October 2, 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:

Deeper and Deeper – Harold DeCou

This hymn is from the pen of a great evangelical preacher and missionary statesman, Oswald J. Smith (1889-1986). He composed more than 1200 hymns and religious verses. In his book The Story of My Hymns, he gives the following account of the writing of this  hymn. "Arriving in Woodstock, Ontario, one day in the year 1911, I was invited to preach one Sunday morning in the largest Methodist Church in that city. As I walked along the street on my way to the church, the melody of this hymn sang itself into my heart and with it the words, 'Into the heart of Jesus, deeper and deeper I go.' I can still recall the joy and buoyancy of youth, the bright sunshine overhead, and the thrill with which I looked forward to my service that Sunday morning, as again and again I hummed over the words. I wondered if I could retain the music in my mind until the service was over, I was then just twenty-one years of age. After preaching, I returned to my rented room, and the first thing I did was write out the melody as God had given it to me. I had been able to remember it, and it has never changed from that day to this. The verses were much more difficult, I worked on them at Belwood, Ontario, but it was three years later, in the First Presbyterian Church of South Chicago, of which I was pastor, that I completed them. It was then 1914, and I was twenty-four years of age. The writing of the hymn afforded me much joy, nor has it ever grown old. I still love it and always will, for it was the child of my youth. It proves conclusively that God can impart His deepest truths to the heart of the young, for I doubt if I have ever written anything more profound since. There are five steps portrayed in 'Deeper and Deeper'- the heart, the will, the cross, joy and love. What an experience! But it is the note of triumph in the last verse that transports the soul to heights sublime."

Into the heart of Jesus, Deeper and deeper I go,

Seeking to know the reason, Why He should love me so,

Why He should stoop to lift me, Up from the miry clay,

Saving my soul, making me whole, Though I had wandered away.

Into the will of Jesus, Deeper and deeper I go,

Praying for grace to follow, Seeking His way to know;

Bowing in full surrender, Low at His blessed feet,

Bidding Him take, break me and make, Till I am molded, complete.

Into the cross of Jesus, Deeper and deeper I go,

Following through the garden, Facing the dreaded foe;

Drinking the cup of sorrow, Sobbing with broken heart,

"O Savior, help! Dear Savior, help! Grace for my weakness impart."

Into the joy of Jesus, Deeper and deeper I go,

Rising, with soul enraptured, Far from the world below.

Joy in the place of sorrow, Peace in the midst of pain,

Jesus will give, Jesus will give; He will uphold and sustain.

Into the love of Jesus, Deeper and deeper I go,

Praising the One Who brought me Out of my sin and woe;

And through eternal ages, Gratefully I shall sing,

"O how He loved! O how He loved! Jesus, my Lord and my King!"

Harold H. DeCou (1932-2008) attended Temple University in Philadelphia and was long associated with Billy Graham and the Singspiration staff.  His output as artist, composer, arranger and orchestrator ensures that he will be remembered as one of the giants of Christian gospel music. He served as church organist at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria from 1988 to 2001. He was also an Honorary Fellow of Shenandoah Society Award.

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart - Ron Schmoltze

This hymn unites the work of composer, Robert Kreutz, and hymn text writer, Omer Westendorf.  It was among 200 texts submitted for possible use at the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976. "You Satisfy the Hungry Heart" was selected as the official hymn of that gathering.  First embraced by Roman Catholics, this hymn has since become well-known and a favorite in many denominations.   Following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the role of congregational song became much more prominent in Roman Catholic worship. The ecumenical worshipping community has been the beneficiary of some music composed for Catholic worship since that time, especially music for Communion.   We would not have some of our favorite Communion hymns in The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing without the contribution of post-Vatican II Catholic composers. “One bread, one body” (UMH No. 620) and “Take our bread” (UMH No. 640) are just a two of these. 

Omer Westendorf (1916-1997) was one of the leading post-Vatican II composers and his hymn, “Gift of finest wheat,” is one of the best-known Communion hymns to come from the decades immediately following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.  This hymn unites the work of composer, Robert Kreutz, and hymn text writer, Omer Westendorf.  It was among 200 texts submitted for possible use at the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976. "You Satisfy the Hungry Heart" was selected as the official hymn of that gathering.  The hymn was first published in We Celebrate with Song (1979).

Beginning at age 20, Westendorf received his master of music degree at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and for most of his professional musical career served as organist and choirmaster at St. Bonaventure Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Under his direction, the Bonaventure Choir sang concerts and recorded sacred music for several decades. One of his greatest achievements was the founding of the World Library of Sacred Music in 1950 and World Library Publications in 1957. These organizations have been primary distributors of music for the Mass in the U.S. and beyond.  Westendorf was also known for his lectures and seminars on sacred music, consultations on liturgical music, and as a hymn writer. UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young notes that Westendorf’s “People’s Mass Book, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1976, was the first vernacular hymn and service book to implement the Catholic liturgies decreed by Vatican Council II. He wrote Music Lessons for the Man in the Pew to teach the art of sight reading choral music.”

