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.
In dir ist Freude – J. S. Bach
The Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book") is a
collection of 46 chorale preludes for organ, which form the first of Bach's masterpieces
with a mature compositional style in marked contrast to his previous
compositions for the instrument. Each of
them treats a known Lutheran chorale with
a motivic accompaniment. Bach explored a
wide diversity of forms in the Orgelbüchlein. As stated by Spitta in his biography of Bach:
A further step towards perfection this
form was taken by Bach when he made the contrapuntal elements in his music a
eans of reflecting certain emotional aspects of the words. Pachelbel had not attempted this; he lacked
the fervid feeling which would have enabled him thus to enter into his subject.
And it is entering into it, and not a
mere depicting of it. For, once more be
it said, in every vital movement of the world external to us we behold the
image of a movement within us; and every such image must react upon us to
produce the corresponding emotion I that inner world of feeling.
The tune, “In dir ist Freude”, is one of many balletti
(dance-like songs) written by Giovanni G. Gastoldi (1554-1609), a priest and
composer from Mantua, Italy. It was
originally published in his Balleti a cinque voce (1591), where it
was set to "Alieta vi.a, Amor ciinuita", which like so many balletti
had a "fa-la-la" refrain.
Cantor Johann Lindemann (1549-1631) wrote this text to fit the tune. It was published in Lindemann's Amarum
Filii Dei Decades Duae (1598).
Catherine Winkworth prepared the English translation for the second
series of her Lyra Germanica (1858). The text confesses with joy the Christian's
security of walking intimately with God through the ups and downs of daily
life. Bach has set the melody in complex
counterpoint which expresses pure joy in virtual abandon.
In Thee is gladness amid
all sadness, Jesus, day-star of my heart!
By Thee are given the gifts of heaven, thou the true Redeemer art!
Our souls thou wakest; our bonds thou breakest.
Who trusts Thee surely has built securely and stands forever: Allelujah!
Our hearts are longing to see thy dawning.
By Thee are given the gifts of heaven, thou the true Redeemer art!
Our souls thou wakest; our bonds thou breakest.
Who trusts Thee surely has built securely and stands forever: Allelujah!
Our hearts are longing to see thy dawning.
Living or dying, in thee
abiding, naught can us sever: Allelujah!
Jesus is ours! We fear no
powers, not of earth or sin or death.
He sees and blesses in worst distresses; he can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story - tell of His glory with hearts and voices;
all heaven rejoices in him forever: Allelujah!
We shout for gladness, triumph o'er sadness, love him and praise him,
He sees and blesses in worst distresses; he can change them with a breath.
Wherefore the story - tell of His glory with hearts and voices;
all heaven rejoices in him forever: Allelujah!
We shout for gladness, triumph o'er sadness, love him and praise him,
and still shall raise him glad
hymns forever: Allelujah!
About the Choral Music:
Crown
Him, the Risen King! – Lloyd Larson
Lloyd
Larson (b. 1954) is an active composer and arranger for several major
publishing companies of church and school music. His compositions and
arrangements include well over 1,000 published works—including choral anthems,
numerous extended Christmas, Easter and non-seasonal works, keyboard
collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental works for solo and
ensembles, orchestrations, and handbell settings. It is Lloyd's work in his
local church that continues to be the catalyst for much of his writing. He
currently directs the adult choir in his home church in addition to being
involved in worship planning and leadership.
This
rousing anthem combines the familiar hymns “All Creatures of Our God and King”,
“Rejoice, the Lord is King!”, and “Crown Him with Many Crowns”.
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.
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the great
hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into
consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the
youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique.
He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in
so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly amazing how many
there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every
occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression
in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumors
of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden,
the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the
Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which
came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by
one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift. The saying that a really good hymn is as rare
an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley;
for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick
succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream.
“Rejoice, the Lord is King” was first published in John
Wesley's Moral and Sacred Poems (1744) and is currently found in
484 hymnals. The text rejoices in the
kingship of Christ whose rule extends "o'er earth and heaven". All
will bow the knee to Christ when he returns in glory to judge "the living
and dead". The refrain line based on Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice,” is the keynote of the entire text.
All creatures of
our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing:
“Christ is risen! Christ is risen!”
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord
and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing, and
triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart, lift up your
voice! Rejoice, again, I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail; He rules o’er
earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell are to
our Jesus given.
Lift up your heart, lift up your
voice! Rejoice, again, I say, rejoice!
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb
upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who
died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of life, who
triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
for those He came to save;
His glories now we sing who died and
rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and
lives that death may die.
