March 27, 2016 Easter

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; much of it is "borrowed" from other sources 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:

 In dir ist Freude – J. S. Bach

The Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book") is a collection of 46 chorale preludes for organ, which form the first of Bach's masterpieces with a mature compositional style in marked contrast to his previous compositions for the instrument.  Each of them treats a known Lutheran chorale with a motivic accompaniment.  Bach explored a wide diversity of forms in the Orgelbüchlein.  As stated by Spitta in his biography of Bach:

A further step towards perfection this form was taken by Bach when he made the contrapuntal elements in his music a eans of reflecting certain emotional aspects of the words.  Pachelbel had not attempted this; he lacked the fervid feeling which would have enabled him thus to enter into his subject.   And it is entering into it, and not a mere depicting of it.  For, once more be it said, in every vital movement of the world external to us we behold the image of a movement within us; and every such image must react upon us to produce the corresponding emotion I that inner world of feeling.

The tune, “In dir ist Freude”, is one of many balletti (dance-like songs) written by Giovanni G. Gastoldi (1554-1609), a priest and composer from Mantua, Italy.  It was originally published in his Balleti a cinque voce (1591), where it was set to "Alieta vi.a, Amor ciinuita", which like so many balletti had a "fa-la-la" refrain.  Cantor Johann Lindemann (1549-1631) wrote this text to fit the tune.  It was published in Lindemann's Amarum Filii Dei Decades Duae (1598).  Catherine Winkworth prepared the English translation for the second series of her Lyra Germanica (1858).  The text confesses with joy the Christian's security of walking intimately with God through the ups and downs of daily life.  Bach has set the melody in complex counterpoint which expresses pure joy in virtual abandon.

Below is the first verse of this hymn of Johann Lindemann with the English translation by Catherine Winkworth.

In dir ist Freude in allem Leide,                     In Thee is gladness admid all sadness,          

o du süßer Jesu Christ!                                   Jesus, Sunshine of my heart!                   

Durch dich wir haben himmlische Gaben,     By Thee are given the gifts of heaven,       

du der wahre Heiland bist;                              Thou the true Redeemer art!                      

Hilfest von Schanden, retest von Banden,      Our souls Thou wakest, our bonds Thou 

     wird ewig bleiben.  Halleluja.                                  breakest.  Hallelujah.                               Zu deiner Güte steht unser G'müte,                Who trust Thee surely hath built                  

an dir wir kleben im Tod und Leben;              securely;  through life and death,           

nichts kann uns scheiden.  Halleluja.              He stands forever:  Hallelujah!

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period.  He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France.  Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg concertos, the Mass in B minor, The Well-Tempered Clavier, two Passions, keyboard works, and more than 300 cantatas, of which nearly 100 cantatas have been lost to posterity.  His music is revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty.  Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognized as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the nineteenth century.  During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bach was recognized by several prominent composers.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven,  Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn were among his admirers; they began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being exposed to Bach's music.  Beethoven described him as "Urvater der Harmonie", the "original father of harmony".  He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque period and as one of the greatest composers of all time.  A highly devout Christian, Bach signed all of his compositions “soli Deo Gloria”  (to God alone be the glory).   

About the Choral Music:

Crown Him with Many Crowns          

        

The song was originally penned in 1851 by Matthew Bridges (1800-1894), an Anglican scholar who once wrote a book condemning Roman Catholic theology, and then later converted to Catholicism. Bridges wrote six stanzas, based upon Revelations 19:12, “...and on His head were many crowns.”  The text of this hymn was first published 1852 in The Passion of Jesus, a Collection of Original Pieces Corresponding with the Five Sorrowful Mysteries in the Rosary of Our Blessed Lady, a collection of devotional poetry.  The prayers of the rosary are said in sets of ten, each focused on a "mystery" concerning the life of Christ; the mysteries themselves are in groups of five: the "Joyful Mysteries" concerning Christ's birth and childhood, the "Sorrowful Mysteries" concerning His death, and the "Glorious Mysteries" concerning the Resurrection and events following. (In the 20th century the "Luminous Mysteries" of Christ's earthly ministry were added.) Bridges's collection was dedicated to the five Sorrowful Mysteries: Christ's agony in Gethsemane, His scourging, the crown of thorns, Christ carrying His cross, and finally the Crucifixion itself. "Crown Him with many Crowns," therefore, was a reflection on the central mystery of the original 15 mysteries of the rosary. Bridges employs an unexpected approach to the topic, however, taking the cruel mockery intended by that original crown and turning it on its head by contemplating the glorious coronation of Christ in heaven.  Each verse of Bridge’s poem was to describe of a different kind crown (Many Crowns, Virgin’s Son, Lord of Love, Lord of Peace, Lord of Years, and Lord of Heaven).

