September 11, 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.  

Today, we honor our first responders and remember Sept. 11, 2001

About the Organ Music:

Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord – Barnard Wayne Sanders

Da pacem Domine (Give peace, Lord) is the incipit of two different Latin texts, a hymn and an introit. The text is a 6th or 7th-century hymn based on biblical verses 2 Kings 20:19, 2 Chronicles 20:12,15 and Psalms 72:6-7. Both have been the base for compositions to be used in church liturgy, beginning with chant. Paraphrased versions of the hymn were created by Martin Luther in German in 1524, Verleih uns Frieden, also frequently set by composers. In English, the hymn entered the Book of Common Prayer, Give peace in our time, O Lord.

Martin Luther (1483- 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. He studied at the University of Erfurt, became an Augustinian monk, and was appointed Professor at the University of Wittenberg.  Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money, proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.

Luther taught that salvation and, subsequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed  sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. He published 9 hymnals, containing both original texts and adaptations of Latin texts.

In the aftermath of both 9/11 and the devastating hurricane Katrina, television reports and newspaper articles featured those who had lost trust, who had lost faith in God because of these events.  If there even is a God, they opined, those catastrophic events proved either that God is not all powerful or that God just does not care.  In either case, God is not to be trusted.  Martin Luther’s hymn, “Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich”, is a prayer, even a plea for patience, for trust, for the ability and the endurance to wait for the Lord, even when there is no sign that prayers may be answered, when the Lord’s arrival is a long, undetermined way off.  This radical sort of trust is hard enough to generate but so much harder to sustain in difficult times. 

Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord; Peace in our time, oh send us!
For there is none on earth but you, none other to defend us. 

You only, Lord, can fight for us.

Bernard Wayne Sanders (b. 1957) was born in DePere, Wisconsin and was educated at St. Norbert College, Wichita State University, and the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, Germany. Sanders has been an active church musician in Germany since 1974, currently serving parishes in the Tuttlingen area as music director and official diocesan organ consultant. As a composer, he has published many works and composed the award‑winning piece Ornament of Grace, sponsored by the American Guild of Organists as part of a performance by organists worldwide in 2008. Sanders wrote this setting of “Grant Peace, We Pray” to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.

Conditor alme siderum – Sam Batt Owens

Plainsong hymns represent some of the older selections in the United Methodist Hymnal. The texts often come from devotional as well as liturgical sources.  Historically, plainsong was the province of the choir only. This distinctive style was sung in monastic settings by monks who observed the offices of daily prayer. Originally the rhythm is free in style, unaccompanied, sung in Latin and performed with the melody only.  The liturgical renewal movement had its roots in the 19th century. This scholarly movement included the revival of medieval liturgical forms, especially plainsong. The movement was given an extra impetus in the early 20th century by Pope Pius X with his motu proprio on church music (1903).  A motu proprio is a letter from a pope to the entire church on a specific subject chosen by the pope. Pius X’s letter encouraged a return to the musical aesthetics of earlier centuries, especially plainsong-based music. A number of monasteries participated in the revival of plainsong, the most famous of which was the Benedictine Abbey of St. Solesmes in France.  This has led to the inclusion of plainsong hymns in more recent hymnals, though their performance is not only for choirs, but also for congregations. The UM Hymnal contains several plainsong hymns, the most familiar being the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (No. 211) with the Latin tune name VENI EMMANUEL, the first two words of the original Latin text.

“Creator of the Stars of Night” was originally written as an evening hymn for Advent somewhere between the 7th and 9th centuries. The original version was modified by Pope Urban VIII to fit classical Latin meters in preparation for the Roman Breviary, 1632. As a result of this revision, only one line from the original Latin hymn was included in its revised form.  The text was originally translated in English by John Mason Neale, a 19th-century translator, from the Latin Conditor alme siderum as found in the Sarum Breviary, an 11th-century rite from Salisbury.  The plainsong melody is singable and beautiful. Unlike many plainsong hymns, this one is syllabic—one syllable to one note of music, making it easy to learn. A connection to Advent is strongly implied in the text, and the hymn ties 21st-century Christians to believers over 1,000 years ago. “Creator of the Stars of Night” deserves to be sung more and bring the witness of the saints to our generation.

