Each week, you may find information here about the music in the traditional worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas. Some of this information is original; most of it is copied from other websites such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org. It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.
About the Organ Music:
Noel, grand jeu et duo - Louis-Claude Daquin
Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772) was born in Paris, to a family originating from Italy (where their name was D'Aquino). One of his great-uncles was a professor of Hebrew at the Collège de France. Daquin was a musical child prodigy who performed for the court of King Louis XIV at the age of six. At the age of 12, he became organist at the Sainte-Chapelle, and in the following year took a similar post at the church of the Petit St. Antoine. Claude Daquin never lacked for work as an organist. In 1727, he was appointed organist at the church of St. Paul in Paris, ahead of Jean-Philippe Rameau who was also a candidate. Five years later, he succeeded his teacher Louis Marchand as organist at the Église des Cordeliers. In 1739, he became organist to the king. In 1755, he was made titular organist at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. By reputation a dazzling performer at the keyboard, Daquin was courted by the aristocracy, and his great expertise at the organ drew large crowds to hear him. He was known for his "unfaltering precision and evenness" at both the harpsichord and organ.
Daquin wrote twelve Noëls based on old French carols. The tenth, originally titled “Noël Grand jeu et Duo”, is based on the carol “Bon Joseph, écoutez-moi” (Listen to me, good Joseph), which dates from the 15th or 16th century. The original lyrics of this carol have been lost.
About the Handbell Music:
Joy to the World - Barbara Kinyon
(c.1989, Agape, div of Hope Publishing)
Our Christmas season would hardly seem complete Joy to the World, the most joyous of the carols. Yet Isaac Watts, its author, never intended it to be a Christmas carol at all. Rather, it was a part of his Psalms of David Imitated, published in 1719, which contained paraphrases of many of the Psalms in New Testament language.
The story of the hymn, Joy to the World, is the story of the author, Isaac Watts (1675-1748), who is universally acknowledged as "The Father of English Hymnody". He has earned the title, not because he was first to write English hymns, but because he gave impetus to hymnody and established its place in the worship of the English church. For over one hundred years, congregational singing had been strictly limited to the Psalms of the Old Testament in poetic form. Many of these rhymed Psalms were so unnatural that Samuel Wesley, father of the famous brothers Charles and John, called them "scandalous doggerel," and his opinion was shared by many.
The birth of Isaac Watts to a dissenting deacon and the daughter of a Huguenot refugee was followed by fourteen years of persecution and hardships for the entire family. Perhaps this suffering was responsible for Isaac Watts’ ill health, for he grew only to a height of just over five feet and was weak and sickly all his life. Though weak in body, the boy was strong in mind and spirit and early in life showed promise of poetic capability. After one Sunday morning service, Isaac, then fifteen years old, complained of the atrocious worship in song. One of the deacons challenged him: "Give us something better, young man." His answer was to write hundreds of hymns that are still sung today.
Joy to the World is the "imitation" of the last half of Psalm 98. The author transformed the old Jewish psalm of praise for some historic deliverance into a Christian song of rejoicing for the salvation of God that began to be manifested when the Babe of Bethlehem came "to make his blessing flow far as the curse is found." This is one of the most joyous hymns in all Christendom because it makes so real what Christ’s birth means to all mankind.
The tune most widely associated with Watts’ text is ANTIOCH, often poorly attributed in hymnals to either George Frideric Handel or Lowell Mason, neither of which is the proper author. This tune appeared at least four times in short succession around the same date, 1832–1833. Since three of the collections were published without dates, the exact succession is difficult to determine. Possibly the earliest is Charles Rider’s Psalmodia Britannica, vol. 4,, where the tune was called COMFORT (c.1831) with the curious ascription, “Partly from J. Leach.” Another of these early appearances was in Thomas Hawkes’ Collection of Tunes (Watchet: Thomas Whitehorn, 1833, where it was also called COMFORT. The attribution to “Author unknown” suggests that the tune had appeared earlier in another collection or through some other resource yet to be determined. Hawkes’ collection was keyed to A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists, with a Supplement (London: John Mason, 1831), where the tune appears with Charles Wesley’s “O joyful sound of gospel grace” and Wesley’s “How large the promise, how divine.” Around the same time Hawkes’ collection was published, this tune appeared in Thomas Clark’s Congregational Harmonist, vol. 3 (London: W. Blackman, n.d.), also dubbed COMFORT and paired with Wesley’s “O joyful sound,” without attribution. In this printing, the tunes are associated with the same Methodist collection published by John Mason that Hawkes’ had used for his tunebook.