Godfrey Thring (1823-1903) was a devout Anglican clergyman who was concerned that this popular hymn was allowing Catholic theology to be sung by protestant congregations. Thring wrote an entirely new hymn of six verses to serve as a substitute for that of Bridges, using the same meter and basic plan of successive stanzas extolling Jesus' lordship over various domains. It was decided to keep the two versions separate but publish them both in 1874 in Thring’s hymnbook: Hymns and Sacred Lyrics. Thring’s version was also published in the Church of England Hymn-Book. The 12 stanzas have been mixed and matched down through the years. Of the following four verses found in our hymnal, three were written by Bridges (vs 1,3,and 4) and one by Thring (vs 2).

Joel Raney’s (b. 1956) taste for gospel music began in a rural Baptist church in Alabama, an influence that shows strongly in his work to this day. Joel's interest in music of all kinds has led to everything from classical and jazz performance to pop vocal arranging. He has conducted Broadway productions, and has been honored for outstanding musical direction of theater in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Since 1988 he has worked as a composer and producer of commercial music in Chicago and has written soundtracks for more than 2000 television and radio commercials, plus numerous scores for short films.  Joel is a choral and keyboard clinician, and performs throughout North America as a piano soloist and in duo-concert with organist Jane Holstein.  He has over 200 titles in print, including choral anthems, musicals and cantatas, handbell compositions, piano solos, and instrumental works. 

            Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon the throne.

            Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.

            Awake my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,

            And hail him as thy matchless king through all eternity.

            Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave,

            And rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save;

            His glories now we sing who died and rose on high,

            Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

            Crown him the Lord of years, the potentate of time,

            Creator of the rolling spheres ineffably sublime.

            All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou has died for me;

            Thy praise shall never, never fall throughout eternity.

            And crown him Lord of all.

Joy in the Morning – Natalee Sleeth

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 Vocal Solo Music:

The Trumpet Shall Sound, from Messiah – G. F. Handel

          Randall Capshaw, bass

Coming late in Handel’s Messiah, “The Trumpet Shall Sound”, with its rousing opening fanfare and serenely gleaming lyrical passages is one of this beloved oratorio’s emotional highlights, charged with hope, mystery and awe.

            The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible;

            And we shall be changed.

            For this corruptible must put on incorruption,

            And this mortal must put on immortality.

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!

He Lives

Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960) was the son of a Methodist preacher and musically gifted man, who gave Alfred his foundation in music at an early age. Ackley studied cello, harmony, and composition in New York and London. Ackley went on to graduate from Westminster Theological Seminary in Maryland, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. He served as pastor in several states of the United States, and worked for a few years with evangelist Billy Sunday and the Rodeheaver Music Company. Ackley's musical endeavors were so appreciated that he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Sacred Music degree by John Brown University in Arkansas.

One particular morning, Easter Sunday in 1932, Rev. Ackley was preparing for his services of the day. As he was shaving, he tuned in to the radio in time to hear a special Easter broadcast.  “Good morning!” The well-known preacher began. “It’s Easter! You know folks, it really doesn’t make any difference to me if Christ be risen or not. As far as I am concerned His body could be as dust in some Palestinian tomb. The man thing is, His truth goes marching on!”  Rev. Ackley was furious. “It’s a lie!” he shouted at the radio set, forgetting that the speaker could not hear him. Mrs. Ackley did hear him, however, and questioned, “Why are you shouting so early in the morning?”
“Didn’t you hear what that good-for-nothing preacher said?” he replied. “He said it didn’t matter whether Christ be risen or not!”

Rev. Ackley, in telling the story later, said that he preached that Easter Sunday quite differently than he had ever preached before, but at the end of the day, still felt that he had not yet said everything he wanted to say.  His wife said, “Listen here, Alfred Ackley, it’s time you did that which you can do best. Why don’t you write a song about it and then maybe you’ll feel better. You’ll have something that will go on telling the story.”  That night, Rev. Alfred Ackley wrote the words and composed the melody.  The hymn first appeared in Triumphant Service Songs, a hymnal published by the Rodeheaver Company in 1933.

