1949 until his retirement in 1972. Cassler studied at Oberlin College in Ohio and had a successful career as a composer of hymns.
Postlude on Lobe den Herren - Raymond Haan
(c.198, MorningStar Music)
"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" is a hymn based on Joachim Neander's German chorale Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, published in 1680. John Julian, in his A Dictionary of Hymnology, calls the German original "a magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest creation of its author, and of the first rank in its class." Neander wrote this particular hymn while dying and it says much about his faith. While contemplating the words to go along with the melody, he reflected on Psalm 103 with its claim that everything within us should praise the Father’s holy name. It was the favorite hymn of King Frederick William III of Prussia, who first heard it in 1800. In the Neander original, first the singer calls himself (my beloved soul) to praise God, then calls for a larger group to join the praise with musical instruments as well as song. John Julian 's A Dictionary of Hymnology lists more than ten English translations of "Lobe den Herren" printed in various nineteenth century hymnals.
The melody used by Neander, first published in 1665, is probably based on a folk tune. The common name given to this melody is "Lobe den Herren". Several variants were published with various secular texts between 1665 to 1680, when Joachim Neander published his German hymn, Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, using its meter. The text paraphrases Psalm 103 and Psalm 150.
One interesting piece of history is the later use of Neander’s name. He often taught in a valley near the Düssel river, and over 100 years after his death the valley was named after him. It was in that valley that bones were later found, from which we get the name “Neanderthal.”
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?
Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully, wondrously made thee!
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly failing, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.
Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.
Raymond H. Haan (b.1938) was born in Falmouth, Michigan in 1938. He is a graduate of Calvin College and the University of Michigan. He studied music education with Joseph L. Sullivan, organist and choirmaster with St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Haan is the Director of Music for the Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, and has had this position since 1960. He is the composer of hundreds of compositions for organ, voice, choir, handbells, piano, and other instruments.
About the Piano Music:
His Eye is on the Sparrow - Mary McDonald
(c.1994, Purifoy Publishing Company)
Civilla Durfee Martin (1866-1948) was born in Nova Scotia and died in Atlanta, Ga. In “His eye is on the sparrow” (1905), she has provided one of the most influential and often-recorded gospel hymns of the 20th century. Martin was the daughter of James N. and Irene Harding Holden, and was a schoolteacher with modest musical training. Together with her husband, Walter (1862-1935), they often wrote gospel songs for revival meetings. “Be not dismayed” is an example of their collaboration. Walter Stillman Martin was a Baptist minister who received his education at Harvard. He later became a member of the Disciples of Christ, teaching at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, N.C., before moving to Atlanta in 1919, a location that became the base for revivals that he held throughout the U.S.
The song was obviously inspired by Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Gather feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Later in Matthew (10:29-31), the Gospel writer continues on this theme: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Similar thoughts are cited in Luke 12:6-7. Stanza two quotes part of John 1:14 directly, “Let not your heart be troubled...”
Civilla Martin describes the context out of which the hymn was born: “Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheelchair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s response was simple: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ was the outcome of that experience.” The next day she mailed the poem to Charles Gabriel, a famous composer of gospel songs, who wrote a tune for it.
Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart feel lonely And long for Heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? A constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me;
“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth But one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me;
Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He cares for me;
I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches 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 Vocal Solo Music:
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us - William Bradley Roberts
(c.1990, Augsburg Fortress)
The text of "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" first appeared in Hymns for the Young, 1830, which was edited by Dorothy Ann Thrupp (1779-1847). “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” appears in 1005 hymnals. It is one hymn that most church members can recognize across denominational lines. What may surprise most churchgoers to know, however, is that for such a well-known and loved hymn of the Christian faith, we know little about how it was written or who the true author was. Its past aside, however, we see that whoever penned these words had a deeply theological message to share.
The mystery of the authorship of the words goes back to the 1830s, when the hymn made its first appearances in Thrupp’s Hymns for the Young (c. 1830) and the Fourth Edition in 1836, but without attribution. Although no author's name appears with the text, it is thought that Thrupp wrote it, since she often published hymns anonymously, under the pseudonym "Iota," or simply using her initials “DAT”. Rev. William Carus Wilson published a magazine titled The Children’s Friend (June 1838) and ascribed the poem to “Lyte,” possibly Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847). British hymnologist J. R. Watson notes, “The authorship remains in doubt; all that can be added is that a stylistic analysis of the vocabulary, rhythm and content would suggest that Thrupp, rather than Henry Francis Lyte, was the author” (Canterbury Dictionary).