One of the prominent features of Catholic hymns from this era is a memorable and singable refrain. For example, think of how easily congregations learn the refrain by Catholic musician Daniel Schutte, “Here I Am, Lord.”  “You satisfy the hungry heart” has an equally memorable refrain, though more reflective.   The refrain evokes the agrarian image of “finest wheat,” the source of bread, a primary staple that sustains life. The hymn writer first addresses Christ directly in the second person, implying an intimate relationship, and offers a petition to Christ to “give to us... the bread of life to eat.”

The hymn is replete with biblical references. The refrain echoes John 6:25-37, a passage where Christ develops the imagery of bread and says, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger.” Stanza one focuses on the metaphor of Christ as shepherd drawn from several passages, but especially from John 10. Stanza three is almost a direct quotation of I Corinthians 10:16-17: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ. The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”  The final stanza sites the selfless and self-giving gift of Christ reminding us of Philippians 2:5-11, a creedal hymn of the early church. 

You satisfy the hungry heart, with gift of finest wheat

Come give to us, O Saving Lord, The Bread of Life to eat.

As when the shepherd calls his sheep, they know and heed his voice,

so when you call your family Lord, they follow and rejoice.

With joyful lips, we sing to you, our praise and gratitude.

That you should count us worthy Lord to share this Heavenly food.

Is not the cup we bless and share, the blood of Christ outpoured?

Does not one cup, one loaf declare, our Oneness in the Lord?

Ron Schmoltze (b. 1936) is Organist and Director of Music at Our Lady of Angels Church in Burlingame, California.

God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens - Wilbur Held

Hymnody has often had difficulty keeping in step with scientific thinking. Many of our hymns on themes of the natural world imply an extension of the cosmology of the ancient world in which a three-story universe provides the basis for our assumptions. In this view, the dome of the heavens with the firmament of the stars rests upon the earth, which, in turn, is supported by the underworld resting on the pillars of the earth. This view assumes that the earth is the center of the universe. Nicolas Copernicus reoriented our understanding of the universe in the 16th century with his proof that the earth revolved around the sun. This should have changed the course of hymns, but parts of the church universal did not accept his teachings for centuries. It took the space race of the 1960s to firmly establish that we no longer could restrict our understanding of the natural creation to the three-storied universe. “God, who Stretched the Spangled Heavens,” written in 1967, was among the first hymns to employ the imagery of the space age. 

Catherine Arnott Cameron (b. 1927) in New Brunswick, studied at McMaster University and the University of Southern California. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Dr. Cameron was a professor of social psychology at the University of La Verne, Calif., from 1971-1992. Hymnologist Harry Eskew interviewed Dr. Cameron, whose interest in poetry goes back to hymn singing in church at a young age. “As a child and teenager with a gift for writing poetry, I was troubled by the mismatch between words and music in some of the hymns sung in our church,” she said. “I thought that one day I might write a hymn that was a harmony of poetry and music. The hymn was written over a period of several months at a time when I was experiencing a new sense of direction, growth and creativity in my life.” It appeared first in Contemporary Worship 1 (1969) and has been a staple of hymnals ever since. 

The most poignant aspect of Dr. Cameron’s hymn is the paradox between stanza one and stanzas two and three. In stanza one, the author celebrates humanities’ “inventive powers” that come as a result of being made “in [God’s] likeness.” Stanza two contrasts the purposeful move into space with the void of life in “modern cities” where lonely people are often “lost to purpose and meaning, scarcely caring where they go.” Stanza three, written at the height of the Cold War, contrasts “the ecstasy of winging through untraveled realms of space” with the earth-bound reality of the power of the atom, which provides us with the choice of “life’s destruction or our most triumphant hour.” The final stanza appropriately concludes with the prayer: “Great Creator, give us guidance till our goals and yours are one.” 

            God, who stretched the spangled heavens, infinite in time and place,

            Flung the suns in burning radiance through the silent fields of space,

            We your children, in your likeness, share inventive powers with you.

            Great Creator, still creating, show us what we yet may do.

            Proudly rise our modern cities, stately buildings, row on row;

            Yet their windows, blank, unfeeling, stare on canyoned streets below,

Where the lonely drift unnoticed in the city’s ebb and flow,

Lost to purpose and to meaning, scarcely caring where they go.

We have ventured worlds undreamed of since the childhood of our race;

Known the ecstasy of winging through untraveled realms of space;

Probed the secrets of the atom, yielding unimagined power,

Facing us with life’s destruction of our most triumphant hour.