Creator of the stars of night, Thy people's everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all, and hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse should doom to death a universe,
hast found the medicine, full of grace, to save and heal a ruined race.

Thou camest, the Bridegroom of the Bride, as drew the world to evening tide,
proceeding from a virgin shrine, the spotless Victim all divine.

At whose dread Name, majestic now, all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
and things celestial Thee shall own, and things terrestrial Lord alone.

O Thou whose coming is with dread, to judge and doom the quick and dead,
preserve us, while we dwell below, from every insult of the foe.

To God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, Three in One,
laud, honor, might, and glory be from age to age eternally. Amen.

Sam Batt Owens (1928-1998) enjoyed a long career as a well-known organist, composer, and church musician. He received a B. Mus. in organ performance, from the Birmingham Conservatory of Music, a M. Mus. in organ performance and composition from Birmingham- Southern College, and a D.M.A. in organ performance and musicology from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.  Owens taught at Birmingham Conservatory of Music, Birmingham Southern College, Vanderbilt University, Fisk University, Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School, and Christ School for Boys in Arden, N.C. He held his fIrst position as an organist at age 12, and began solo organ performances at age 16. He wrote more than 200 choral, organ, instrumental and solo vocal compositions. He was one of the Episcopal Church's leading musicians. He was President of the Association of Anglican Musicians from 1989-1991. In 1996, he had left his position at St. Andrew's on-the-Sound in Wilmington, N.C., to become a consultant for parishes and dioceses in artistic matters and a crusader for fair compensation and recognition of church musicians. In his later years he taught congregations in smaller parishes how to be full participants in corporate worship, presenting "music in liturgy and how music upholds and supports corporate worship."

Rise, Shine, You People – David Cherwein

Ronald Allan Klug (b. 1939) was educated at Dr. Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota. He taught at St. Matthew Lutheran School, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin; performed graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; was an advertising copyrighter at Concordia Publishing House; was an editor at Augsburg Publishing House; and taught English at the American School, Fort Dauphin, Madagascar.  He wrote “Rise, Shine, You People!” in 1973.

            Rise, shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered

our human story; God in him is centered. 

Christ comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, with grace unbounded.

See how he sends the powers of evil reeling,

and brings us freedom, light and life and healing.

All men and women, who by guilt are driven, now are forgiven.

Come, celebrate, your banners high unfurling,

Your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling.

To all the world go out and tell the story of Jesus’ glory

Tell how the Father sent his Son to save us.

Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us.

Tell how the Spirit calls from every nation God’s new creation.

Dr. David Cherwien (b. 1957) is currently serving as Director of Music at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN, and in 2002 was appointed Music Director for the National Lutheran Choir, also based in the Twin Cities. He has also held full time parish music positions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Chicago, Seattle, and Berlin.  He completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance, and the Master of Arts degree in Theory and Composition, both from the University of Minnesota. His undergraduate work was in organ performance and music education at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, where he was honored as distinguished alumni in the fall of 2000.

About the Choral Music:

Fairest Lord Jesus – Craig Courtney

“Beautiful Savior” is thought to have originated as early as 1607, possibly written by German Jesuits, and called “Schön­ster Herr Je­su“. It first appeared in print in 1677, in the Mün­ster Ge­sang­buch, with author unknown. It was translated and the fourth stanza was added by Lutheran pastor and theologian, Joseph A. Seiss in 1873.  Originally this song was most likely sung to a Gregorian Chant by the Jesuit monks. The music that was most popular with 17th Century German peasants was a tune from an ancient Silesian folk song.  The tune and the German text were printed together for the first time in 1842 by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Ernst Richter under the name “Schönster Herr Jesu” (Most beautiful Lord Jesus). In 1850 the Danish hymnwriter B. S. Ingemann wrote “Dejlig Er Jorden”, which he set to the same melody. An English translation by Jens C. Aaberg was published as “Fair Is Creation”.  Apart from their musical setting, the Danish and German lyrics are unrelated.  According to some accounts, “Fairest Lord Jesus” is called "Crusader's Hymn" because it was sung by German Crusaders as they made their way to the Holy Land.