In William Holford’s Voce di Melodia, ca. 1833–1834, 3rd ed., like the others, this tune was called COMFORT. Here the associated text was “O the delights, the heav’nly joys” by Isaac Watts. Holford seems to be the first to connect this tune with Handel. This tune has never been found among the works of Handel, but it does bear a resemblance to various strains from Messiah. The opening phrase, especially in these early British versions, recalls “Glory to God” and/or “Lift up your heads”, while the third phrase recalls the opening strains of “Comfort ye”. This latter association may very well be why the tune was called COMFORT, but the tune as a whole should not be credited to Handel, except perhaps as the tune’s inspiration.
Shortly thereafter, the tune crossed the Atlantic and was adapted by Lowell Mason (1792–1872) for his collection Occasional Psalm and Hymn Tunes, No. 3 (Boston, 1836). Mason credited the tune as “arranged from Handel” and he initiated its famed pairing with “Joy to the world.”
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.
Barbara Baltzer KIinyon (b. 1929) received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and her Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) in Rochester, NY. Barbara has spent her professional life as a solo pianist, college professor, church organist, private piano and pipe organ instructor, as well as handbell conductor, composer and clinician. Ms. Kinyon's college teaching career has spanned 25 years as professor of music theory and composition at Suffolk Community College on Long Island. She has been deeply involved with the church music ministry as organist and conductor of handbell choirs at the Setauket Presbyterian Church in Setauket, NY. Barbara has written and has had published over 225 handbell compositions. Barbara is also a composer/arranger of choral music, and she resides in Stony Brook, NY.
About the Choral Music:
Hear the Bells Ring - Pamela Sortomme
(c.1998, Pamela Sortomme)
Pamela Sortomme has been writing music for over 35 years. She studied music and composition at BYU and California State University in Sacramento. She has also taught private music lessons in her studio for over 37 years, creating many themed musical programs and recitals. She has written music for local schools and accompanied for a high school choir. As a choir director she has arranged and written and directed music and many programs for ward and stake choirs. She has participated in local community choirs and Musical theater as a soloist. In 2019 Pamela directed a Bi-County Honor Choir in the Spokane Opera House. She has written music for children, piano, choir, some instrumental and chime music and shares her original and arranged music at her website.
She wrote this about this anthem: “Hear the Bels Ring was written in 1988 after the birth of my fifth child, who has several serious health issues. it was a worrisome and frightening time, but when I thought of Christmas and the Christ Child who redeemed the world, I wrote this piece. That was many years ago, but it's one of my favorites and has been sung by multiple choirs many times. I hope many others can enjoy this uplifting Christmas piece. PS my daughter grew up, and was able to be healthy enough to serve a mission then teach in Japan, two of her life dreams!”
Hear the bells ring on Christmas day, Hear the bells ring rejoice, rejoice.
Hear the bells ring on Christmas morn. Our Savior the Lord is born.
Hear the angels sing Alleluia. Se the shepherds bring gifts to him.
See the tiny babe in the manger bare. Our Savior the Lord is here.
Alleluia, Christ the Lord is here!
He has come to redeem the world, to save us from death and sin.
All ye people rejoice, rejoice, and welcome the Savior in.
Alleluia, Christ the Lord is born!
Hear the bells ring on Christmas day, Hear the bells ring rejoice, rejoice.
Hear the bells ring on Christmas morn, our Savior the Lord is born.
Our Savior the Lord is born!
Nunc Dimittis - George Dyson
(c.1924, Oxford University Press)
The “Nunc Dimittis” or “Canticle of Simeon” is found in Luke 2:21-35 and is the last in historical sequence of the three great Canticles of the New Testament, the other two being the Magnificat (Canticle of Mary) and the Benedictus (Canticle of Zachary). The title is formed from the opening words in the Latin Vulgate, "Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine" ("Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord"). The circumstances under which Simeon uttered his song-petition, thanksgiving, and prophecy are explained by Luke 2:26: "And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord." Brief though the Canticle is, it abounds in Old-Testament allusions. Thus, in the following verses, "Because my eyes have seen thy salvation" alludes to Isaiah 52:10, rendered afterwards in Luke 3:6, "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God". Verse 31, "Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples" accords with Psalms 97:2; and verse 32, "A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel", recalls Isaiah 42:6.
The text of the Nunc Dimittis is given in full in the brief evening prayer found in the Apostolic Constitutions. In the Roman Office, the canticle is assigned to Complin. If St. Benedict did not originate this canonical Hour, he gave to it its liturgical character; but he nevertheless did not include the Canticle, which was afterwards incorporated into the richer Complin Service of the Roman Rite, where it is preceded by the beautiful responsory, "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" (Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit), with the Antiphon following, "Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dormientes" (O Lord, keep us waking, guard us sleeping), all this harmonizing exquisitely with the spirit of the Nunc Dimittis and with the general character of the closing Hour of the Office.