As each far horizon beckons, may it challenge us anew,

Children of creative purpose, serving others, honoring you.

May our dreams prove rich with promise, each endeavor well begun.

Great Creator, give us guidance till our goals and yours are one.

Wilbur Held (1914-2015) was born in Des Plaines, Illinois, and received his B.M. and M.M. degrees at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He then attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City where he earned his S.M.D. A member of the Episcopal Church, for many years Dr. Held was Professor of Organ and Church Music at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.  He remained in this position for over 30 years, and for most of that time was also organist-choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio.  Dr. Held started composing little pieces for the organ because he felt there was a lack of teaching material aimed at developing style and registration, especially for the romantic use of the instrument.  Having written several suites primarily for pedagogical use, he turned his attention to broadening the repertoire for church use, continuing to stress modest technical requirements and flexibility of registration. To date he has published 325 organ works. He has served on the national councils of both the AGO and the Hymn Society of America, and has appeared as recitalist at their national conventions.

About the Choral Music:

How Deep the Father’s Love For Us – Larry Shackley

Stuart Townend (b. 1963) has written several modern worship songs including the very well-known “In Christ Alone.” However, the song “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” holds a special place in his heart.  Townend, a who lives in Brighton, England, states himself that he is concerned about the modern movement that is always seeking an “experience” at worship. He clearly states that he believes emotion is an important part of worship, but that when that becomes our focus, we struggle. In an online interview, he stated concerning “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us,”

The danger now is that we are so focused on the experience our worship can become self-seeking and self-serving. When all of our songs are about how we feel and what we need, we’re missing the point. There is a wonderful, omnipotent God who deserves our highest praise, and how we feel about it is in many ways irrelevant!  I want to encourage the expression of joy, passion and adoration, but I want those things to be the by-product of focusing on God – I don’t want them to become the subject matter. I’m trying to write songs that refer to us as little as possible, and to Him as much as possible!

Many people, upon hearing the song for the first time, think it is old, as it sounds more like a classic hymn than a modern praise song.  That feel was intentional from the very beginning. On his own website, Townend states that he had been considering the cross, “in particular what it cost the Father to give up his beloved Son to a torturous death on a cross.” Then he thought about his own part in that event; thus the line, “It was my sin that nailed Him there.”  Written in 1995, “How Deep the Father’s Love” is comprised of three simple verses, but they teach the basics of our faith. They discuss not only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but also the love of God and sin of man. In my opinion, the last lines of the hymn are some of the finest words ever penned, as we sing, “But this I know with all my heart: His wounds have paid my ransom.” Those words bring the worshiper’s mind back to the fact of his/her own sin, but also the glorious salvation brought about by Jesus Christ.  In terms of modern hymns, there may not be a song that better expresses the basics of the Christian faith, while at the same time being highly introspective. 

Larry Shackley (b. 1956) is a full-time composer and editor from Columbia, SC. From 1995-2007, he taught and directed the music program at Columbia International University in Columbia, SC. Prior to that, he worked for several years at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, creating original music and producing radio programs for the Moody Broadcasting Network. He has been active in church music since his teens, and served as staff keyboardist for ten years at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music and earned his Master in Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in composition from the University of South Carolina. Over the past several years, he has devoted most of his composing to music for the church, producing over twenty books of keyboard arrangements and more than one hundred choral anthems.

            How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure

            That He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.

            How great the pain of searing loss.  The Father turns his face away

            As wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.

            How high, how wide, how deep the Father’s love for us.

            Behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon his shoulders.

            Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.

            It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished;

            His dying breath has brought me life.  I know that it is finished.

            How pure, how strong, how deep the Father’s love for us.

            I will not boast in anything; no gifts, no power, no wisdom.

            But I will boast in Jesus Christ: his death and resurrection.

            Why should I gain from his reward?  I cannot give an answer.

            But this I know with all my heart: his wounds have paid my ransom.

            How high, how wide, how pure, how strong.

            How deep the Father’s love for us.

About the Hymns:

All Creatures of Our God and King

The words of the hymn were initially written by St Francis of Assisi in 1225 in the Canticle of the Sun poem, which was based on Psalm 148. The words were translated into English by William Draper, who at the time was rector of a Church of England parish church at Adel near Leeds. Draper paraphrased the words of the Canticle and set them to music. It is not known when Draper first composed the hymn but it was between 1899 and 1919. Draper composed the hymn for his church's children's Whitsun festival celebrations and it was later published in 1919 in the Public School Hymn Book. The hymn is currently used in 179 different hymn books. The words written by St Francis are some of the oldest used in hymns after "Father We Praise Thee", written in 580 AD. The hymn is set to the tune of "Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr", a German Easter hymn written by Friedrich Spee, published in 1623 in his book Auserlesene, Catholische, Geistliche Kirchengesäng. It was first used in English hymn books in 1906.