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,

Robed in the blooming garb of spring:

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,

Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,

And all the twinkling starry host;

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer

Than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful savior!  Lord of all the nations!

Son of God and Son of Man!

Glory and honor, praise, and adoration,

Now and forevermore be Thine!

Amen.

A native of Indiana, Craig Courtney received a Bachelors and a Masters degree in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati. He served on the faculty of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, serving as piano teacher and accompanist for the woodwind and brass department. While serving in the music ministry of the Salzburg International Baptist Church, Courtney began composing sacred choral music. In 1985, his compositions came to the attention of John Ness Beck through the publication of his octavo, Thy Will Be Done, initiating a close working relationship between the two men which continued until Beck’s death in 1987. In making plans for the ongoing of Beckenhorst Press, Beck appointed Craig Courtney staff composer and editor. Courtney’s published works include more than two hundred choral octavos, nine vocal collections, two piano solo collections and six extended works for choir and orchestra. Courtney combines his background as pianist, cellist, vocal coach, accompanist and choral director to create works in his unique style.   

About the Hymns:

How Firm a Foundation

In 1787, Dr. John Rippon published A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors as a supplement to Isaac Watts’ classic Psalms and Hymns. The book was an immense success, partly due to the large number of original hymns first printer there.  Among these original hymns was the title “How Firm a Foundation.”  Rippon attributed the authorship simply to “K-.”   He says in the preface that such attributions meant either that the author was unknown or that the hymn had undergone significant revisions for publication.  The anonymous tune “Foundation” first appeared in Joseph Funk's A Compilation of Genuine Church Music (1832) as a setting for this text. The tune was also published  in Southern Harmony and Sacred Harp.  Later studies have revealed that “K” almost certainly referred to R. Keene, who was at one time a song leader in Dr. Rippon’s church and is also known to have authored the hymn’s melody.

We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

H. Ernest Nichol (1862-1926) had begun a study program in civil engineering when he decided to study music instead. In 1888 he received a bachelor's degree in music from Oxford University. Nichol wrote some 130 hymn tunes and texts, many under the pseudonym “Colin Sterne” (derived from his middle and last name); many were first sung at church school programs.  “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations was written in 1896 and published in Sunday School Hymnary, 1905.

A song which encourages us to “go therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) was a very popular "missionary hymn" among denominational churches in past years, typical of the hundreds that were penned to express the determined, dynamic, energetic, and expansive attributes of late nineteenth-century "Christian missions."  Among hymnbooks published by members during the twentieth century, this song appears rarely, primarily because the chorus expresses postmillennialism, which implies that Christians will bring the kingdom of God in its fullness to earth by our own efforts.  In spite of its controversial theology, this is a rousing hymn which motivates God’s people to sound forth the word of God and reminds us of the great blessings that are available to those who receive the word of God.

Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service

Albert F. Bayly (1901-1984) was ed­u­cat­ed at Lon­don Un­i­ver­si­ty and Mans­field Coll­ege, Ox­ford.  Be­gin­ning in the late 1920’s, he served at four Cong­re­ga­tion­al church­es in North­um­ber­land, Lan­ca­shire and East York­shire; in 1962, he be­came pas­tor in Thax­ted, Es­sex.  Af­ter re­tir­ing in 1971, he moved to Spring­field, Chelms­ford, and was ac­tive in the local Unit­ed Re­formed Church.  He wrote sev­er­al pa­geants on mis­sion themes, and li­bret­tos for can­ta­tas by W. L. Lloyd Web­ber (father of Andrew). 

Bayly wrote this text in response to a Hymn Society of America search for new hymns on social welfare. It was chosen as the theme hymn for the Second National Conference on the Churches and Social Welfare held in Cleveland, Ohio, October 23-27, 1961. The Hymn Society published the text in Seven New Social Welfare Hymns (1961).