Sir George Dyson (1883-1964) was an English musician and composer. After studying at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London, and army service in the First World War, he was a schoolmaster and college lecturer. In 1938 he became director of the RCM, the first of its alumni to do so. As director he instituted financial and organizational reforms and steered the college through the difficult days of the Second World War. As a composer Dyson wrote in a traditional idiom, reflecting the influence of his teachers at the RCM, Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford. His works were well known during his lifetime but underwent a period of neglect before being revived in the late 20th century.
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart, depart in peace: according to Thy word.
For mine eyes have seen: have seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles: and to be the glory of Thy people Israel.
About the Hymns:
O Come, All Ye Faithful
The original text of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” has been from attributed to various groups and individuals, including St. Bonaventure in the 13th century or King John IV of Portugal in the 17th, though it was more commonly believed that the text was written by an order of monks, the Cistercian, German, Portuguese and Spanish orders having, at various times, been given credit.
The original text consisted of four Latin verses, and it was with these that the hymn was originally published. John Francis Wade (1711=1786) had written the music and the hymn in Latin in 1744, and was first published in 1751. The Abbé Jean-François-Étienne Borderies wrote an additional three verses in the 18th century; these are normally printed as the third to fifth of seven verses, while another, anonymous, additional Latin verse is rarely printed. The text has been translated innumerable times, but the most used version today is the English "O Come, All Ye Faithful". This is a combination of one of Frederick Oakeley's translations of the original four verses and William Thomas Brooke's of the three additional ones, which was first published in Murray's Hymnal in 1852. Oakeley originally titled the song “Ye Faithful, approach ye” when it was sung at his Margaret Church in Marylebone before it was altered to its current form.
O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant,
O Come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels;
God of God, Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, Begotten not created.
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, In the highest;
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning;
Jesu, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing.
See how the shepherds, Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither Bend our hearts' oblations
There shall we see Him, His Eternal Father's
Everlasting Brightness now veiled under flesh;
God shall we find there, a Babe in infant clothing;
Father eternal, Thine eternal splendour
Now veiled in flesh our eyes shall see:
God as an infant, swaddling clothes about him.
Child, for us sinners Poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, Loving us so dearly?
Lo! Star-led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him frankincense and gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child, Bring our hearts oblations:
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
In This Time of Waiting - David MacGregor
(c.2019, Willow Publishing)
David MacGregor is a Scottish Guitarist, Composer, Producer, Music Educator, Recording and Touring Artist. Since 2004, David has planned, written and performed his own specialized touring projects all over North American, Latin America and Europe. He has released 5 albums including his 2020 Solo Album ‘Looking for a Place Called Home’ that was picked in ‘September’s top guitar releases’ by UK based ‘Guitarist Magazine’, where David was compared to some of the worlds best (Jazz) guitarists Pat Metheny, Martin Taylor and John Etheridge. In 2021 he also released a collaboration album with Jazz Singer Louise Phelan ‘Remembering Ella and Joe’ in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. Throughout his travels David has learned that each and every one of us do things a little differently depending on our cultural backgrounds. He believes that we should all learn from our differences and grow together, this is what he is always aiming for with his life and music. His playing and composition style is a mix of all the different sounds that the world has to offer and he is always learning by continuing to collaborate and play with musicians from all over the world.
In this time of waiting, we bring hearts of love.,
Peace and hope and joy bound up in Love.
In our expectation we bring hearts of love;
hearts of longing, we bring hearts of love.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
“O Little Town of Bethlehem” is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. “After an early dinner, we took our horses and rode to Bethlehem,” he wrote home in Christmas week of 1865. “It was only about two hours when we came to the town, situated on an eastern ridge of a range of hills, surrounded by its terraced gardens. It is a good-looking town, better built than any other we have seen in Palestine. . . . Before dark, we rode out of town to the field where they say the shepherds saw the star. It is a fenced piece of ground with a cave in it (all the Holy Places are caves here), in which, strangely enough, they put the shepherds. The story is absurd, but somewhere in those fields we rode through the shepherds must have been. . . . As we passed, the shepherds were still “keeping watch over their flocks or leading them home to fold.” Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church and his organist, Lewis Redner, added the music.
O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King And Peace to men on earth.
How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, The dear Christ enters in.
O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us, we pray.
Cast out our sin and enter in Be born to us today.
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell.
O come to us, abide with us Our Lord Emmanuel.
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
