April 17, 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.  

The sermon series, "Hard Questions" continues with "Why do my prayers seem to go unanswered?"

About the Organ Music:

Prière (Prayer)  - Thomas Hassard

Thomas Hassard (1874-1950) was the organist of Welwyn Parish Church in Hertfordshire, England, a church which dates from the 13^th century. 

His Eye is On the Sparrow – Mark Hayes

          piano

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

Mark Hayes is an award-winning concert pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. His personal catalog, totaling over 1,000 published works, includes work for solo voice, solo piano, multiple pianos, orchestra, jazz combo, small instrumental ensembles, and choruses of all kinds.  Mark received a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in Piano Performance from Baylor University in 1975. He has conducted the SWACDA and MCDA Community and Church Honor Choir, and served as guest conductor at Carnegie Hall, featuring his Te Deum and Magnificat. In 2010, Baylor University Center for Christian Music Studies awarded Mark the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music. Mark arranged and orchestrated the music for Civil War Voices, which won six awards including "Best Musical" in the 2010 Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York. He conducted the world premiere of his work for chorus, orchestra and narrator, The American Spirit, at Lincoln Center in May 2011 and the world premiere of his Requiem in Lincoln Center in May 2013.  Whether concertizing on the other side of the globe or composing at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark is blessed to live out his mission "to create beautiful music for the world".

Prelude on "Iste Confessor" - Healey Willan

Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern (1594-1648) was born in Silesia, where his father was a saddler. He early distinguished himself by his musical abilities, was appointed in 1625, by Duke Heinrich Wenzel of Münsterberg, as his music director and treasurer at Bernstadt: in 1626, director of the princely school at Bernstadt. Thereafter he entered the service of the Emperors Ferdinand II. (d. 1637), and Ferdinand III and was ennobled by the latter.  Lowenstern's hymns, thirty in all, are of very varied worth, many being written in imitation of antique verse forms, and on the mottoes of the princes under whom he had served. In the original editions they were accompanied with melodies by him. When or where they were first published (cir. 1644) is not clear. They were bound up with the Breslau Kirchen und Haus-Music, 1644, and there bear the title: Symbola oder Gedenck-Sprüche IIIirer FFFürstl. GGGn. Hn. Carl Friedrikis Hertzogs zu Münsterberg .... dann auch anderer Erlauchter Fiirstlicher Personen. Zusanibt noch etlichen absondtrs beygesetzten Geistlichen Oden. Gestellet durch M. A. v. L.

“Lord of our life, and God of our Salvatio”n was contributed by Philip Pusey to A. R. Reinagle's Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Oxford, 1840.  The tune to which it was set was marked by Bunsen as an "old Latin melody," and so the Pusey hymn has sometimes been erroneously called a translation from the Latin hymn of the 8th century, “Iste Confessor”.   It is one of several hymn texts which have used this melody.

Lord of our life and God of our salvation, Star of our night and Hope of ev'ry nation:
Hear and receive Your Church's supplication, Lord God Almighty.

See round Your ark the hungry billows curling; See how Your foes their banners are    unfurling.
And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling, O Lord, preserve us.

Lord, be our light when worldly darkness veils us; Lord, be our shield when earthly armor fails us;
And in the day when hell itself assails us, Grant us Your peace, Lord:

Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging, Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging,
Peace when the world its endless war is waging, Peace in Your heaven.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) was an Canadian organist and composer.  He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano, but is best known for his religious music.  Willan was born in England, and he began musical training at age eight, with studies at St. Saviour's Choir School in Eastbourne.  He earned, by examination in organ playing, harmony, counterpoint, history and orchestration, the Royal College of Organists' Associateship in 1897 and Fellowship in 1899. The Anglo-Catholic Tractarian movement led to an Anglican revival of plainsong, and in 1910, Willan joined the London Gregorian Association (which strove to preserve and revive "plain-chant").  In 1913, Willan emigrated to Canada.  In 1921, he become Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto), where he remained until his death.  St. Mary Magdalene, under Willan, became a North American mecca for choral and Anglican church musicians.  In 1920, the Toronto Conservatory (now the Royal Conservatory of Music) appointed Willan Head of its Theory Department.  In 1934, he founded the Tudor Singers, which he conducted until it disbanded in 1939.  From 1937 to 1950, Willan was University of Toronto Professor of Music and Organist. When the Order of Canada was established in 1967, it named Willan a Companion. In Britain, it was customary for the Archbishop of Canterbury to occasionally grant very distinguished English cathedral musicians the Lambeth Doctorate, Mus. D Cantaur; in 1956, Willan, "the Dean of Canadian composers", became the first non-English church musician to be so honoured.  People who remember Willan from his time at St Mary Magdalene's like to moderate his somewhat dourly pious public image by quoting him: "English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption."