September 4, 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:

O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen

Simon Dach (1605-1659) attended the Cathedral school at Königsberg, the Town school at Wittenberg, and the Gymnasium at Magdeburg. In 1626, he returned to Königsberg, where, after studying philosophy and theology at the University, he for some time acted as a private tutor. In 1633, he was appointed assistant in the Cathedral school, and in 1636 Conrector. In 1639, he became Professor of Poetry in the University, was five times Dean of the Philosophical Faculty. Dach was virtually an invalid, and nearly broke down under the hard labour and poor pay of his early tutorial work at Königsberg.. In his later years the effects of the Thirty Years' War made themselves visible in Königsberg by depression of trade and famine. In 1648, he lost his wife by death, and in 1649 many of his fellow professors fell victims to the pestilence. During the last year of his life, he suffered from a lingering consumption. These facts explain the sombreness of much of his verse. In 1636, he joined in forming the Poetical Union of Konigsberg  and was its poetic soul. He was the most important poet of the Königsberg School, and one of the first lyric poets of his time happy in expression, pure in style, and true hearted. But of his poems (some 1360 in all, many of which were "occasional" pieces for the Electoral House of Brandenburg, and for private friends) very few retain popularity. Dach's hymns, some 165 in all, appeared in broadsheet form, in H. Alberti's Arien, 1638-1650, and in the Königsberg Hymnbooks, 1639-1690. They deservedly place him amongst the best hymn writers of his time, and win him the distinction of being one of the most lovable, most profound and most elegant of the more contemplative hymn writers. Their personal and subjective character, and the fact that so many are hymns of preparation for death, have prevented all but a few from finding a place in modern hymnals.

“O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen [Blessed are ye who live in faith unswerving]” was printed at Danzig, 1635, with music by J. Stobaus, as the Musikalisches Ehrengedächtniss of Hiob Lepner, Burgomaster of the Königsberg Altstadt.  It is a fine hymn, founded on Revelations 14:13-14.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a German composer and pianist.  Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable; following a comment by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von Bülow, he is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the "Three Bs".  Brahms is often considered both a traditionalist and an innovator. His music is firmly rooted in the structures and compositional techniques of the Baroque and Classical masters. He was a master of counterpoint, perfected in the Baroque period, and of thematic development, characteristic of the Classical era. Brahms aimed to honor the "purity" of these established "German" structures and advance them into a Romantic idiom, in the process creating bold new approaches to harmony and melody. While many contemporaries found his music too academic, the diligent, highly constructed nature of Brahms's works was a starting point and an inspiration for a generation of composers.

Christus, der ist mein Leben – Johann Pachebel

Melchior Vulpius (1570-1615) wrote the chorale melody for “Christus, der ist mein Leben”, an anonymous hymn text.  It first appeared in print in Ein schön geistlich Gesangbuch (1609).

            Christ is my life, to die is my gain,

            To him I surrender myself, with joy I depart.

            With joy I depart from here to Christ, my brother,

            So that I may come to him and be with him forever.

            Now I have overcome affliction, suffering anxiety and distress;

            Through his five holy wounds I am reconciled with God.

When my strength breaks, my breathing become difficult

            And I can no more say a word: Lord, accept my sighs!

            When my heart and thoughts fade away like a light

            That must flicker here and there as thee flame fails:

            Then gently and calmly, Lord, let me fall asleep

            According to your plan and wish, when the hour of my death comes.

            And let me stick to you like a burr to cloth

            And live forever with you in heaven’s joy and bliss.

            Amen, that you will, Christ, grant mercifully!

            Arm me with your spirit so that I may go blessedly.

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era. Pachelbel's music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. Today, Pachelbel is best known for the Canon in D, as well as the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of keyboard variations.       

Azmon – Barbara Harbach

"O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" was written by Charles Wesley, who wrote over 6,000 hymns. Wesley was suffering a bout of pleurisy in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar Peter Böhler in London. At the time, Wesley was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21, Wesley was attended by a group of Christians who offered him testimony and basic care, and he was deeply affected by this. He read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words and at peace with God. Shortly, his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith; when his brother John had a similar experience on the 24th, the two men met and sang a hymn Wesley had written in praise of his renewal.