St. Francis is famous for many things, including love of animals.  Pictures of him usually have birds flying nearby and small animals at his feet.  A popular story tells of him stopping to preach a sermon to a flock of birds.  He reminded them that God had blessed them with beautiful clothing even though they had never learned to spin or weave–– and that God had blessed them with food even thought they had never learned to sow or reap.  Then he called them to sing their songs as praises to God.  St. Francis wrote this hymn near the end of his life.  Sick and suffering bouts of blindness, he was going home to die when he stopped to visit friends at the St. Damien monastery.  While there, he felt the inspiration to compose this joyful hymn.  It calls all God's creatures ––sun and moon ––wind and water––fruits and flowers––and all who are of tender heart––to sing, "Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!" to honor our God.

Seek Ye First

"Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God." was written in 1972 by Karen Lafferty.  The following is an excerpt from an interview in Reformed Worship magazine:

I was raised in a Christian home, but like many young people I wanted to discover life for myself and did some drifting. I was working as a nightclub entertainer in New Orleans when a friend came to visit me and got me back on the right track. I decided to pursue entertainment for the time being—to try to be salt and light in the entertainment world. So I moved to California.  Soon I did find a church, Calvary Chapel, and at my first service I met a lot of other young musicians.  At this time "Maranatha! Music" was part of Calvary Chapel. It was very small yet and had produced only one album, An Everlasting Jesus Music Concert. At the chapel we had a special fellowship for musicians which taught us principles on how to serve through music. Most of us were especially interested in contemporary Christian music, music that would reach young people.  I stayed with Maranatha! Music for about eight years. In 1980, and out of that relationship came Musicians for Missions. Youth with a Mission is very involved with the idea of cross-cultural missions. Even though we dealt with a subculture of young people who all liked the same kind of music, there were still many cultural differences. I felt I had to live outside of the U.S. to really learn what it is to be in another country. And under the umbrella of Youth with a Mission, I was able to organize Musicians for Missions.

Back in 1971, I had quit my entertainment job and was trying to support myself with teaching guitar lessons. I had three students! When my savings were all gone and I had no money to make my car payments, I became very discouraged and confused.  One evening I went to a Bible study at church, and we talked about Matthew 6:33.1 was tremendously encouraged and challenged by the words about Christ's kingdom. So I went home, wrote the tune, recorded it on a tape recorder, and then sang this little descant part.  I taught the song at church the next week, and it caught on right away. The Lord really paved the way for me with that song. "Seek Ye First" has opened doors for me all over the world. And because it's in so many hymnbooks, about 40 percent of my mission support comes from that song!

I Surrender All

"I Surrender All" was written by American art teacher and musician Judson W. Van DeVenter (1855–1939), who subsequently became a music minister and evangelist. It was put to music by Winfield S. Weeden (1847–1908), and published in 1896.Van DeVenter said of the inspiration for the text:

For some time, I had struggled between developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surrendered all. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing.

Following his decision to surrender his life to the Divine, Van DeVenter traveled throughout the United States, England, and Scotland, doing evangelistic work. Winfield S. Weeden, his associate and singer, assisted him for many years. Toward the end of his life, Van DeVenter moved to Florida, and was professor of hymnology at the Florida Bible Institute for four years in the 1920s. After his retirement, he remained involved in speaking and in religious gatherings. Van DeVenter published more than 60 hymns in his lifetime, but "I Surrender All" is his most famous.

September 25, 2016 - Revival

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:

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Irish born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married. The day before his wedding his fiance died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

Many years later a friend was sitting with Joseph, as he was very ill. During this visit, the friend was very impressed when he ran across his poems, including “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. As a result of this visit, almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to his mother, Joseph's poems were published in a book called Hymns and Other Verses. Soon thereafter, noted musician Charles C. Converse (1834-1918) put music to  “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. Well-known musician and revivalist Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908) was a great admirer of Joseph Scriven. In 1875, Sankey came upon the music and words for “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and included it as the last entry in  Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number 1.

The hymn also has many versions with different lyrics in multiple languages, such as the Japanese version "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (lit. "Deep Affection"), or a version sung during World War I with the line "When this bloody war is over" in place of the original title.  The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal notes, "In spite of the fact that this hymn, with its tune, has been criticized as being too much on the order of the sentimental gospel type, its popularity remains strong, and the hymn retains a place in modern hymnals."

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there. 

Robert A. Hobby (b. 1962) currently serves as Director of Music for Trinity English Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his responsibilities include playing for many of the worship services, overseeing the graded choral program, and managing the concerts the church offers. Numerous activities during his tenure include Trinity Church establishing a choral series with seventeen composers commissioned thus far, hosting a regional convention of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, producing four recordings, and expanding the opportunities for music ministry.