About the Choral Music:

Hymn of Promise – Natalee Sleeth

From time to time, a choral anthem inspires a hymn. "Hymn of Promise" was first conceived as an anthem in 1985, performed at the Pasadena Community Church, St. Petersburg, Florida, during a festival concert on Natalie Sleeth's music. Long known as a composer of anthems, especially for children, Natalie Sleeth (1930-1992) contributed one of the favorite new hymns to The United Methodist Hymnal.

Sleeth was as native of Evanston, Illinois. She began piano study at the age of four and gained much of her musical experience by singing in choral ensembles during her earlier years. Studying music theory, piano, and organ at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, she received her B.A. in 1952.  Married to Ronald E. Sleeth, a United Methodist clergyman and professor of homiletics at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, she served as music secretary at Highland Park United Methodist Church from 1969-1976. During this time, she studied music theory with Jane Marshall and audited a course in choral arranging taught by Lloyd Pfautsch at SMU. Choristers Guild published her first anthem, "Canon of Praise," in 1969, the highest selling anthem in the history of this publisher. Her choral works for all ages number more than 200.  Sleeth received honorary doctorates from West Virginia Wesleyan College (1989), and Nebraska Wesleyan College (1990). Some of her compositions are described in her devotional book, Adventures for the Soul (1987).

Sleeth had the ability to compose both texts and music. Though "Hymn of Promise" has become a favorite hymn for funerals, it was written at a time when the author states that she was "pondering the ideas of life, death, spring and winter, Good Friday and Easter, and the whole reawakening of the world that happens every spring." Inspired by a T.S. Eliot line, the germ of the hymn grew from the idea "in our end is our beginning," the phase that begins the third stanza of the hymn.  While it carries the promise of spring and the hope of Easter in its beautiful metaphors, it is a very appropriate hymn for funeral and memorial services. Shortly after its composition, the composer’s husband was diagnosed with what turned out to be a terminal malignancy. Ronald Sleeth requested that "Hymn of Promise" be sung at his funeral service.

A wonderful child-like simplicity permeates "Hymn of Promise." Natalie Sleeth had a gift for composing texts on complex theological ideas that were still accessible to children. Her melodies seemed totally natural and therefore effortless for people to learn. "Hymn of Promise" is one of the most memorable hymns written by an American United Methodist in the last part of the twentieth century, and it promises to be sung for many years to come.

Composer R. G. Huff, who attended her funeral in Denver, Colorado, describes her impact on him in Worship Matrix, an online hymnal companion for the hymnal Celebrating Grace (2010): "In March 1992, I attended the memorial service of Natalie Sleeth at Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver, across the street from the church I served there. I had been a pen-pal of sorts with her for several years and wanted to be there for the celebration of her contribution to church music, especially the music of children. For a full hour before the funeral, the church’s choir, soloists and organist performed her songs, hymns and anthems. It was a great tribute to her writing legacy. Of course, this was one of the songs we heard that day…Like the theologian she was, Natalie Sleeth moved on to worship: songs rising from silence, words seeking melodies, darkness becoming light, hope becoming evident in future days.  Finally – and this relates to the afternoon in March 1992 – she expressed how life moves into death, death gives way to eternity, and ultimate victory comes for those whose doubt has evolved into belief."

            In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;

            In cocoons, a hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free!

            In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,

            Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

            There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;

            There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.

            From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,

            Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

            Alleluia.

            In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity.

            In our doubt, there is believing; in our life, eternity.

            In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,

            Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

               Something yet unknown, which God alone can see.

About the Hymns:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

"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.”

Open My Eyes, that I May See

Clara H. Scott (1841-1897) provides us with a hymn of consecration that has been sung for over 100 years.  In 1856, Scott attended the first Music Institute held by C.M. Cady in Chicago, Ill. By 1859, she was teaching music at the Ladies' Seminary, Lyons, Iowa. She married Henry Clay Scott in 1861, and published in 1882 the Royal Anthem Book, the first volume of choir anthems published by a woman.  Horatio R. Palmer, an influential church musician in Chicago and later New York City, was a source of encouragement for Scott, and helped her publish many of her songs. Three collections were issued before her untimely death, when a runaway horse caused a buggy accident in Dubuque, Iowa.

The text of "Open My Eyes" was written in 1895 shortly before Scott's death. Each stanza reveals an increasing receptiveness to the "Spirit divine." Open eyes lead to "glimpses of truth." Open ears lead to "voices of truth." An open mouth leads to sharing the "warm truth everywhere." An open heart leads to sharing "love to thy children."