One year from the experience, Wesley was taken with the urge to write another hymn, this one in commemoration of his renewal of faith. This hymn took the form of an 18-stanza poem, beginning with the opening lines “Glory to God, and praise, and love Be ever, ever given” and was published in 1740 and entitled “For the anniversary day of one's conversion”. The seventh verse, which begins, 'O for a thousand tongues to sing', and which now is invariably the first verse of a shorter hymn, recalls the words of Peter Böhler who said, “Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.” The hymn was published first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists in 1780. It has appeared first in every Methodist hymnal since that time.

The original 10 verses are:

O For a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise!
The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the world abroad The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the Name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears, 'Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of cancell'd sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood avail'd for me.

He speaks, - and, listening to his voice, New life the dead receive;
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice; The humble poor believe.

Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb, Your loosen'd tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come, And leap, ye lame, for joy.

Look unto him, ye nations; own Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone, Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid; The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature's sleep, And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep, And wash the AEthiop white.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know, Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below, And own that love is heaven.

Barbara Harbach, Curators’ Professor of Music at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has a large catalog of works, including; symphonies, operas, string orchestra, musicals, works for chamber ensembles, film scores, modern ballet, pieces for organ, harpsichord and piano; choral anthems; and many arrangements for brass and organ of various Baroque works. She is also involved in the research, editing, publication and recording of manuscripts of eighteenth-century keyboard composers, as well as historical and contemporary women composers.  Harbach has toured extensively as  both concert organist and harpsichordist throughout the United States and Canada, and overseas in Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Romania, Serbia and Russian Siberia. Barbara Harbach initiated Women in the Arts-St. Louis, a celebration of the achievements of women creators.  Over 800 events by various cultural organizations in the St. Louis region provided audiences with new and historical examples of the work of women writers, composers and artists.

About the Choral Music:

With Heart and Hands – John Rutter

Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) was the Bishop of Eilenberg, Germany during the Thirty Years’ War.  Since Eilenberg was a walled city, it became a place of refuge for fugitives of the war, and also a place of famine and disease due to overcrowding.  In 1637, at the height of their misery, Rinkart was the only clergyman left in the city who could perform the 40 or 50 daily burial services, one of which was for his wife.   The city was sacked three times by invaders.  During this time, Rinkart managed to write 7 dramas and 66 hymns.  The hymn “Nun danket alle Gott” was originally titled “Tisch-Gebetlein” (a little prayer before the meal).  This humble prayer of thanksgiving is laid out simply and beautifully in the first verse.  This verse of thanks is followed by a verse asking for strength in time of trial and a doxology.   The tune, “Nun Danket” is named for Rinkart's text, has been associated with it ever since they were published together by Johann Crüger (1598-1662) in his Praxis Pietatis Melica (1647).

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.

          For all the blessings you have granted us, Lord, give us thankful hearts we pray;

            For life and health and happiness, and for the gift of each new day;

            For all our families and loved ones, the friends we meet along our way,

            We thank you, Lord, they are your gifts: Lord, we praise you,

            Lord we bless you, In your service let us all your love repay.

            Look all around you: You’ll see a miracle or two;

            Every valley, hill and mountain is calling to you.

            For all the wonders of creation, A world whose marvels we behold;

            Where winter turns to spring again; the changing scenes of life unfold,

            But there is One who never changes: through all eternity the same:

            Be with us, Lord, forevermore: Alleluia, Lord, we praise your Holy Name.

            Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

            Who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices;

            Who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way

            With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

            Amen.

About the Hymns:

Lift High the Cross

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. "Lift High the Cross" reveals many implications of Christ's cross: Christ rallies his people behind him (st. 1-2); Christ gathers his people from throughout the world (st. 3-5); Christ gives healing to the despair of the world (st. 6); Christ's victory enjoins our praise to him (st. 7).

Lead Me, Lord

“Lead Me, Lord” is based on Psalm 5:8 and 4:8, and was written by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876), the grandson of Charles Wesley

Are Ye Able

Earl Bowman Marlatt (1892–1976) was an American theologian and poet.  He graduated from DePauw University and Boston University School of Theology. In 1923, he began teaching in the Boston University. From 1945 to 1957, he taught at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology.  He wrote many hymns, one of the best known being “Are Ye Able”.  He also collected church hymns, with the intent to establish a museum. Many of his papers are held at DePauw University. A signed manuscript of his hymn“Are Ye Able” actually written Feb. 23, 1926, is included in the Bridwell Library Manuscript and Documents Collection.  The text is based on Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.”