The picture we get from this hymn, and the reason it has been such a defining song of the church, lies in the fact that it presents the fuller theology of Christian life in one song. This picture of the saving love and grace of God, the salvation message of God, God’s fellowship with us, and the continuing service to God gives us the broader perspective of what the Christian life should be. Thrupp attempted to make the hymn accessible to children and has presented it in a way that is applicable to every Christian. Although this song may have had some vague beginnings, it has a certain future in the church because of its message of hope, love, salvation, and Christian living.
William Bradley Roberts’ setting is based on a beloved hymn text paraphrase of Psalm 23 and paired with his original tune, GRANT. The Rev. William Bradley Roberts, DMA (b.1947) is Professor Emeritus of Church Music at Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal), Alexandria. Previously he was Director of Music at St. John’s, Lafayette Square, in Washington, D.C., “the Church of the Presidents.” He has held similar positions in Tucson, Ariz., Newport Beach, Calif., Louisville, Ky. and Houston, Tex. While in Southern California, Roberts sang with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Active in the work of the national Episcopal Church, he has served as Chair of the Standing Commission on Church Music, and Chair of the Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) for which he authored the curriculum Voice Training for Choirs. He is a long-time member of the board of Alice Parker’s Melodious Accord. He authored the book Music and Vital Congregations (New York: Church Publishing) and produced a DVD, Creating Worship that Works: Clergy and Musicians as Partners in Ministry . A CD of his choral compositions was released on the Gothic label as the first in a National Cathedral series of recordings of American composers.
Savior, like a shepherd lead us, Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Early let us seek Thy favor, Early let us learnThy will;
Lord, our only Savior, with thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus, Thou hast loved us, love us still.
About the Hymns:
This summer, we will explore the hymns of The Faith We Sing, a United Methodist hymnal that we seldom use, so that we may discover some of the gems that are found there.
All Who Hunger
(c.1991, GIA Publications)
This hymn was first published in Sylvia Dunstun’s In Search of Hope & Grace: 40 Hymns and Gospel Songs (GIA Publications, Inc., 1991). She wrote there of this text: “At the Hymn Society Confrence in 1990 I had the chance to acquaint myself with the tunes of the Southern Harmony. After the conference, some of us vacationed at Folly Beach outside Charleston [South Carolina], where I worked out this text, wandering up and down the beach singing the tune HOLY MANNA.”
HOLY MANNA is an Appalachian tune, published in William Moore's four-shape tune book The Columbian Harmony in 1825. William Moore (from Wilson County in west Tennessee) claimed authorship of eighteen of the tunes in that collection, including HOLY MANNA, which was set to "Brethren, We Have Met to Worship." HOLY MANNA was a very popular tune, given various names and set to various texts in many collections.
Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993) attributes her love of song to her grandparents, who kept song alive in the family and entrusted Sylvia's formal musical education to one of the nuns at the local convent. Sylvia began writing songs in the early seventies and soon after met Sister Miriam Theresa Winter, who encouraged her to write songs based on Scripture. Sylvia eventually realized that her talents did not lay with the music and concentrated instead on the lyrics. Her bachelor degree was earned from York University, and she received graduate degrees in theology and divinity from Emmanuel College, Toronto. In 1980, she was ordained by the Hamilton Conference of the United Church of Canada. During her career she served as a minister, a prison chaplain, and editor of a Canadian worship resource journal, Gathering.
In the summer of 1990, she was invited to lead the annual conference of the Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada in a session exploring her hymnody. That exposure led to the publication of her texts In Search of Hope and Grace. A smaller collection Where the Promise Shines was published after her death in 1994. Many of her hymn texts have been set by contemporary composers.
All who hunger, gather gladly; Holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wand’ring. Here, in truth, we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, All around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.
All who hunger, never strangers; Seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming. Here, in joy we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered In communion's love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.
All who hunger, sing together; Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing. Here in peace, we have been fed.