The image of open eyes is common in the Bible. In some cases, this is a sign of Christ's healing power, as when Jesus gave sight to the blind man at the pool of Siloam in John 9. Closed eyes, on the other hand, could be a metaphor for avoiding the truth as in the case of John 12:40, a passage following the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem and beginning his journey to the cross: "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them."

The image of open ears is also significant in the biblical witness. Matthew often reprises the theme "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Closed ears become a metaphor for a lack of understanding: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15).

While the eyes and the ears are receptive organs, the mouth has the capacity to project. The mouth may project "cursing and deceit and fraud" (Psalm 10:7), or it may be an organ that projects praise, as Psalm 51:15 exhorts us: "O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise."

The heart is the only organ included in this hymn that is not visible. It may harbor deceit. Jesus asks in Matthew 9:4, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" But Jesus also realized that the heart has the capacity for purity: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

Scott has given us not only the pathways through which we may receive and project truth and love, but also provides the method in her refrain:

         Silently now I wait for thee, ready my God, thy will to see.
         Open my eyes, ears, and heart, illumine me, Spirit divine! 

The gentle 6/8 meter of Scott's music provides a subtle sense of dancing in tune with the Spirit as we learn to see, hear and speak the truth from our hearts. 

Great is Thy Faithfulness

A native of the small Kentucky town of Franklin, Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960) was born in a log cabin. He lacked formal education. Nevertheless, he became a teacher at age sixteen and the associate editor of his hometown weekly newspaper, the “Franklin Advocate”, at age twenty-one.  Though he was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903, he served only a single, brief appointment at Scottsville, Kentucky, due to ill health.  He wrote more than 1200 poems, 800 of which were published. They often appeared in religious periodicals such as the “Sunday School Times”, “Moody Monthly”, and “Alliance Weekly”. Many of these were set to music.

Chisholm had sent a number of his poems to the Rev. William H. Runyan (1870-1957), a musician with the Moody Bible Institute and one of the editors of Hope Publishing Company in Chicago.  Runyan wrote of the hymn: "This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered prayer.  It was written in Baldwin, Kansas, in 1923, and was first published in my private song pamphlets."  A phrase in Lamentations 3:22-23 provides a basis for the refrain: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 

George Beverly Shea (1909-2013), the famous Canadian-born singer of the Billy Graham Crusades, introduced this hymn to those attending the evangelistic meetings in Great Britain in 1954.  It immediately became a favorite.  This hymn appeared in many evangelical hymnals and song collections, but was not chosen for an official Methodist hymnal until The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), even though the author was a Methodist.  It was a very popular hymn of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church and had been included in their hymnals.

According to Carlton Young, "Great is thy faithfulness" was second only to "In the garden" as the most requested hymn for inclusion in The United Methodist Hymnal. A survey conducted in 2000 by Dean McIntyre, Director of Music Resources, General Board of Discipleship, revealed that "Great is thy faithfulness" remains one of the favorite hymns among United Methodists.

April 10, 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.  

A sermon series begins on "Hard Questions" submitted by the congregation.  This week, the question is, "Is God still good when life is bad?"

About the Organ Music:

Thine is the Glory – Lani Smith

The tune of Thine Be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son (French: À toi la gloire O Ressuscité), also titled Thine Is the Glory, was written by Handel in 1747, intended for use in Handel's Joshua oratorio; however, when it was played, it was popular enough that Handel added it to Judas Maccabaeus. In 1796, Ludwig Van Beethoven composed twelve variations on it for both piano and cello.

In 1884, Swiss writer Edmond L. Budry (1854–1932) used Handel's tune and wrote words for them, which he titled "A Toi la Gloire." It is reported that he was inspired to write it after the death of his first wife, Marie de Vayenborg in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was later published in French hymn book, Chants Evangéliques. The hymn was first translated from French into English by Richard B. Hoyle in 1923. He was commissioned to translate the hymn by the World Student Christian Federation after Budry granted authorization to reproduce it from the French version. It was later published in the World Student Christian Federation's hymn book, Cantate Domino Hymnal. World Student Christian Federation retains copyright on Hoyle's English translation. The hymn is based on the Resurrection of Jesus and uses elements of Isaiah 25:8.

Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won!
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.

Lo, Jesus meets thee, risen from the tomb!
Lovingly he greets thee, scatters fear and gloom;
let his church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing,
for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting!

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won!