August 28, 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:

Blessed Jesus, We are Here – Frederick Frahm

Essentially a prayer asking for illumination as the Christian community gathers, "Blessed Jesus" is a hymn by Tobias Clausnitzer (1619-1684). It was first published in the Altdorffisches Gesang-Buchlein (1663) and first attributed to Clausnitzer in the Nüremberg, Germany, Gesangbuch (1676). The fairly literal translation is by George Ratcliffe Woodward (1948-1934), who held several curacies and two benefices.   He translated a number of hymns from German and Latin, which are included in his Songs of Syon, 1904.
Clausnitzer graduated from the University of Leipzig and became a chaplain in the Swedish army. He preached two sermons at memorable occasions: when Queen Christina ascended the Swedish throne in 1645 and when the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years War, was celebrated in 1648. Clausnitzer became a pastor in Weiden in 1648, where he remained until his death.

The tune was written by Johann Rudolph Ahle (1625-1673), who was born in Mühlhausen, Thuringia.  In 1648 he published the Compendium per tenellis, a theoretical treatise on choral singing which was reprinted several times during his lifetime and for a last time 50 years later by his son Johann Georg.  In 1654 Ahle assumed the post of organist at the Church of St. Blasen/Blasius in Mühlhausen.  Much of his compositional output consists of sacred choral and vocal works, instrumental music, and organ music.  He wrote over 400 sacred arias, from which hymn tunes have been adapted.

Dearest Jesu, we are here, at thy call, thy presence owning;
pleading now in holy fear that great sacrifice atoning:
Word incarnate, much in wonder on this mystery deep we ponder.

Jesu, strong to save — the same yesterday, today, for ever —
make us fear and love thy name, serving thee with best endeavour:
in this life, O ne'er forsake us, but to bliss hereafter take us.

Frederick Frahm was born in 1964, in Hemet, California. His catalog of compositions includes works for organ solo including concert works and chorale preludes, chamber music, art songs and song cycles, music for handbells, and several extended works for voices and orchestra including chamber operas and cantatas. A prolific composer, Frahm’s music is distinguished by a symmetrical and architectural approach to form, a keen sensitivity to literature and imagery as a source of musical inspiration, and a preference for music with broad tempi, modal tonality, and stark contrasts in texture.

Grand Chorus – Theodore Dubois

François-Clément Théodore Dubois (1837-1924) was a French composer, organist, and music teacher.  He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won the Prix de Rome in 1861. In 1868, he became choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine, and in 1871 took over from César Franck as choirmaster at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1877, Dubois returned to the Church of the Madeleine, succeeding Camille Saint-Saëns as organist there. From 1871, he taught at the Paris Conservatoire, and was director from 1896-1905.  Although he wrote many religious works, Dubois had considerable hopes for a successful career on the operatic stage.  The music of Dubois also includes ballets, oratorios and three symphonies. His best known work is the oratorio Les sept paroles du Christ ("The Seven Last Words of Christ").

About the Piano Music:

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen

      Jeremy Page, piano

"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian recording artist Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album Various Positions (1984).  Cohen wrote around 80 draft verses for "Hallelujah", with one writing session at the Royalton Hotel in New York where he was reduced to sitting on the floor in his underwear, banging his head on the floor. His original version, as recorded on his Various Positions album, contains several biblical references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson and traitorous Delilah from the Book of Judges ("she cut your hair") as well as King David and Bathsheba ("you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you")  Cohen's lyrical poetry and his view that "many different hallelujahs exist" is reflected in wide-ranging covers with very different intents or tones, allowing the song to be "melancholic, fragile, uplifting [or] joyous" depending on the performer:

Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift;

The baffled king composing Hallelujah.

Your faith was strong but you needed proof.
You saw her bathing on the roof;
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.
She tied you to a kitchen chair,

            She broke your throne, and she cut your hair,
             And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah.

