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:
Wondrous Love; Variations on a Shape-note Hymn - Samuel Barber
(c.1959, G. Schirmer)
What Wondrous Love Is This is sometimes described as a "white spiritual", from the American South. Its text was first published in 1811, during the Second Great Awakening, and its melody is derived from an English popular ballad. The hymn's lyrics were first published in Lynchburg, Virginia in the c. 1811 camp meeting songbook A General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use. The lyrics may also have been printed, in a slightly different form, in the 1811 book Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected published in Lexington, Kentucky. In most early printings, the hymn's text was attributed to an anonymous author, though the 1848 hymnal The Hesperian Harp attributes the text to a Methodist pastor from Oxford, Georgia named Alexander Means. In 1966, the United Methodist Book of Hymns became the first standard hymnal to incorporate What Wondrous Love Is This.
Most sources attribute the hymn's melody to the 1701 English song "The Ballad of Captain Kidd", which describes the exploits of pirate William Kidd (misnamed "Robert" in American versions of the ballad). The melody itself predates the Kidd usage, however, possibly by more than a century.(In addition, at least a dozen popular songs were set to the same melody after 1701.) In the early 1800s, when the lyrics to "What Wondrous Love Is This" were first published, hymnals typically lacked any musical notation. Camp meeting attendees during the Second Great Awakening would sing the hymns printed in these hymnals to a variety of popular melodies, including "The Ballad of Captain Kidd", which was well known at the time; this is likely how the text and melody came to be paired. The text and melody were first published together in the appendix of the 1840 edition of The Southern Harmony, a book of shape note hymns compiled by William Walker. The three-part harmony printed in The Southern Harmony was arranged by James Christopher of Spartanburg, South Carolina. In a later printing of the hymn, William Walker noted that it was a "very popular old Southern tune”.
The hymn is sung in Dorian mode, giving it a haunting quality. Though The Southern Harmony and many later hymnals incorrectly notated the song in Aeolian mode (natural minor) even congregations singing from these hymnals generally sang in Dorian mode by spontaneously raising the sixth note a half step wherever it appeared. Twentieth-century hymnals generally present the hymn in Dorian mode, or sometimes in Aeolian mode but with a raised sixth.
The song's lyrics express awe at the love of God and are reminiscent of the text of John 3:16. The following lyrics are those printed in the 1811 hymnal A General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use; a number of variations exist, but most are descended from this version.
What wondrous love is this, O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this! That caused the Lord of bliss!
To send this precious peace, To my soul, to my soul!
To send this precious peace To my soul!
When I was sinking down, Sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down Sinking down
When I was sinking down, Beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown For my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown For my soul!
Ye winged seraphs fly, Bear the news, bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly Bear the news!--
Ye winged seraphs fly, like comets through the sky,
fill vast eternity! With the news, with the news!
Fill vast eternity With the news!
Ye friends of Zion's king, join his praise, join his praise;
Ye friends of Zion's king, join his praise;
Ye friends of Zion's king, with hearts and voices sing,
and strike each tuneful string in his praise, in his praise!
and strike each tuneful string in his praise!
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing--
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing!
while millions join the theme, I will sing!
And while from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And while from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
and while from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity I'll sing on.
Samuel Osmond Barber II (1910-1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century.
A child prodigy, Barber became profoundly interested in music at a very young age, and it was apparent that he had great musical talent and ability. He began studying the piano at the age of six and at age seven composed his first work, Sadness, a 23-measure solo piano piece in C minor.[2] Despite Barber's interest in music, his family wanted him to become a typical extroverted, athletic American boy. This meant, in particular, they encouraged his playing football. However, Barber was in no way a typical boy, and at the age of nine he wrote to his mother:
Dear Mother: I have written this to tell you my worrying
secret. Now don't cry when you read it because it is neither
yours nor my fault. I suppose I will have to tell it now without
any nonsense. To begin with I was not meant to be an athlet
[sic]. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I'm sure. I'll
ask you one more thing.—Don't ask me to try to forget this
unpleasant thing and go play football.—Please—Sometimes
I've been worrying about this so much that it makes me mad
(not very).
At the age of 10, Barber wrote his first operetta, The Rose Tree, to a libretto by the family's cook. At the age of 12, he became an organist at a local church. At the age of 14, Barber entered the youth artist program at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he ultimately spent ten years developing his talents as a triple prodigy in composition, voice, and piano.