Lani Smith (b. 1934) is an organist best known for his church music compositions. He has been composing for nearly fifty years, and his compositions include choral, organ and piano pieces. He is a regular contributor to the Lorenz Corporation’s keyboard magazines The Church Pianist, The Organist, The Organ Portfolio, and The Sacred Organ Journal, as well as the choral magazines The SAB Choir and The Volunteer Choir.  He served as an editor, composer, and arranger on the Lorenz Publishing editorial staff between 1967 and 1982. During this time, he received composing and arranging credits for over 1000 works.

About the Instrumental Music:

Let Evening Come, from Lyric Trio for Trumpet, Cello, and Piano – Carson

          Cooman

Lyric Trio for Trumpet, Cello, and Piano (2007) was commissioned by The Commission Project of Rochester, New York.  The work is cast in six movements. The spirit behind the work is one of an “American travelogue”—with each movement taking inspiration, colors, and rhythms from sounds and landscapes throughout America. In many cases, the inspirations are not single specific places, but “types” of places that can be found in many locales. They are thus not labeled specifically, for the spirit of contemplation is more general.  The overall tone throughout is one of singing lyricism—a sense of “songs without words” pervades much of the writing. Melodic lyricism takes all sorts of forms in this work, ranging from long-breathed melodies to shorter, more fragmentary ones.

Let Evening Come takes its title from a poem of American poet Jane Kenyon (1947–1995). A spirit of lyrical acceptance in the midst of a vivid landscape pervades this movement, which draws the work to a contemplative, yet affirmative close.

Carson Cooman (b. 1982; Rochester, New York) is an American composer with a catalog of hundreds of works in many forms—from solo instrumental pieces to operas, and from orchestral works to hymn tunes. His music has been performed on all six inhabited continents in venues that range from the stage of Carnegie Hall to the basket of a hot air balloon.  Since 2006, Cooman has held the position of Composer in Residence at The Memorial Church, Harvard University. From 2008-11, he also served as Composer in Residence to the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2015, he has been Organ Editor for Lorenz Publishing Company.  Cooman’s musicology studies and writings have focused primarily on contemporary American and Australian composers. He served as editor of Living Music Journal from 2005-09 and is a staff critic for American Recorder and Fanfare magazines. He has edited organ publications for various publishers (including Boosey & Hawkes and Oxford University Press) and was editorial director for over 300 organ, choral, and hymn publications for Zimbel Press.

            Let Evening Come – Jane Kenyon

            Let the light of late afternoon shine through chinks in the barn,

            moving up the bales as the sun moves down.

            Let the cricket take up chafing as a woman takes up her needles

            and her yarn.  Let evening come.

           

            Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned in long grass.

            Let the stars appear and the moon disclose her silver horn.

            Let the fox go back to its shady den.  Let the wind die down.

            Let the shed go black inside.  Let evening come.

            To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop in the oats,

            to air in the lung let evening come.

            Let it come, as it will, and don’t be afraid.

            God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come.

About the Choral Music:

Lift High the Cross – Lani Smith

George W. Kitchin (1827-1912) wrote the original version of this text in 1887 for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The hymn was intended to be used for a festival service at Winchester Cathedral, England. Michael R. Newbolt (1874-1956) revised the text for the 1916 Supplement to Hymns Ancient and Modern.  Sir Sydney H. Nicholson (1875-1947) composed the tune “Crucifer” for the text as revised by Newbolt. The tune name means "cross-bearer" and refers to one who carries the cross in a liturgical procession.  Often considered Nicholson's finest tune, “Crucifer” has broad melodic gestures and an effective cadence to the stanzas, which leads right back into the refrain without interruption, pause, or slowing down. Perhaps similar to Constantine's vision of Christ's cross, this text makes clear that the cross is a symbol of Christ's love.

Lani Smith (b. 1934) is an organist best known for his church music compositions. He has been composing for nearly fifty years, and his compositions include choral, organ and piano pieces. He is a regular contributor to the Lorenz Corporation’s keyboard magazines The Church Pianist, The Organist, The Organ Portfolio, and The Sacred Organ Journal, as well as the choral magazines The SAB Choir and The Volunteer Choir.  He served as an editor, composer, and arranger on the Lorenz Publishing editorial staff between 1967 and 1982. During this time, he received composing and arranging credits for over 1000 works.

Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, Till all the world adore His sacred Name.

Come, Christians, follow where our captain trod, Our King victorious, Christ, the Son of God.

Led on their way by this triumphant sign, The hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.

All newborn soldiers of the Crucified Bear on their brow the seal of Him who died.

So shall our song of triumph ever be: Praise to the Crucified for victory!