Sing with All the Saints in Glory

The first time this hymn appeared was in 1873, where it was published in the first edition of William J. Irons’ Psalms and Hymns for the Church.  This collection of hymns was supposed to provide hymns for offering, epistles, and gospels, and also was labeled for use as an Advent and Lenten hymn.  Though these are the official uses that are named for the hymn, often times this hymn is sung for Easter.  The hymn “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” is found in several different denominations of the Christian faith, and each one has the hymn listed in a different section of the hymnal.  Though each denomination, Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist, have this hymn in their collections, the Methodist church has been publishing this hymn for the longest time in their hymnals.  “Sing with All the Saints in Glory” has been published in a Methodist hymnal since 1878, only three years after the second edition of the hymns original publication.  Perhaps one of the reasons for the great popularity of this hymn can be traced to the very recognizable tune written by none other than Ludwig Van Beethoven.  The tune “Hymn to Joy” was originally composed by Beethoven for J.C.F. von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” which Beethoven wrote for a full chorus in the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony.

Born in England in 1812, William J. Irons was the son of Joseph Irons, who happened to be a good friend of John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace.  In 1835, Irons took Holy Orders and became involved in the ecclesiastical debates that were raging on during his time. He published numerous documents on the topic in the form of sermons, pamphlets, and letters, which all accumulated into his work, The Bampton Lectures, which was written in 1870. The work covered Christianity as it was taught by St. Paul. W.J. Irons’ hymn writing began during his curacy at St. Mary Newington, from 1835-1837, and continued until his death in 1883.  

March 23 Vespers & 25 Good Friday, 2016

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; much of it is "borrowed" from other sources such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org.  It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.  

Vespers 

About the Handbell Music:

When Jesus Wept – William Billings, arr. Kevin McChesney

          Jubilation Ringers

William Billings (1746-1800) is regarded as the first American choral composer.  Billings was born in Boston. At the age of 14, the death of his father stopped Billings' formal schooling. In order to help support his family, young Billings trained as a tanner. He possibly received musical instruction from John Barry, one of the choir members at the New South Church, but for the most part he was self-taught.  Billings had an unusual appearance and a strong addiction to snuff.  His contemporary wrote that Billings "was a singular man, of moderate size, short of one leg, with one eye, without any address & with an uncommon negligence of person. Still, he spake & sung & thought as a man above the common abilities."  Billings died in poverty in Boston, leaving behind a widow and six children.

Virtually all of Billings' music was written for four-part chorus, singing a cappella. His many hymns and anthems were published mostly in book-length collections, The New-England Psalm-Singer (1770), The Singing Master's Assistant (1778), Music in Miniature (1779), The Psalm-Singer's Amusement (1781), The Suffolk Harmony (1786), The Continental Harmony (1794). Sometimes Billings would revise and improve a song, including the new version in his next volume.  Most of the texts that Billings used in his works come from the poetry of Isaac Watts. Other texts were drawn from Universalist poets and local poets, whereas Billings himself wrote the text to about a dozen of his compositions.

Billings wrote long prefaces to his works in which he explained (often in an eccentric prose style) the rudiments of music and how his work should be performed. His writings reflect his extensive experience as a singing master. They also provide information on choral performance practice in Billings's day; for instance, a passage from the preface to The Continental Harmony indicates that Billings liked to have both men and women sing the treble (top) and tenor lines, an octave apart.  Billings was involved in teaching singing schools throughout his life. In 1769, when Billings was twenty-three years old, the following announcement appeared in the Boston Gazette: "John Barrey & William Billings Begs Leave to inform the Publick, that they propose to open a Singing School THIS NIGHT ... where any Person inclining to learn to Sing may be attended upon at said School with Fidelity and Dispatch." He was listed as "singing master" in the Boston city directory up until 1798. In the preface to the Singing Master's Assistant, Billings included advice for the practical running of a singing school, including topics such as logistics, expectations for manners and attentiveness in students, and the need for the supremacy of the teacher's musical decisions.

Billings' work was very popular, but his career was hampered by the primitive state of copyright law in America at the time. By the time the copyright laws had been strengthened, it was too late for Billings: the favorites among his tunes had already been widely reprinted in other people's hymnals, permanently copyright-free.  For a considerable time after his death, his music was almost completely neglected in the American musical mainstream. However, his compositions remained popular for a time in the rural areas of New England, which resisted the newer trends in sacred music. Moreover, a few of Billings' songs were carried southward and westward through America, as a result of their appearance in shape note hymnals. They ultimately resided in the rural South, as part of the Sacred Harp singing tradition.  Works by Billings are commonly sung by American choral groups today, particularly performers of early music.  William Billings was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

“When Jesus Wept” is probably Billings’ most familiar choral work today, featuring a brief text and simple melody sung in round, producing a haunting effect.