Principally influenced by nine years' composition studies with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute and more than 25 years' study with his uncle, the composer Sidney Homer, Barber's music usually eschewed the experimental trends of musical modernism in favor of traditional 19th-century harmonic language and formal structure embracing lyricism and emotional expression. However, he adopted elements of modernism after 1940 in some of his compositions, such as an increased use of dissonance and chromaticism.
Barber was adept at both instrumental and vocal music. His works became successful on the international stage and many of his compositions enjoyed rapid adoption into the classical performance canon. In particular, his Adagio for Strings (1936) has earned a permanent place in the orchestral concert repertory. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Music twice: for his opera Vanessa (1956–1957), and for the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1962). At the time of Barber's death, nearly all of his compositions had been recorded.
Barber was in a relationship with the composer Gian Carlo Menotti for more than 40 years. They lived at Capricorn, a house just north of New York City, where they frequently hosted parties with academic and music luminaries. Menotti was Barber's librettist for two of his three operas.
In addition to composing, Barber was active in organizations that sought to help musicians and promote music. He was president of the International Music Council of UNESCO. He worked to bring attention to and ameliorate adverse conditions facing musicians and musical organizations worldwide. He was one of the first American composers to visit Russia (then part of the Soviet Union). Barber was also influential in the successful campaign by composers against ASCAP, the goal of which was to increase royalties paid to composers.
A Lenten Chorale - Stanley Saxton
(c.1993, Lorenz Publishing)
Georg Neumark (1621-1681) lived during the time of the Thirty Years' War, when social and economic conditions were deplorable. He had personal trials as well. On his way to Konigsberg to study at the university, traveling in the comparative safety of a group of merchants, he was robbed of nearly all his possessions. During the next two years he spent much of his time looking for employment. He finally secured a tutoring position in Kiel. When he had saved enough money, he returned to the University of Konigsberg and studied there for five years. In Konigsberg he again lost all his belongings, this time in a fire. Despite his personal suffering Neumark wrote many hymns in which he expressed his absolute trust in God. In 1651 he settled in Weimar, Thuringia, where he became court poet and archivist to Duke Johann Ernst and librarian and registrar of the city. Neumark wrote thirty-four hymns, of which "If You But Trust in God to Guide You" has become a classic.
Neumark wrote this text, literally translated “Who only lets dear God rule”, at age twenty, just after he had finally been able to find employment as a tutor for a judge in Kiel. Neumark was so relieved and grateful to God by his change in circumstance that he wrote this text, saying, “This good fortune, which came so suddenly and, as it were, from heaven, so rejoiced my heart that I wrote my hymn 'Wer nur . . .' to the glory of my God on that first day.” Written in Kiel, Germany, in 1641, the seven-stanza text (“Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten”) had the following heading: "a hymn of consolation, that God will care for and preserve his own in his own time; after the saying 'cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee.' Psalm 55:22." The text was published with the tune, also composed by Neumark, in Fortgepflanzter Musikalisch-Poetischer Lustwald (1657).
Catherine Winkworth prepared two translations of the original German text: one published in her Lyra Germanica (1855) and one published with substantial revision in her Chorale Book for England (1863), in which the first stanza began "If thou but suffer God to guide thee." Winkworth's revised translation of Neumark's original Stanzas 1, 3, and 7 is the basis for the three stanzas found in the Psalter Hymnal. A classic German chorale, this fine text focuses on trust in God's care in all of life's circumstances, both prosperous times and "evil days." As Christians we are counseled to be confident, to have patience, and to be faithful in service.
If thou but suffer God to guide thee And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee, And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God's unchanging love Builds on the Rock that naught can move.
Only be still and wait his pleasure in cheerful hope with heart content.
He fills your needs to fullest measure with what discerning love has sent;
doubt not our inmost wants are known to him who chose us for his own.
Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving, offer your service faithfully,
and trust his word; though undeserving, you'll find his promise true to be.
God never will forsake in need the soul that trusts in him indeed.
Stanley E. Saxton (1905-2002) earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Syracuse University. He studied organ with Marcel Dupre and Charles Marie Widor at the American School in Fontainebleau in France, and he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. He held his first church organist job at the age of 12, formed his own orchestra as a college freshman, and toured Europe with Paul Whiteman’s Collegians.
Stanley joined the Skidmore College faculty in 1928 and taught for 40 years, also serving as college organist. A member of the American Guild of Organists, he designed and built many pipe organs in the eastern U.S., including the three-manual organ that debuted with the opening of Filene Recital Hall on Skidmore’s new campus in the 1980s. He pursued research in indigenous folk music as source material for compositions, a topic he addressed in his 1959 Faculty Research Lecture. He published many compositions for organ, piano, voice, and chorus. Also a prodigious performer—he offered 400 recitals on the Skidmore campus alone—he continued to play after retiring from Skidmore in 1969.