Blest are those who from this table Live their days in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.
The Lily of the Valley
"The Lily of the Valley" ("I've Found a Friend in Jesus") was written by William Charles Fry (1837–1882) in London for the Salvation Army. Fry and his family were members of the Salvation Army organization founded by William Booth which was then in crisis. It is recorded that Fry did not like the abuse he saw hurled at the Salvation Army when they established their ministry in 1878 in Salisbury, where the Fry family lived. Mr. Fry, who was a bricklayer, and his three sons offered to serve as bodyguards for the Salvation Army workers. The next day the four men arrived with their “weapons". These weapons consisted of two cornets, a trombone and a small tuba. In between fighting off the troublemakers, the Fry men played, and their music attracted a crowd for the Salvation Army preachers. This was the first Salvation Army brass band with Mr. Fry as the leader of the band as inscribed on his grave stone.
Fry took the term "Lily of the Valley" from the book of Song of Solomon 2:1: “I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley”. He used this verse of Scripture to represent the message of the preacher William Booth to the people during the protests of 1881 describing a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. Those words were first published in the December 29, 1881, edition of the Salvation Army national magazine, the War Cry. Charles Fry died the year after publishing the hymn in Park Hall, Polmont, Scotland. American evangelist Ira D. Sankey adapted Fry's words to the music of "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" composed in 1871 by Will Hays for a secular minstrel show and gave it the hymn tune SALVATIONIST.
I have found a friend in Jesus, He's everything to me
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
The lily of the valley and in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole
In sorrow He's my comfort, in trouble He's my stay
He tells me every care on Him to roll
He's the lily of the valley, He's the bright and morning star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
He all my grief has taken and all my sorrows borne
In temptation, He's my strong and mighty tower
I have all for Him forsaken and all my idols torn
From my heart and now I know He'll keep me by His power
Though all the world forsake me and old Satan he tempts me sore
Through Jesus I shall safely reach that goal
He's the lily of the valley, He's the bright and morning star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
He will never never leave me nor yet forsake me here
While I live by faith and do His blessed will
It's a wall of fire about me, but I've nothing now to fear
With His manna He my hungry soul is gonna fill
Then I'll go sweeping up to Glory to see His blessed face
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll
He's the lily of the valley, He's the bright and morning star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
God Be with You till We Meet Again
“God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, which was written by Jeremiah Eames Rankin’s (1828-1904), was composed so his church choir could have something to sing when they parted each week. Rankin, a congregational minister and later the president of Howard University (Washington D.C.), was a prolific hymn writer and preacher. Rankin was the minister for the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. and said this about the hymn, “Written…as a Christian goodbye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on basis of the etymology of “goodbye,” which is “God be with you.” He got the idea for the first stanza of the song when he saw the dictionary definition of “good-bye” was short for “God be with you.” While Rankin was responsible for writing the lyrics, William Tomer, who was the music director at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, composed the music.
The hymn became the official closing song for the Christian Endeavor Convention. Dr. Rankin said: “It has had no sweeter recognition than that given it by its adoption by the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Long, long, may they sing it!”
During the war, many postcards were printed with hymn lyrics to help soldiers in battle feel at ease. One such postcard was a colorful picture of soldiers going to battle with the following verse: “God be with you till we meet again; keep love’s banner floating o’er you, smite death’s threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.”
The original hymn had eight verses and first appeared in the collection Gospel Bells (1880), Rankin’s (1828-1904) text is often amended to include a refrain, mimicking the style and content of other hymns used to close camp meetings, revivals, or sung on the occasion of the departure of a church leader to a new assignment. This practice of singing a goodbye may also be linked to the history of shaped-note singing schools concluding with a goodbye or farewell song.
God be with you till we meet again; By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; Neath His wings protecting hide you;
Daily manna still provide you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; With the oil of joy anoint you;
Sacred ministries appoint you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; When life’s perils thick confound you;
Put His arms unfailing round you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; Of His promises remind you;
For life’s upper garner bind you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; Sicknesses and sorrows taking,
Never leaving or forsaking; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Strike death’s threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again; Ended when for you earth’s story,
Israel’s chariot sweep to glory; God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet, Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again.
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
No comments:
Post a Comment