                 When Jesus wept, the falling tear
                  In mercy flowed beyond all bound;
                 When Jesus groaned, a trembling fear                 Seized all the guilty world around. 

Good Friday

About the Organ Music:

Charfreitag – Otto Malling

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was the son of a schoolmaster in Southampton. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a favorable arrangement for his health and his writing. He did not retire from ministerial duties, but preached as often as his delicate health would permit. The number of Watts' publications is very large. His collected works, first published in 1720, include sermons, treatises, poems and hymns. His Horae Lyricae was published in 1705. His Hymns appeared in 1707. The first hymn he is said to have composed for religious worship, is "Behold the glories of the Lamb," written at the age of twenty. It is as a writer of psalms and hymns that he is best known. Some of his hymns were written to be sung after his sermons, giving expression to the meaning of the text upon which he had preached. Montgomery calls Watts "the greatest name among hymn-writers". His published hymns number more than eight hundred.

Charfreitag (Good Friday) is a setting of “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed”.  Written by Isaac Watts in six stanzas, this text was published in Watts' Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707. The final line in stanza 1 originally read, "for such a worm as I."  Watts' original heading for the text, "Godly sorrow arising from the suffering of Christ," fits stanzas 1-3 well. Stanza 3 contains the profound paradox of God the creator dying for the sin of human creatures: "Christ, the mighty Maker, died for his own creatures' sin." Stanza 4 moves from penitent sorrow to gratitude and tears of joy.

Alas! and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die!
Would he devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done, he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut its glories in,
when God, the mighty maker, died for his own creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears;
dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears.

But drops of tears can ne'er repay the debt of love I owe.

Here, Lord, I give myself away; 'tis all that I can do.

Otto Valdemar Malling (1848 –1915) was a Danish composer, the cathedral organist in Copenhagen and Director of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. Malling wrote the first Danish textbook in orchestration, along French conservatory lines. His scores of organ music brought him some reputation abroad, but after his death he was soon forgotten in his native country, as musical tastes changed.

About the Choral Music:

Lamb – Richard Donn

At the age of 32, Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) suffered a serious illness that left her a semi-invalid for the rest of her life. Within a year, she went through a spiritual crisis and confessed to the Swiss evangelist Henri A. Cesar Malan that she did not know how to come to Christ. He answered, "Come to him just as you are." Thinking back on that experience twelve years later, in 1834, she wrote “Just as I Am" as a statement of her faith.  Hymn writing provided a way for Elliot to cope with her pain and depression – she wrote approximately 150 hymns, which were published in her Invalid's Hymn Book (several editions, 1834-1854), Hymns for a Week (1839), and Thoughts in Verse on Sacred Subjects (1869). Many of her hymns reflect her chronic pain and illness but also reveal that faith gave her perseverance and hope.

“Just as I Am" was first published in the 1836 edition of Invalid's Hymn Book with the subheading "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). She added a seventh stanza that same year, when the hymn was also published in her Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1836). Widely translated, this hymn has brought consolation to millions.

Richard Donn is a choral composer living near Atlanta.

            Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

            O Lamb of God, I come to you.  I come.

            Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me,

            And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come.

            O Lamb of God, I give my life to You.

            O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

The One Who Bears My Shame – Joshua Metzger

Joshua Metzger has set a beautiful text by John Parker, with a haunting cello melody by Stan Pethel.

            There stumbles through the street, unsteady on His feet,

            Derided and defamed, the One who bears my shame.

            Now struggling up the way, with not a word to say,

            Betrayed, He takes the blame, the One who bears my shame.

            Who is this man who carries every sin?

            The weight of the world is fixed upon Him!

            They mock Him as He dies ‘mid Mary’s silent cries,

            They curse the sacred name of the One who bears my shame.

This man upon the tree hangs there in place of me.

            How precious is the name of the One who bears my shame.

About the Hymns:

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence (Greek: Σιγησάτω πᾶσα σάρξ βροτεία) is an ancient chant of Eucharistic devotion based on words from Habakkuk 2:20, "Let all the earth keep silence before him". The original was composed in Greek as a Cherubic Hymn for the Offertory of the Divine Liturgy of St James; it probably antedates the rest of the liturgy and goes back at least to 275 AD, with local churches adopting arrangements in Syriac.