            Amen! Alleluia

The Storm is Passing Over – Barbara Baker

Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) was born in Berlin, Maryland; son of a slave father and a free mother. In his Book of Sermons (1932), he speaks of being “hired out” as a young boy, “wherever father could place me.” He married Daisy Henry when he was seventeen. Together they had eight children, some of whom would later assist him with the publication of his hymns.  Tindley was largely self-taught throughout his lifetime. He learned to read mostly on his own. In 1875, he took correspondence courses toward becoming a Methodist minister. He did this while working as a sexton (building caretaker) for the East Bainbridge Street Church. Beginning in 1885, he was appointed by the local bishop to serve two or three-year terms at a series of churches, until coming full circle to become pastor at East Bainbridge in 1902. Under his leadership, the church grew rapidly. They relocated in 1904 to the East Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, then again in 1924 to the new Tindley Temple, where the membership roll blossomed to about ten thousand.  Tindley was known for being a captivating preacher, and for also taking an active role in the betterment of the people in his community. His songs were an outgrowth of his preaching ministry, often introduced during his sermons. Tindley was able to draw people of multiple races to his church ministry; likewise, his songs have been adopted and proliferated by white and black churches alike.  The songs of Charles Tindley were published cumulatively in two editions of Soul Echoes (1905, 1909) and six editions of New Songs of Paradise (1916-1941).

"The storm is passing over" was originally published as a hymn in Charles Tindley's Soul Echoes (1905). It did not gain significant popularity until it was adapted as a gospel choir arrangement by Donald Vails, as recorded on his album Yesterday, Today, and Forever (1985). This arrangement has largely superceded Tindley's original hymn in terms of usage and performance.

Dr. Barbara Baker is an active teacher, arranger, and clinician with a nationally recognized reputation.  She currently directs choral ensembles at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as the Gospel Choir at the Colesville United Methodist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. She is the recipient of the Maryland Award for Excellence.

            Have courage my soul and let us journey on though the night is dark,

            And I am far from home.  Thanks be to God, the morning light appears.

            The storm is passing over.  Hallelu.

About the Hymns:

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

William Williams (1717-1791) is considered by many to be the father of Welsh hymnody.  In 1738, Williams heard a sermon by the revivalist preacher Howell Harris, a fiery Welsh layman who had been influenced by the Methodist movement in England. It was through this sermon that Williams discerned his calling to go into the ministry.  Williams first pursued becoming an Anglican priest (in the Church of Wales) and entered as a deacon in 1740. However, he soon came to discover that his heart was with Harris and his itinerant work, and before long he left his small curacy in the mountains to join with the traveling Methodist preachers.

The revivalists realized that the Welsh language was lacking in hymns—the church in Wales was still primarily singing metrical psalms in their worship services. In order to promote the creation of hymns, Harris put together a hymn-writing competition between the different preachers.  As Louis Benson relates, “the prize fell easily to Williams Williams, who had the poet’s passion and a gift of verse-writing. Therefore it was not very long before he was recognized as poet laureate of the Welsh revival.”

Williams would go on to write many hymns in both Welsh and English. “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” appeared in Welsh in 1745. Twenty six years later, in 1771, a Rev. Peter Williams translated the first verse into English, prompting William Williams to translate the rest of it into English as well.  It is fitting that Williams should be the author of a hymn about the Christian’s pilgrimage on earth since as a traveling Methodist preacher, he was a pilgrim in both the spiritual and physical sense.

Williams made an extraordinary record as an itinerant evangelist. He took the whole of Wales for his parish. His travels for forty-three years are said to make an average of 2230 miles a year, at a time when there were no railroads and few stage-coaches. In this way the greater part of Williams’ life was spent, not in a preacher’s study, but in the great world of out of doors. 

He Leadeth Me, O Blessed Thought

Although Joseph Gilmore (1834-1918) became a distinguished university and seminary professor, an author of several textbooks in Hebrew and English literature, and a respected Baptist minister, he is best remembered today for this one hymn, hurriedly written when he was just twenty-eight. Gilmore scribbled down these lines in 1862, while visiting with friends after preaching about the truths of the 23^rd Psalm at the Wednesday evening service of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia. He left this account:

At the close of the service we adjourned to Deacon Watson’s pleasant home, where we were being entertained. During our conversation the blessedness of God’s leading so grew upon me that I took out my pencil, wrote the text just as it stands today, handed it to my wife, and thought no more of it.

Without telling her husband, Mrs. Gilmore sent the verses to the “Watchman and Reflector Magazine”, where it first appeared the following year. Three years later Joseph Gilmore went to Rochester, New York, as a candidate to become the pastor of Second Baptist Church. He recalls:

Upon entering the chapel I took up a hymnal, thinking—I wonder what they sing here. To my amazement the book opened up at “He Leadeth Me,” and that was the first time I knew that my hurriedly written lines had found a place among the songs of the church.