Toccata in Seven – John Rutter

John Rutter (b. 1945) studied at Cambridge, where he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his first recording while still a student.  His compositional career has included both large and small scale choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas, and music for television.  In 1979, he formed the Cambridge Singers, a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated to recording sacred choral works, and he now divides his time between composition and conducting.  In 1980, he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians.  In 1996, the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contributions to church music.

About the Vocal Solo Music:

On to Higher Ground – Mark Hayes

          Paul Burnett, solo

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".  This arrangement by Mark Hayes combines two gospel hymns, “When the Morning Comes” and “Higher Ground”.

“When the Morning Comes” is a revision of Charles Tindley’s "We are tossed and driven (We'll understand it better by and by)" (1905) was produced byB.B. McKinney for Songs of Victory (1937). It reduces and reorders Tindley's original four stanzas into three, with some of the text being heavily edited.  Charles Tindley was born near Berlin, Maryland, in July of 1851, the son of a slave, Albert Tindley, and a freewoman, Hester Miller Tindley. Hester passed away when Charles was only four, and a year later he was separated from his father. When he became old enough to work, he was hired out to work with slaves, although his status as “freeborn” was recognized. Little did the people of Berlin realize that a theological and musical giant was springing up in their midst. Tindley is often called a founding father of American gospel music. In 1902, after finishing his educational ventures and pastoring several churches in Philadelphia, he became pastor of the church where he had served as janitor 25 years earlier. After bearing eight children, his wife Daisy, passed away in 1924, the very day the congregation entered the new sanctuary for the first time.  Initially struggling with her death, he would later explain, “one day I will understand it better by and by”.

Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1856-1922) wrote “I’m Pressing On (Higher Ground)”. His father was an excellent singer, and it always delighted the son to sit by his side and hear him sing the songs of the church. Oatman received his education at Herbert's Academy, Princetown, N. J., and the New Jersey Collegiate Institute. At the age of nineteen, he joined the M.E. Church, and a few years later, he was granted a license to preach the Gospel, and still later he was regularly ordained by Bishop Merrill.  He wrote over three thousand hymns, and no gospel song book is considered complete unless it contains some of his hymns.

            Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand

all the ways that God would lead us to that blessed promised land.

But he’ll guide us with His eye, and we’ll follow till we die;

We will understand it better by and by.

Of our cherished plans have failed, disappointments have prevailed,

And we’ve wandered in the darkness, heavy hearted and alone.

But we’re trusting in the Lord, and, according to His Word,

We will understand it better by and by.

By and by, when the morning comes, when the saints of God are gathered home,

We will tell the story how we’ve overcome; We will understand it better by and by.

I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day.

Still praying as I’m onward bound,  “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

I want to scale the utmost height and catch a gleam of glory bright.

But still I’ll pray till heaven I’ve found, “Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on heaven’s tableland.

                A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

About the Choral Music:

Revive Us Again – Mark Hayes

When, at the age of seventeen, William MacKay (1839-1885)  left his humble Scottish home to attend college, his godly mother gave him a Bible in which she wrote his name and a verse of Scripture. Away from home, he began well. But as time went by he drifted further and further from the way he had been raised. He began drinking heavily. At a low point, to satisfy his thirst for whiskey, he carelessly pawned the Bible his mother had given him.  Many years went by. Eventually, MacKay completed medical training and took up his work in a city hospital. There one day the Lord met him in a special way. I imagine it started out like any other day, doing rounds, writing reports. But in one room he had an encounter that changed everything. It was a sad case. The patient was nearing the end. No hope for him. “Bring me my book!” he cried. “I need my book!” And the words seemed to echo in the flinty soul of Dr. MacKay.  Awhile later, he was told the fellow had died. And the doctor went back to the room, curious to find out what “book” had been so precious that holding it once more had been a dying man’s greatest desire. Soon his search uncovered a Bible. But not just any Bible. There inside the front cover, in his mother’s hand, was his own name, William Paton MacKay. It had been many years since he had seen it, but there could be no mistake. Someone had reclaimed the Bible from that pawn shop, and it had become a priceless treasure to a dying man.  MacKay went to his office and closed the door. He opened the Bible, slowly turning the worn and weathered pages.  Many contained specially marked verses his mother hoped he would read. He was alone in that room for many hours. But when he emerged the long night of sin had been blasted away by the life-changing light of heaven. With a newly tender heart, and a desire to reclaim wasted years, he resigned his place at the hospital. After training he went on to serve the Lord as a pastor. It is W. P. MacKay who wrote the hymn Revive Us Again.

            We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love,

for Jesus who died and is now gone above.