The text expresses awe at Christ's coming and the mystery of our perception of Christ in the body and blood. With images from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5, it portrays the glory of Christ and his victory over sin. Although it has eucharistic emphasis, the text pictures the nativity of Christ in a majestic manner and in a much larger context than just his birth in Bethlehem. We are drawn into the awe and mystery with our own alleluias.

Gerard Moultrie (1829-1885) translated the text from the Greek; his English paraphrase was first published in Orby Shipley's Lyra Eucharistica (1864) and entitled "Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn." The Psalter Hymnal alters that paraphrase in part to solve Reformed sensitivities about eucharistic theology. Moultrie's great-grandfather had settled in South Carolina, but after siding with England during the American Revolution, he had moved back to Britain. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, England, Moultrie served as a pastor and chaplain in the Church of England. In addition to writing his own hymns he prepared translations of Greek, Latin, and German hymns. He also edited several hymnals, including Hymns and Lyrics for the Seasons and Saints' Days (1867) and Cantica Sanctorum or Hymns for the Black Letter Saints' Days in the English and Scottish Calendars (1880).
The text contains much language which is unfamiliar today:  the concept of approaching God with so much awe that it causes “fear and trembling”. Seraphim are a type of celestial being in the highest rank in the Christian angelic hierarchy. A passage in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) used the term to describe six-winged beings that fly around the Throne of God crying "holy, holy, holy".  This throne scene, with its triple invocation of holiness (a formula that came to be known as the Trisagion), profoundly influenced subsequent theology, literature, and art.  Its influence is frequently seen in works depicting angels, heaven and apotheosis. Seraphs are mentioned as celestial beings in an influential Hellenistic work, the Book of Enoch, and the Book of Revelation.  Cherubim are a winged angelic beings who are represented in ancient Middle Eastern art as a lion or bull with eagles' wings and a human face, and regarded in traditional Christian angelology as an angel of the second highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. Cherubim are mentioned throughout the Old Testament and once in the New Testament in reference to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9:5).

What Wondrous Love is This

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 derived that of 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.  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 Southern Harmony, a book of shape note hymns compiled by William Walker.  In 1966, the United Methodist Hymnal became the first standard hymnal to incorporate “What Wondrous Love Is This”.  Today it is a widely known hymn included in many hymnals. 

Ah, Holy Jesus

"Herzliebster Jesu" (often translated into English as "Ah, Holy Jesus", sometimes as "O Dearest Jesus") is a German hymn written in 1630 by Johann Heermann. Heerman took his inspiration for "Ah, Holy Jesus" from a Latin text attributed to either Augustine (354-430) or Jean de Fecamp (c.1000-1079). The poetry was originally published in a fifteenth-century devotional book entitled Meditationes sanctorum patrum. Heerman's hymn version first appeared in his Devoti Musica Cordis, ca. 1630. Heerman wrote during the Thirty Years War, a time when many hymn writers became introspective. Writing during this time of uncertainty and trouble, Heerman's hymn emerged from a backdrop of his own personal suffering.

Its tune, also called "Herzliebster Jesu", was written ten years later by Johann Crüger. The hymn first appeared in Crüger's Neues vollkömmliches Gesangbuch Augsburgischer Confession (1640).

Were You There?

Were You There was likely composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in William Eleazar Barton's 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal. As reported in Howard Thurman's autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi's favorites

For a time, the slaves simply by-passed the New Testament, especially since their white taskmasters used it to justify slavery. But there was something about the man Jesus, hanging there upon the hard, wooden cross. Here was a man who was beaten like they were. He was spit upon. He was falsely accused. He was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Finally, he was hung on a tree, a method of execution familiar to the slaves. Through all of these indignities, Jesus prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  

"How was he able to forgive?" they questioned. "What was it that enabled him to love those who were unlovable?" Was he in pain? They were in pain. Did he have to drink the cup of suffering? They had to drink theirs, too. Yes, their cross was one with his cross. Jesus died for the sins of all men, of every color. He had to be who he said he was. How else could he have done what he did? In time, they embraced Jesus as their Savior, and they experienced His peace, His grace and forgiveness, and His hope for the future. From this relationship they were able to sing:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, to tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

From the cross they felt a mighty emergence of the divine will, breaking down the barriers that separated man from man, and man from God. And so, instead of taking the destructive road to violence, many began to hum, then to sing, and sometimes to shout the spirituals - a cry to God for freedom and a declaration of faith in His ability to provide it.