William Bradbury, an important American contributor to early gospel hymnody, added two additional lines to the chorus: “His faithful foll’wer I would be, for by His hand He leadeth me.”

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was published in 1887 with music by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman.  Elisha Hoffman (1839-1929) after graduating from Union Seminary in Pennsylvania was ordained in 1868. As a minister he was appointed to the circuit in Napoleon, Ohio in 1872. He worked with the Evangelical Association's publishing arm in Cleveland for eleven years. He served in many chapels and churches in Cleveland and in Grafton in the 1880s, among them Bethel Home for Sailors and Seamen, Chestnut Ridge Union Chapel, Grace Congregational Church and Rockport Congregational Church. In his lifetime he wrote more than 2,000 gospel songs including "Leaning on the everlasting arms" (1894). The fifty song books he edited include Pentecostal Hymns No. 1 and The Evergreen, 1873.

Anthony J. Showalter received letters from two friends who had lost their wives about the same time. He wrote back to express his sympathy, and included a verse of Scripture: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV). As he thought about that text, he wrote the music and refrain to this hymn. He asked Elisha Hoffman to write the stanzas. The hymn was first published in 1887 in The Glad Evangel for Revival, Camp, and Evangelistic Meetings, for which Showalter was an editor.  The text has three stanzas and a refrain. The theme of the text is the peace that comes from knowing that God will protect us, and how that knowledge removes our fears.

April 3, 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.  

About the Organ Music:

All Who Believe and Are Baptized – Richard Proulx

Thomas Hansen Kingo (1634-1703) was a Danish bishop, poet and hymn-writer born at Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry.  In his youth, Kingo wrote a series of poems picturing humorous scenes in village life and a pastoral love poem, Chrysillis. He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, graduating in 1654.  He was appointed vicar to the pastor at Kirke Helsinge, and in 1668 he was ordained a minister at his native town.  At first he wrote patriotic poems, but later devoted himself almost entirely to writing hymns, and in 1674 the first part of his Aandelige Siunge-Koor ("Spiritual Song Choir") appeared; followed in 1681 by a second part. This work consists of a collection of beautiful hymns several of which are still popular in the Danish Church. 

In 1677, Kingo was appointed bishop of Funen. Charged by the government with the compilation of a new hymn-book, he edited (1699) the so-called Kingo's Psalmebog which contains eighty-five of his own compositions, and which is still used in various parts of Denmark and Norway. Some parts of the Danish rural population stuck firmly to his hymns during the pietist and rationalist period, contributing to their survival.  Though not the first Danish hymn writer, Kingo must be considered the first really important one, and among the Danish poets of the 17th Century, he is generally a leading figure. His hymns are characterized by a forceful and often Old Testamental wrath and renunciation of the world alternating with Christian mildness and confidence.

All who believe and are baptized
Shall see the Lord's salvation;
Baptized into the death of Christ,
They are a new creation.

Through Christ's redemption they shall stand
Among the glorious heav'nly band
Of ev'ry tribe and nation.

With one accord, O God, we pray:
Grant us Your Holy Spirit.
Help us in our infirmity
Through Jesus' blood and merit.
Grant us to grow in grace each day
That by this sacrament we may
Eternal life inherit.

Richard Proulx  (1937-2010) was an American composer and editor of church music, including anthems, service music, hymn concertatos, organ music and music for handbell choir, formerly based in Chicago. The pronunciation of his name is suggested by the section of his catalog entitled "Noulx [new] from Proulx".

Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters – Wayne Wold

Ruth Duck (b. 1947) is professor of worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.  Duck has been writing hymns since 1974. The first time she heard one of her hymns being sung was in 1983 at a United Church of Christ General Synod. She writes, "2,000 people were singing my hymn. I was crying while two friends on either side held my hands. I feel that writing hymn texts is a central part of my call." That is a call she has followed ever since, a call that has resulted in hymns in most hymnals in use today.

Ruth Duck's hymn-texts sing many names for God as she lives the promises of her baptism. "Our language in worship says something about God and not just ourselves."  The idea of God that most people carry is too small and containing, Ruth said. In 1972, while at seminary, she was guest guitarist at a local church. Asked to use inclusive language, she took care to substitute "humanity" for "man" and "mankind."  Yet in one song, she sang "Father" over and over for God. Then, inclusive language meant changing language about humanity, not expanding the language of worship.  Biblical images for God reached beyond masculine and feminine dimensions of expression.  New names awaited discovery. She would use them in hymns or ritual words of the church.

“Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters” is one of those hymns in which she uses both mother and father images of God.  Speaking of her baptism, she said: "The baptismal water washed over me. It made tangible my dying and rising with Christ to new life in the Spirit. Baptism became then a sacrament of God's presence. I belonged to Christ. I was 'water-washed and Spirit-born.' I could feel God's presence as the pastor immersed me in the water. It was as if the Spirit of God were moving over the waters as at the first creation."  Her baptismal promise shaped her life, theology and hymn texts. Baptism is not an isolated event but a lifelong process, part of a

continuing faith journey. In Dwight Vogel's words, Ruth reveals an understanding that "expanding our language is one way we can live out the grace, love, justice, and hope of our baptisms and our table communion."   "Baptism reaches beyond us," she writes. "It makes a difference in how we relate to other people and to God . . . even how we relate to ourselves. We belong to one another, for at the water God makes us one people."

Word by word, Ruth Duck’s hymn texts became standards. At least fourteen denominational hymnals include them. "This pioneer in worship and hymnody continues to write remarkably apt and artistic hymns and service music, articulating our faith with insight and sensitivity," said composer and musician, Jim Manley. "She combines the personal and the theological in a beautiful manner."

Wash, O God, our sons and daughters, where your cleansing waters flow.
Number them among your people; bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling; compass them with love and light
Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit, holy dove and heart's delight.

We who bring them long for nurture; by your milk may we be fed.
Let us join your feast, partaking cup of blessing, living bread.
God, renew us, guide our footsteps; free from sin and all its snares,
one with Christ in living, dying, by your Spirit, children, heirs

Oh, how deep your holy wisdom! Unimagined, all your ways!
To your name be glory, honor! With our lives we worship, praise!
We your people stand before you, water washed and Spirit born.
By your grace, our lives we offer. Recreate us; God, transform!

Wayne L. Wold (b. 1954) is active as a teacher, church musician, composer, author, performer, and clinician. He serves as Associate Professor of Music and College Organist at Hood College in Frederick, Md. Over 200 of his compositions are published by fourteen different companies in the U.S. and Australia and include twenty volumes of works for organ and instruments with organ, 30 choir anthems, a children's musical, a recorder suite, and several hymn tunes. He is the author of numerous hymn and anthem texts, articles in professional journals, and two books -- Tune My Heart to Sing: Devotions for Choirs Based on the Revised Common Lectionary and Preaching to the Choir: The Care and Nurture of the Church Choir.

Chorale Improvisation on “Victimae Paschali” – Charles Tournemire

Victimae paschali laudes is a sequence prescribed for the Roman Catholic Mass and liturgical Protestant Eucharists of Easter Sunday. It is usually attributed to the 11th century Wipo of Burgundy, chaplain to the German Emperor Conrad II, but has also been attributed to Notker Balbulus, Robert II of France, and Adam of St. Victor.  Victimae Paschali Laudes is one of only four medieval sequences that were preserved in the Missale Romanum published in 1570 after the Council of Trent (1545-63). The three others were the "Veni Sancte Spiritus" for the feast of Pentecost, "Lauda Sion" for Corpus Christi, and the "Dies Irae" for the Requiem Mass (a fifth sequence, the "Stabat Mater" for the Feast of the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was added to the missal by Pope Benedict XIII in 1727). Before Trent, many other feasts also had their own sequences,^[2] and some 16 different sequences for Easter were in use.  Victimae Paschali Laudes is one of the few sequences that are still in liturgical use today. Its text was set to different music by many Renaissance and Baroque composers, including Busnois, Josquin, Lassus, Willaert, Hans Buchner, Palestrina, Byrd, Perosi, and Fernando de las Infantas. Chorales derived from Victimae Paschali Laudes include "Christ ist erstanden" (12th century) and Martin Luther's "Christ lag in Todes Banden".

Let Christians offer sacrificial praises to the passover victim.
The lamb has redeemed the sheep: The Innocent Christ has reconciled

the sinners to the Father.
Death and life contended in a spectacular battle:
the Prince of life, who died, reigns alive.

Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the road?
"I saw the tomb of the living Christ and the glory of his rising,
The angelic witnesses, the clothes and the shroud.
Christ my hope is arisen; into Galilee, he will go before his own."

Happy they who bear the witness, Mary's word believing.
We know Christ is truly risen from the dead!
To us, victorious King, have mercy!  Amen. Alleluia.