We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light,

Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,

Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain.

Revive us again, fill each heart with Thy love;

May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

Hallelujah, Thine the glory!  Hallelujah, amen!

Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive us again.

About the Hymns:

O Spirit of the Living God 

Henry Hallam Tweedy (1868-1953) at­tend­ed Phil­lips An­do­ver Acad­e­my, Yale Un­i­ver­si­ty, Un­ion The­o­lo­gic­al Sem­in­ary, and the Un­i­ver­si­ty of Ber­lin. He was or­dained a Con­gre­ga­tion­al­ist min­is­ter in 1898: he pas­tored at Ply­mouth Church, Uti­ca, New York, and South Church, Bridge­port, Con­nec­ti­cut. He then be­came Pro­fess­or of Hom­i­le­tics at Yale Di­vin­i­ty School. He taught lit­ur­gy, mu­sic, and the arts, and was in­ter­est­ed in re­li­gious ar­chi­tect­ure. Tweedy wrote this Pentecost hymn in 1933. Robert G. McCutchan quotes Tweedy on his hymn: “Some of the old Pentecostal hymns were to me unsatisfactory, and I was eager to interpret the symbolism of the story in Acts in a way that modern men could understand and sincerely mean”. The text was first published in The Methodist Hymnal of 1935.  In the story of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit's presence is perceived through three images: a mighty rushing wind, tongues of fire, and speaking in many tongues (Acts 2:2-4). The first three stanzas of this hymn elaborate on each image, as a request that the fire of God purify our hearts, that the wind of God strengthen our knowledge, and that we may speak abroad God's love to people of all nations. The final stanza is a picture of the new earth.

I’m Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing

Music has always played a central role in African American worship. The songs sung by slaves belonged to no single individual, for they represented the collective experience and voice of the community at large. There were no rehearsals, for the songs were communally composed and orally transmitted. They were fixed in neither time nor space.  The congregation and the choir were one and the same. In the song “I’m Gonna Sing,” the three repeated lines of text “I’m gonna sing when the Spirit says a-Sing,” followed by a recurring fourth line helps to identify this song as a spiritual. By changing only one word in the introductory line, new verses can be created infinitely, thereby facilitating its oral transmission and inviting the full participation of every one present. References to the Holy Spirit in the text attest to the widely held African American premise that music can and must be an expression of the heart.

God of Grace and God of Glory

“God of grace and God of glory” was written in 1930 by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969) for the dedication of the famous Riverside Church in New York City.   Fosdick was granted degrees from Colgate University and Union Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1903 to ministry in the Baptist Church and became pastor of First Baptist Church, Montclair, N.J.   Fosdick served as a chaplain during World War I and then was pastor of First Presbyterian Church in New York City. From this congregation he was called to pastor Park Avenue Baptist Church, which was renamed Riverside Church.

“God of grace and God of glory” was written while the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression between the two World Wars. Fosdick was a champion of the social gospel, a movement that recognized the plight of the poor, especially in the urban Northeast during the Industrial Revolution.   UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young has noted: “Fosdick’s stirring radio sermons, books, and public pronouncements established Riverside as a forum for the critique of the same wealth and privilege whose gifts had made possible the building of the church.  Under his leadership Riverside Church was interdenominational, interracial, without a creed, and, astonishingly for Baptists, required no specific mode of baptism. At the center of Fosdick’s ministry was urban social ministry.”   Fosdick was perhaps the most vocal proponent of the social gospel of his time—a position that brought both wide acclaim and broad disdain. 

September 18, 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:

Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz? - Johann Christoph Bach

"Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?"  is a very old German chorale, which has been set by many composers, both for organ and for choir.  The chorale melody is found on undated manuscripts that appeared around the middle of the 16^th century in Nürnberg. One of these is listed as coming from Nürnberg in 1561. The composer and/or text author is unknown. For many years it had been thought that Hans Sachs could have written both song and melody. The melody was noted on a manuscript from Crailsheim in 1565.  The chorale text has a total of 14 verses.  The source of the text and general theme are very similar to “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”  A rough translation of 3 of the verses is as follows:

Why do you trouble yourself, my heart, tormenting yourself and bearing pain only about perishable goods?  Alas, I am poor; heavy worries oppress me.  From evening until morning, my dear necessity lasts.  May God have mercy!  Who will rescue me yet from the body of this evil and cruel world?  How wretched it is beset around me!  Alas!  If I were only dead! 

Trust in your Lord God, who has created everything.  He can and will not abandon you. He knows well what you lack; heaven and earth are His!  Ah, how?  God freely tends to the wild animal: He gives the bird his meal; He nourishes the young raven.  Your Father and your Lord God, He will stand with you in all necessity.