All creatures of our God and King,
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Empty
Now – Joseph Martin
Joseph
Martin (b. 1959 ), a native of North Carolina, earned his Bachelor of Music
degree in Piano Performance at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
Subsequently he earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the
University of Texas, Austin. Joseph taught for five years in the Piano Pedagogy
Department of the University of Texas.. He is a member of the staff of Shawnee
Press as Director of Sacred Publications, with responsibilities for overseeing
the editorial and creative direction of the company’s sacred publications and
also coordinating the recording and production aspects of future sacred
publishing efforts. Joseph has performed solo piano recitals and has been the
featured artist with symphony orchestras in the United States and Mexico. As
winner of the Nina Plant Wideman Competition, he performed with the Guadalajara
Symphony Orchestra. His solo recital in Ex-convento del Carmen was broadcast
nationally throughout the country. Though he continues to perform in concert,
he now devotes his efforts to playing in churches and for conferences of church
musicians Recognized throughout the United States for his many choral
compositions, over 1200 compositions are currently in print and the list
continues to grow.
“Empty
Now” traces the life of Christ from the cradle to the grave, and beyond.
There
is a manger far away where once a tiny child was laid,
Where
angels sang and shepherds bowed, long ago, far away;
The
manger is empty now.
There
is a temple far away where once a teacher went to pray.
He
spoke of truth to an angry crown, long ago, far away;
The
temple is empty now.
There
is a cross far away where once a Lamb for sin was slain.
A
crown of thorns adorned His brow; the cross is empty,
The
cross is empty now.
There
is a tomb far away where once the Lord of Life was laid.
Come
and see His linen shroud. Alleluia!
The
tomb is empty now!
Litany
for Easter – Gordon Young
Gordon Young (1919-1998) was born in McPherson, Kansas, and
during his lifetime was recognized as one of this country's great church
organists. He was a prolific and talented composer for both organ and choir,
with nearly 1000 published works. During
the course of his career, he was a radio organist in Tulsa, a music critic and
columnist for daily newspapers in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, and choirmaster in
churches in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Young taught organ in conjunction
with Wayne State University and for 15 years was organist and choir director at
the First Presbyterian Church in Detroit.
About the Hymns:
Christ
the Lord is Risen Today
"Hymn
for Easter Day" was written by Charles Wesley in 1739 for the inaugural
service at the Foundry Meeting House, London's first Wesleyan chapel. As with many of the most popular hymns,
"Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" has survived the centuries thanks to
a successful marriage of lyrics and music.
The tune first circulated in 1708 with the Lyra Davidica hymnal,
but no composer has ever been acknowledged.
It was first published in A Collection of Hymns for
the Use of the People Called Methodists, John Wesley's hymnbook first published in
1780. Charles Wesley's original text does not include the song's most
distinctive characteristic—the "Alleluia!" that ends each line. An unknown editor added the alleluias later.
“Alleluia”, meaning "Praise the Lord,"
prominently leads off Psalms 106, 111, 112, 113, 117, and 135 in the Hebrew
hymnal. In the years immediately
following Christ's resurrection, “alleluia”
particularly connoted praise for Jesus' victory over death. Early Christians began greeting each other on
Easter with the now-familiar call and response:
"Alleluia! He is risen!" "Alleluia! He is risen
indeed!" Alleluia is meant to convey emphatic joy, thanksgiving, and
triumph.
John
captures the triumph in Revelation 19 with his vision of the great multitude in
heaven roaring, "Alleluia!"
Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate, conveyed the joy when he wrote that Christian
houses of worship in the fourth and fifth centuries shook from the intense alleluias shouted by believers. Roman Catholics and Anglicans refrain from
speaking or singing alleluia
during Lent, but they reintroduce the word into their liturgies to express
their thanksgiving on Easter morning. Even in nonliturgical churches, alleluia retains a kind of liturgical
significance. Bernard Lord Manning, a hymnologist, historian, and observer of
Methodism during the early 20th century, explained how hymns like "Christ
the Lord Is Risen Today" functioned as a liturgy for John and Charles
Wesley's spiritual descendants.
But in the evening at the chapel [the Dissenting church],
though I was uncertain about the prayers, there was no gamble about the
hymns. I knew we should have
Charles Wesley's Easter hymn, "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," with
its 24 "Alleluias": and we did have it. Among any Dissenters worth the name that hymn
is as certain to come on Easter Day as the Easter Collect in the Established
Church. And mark this further—those 24
"Alleluias" are not there for nothing: the special use of
"Alleluia" at Easter comes down to us from the most venerable
liturgies. Our hymns are our liturgy, an
excellent liturgy. Let us study it, respect it, use it, develop it, and boast
of it.