            You say I took the name in vain.
            I don't even know the name,
            But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
            There's a blaze of light In every word,
            It doesn't matter which you heard,
            The holy or the broken Hallelujah.

            I did my best, it wasn't much.
            I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch.
            I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you.
            And even though it all went wrong,
            I'll stand before the Lord of Song
           With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

            Hallelujah, Hallelujah
            Hallelujah, Hallelujah

About the Choral Music:

We Are the Hands of Christ – Joel Raney

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

          No voice to speak his kindness, no eyes to see the pain;

            No Heartbeat of compassion, no empathy remains.

            How will they hear the message that Jesus is alive?

            How can they know the truth unless it’s through our lives?

            No truth to scatter darkness, no candle in the night;

            No warm illumination, no justice, no right.

            When will we recognize? Open our blinded eyes.

            We are the lighthouse to shine his light!

            Touching the desperate, feeling their pain;

            Reaching the hopeless in Jesus’ name.

            Christ has no hands except your own to reach the world and make him known.

            His love can change humanity by your touch alone.

            Christ has no hands except your own.

No voice, no eyes, no hands except our own.

            We are the hands of Christ.

About the Hymns:

Rejoice, the Lord is King

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.

A Charge to Keep I Have

As is the case with hymns by Charles Wesley, “A charge to keep I have” is grounded in Scripture. In this case, Leviticus 8:36 is the primary source: “Keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not” (KJV). The hymn was included in Short Hymns on Select Passages of Holy Scripture (1762), a massive two-volume collection of 2,030 hymns based on biblical texts from Genesis to Revelation. 

Wesley scholars F. Hildebrandt and Oliver A. Beckerlegge propose in their commentary on the important Wesley hymnbook A Collection of Hymns for Use of the People Called Methodists (1780) that Charles Wesley (1708-1788) based his text on Mathew Henry’s Commentary on Leviticus. Henry notes: “We have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, needful duty to be done, our generation to serve; and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is our peril if we neglect it. Keep it ‘that ye die not’; it is death, eternal death, to betray the truth we are charged with.”

This hymn is an unequivocal call to commitment to follow the Master and to fulfill our vocation through service. The language is unambiguous. Our calling is to save a “never dying soul” and “fit it for the sky”—that is for eternal life with Christ. This eschatological goal is central to Charles Wesley’s hymns: Our goal is heaven. In the second stanza, we find that we fulfill this calling by our service to “the present age.” Fulfilling this calling requires us to engage “all [our] powers.” The third stanza is a petition that God should “arm [us] with jealous care” as we live in God’s sight. Wesley is not afraid to offer a stern admonition that we will one day be required to give “a strict account” of our activities in pursuit of our calling. The final stanza is perhaps the most uncompromising. The singer begins with the imperative verb—a petition to the unnamed Holy Spirit—to “Help me to watch and pray . . . ” Rather than suggesting a positive reward for faithfulness, Wesley warns us of the outcome “if [we] our trust betray”: we “shall forever die.”

The tune BOYLSTON was composed by the famous New England music educator Lowell Mason (1792-1872) and was first found in his The Choir, or Union Collection of Church Music (1832).

Where He Leads Me

Earnest W. Blan­dy, a Sal­va­tion Ar­my of­fi­cer, wrote this song in 1890, af­ter choos­ing be­tween a com­fort­a­ble post at an es­tab­lished church, and an al­ter­nate as­sign­ment to the New York Ci­ty wa­ter­front and slum called "Hell’s Kitch­en." He chose the lat­ter.  No other biographical information on Rev. Blandy has survived.  The text is based on Matthew 16:24:  “Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”

The melody was composed by pastor and evangelist John S. Norris, who died in 1907.  Norris was born on the Isle of Wight, which is in the English Channel off the southern coast of England. His family emigrated to Canada. In 1868, a few years after the Civil War ended, he was ordained into the Methodist Church ministry. However, 10 years later he joined the Congregational Church and pastored churches in Canada and the United States. Little is known of his ministry. His only legacy is the soulful tune of this simple song of invitation and consecration.