Well then!  I will also rest quite peacefully.  Now I can live as if in heaven.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s life was surrounded by Johann Christophs:  an uncle, a cousin, an older brother, and a son.  Here we have a chorale prelude by his 1st cousin once removed, who became the town organist in Eisenach in the year 1665 and court chamber musician there in 1700.  Prior to Johann Sebastian, Johann Christoph (1642-1703) would have been considered the most famous musician of the Bach family. His work is of the highest quality and, in some instances, has been improperly attributed to Johann Sebastian himself (e.g. the motet Ich lasse dich nicht). Johann Christoph composed choral works (motets and cantatas) and works for organ (preludes and fugues). Johann Sebastian described his cousin as "the great and expressive composer," and performed his works often as did Carl Philipp Emanuel.

Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ – Mark Sedio

“Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ” was written by Fred Kaan in 1975.  Kaan was known and honored throughout the English speaking world as a hymn writer. He was in the tradition of reformed ministers who wrote hymns to follow and sum up the sermons they preached. Having started to write hymns early in his ministry, his output grew steadily during his career.

            Let us talents and tongues employ, Reaching out with a shout of joy.

            Bread is broken, the wine is poured, Christ is spoken and seen and heard.

            Christ is able to make us one.  At the table he sets the tone,

            Teaching people to live to bless, Love in word and in deed express.

           

Jesus calls us in, sends us out Bearing fruit in a world of doubt

            Gives us love to tell, bread to share.  God (Immanuel) everywhere!

            Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again,

            Pass the Word around: loaves abound!

Mark Sedio currently serves as Cantor, organist, and choirmaster  at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.  He is also on the music staff of Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Born in Minneapolis. 

Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr - Georg Kauffman

"Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr" (From my heart I hold you dear, o Lord) by the Protestant theologian and reformer Martin Schalling, written in Amberg in 1569 and first printed in 1571. It is sung to an anonymous melody, which appeared in a tablature book for organ in 1577. The first theme of the hymn is the love to God and one's neighbour, following the Great Commandment. Schalling included thoughts from Psalms 18:3.

            From my heart I hold you dear, o Lord,

            I ask that it may be your will to be not far from me with your kindness and mercy.

            The whole world gives me no delight;

            I do not ask for heaven and earth, if only I can have you.

            And even if my heart at once breaks, you are still my reassurance,

            My portion and my heart’s comfort, who has redeemed me through his blood.

            Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, My God and Lord,

            Never again let me be put to shame!

            It is, Lord, your present and gift,

            My body and soul and what I have in this poor life.

            So that I may use this for your praise, for the benefit and service of my neighbor,

            May it be your will to grant me your grace!

            Guard me, Lord, from false teaching, defend me from Satan’s murder and lies,

            Sustain me in every affliction, so that I may endure with patience!

            Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and God, my Lord and God,

            Comfort my soul in death’s distress.

Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (14 February 1679 – 24 March 1735) was a Baroque composer and organist from southern Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice.  Late in his life, Kauffmann started to publish a complete edition of his organ chorales; however, he died of consumption before they had been completely published. His widow completed the publication of the Harmonische Seelenlust.  While they did not make a great first impression, over the next century they became one of the most significant achievements in German organ music, and remained in high demand well into the 19th century.

About the Choral Music:

Praise and Adore – Tom Fettke

“Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore Him” first appeared in a four-paged tract which is found pasted at the end of some copies of the 1796 musical edition of the Psalms, Hymns, and Anthems of the Foundling Hospital, London and again at the end of the edition of words only, published in 1801.  A post-exilic hymn based on Psalm 148, it maintains that God's glory displayed in creation and redemption is so great that the praise on Israel's lips needs to be supplemented by a chorus from all creation. Let everything created in the heavens praise God for the majesty and ordered goodness of the celestial realm. Let all created things on earth and in the seas praise their Maker. Let all people join in praising God for salvation "from sin and shame".  The question of the authorship of this hymn has been a matter of serious inquiry for some years, with the result that on the one hand it is attributed to John Kempthorne, and on the other to Bishop Mant, and both in error.   The leaflet found in the 1796 hymnal is neither signed nor dated. The authorship and date of the writing and first printing of the hymn are therefore still open to investigation and research.

Tom Fettke has taught music in both public and Christian schools and has served as a church choir director and minister of music in churches large and small for over 30 years. He is a composer, arranger, clinician, and producer of Christian music recordings.  Fettke was the creator and senior editor of the Hymnal for Worship and Celebration (1986). 

            Praise the Lord! O heavens adore Him; praise Him, angels in the height;

            Sun and moon rejoice before Him; praise Him, shining stars of light.

            Praise the Lord, for He has spoken; worlds His mighty voice obeyed;

            Laws, which never shall be broken, for their guidance He has made.