This
melodic liturgy conveys the triumphant joy that is ours on Easter morning. Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He Lives
Alfred H. Ackley (1887-1960) was the son of a
Methodist preacher and musically gifted man, who gave Alfred his foundation in
music at an early age. Ackley studied cello, harmony, and composition in New
York and London. Ackley went on to
graduate from Westminster Theological Seminary in Maryland, and was ordained as
a Presbyterian minister. He served as pastor in several states of the United
States, and worked for a few years with evangelist Billy Sunday and the
Rodeheaver Music Company. Ackley's musical endeavors were so appreciated that
he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Sacred Music degree by John Brown
University in Arkansas.
One particular morning, Easter Sunday in 1932, Rev. Ackley was preparing for his services of the day. As he was shaving, he tuned in to the radio in time to hear a special Easter broadcast. “Good morning!” The well-known preacher began. “It’s Easter! You know folks, it really doesn’t make any difference to me if Christ be risen or not. As far as I am concerned His body could be as dust in some Palestinian tomb. The man thing is, His truth goes marching on!” Rev. Ackley was furious. “It’s a lie!” he shouted at the radio set, forgetting that the speaker could not hear him. Mrs. Ackley did hear him, however, and questioned, “Why are you shouting so early in the morning?” “Didn’t you hear what that good-for-nothing preacher said?” he replied. “He said it didn’t matter whether Christ be risen or not!”
One particular morning, Easter Sunday in 1932, Rev. Ackley was preparing for his services of the day. As he was shaving, he tuned in to the radio in time to hear a special Easter broadcast. “Good morning!” The well-known preacher began. “It’s Easter! You know folks, it really doesn’t make any difference to me if Christ be risen or not. As far as I am concerned His body could be as dust in some Palestinian tomb. The man thing is, His truth goes marching on!” Rev. Ackley was furious. “It’s a lie!” he shouted at the radio set, forgetting that the speaker could not hear him. Mrs. Ackley did hear him, however, and questioned, “Why are you shouting so early in the morning?” “Didn’t you hear what that good-for-nothing preacher said?” he replied. “He said it didn’t matter whether Christ be risen or not!”
Rev. Ackley, in telling the story later, said that he preached that Easter Sunday quite differently than he had ever preached before, but at the end of the day, still felt that he had not yet said everything he wanted to say. His wife said, “Listen here, Alfred Ackley, it’s time you did that which you can do best. Why don’t you write a song about it and then maybe you’ll feel better. You’ll have something that will go on telling the story.” That night, Rev. Alfred Ackley wrote the words and composed the melody. The hymn first appeared in Triumphant Service Songs, a hymnal published by the Rodeheaver Company in 1933.
Crown Him with Many Crowns
The song was originally penned in 1851 by Matthew Bridges
(1800-1894), an Anglican scholar who once wrote a book condemning Roman
Catholic theology, and then later converted to Catholicism. Bridges wrote six stanzas,
based upon Revelations 19:12, “...and
on His head were many crowns.” The text of this hymn was first published
1852 in The Passion of Jesus, a Collection of
Original Pieces Corresponding with the Five Sorrowful Mysteries in the Rosary
of Our Blessed Lady, a collection of devotional poetry. The
prayers of the rosary are said in sets of ten, each focused on a
"mystery" concerning the life of Christ; the mysteries themselves are
in groups of five: the "Joyful Mysteries" concerning Christ's birth
and childhood, the "Sorrowful Mysteries" concerning His death, and
the "Glorious Mysteries" concerning the Resurrection and events
following. (In the 20th century the "Luminous Mysteries" of Christ's
earthly ministry were added.) Bridges's collection was dedicated to the five
Sorrowful Mysteries: Christ's agony in Gethsemane, His scourging, the crown of
thorns, Christ carrying His cross, and finally the Crucifixion itself.
"Crown Him with many Crowns," therefore, was a reflection on the
central mystery of the original 15 mysteries of the rosary. Bridges employs an
unexpected approach to the topic, however, taking the cruel mockery intended by
that original crown and turning it on its head by contemplating the glorious
coronation of Christ in heaven. Each
verse of Bridge’s poem was to describe of a different kind crown (Many Crowns,
Virgin’s Son, Lord of Love, Lord of Peace, Lord of Years, and Lord of Heaven).
Godfrey Thring (1823-1903) was a devout Anglican
clergyman who was concerned that this popular hymn was allowing Catholic
theology to be sung by protestant congregations. Thring
wrote an entirely new hymn of six
verses to serve as a substitute for that of Bridges, using the same meter and
basic plan of successive stanzas extolling Jesus' lordship over various
domains. It was decided to
keep the two versions separate but publish them both in 1874 in Thring’s
hymnbook: Hymns and Sacred Lyrics. Thring’s version was also published
in the Church of England Hymn-Book. The 12 stanzas have been mixed and matched down through the years. Of
the following four verses found in our hymnal, three were written by Bridges
(vs 1,3,and 4) and one by Thring (vs 2).