In retirement, Stanley’s love for cultivating and breeding daylilies evolved into a second distinguished career. With a quarter-million daylilies growing in Saxton Gardens (his large backyard in Saratoga), he was a major supplier of seeds to wholesalers and home gardeners alike. A charter member of the American Hemerocallis Society, he had more than 300 registered hybrids.
About the Choral Music:
Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts - Claude Bass
(c.1960, Broadman Press)
This hymn is usually attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux from a poem he wrote in the 12th century during a period of history often called the Dark Ages. The church was plagued with spiritual and moral decay. The poem was translated from Latin in 1858 by Dr. Ray Palmer. Since Palmer did a free paraphrase rather than a strict translation, many consider that the hymn as it is known today was written by both Bernard of Clairvaux and Palmer. "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts!" was first published in the Sabbath Hymn Book in 1858.
Bernard of Clairvaux was a French nobleman by birth. His father was a knight, and his mother was a gracious and devout woman. With all the advantages of his upbringing, he possessed a high standard of character, excellent manners, and eloquence of speech. Influenced by the piety of his mother, who taught him the Christian faith, he grew up loving the Lord. Bernard could have continued to enjoy a life of luxury, but after his mother’s death, he gave it all up to become a monk. He wrote from personal experience when he said in the first stanza of the hymn that one can be “unfilled” by “the best bliss that earth imparts.”
Hymns such as this are sometimes criticized because they sound too much like a medieval monk, secluded in a monastery, unaware of the needs in the world, but Bernard broke free from that way of thinking. He understood that for Jesus’ purposes to be accomplished, Christians had to do it. Bernard diligently studied the Bible and knew the scriptures in his mind that were also real in his heart. His strong personality and leadership made him one of the most influential religious leaders of that time. He held evangelistic campaigns, and his eloquent, strong preaching challenged popes, kings, and political leaders to live godly lives. He also admonished professors to teach the truth. He emphasized a personal relationship with the Lord, Bible study, prayer, holiness, and ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of others. When he was selected to lead the Second Crusade in 1146, he required those joining the Crusade to give evidence of a personal conversion experience. Bernard of Clairvaux was a bright light in the spiritual decay of the Dark Ages.
Dr. Ray Palmer was the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Albany in New York when he translated Bernard’s poem in 1858. He was frequently ill and lonely and found comfort in writing poetry. Palmer was the first American writer to translate Latin hymns into English. He also wrote several hymns and is best remembered for his hymn, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.”
“Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts!” expresses the immeasurable peace that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the “fount of life’ and the “light of men.” …we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:11). Christ’s truth will never change, and those who seek Him will indeed find Him as their “all in all.” Christ is identified as the “living bread” and the “fountainhead” from which the believer’s soul is filled. Trusting in Christ results in rest for the believer during difficult times. The hymn then concludes with a desire for Christ’s continuing presence, assured of His promise.… lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:20). This hymn should be a reflection of the joy and love in every believer’s heart.
Bass has set this ancient text to an original tune. Claude Leroy Bass was born in 1935 in Gainesville, TX. He received his BM from Oklahoma Baptist University, a MM from the University Oklahoma, and a PhD from North Texas States University. He was a high school music teacher, and professor of music at Oklahoma Baptist University and at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX.
Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, Thou light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts, We turn unfilled to Thee again.
Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood; Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them who seek Thee Thou art good, To them who find Thee all in all.
Our restless spirits yearn for Thee, Where’er our changeful lot is cast;
Glad when Thy gracious smile we see, Blest when our faith can hold Thee fast.
O Jesus, ever with us stay, Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away, Shed o’er the world Thy holy light.
About the Hymns:
Zacchaeus was a Tax Man - Carolyn Gillette
(c.2010, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette)
Many people grew up enjoying the song "Zacchaeus was a wee little man," celebrating this beloved story of Jesus and a tax collector. This new hymn lifts up other aspects of Luke 19:1-10 beyond Zacchaeus' height; it celebrates Jesus' love for everyone and the call for his followers to work for justice for all. N.T. Wright comments: "Luke's is the only gospel that tells us of him [Zacchaeus] and his sudden moment of glory, and the hardened old tax-collector fits in to three of Luke's regular themes: the problem of riches and what to do about it, the identification of Jesus with 'sinners,' and the faith which recognizes Jesus as Lord and discovers new life as a result.”