Charles Arnould Tournemire (1870-1939) was a French composer and organist, notable for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant. His compositions include eight symphonies (one of them choral), four operas, twelve chamber works and eighteen piano solos; but today he is remembered largely for his organ music.  Tournemire was one of César Franck's three youngest students.  From 1898-1939, Tournemire served as the organiste titulaire at Franck's old church, the Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Paris. He was also professor of Chamber Music at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1931 he published a biography of Franck. In 1930, Tournemire recorded five organ improvisations, which were later transcribed by Maurice Duruflé from the phonograph recordings.

About the Choral Music:

Mary Told the Good News – John Horman

          God’s Project Children’s Choir

Early in the morning, Mary went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus with ritual oils.  Finding the tomb empty, she was told by an angel that Jesus had risen from the dead, and she ran to tell the others the “Good News”.

            Mary told the good news! Jesus lives!

            “Fear not,” said the angels, “and be not afraid,

            For the one you seek is risen up from the place where he was laid.”

            What was that good news that Mary heard the angel say,

            While visiting the tomb that day where the stone was rolled away?

            Go tell all the others that death has lost its sting,

            And Jesus goes before us now.  Alleluia! Let us sing.

            Alleluia!  Alleluia!

John Horman retired from teaching after twenty-six years with the Montgomery County, Maryland Public School System. During his tenure with the school system, he taught general music for twenty-one years at the elementary level and five years at the secondary level, and worked extensively with choruses at both levels. He received the Broom Award for Excellence awarded by his home county for his work in composition for children.  He served Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church in Kensington, Maryland for forty-three years as Organist and Director of Music. He oversaw three choral groups and two bell choirs. He presently has over 150 anthems for children, youth and adults in print. He also wrote songs for both Silver Burdette and Macmillan publishing houses for their 1988 school music series.  His work as a choral clinician has taken him to over 50 children's choir festivals in the last 15 years. 

About the Hymns:

Easter People, Raise Your Voices

Following in the tradition of many pastors who write hymns, William Marceus James (1913-2013) wrote "Easter People, Raise Your Voices" for his congregation at Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in New York City.  Born in Meadville, Mississippi, and educated at Mt. Beulah College, Butler University, and Drew University, the Rev. James received his license to preach in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1936 and was ordained an elder in 1940.  In 1944, he was appointed to the Trinity (Morrisania) Methodist Church in the Bronx, a church he founded with no members. In only eight years, it grew into a 900-member congregation. In an interview with the United Methodist Interpreter, James noted, "It was during that time I learned to minister to gangs and street people."  In 1952 he began serving Community Methodist Church in Harlem, which later became the Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in 1971. The Rev. James ministered to this congregation for 33 years until "retiring" in 1985, but he continued his ministry to young people and to the Harlem community.

The author of more than fifty hymns, James noted to this writer in 2005 that "I wrote hymns for my congregation whenever I needed one. 'Easter People' is not the greatest hymn I have, but it took better than the others. Most of my hymns have themes around the social gospel." Originally in five stanzas, the hymn first appeared in the United Methodist collection, Songs of Zion (1981), in its present form.  The triumph of the Resurrection over evil is the theme of "Easter People." In stanza two, the poet reminds us that the "fear of death" cannot stop us from doing all we can to overcome evil "here below." The final stanza insists: "Every day to [Christians] is Easter" because our God is one who "rights the wrong."

Christ is Risen

This text was written in 1984 by Brian Wren (b. 1936), an internationally published hymn writer whose work appears in hymnals from many denominations and traditions. Ordained in Britain’s United Reformed Church, he holds BA and PhD degrees from Oxford University. On July 1, 2000, he was appointed the first John and Miriam Conant Professor of Worship at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta.  "Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna!" celebrates God's surprising Easter turnaround of the Good Friday events.

My Hope is Built

Edward Mote (1797-1874) falls into the rare category of hymn writers who grew up without religious training and whose parents were pub owners. He was apprenticed at a young age by his parents to a cabinetmaker, but found faith when he heard the preaching of John Hyatt at the Tottenham Court Road Chapel in London at age 15. Living in Southwark near London, he established a successful cabinet-making enterprise and became a Baptist minister in 1852, at 55 years of age. He ministered for 21 years at Strict Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex.

Singing hymns was of great interest to him. The master cabinetmaker became a prolific hymn writer, composing more than 100 hymns. The hymn "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" was published anonymously in several hymn collections before first being attributed to Edward Mote in a collection of approximately 100 of his hymns published in 1837 under the title Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, Combining All the Excellencies of our Spiritual Poets, with Many Originals.  Hymnologists note that this is the first time the now common term “gospel hymn” appears. Mote's original title was "The Immutable Basis for a Sinner's Hope" in this collection.  The refrain of "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and builds around the metaphor of Christ as a rock with a firm basis (1 Corinthians 10:4).