            Praise the Lord, for He is gracious; never shall His promise fail;

            God has made His saints victorious, sin and death shall not prevail.

            Praise the God of our salvation; hosts on high, His power proclaim.

            Heaven and earth, and all creation, praise and magnify His name!

            Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer as our gift;

            Young and old, Your praise expressing, our glad songs to you we lift.

            All the saints in heaven adore You; we would join their glad acclaim;

            As Your angels bow before You, so on earth we praise Your name.

            Amen!

About the Hymns:

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

Edward Perronet (1726-1792) was born in England, the grandson of a French immigrant. His father, Vincent, was a clergyman in the Church of England and a close friend and associate of John and Charles Wesley. Though Edward had planned to follow his father into Anglican ministry, the influence of the Wesleys prevailed, and he became a traveling Methodist preacher.  “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” was written by Perronet while he served as a missionary in India and first appeared in the November, 1779 issue of the Gospel Magazine

The hymn is often called the "National Anthem of Christendom”.  The best-known tunes used for the hymn are "Coronation" (Oliver Holden, 1793),  "Miles Lane" (William Shrubsole, 1779), and "Diadem" (James Ellor, 1838). 

An interesting story is told about this hymn.  Rev. E. P. Scott was a missionary in India who had been urged not to go near a certain barbarous tribe, whom he wished to evangelize. But he went forth with high cour­age, ne­ver wa­ver­ing in his du­ty, and trust­ing in God to pro­tect him. When at last he reached their coun­try among the hills, he came up­on a com­pa­ny of these sav­ag­es.  Im­medi­ate­ly, they sur­round­ed him, point­ing their spears at him with threat­en­ing scowls.  He had nothing but his vi­o­lin; and so, clos­ing his eyes, he be­gan to play and sing, “All Hail the Pow­er of Je­sus’ Name.” When he opened his eyes he ex­pect­ed to be killed in­stant­ly, but his life had been spared through the sing­ing of the hymn. Their spears had dropped, and they re­ceived him first with cur­i­o­si­ty and in­ter­est, and then lat­er with ea­gern­ess, as he told them the gos­pel sto­ry and won their hearts to the will of Je­sus Christ.

Oh, How I Love Jesus

The stanzas of “Oh How I Love Jesus” were written in 1855 by Frederick Whitfield (1829-1904), an English clergyman.  Mr. Whitfield's works in prose and verse number upwards of thirty, including Spiritual unfolding from the Word of Life; Voices from the Valley Testifying of Jesus; The Word Unveiled; Gleanings from Scripture, &c. Several of his hymns appeared in his Sacred Poems and Prose, 1861, 2nd Series, 1864; The Casket, and Quiet Hours in the Sanctuary. This text was first printed in hymn sheets and leaflets, and was published in 1861 by Whitfield in his Sacred Poems and Prose in London. It was first published in the United States no later than 1864.  The refrain is anonymous, and was paired with many other hymns in the second half of the nineteenth century, including “Amazing Grace” by John Newton and “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed” by Isaac Watts. Its earliest known appearance in publication was during the 1860s.

I Stand Amazed in the Presence

Charles Gabriel (1856-1932) grew up on an Iowa farm and learned music by playing the reed organ in his home. He became one of the most prolific composers of gospel songs of his day. Gabriel's musical activities ranged from teaching in the singing schools that were so popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to authoring texts, composing songs, anthems, and cantatas, and editing song collections. He was associated with the leading gospel song publishers of his day, including Homer Rodeheaver, Hope, and E. O. Excell.  Though self-trained, he started leading singing school educational events as a teenager. He worked with Grace Episcopal Methodist Church in San Francisco from 1890-1892, and then moved to Chicago where he worked for Homer Rodeheaver’s publishing firm.  Gabriel is credited with between 7000 and 8000 songs, thirty-five gospel song collections, Sunday school song books, collections for men's and women’s choirs, numerous cantatas, including 41 Christmas cantatas, and music education texts. He wrote under numerous pseudonyms, making it often difficult to know the precise number of songs he wrote.

The words of the gospel hymn “I Stand Amazed” were written in 1905 when Gabriel was 49 years old, after more than three decades into his life’s work in music. The hymn’s words indicate he was not self-absorbed, as some with his talent over such a long stretch of time might have been. Instead, Gabriel focused his attention on the One who had gifted him musically. Gabriel’s composition shows he saw his own faults (a sinner, condemned, unclean), but that’s not where he dwelt. Gabriel evidently had emerged from his own struggles – including his father’s death when Charles was still a teenager, and his failed first marriage - to recognize the Lord’s work in his life. Look at Him, hold Him in awe, and open your mouth in joyous response as you look forward to a face-to-face encounter. That sums up Gabriel’s song-message. It’s not hard to find something amazing about Him – you just have to look.