Luke Timothy Johnson observes, "the story of Zacchaeus (19:1-9) is meant to contrast with that of the ruler in 18:18-23. Both men were powerful, both wealthy. The first kept all the commandments, and could be considered as righteous. But he could not do the "one thing remaining," which was to hand over his life utterly to the prophet, and to signal that commitment by selling his possessions and giving them to the poor. Zacchaeus, in contrast, was regarded as a "sinner" by those accompanying Jesus because of his occupation as chief tax-agent. But he is eager to receive the prophet "with joy" and he declares his willingness to share — indeed if this reading of the story is correct, his regular practice of sharing — his possessions with the poor, not as a single gesture but as a steady commitment”. Joel Green finds, "Unlike the rich ruler, Zacchaeus does not employ his wealth so as to procure honor and friends; rather, he is a social outcast who puts his possessions in the service of the needy and of justice. Such a person would indeed be eager to welcome Jesus, anointed by the Spirit to bring "good news to the poor (4:18-19), with joy!”
This hymn was originally written to support Bread for the World's 2010 Offering of Letters that urges Congress to adopt changes to U.S. tax policy that will benefit low-income families.
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette has been a pastor in rural, small town, suburban, and city churches; she has also served as a hospice chaplain, a hospital chaplain, and a school bus aide helping children with special needs. Carolyn is a gifted hymn writer who has written over 400 hymns. In addition to I Sing to My Savior: New Hymns from the Stories in Luke's Gospel, she has written Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship (Geneva Press) and Songs of Grace: New Hymns for God and Neighbor (Upper Room Books). Her hymns have been published in over 20 books. Two of her hymns have been published by the Choristers Guild as anthems.
Carolyn is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Princeton Theological Seminary.
Zacchaeus was a tax man who one day climbed a tree,
For he was short in stature and said he could not see.
And yet he had a problem that mattered even more:
He didn't see the suffering his greed had caused the poor.
O Lord, you saw Zacchaeus — so wealthy, yet alone.
You said, "Come down — and hurry! I'm coming to your home."
For you broke bread with sinners and saw within each one
A person loved and treasured — God's daughter or God's son.
It wasn't just the treetop that helped Zacchaeus see;
Your love and welcome showed him how different life could be.
He said that he'd start over and work to make things fair;
He'd speak the truth, bring justice, and find new ways to share.
O Christ, you bid us welcome and help us all to see!
May we respond by building a just society.
Then children won't be hungry and all will share your bread.
Then those who now must struggle will live in joy instead.
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
Sir John Bowring (1792-1872) was a distinguished scholar, ranked by some as one of the great minds of his day in the English-speaking world. Among his gifts was his ability as a linguist, publishing translations of poetry from such varied languages as Russian, Batavian, Spanish, Polish, Serbian, Bohemian, Magyar, Czech and Hungarian. Bowring was also a social progressive, advocating free trade, parliamentary reform, education for all and prison reforms, according to hymnologist Albert Bailey. Few hymn writers have been as involved in politics. Knighted in 1854, Bowring helped develop commercial relationships on behalf of Great Britain, traveling to France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Syria and Siam (now Thailand). Bowring also was twice a member of Parliament, a consul at Canton (in charge of trade in China) and a governor of Hong Kong. He was evidently relieved of his duties in Hong Kong because he “was full of conceit and without any very clear idea of political principles on a large scale.” After retirement in 1860, his public service continued as a commissioner to Italy and other diplomatic posts in Europe and Hawaii.
Despite a demanding political and diplomatic career, Bowring maintained an active avocation as a translator of poetry, composer of original poems and writer of essays on political and religious themes. Mr. Bailey notes that the “hymns that have lived were all written when he was about 30 years old, when his poetic interests were uppermost, and the idealism of youth made him the champion of the downtrodden and the underprivileged.” “In the cross of Christ I glory” (1825) was composed while the author was in his early thirties. Appearing in Hymns by John Bowring (1825), the theme and language suggests a much more mature poet. Galatians 6:14 provides the basis for this hymn: “Far be it for me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Ithamar Conkey (1815-1867) was born in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, and was of Scottish ancestry. He was organist at Central Baptist Church in Norwich, Connecticut. After his work in Norwich, he went to New York City and served as bass soloist at Calvary Episcopal Church and later bass soloist and choir director of Madison Avenue Baptist Church. One Sunday in 1849 Conkey walked out of the morning service at Central Baptist Church, where he was choir director and organist, frustrated because only one soprano from his choir had come that morning. The next Sunday, the minister preached a Lenten message on the words of Christ on the cross. One of the hymns to be sung was Bowring's "In the Cross of Christ I Glory." Later that day Conkey's discouragement changed to inspiration, and he composed a new tune for that text. He named the tune after that one faithful soprano, Mrs. Beriah S. Rathbun. The tune RATHBUN was published in Henry W. Greatorex's Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1851).
In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time;
all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o'ertake me, hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
never shall the cross forsake me. Lo! it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming light and love upon my way,
from the cross the radiance streaming adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, by the cross are sanctified;
peace is there that knows no measure, joys that through all time abide.
In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o'er the wrecks of time;
all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.
Come and Fill Our Hearts
(c.1991, Les Presses de Taize, admin. GIA Publications)
The hymn “Come and Fill Our Hearts” was written in 1982 by the Taizé community in France. The tune CONFITEMINI DOMINO was composed by Jacques Berthier. The hymn is a prayer of healing and centering.
Jacques Berthier (1923-1994) studied music at the Ecole Cesar Franck in Paris. From 1961 until his death he served as organist at St. Ignace Church, Paris. Although his published works include numerous compositions for organ, voice, and instruments, Berthier is best known as the composer of service music for the Taizé community near Cluny, Burgundy. Influenced by the French liturgist and church musician Joseph Gelineau, Berthier began writing songs for equal voices in 1955 for the services of the then nascent community of twenty brothers at Taizé. As the Taizé community grew, Berthier continued to compose most of the mini-hymns, canons, and various associated instrumental arrangements, which are now universally known as the Taizé repertoire. In the past two decades this repertoire has become widely used in North American church music in both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions.
Come and fill our hearts with your peace.
You alone, O Lord are holy.
Come and fill our hearts with your peace.
Have mercy on us.
Give Me a Clean Heart
(c.1970, Margaret P. Douroux)
A song that captures the essence of the confessional spirit of Ash Wednesday both in its text and music is Margaret Pleasant Douroux's "Give Me a Clean Heart," inspired by Psalm 51:10. The Faith We Sing contains only the refrain. Dr. Douroux also has written stanzas to this refrain.
A Californian, Dr. Douroux (b. 1941) is a pioneer in the gospel music tradition. "Give Me a Clean Heart" (1970) was her first composition. More than 200 have followed. Dr. Douroux comes from a family that appreciated gospel music. In an interview granted in 2005, she notes that "both my father and mother, Rev. and Mrs. Earl A. Pleasant, are mentioned in the Smithsonian Archives as being pioneers of West Coast Gospel Music. They were my strongest mentors." Her father was a singer who toured with Mahalia Jackson. Following this Mr. Pleasant founded the Mount Moriah Baptist Church near the Coliseum in Los Angeles. Her mother, Olga, took on musical leadership at the church, organized choirs and taught all six children -- five daughters and one son -- to play the piano. Margaret was a shy organist, but took on more choral leadership in the 1960s, eventually succeeding her mentor at the church, Thurston G. Frazier.
When she wrote her first song, "Give Me a Clean Heart," Frazier introduced it at a national gospel song convention. It was composed soon after Margaret's father had died. Even though he had founded Mount Moriah Church, many people had been unkind to the family after his death, wanting them to move out of the manse with no place to go. In her prayers to God, she asked how she might respond to the ungratefulness of the congregation. Dr. Douroux heard God's response: “God said that he would give me a clean heart.”
Dr. Douroux holds a bachelor's degree in music from California State University, Los Angeles, and masters and doctoral degrees in education, working as an educational psychologist in the Los Angeles schools. She has been honored by the McDonald's Corporation with the Golden Circle Award for Lifetime Achievements made to Gospel Music. As the founder and CEO of the non-profit The Heritage Musical Foundation (www.hmrgospel.com), she has taken up the cause of promoting and preserving the African-American gospel music tradition.
I’m not asking for the riches of the land,
I’m not asking for high men to know my name.
Please Lord give me a clean heart, so that I may follow thee.
Give me a clean heart, a clean heart, and I’ll follow thee.
Sometimes I am up and sometimes I am down.
Sometimes I am almost level to the ground.
Please Lord give me a clean heart, so that I may follow thee.
Give me a clean heart, a clean heart, and I’ll follow thee.
Refrain:
Give me a clean heart, so I may serve thee.
Lord fix my heart, so that I may be used by thee.
For I’m not worthy, of all these blessings.
Give me a clean heart, and I’ll follow thee.
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
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