Music Notes: August 28th, 2011

11th Sunday After Pentecost: Year A

This weekend at St. Paul's, we hear the stories of two people embarking on the largest, most important mission they will ever face.  In Exodus 3: 1-15, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, giving him inspiration and encouragement to approach Pharoah and demand that the Israelites be released.  Moses, while doubtful this will work, is instructed by God to tell Pharoah that we was sent by the God of all their ancestors, boldly speaking the phrase, "I AM has sent me to you."

In our Gospel reading, Jesus reveals the ultimate purpose of his ministry; he is to travel to Jerusalem, where he will undergo trial, pain, and suffering, be killed, and then raised to heaven on the third day.  Despite the objections of the disciples, especially Peter, he stood firm and told them to take up their own metaphorical crosses and follow him wherever he goes.

HYMNS AND SONGS


The Summons (Opening hymn: 5:30 PM, 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM.  Closing song: 10:30 AM)

John Bell (b. 1949), is one of the most well known and well respected ministers from the Iona Community out of Scotland.  Founded in 1938, the Iona Community is an ecumenical group of Christians from all denominations who are particularly involved in peace and justice causes throughout the world.  Outside of the community, The Summons may be John Bell's best known hymn, though his output within the community is very prolific.

The Summons is set to a traditional Scottish folk tune known as KELVINGROVE.  For the first four stanzas, The Summons is told from the point of view of Jesus, asking all of us (his disciples) if he calls our name, will we follow him?  Will we travel to unknown regions?  Will we show love and kindness to the world?  Will we use our faith to do our work?  Possibly the most profound question asked is at the beginning of stanza 4: "Will you love the YOU you hide if I but call your name?"  This is open to a lot of interpretation, but I feel that here, we are being challenged to explore and question our own faults... things about ourselves that we may not always be proud of.  They are still a part of us, and while we may like to keep them hidden deep away, we need to come to a true acceptance and understanding of them before we can fully be people of God.

In the closing stanza, the voice shifts to that of our own.  We respond to Jesus by taking up our cross and following him into the world wherever he goes.

Bless Now, O God, The Journey (Hymn of the Day: 5:30 PM, 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)

This hymn encapsulates the message for the day; like Moses, Peter, and Jesus Christ before us, we are all on a journey of faith.  We call come upon opposition from barriers that may or may not want to hold us back.  

Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993) details the struggles of this journey through her first two stanzas.  We journey through noise, silence, giving, and taking.  Through deserts, water, and mountains, we travel until we find the road that faith is built upon.  In stanza three, we are joined by the "divine, eternal lover" who meets us and guides us solidly along the path, not just when we need it, but always.  We can all empathize with Moses here, bound with a task that he feels is insurmountable.  Through the strength and support of the great I AM, we can all travel down our road of faith and arrive at the promised land.

O Jesus, I Have Promised (Communion Hymn: 5:30 PM, 9:00 AM)

This hymn can best be described as a commitment to pick up our crosses and accept the call of Christ, just as Moses accepted the call from God in the burning bush.  However, as in all humans, fear and doubt can continue creeping in to our minds, souls, and hearts.  Set in the first person, the hymn, while demonstrating commitment and dedication, also exhibits the fear and doubt that exists in our own minds.  In stanza two, our foes are near us, so we pray for Jesus to come closer to shield our souls.  We yearn to hear reassuring words from Christ in stanza three.  Yet as the hymn closes, we remember why we are embarking on this journey.  At the end of the road, we have been promised by God that we will rise up to heaven, just as Jesus did when he died.

Note that the final two lines of this hymn are a paraphrase of the two first lines, creating a cyclical structure that ties the entire hymn together.

Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow (Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)

This is a tricky one.  The exterior stanzas are simple enough... they are the story of a group of people treading forward through their journey towards a destination, "the end of toil and gloom."  The middle stanzas, however, I found very difficult to interpret.  I went to Pastor Schneider for help, and he said that the "light of God's own presence" at the beginning of stanza two referred to the Pillar of Fire from the Book of Exodus, which guided them through day and night (Exodus 13:21-22).  The hymn continually mentions "one."  What this "one" is is definitely up for interpretation, and I would love to hear thoughts from anyone on what that "one" might be.

The hymn is set musically to the strong, F-minor tune EBENEZER.  This tune, stout and march-like in nature, is a fine accompaniment to the story of a group embarking on a journey together.

Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said (Closing Hymn: 7:45 AM. Communion Hymn: 9:00 AM)

As esoteric and abstract as the previous hymn was, this bold text by Charles Everest (1814-1877) can't have a more direct message.  Stanza one is a direct paraphrase from Matthew 16: 24-25, with Christ telling us to take up our cross if we are to be his disciples.  The remaining stanzas are cast in a very interesting voice for a hymn... it is as though the hymn writer is speaking directly to us, reinforcing the scripture and the words of Jesus.  It is rather unusual for a poet to be that up front with the hymn, though he captures the essence of Christ's word very effectively.

Day By Day (Opening song: 10:30 AM)

Though the words to this poem were written over 120 years ago, this is a prayer that is still relevant and worthwhile today.  Anyone that embarks on a journey this wrought with potential peril needs to hear these words.  There is really nothing I can add to further clarify and enlighten this poem, so I think I will just include the entire third stanza below, and hope that this can be a verse you may some day choose to commit to memory and pray to yourself during times of trial.

Oh what joy to know that you are near me
when my burdens grow too great to bear;
Oh, what joy to know that you will hear me
when I come, O Lord, to you in prayer.
Day by day, no matter what betide me,
you will hold me ever in your hand.
Savior, with your presence here to guide me,
I will reach at last the promised land.

Open The Eyes Of My Heart (Praise song- 10:30 AM)

Paul Baloche is the currently the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Linsdale, TX.  Many of his songs have been recorded by contemporary Christian artists such as SONICFLOOd and Michael W. Smith, who recorded this song in 2002.  At one time, Open The Eyes Of My Heart was ranked number 2 in CCLI's rankings of most performed and sung contemporary songs in the Christian church.  Though no longer in the top 10, it still sits firmly at number 12, mostly due to its very singable melody and simple, profound text.  This song is all about seeing the glory of Christ lifted up, asking that his power and love be poured onto us as we sing our praise to him.

We Will Glorify (Scripture song- 10:30 AM)

Remember what name God tells Moses to use when he was to address Pharoah?  God said that the great I AM was sending Moses to bring the Israelites back to him.  Two songs popped into my head immediately after reading that, and this was one of them (the other was a choral piece based on an old American folk hymn... you get a prize if you correctly identify it!!).  Twila Paris uses this name of God at the closing of her first and fourth stanzas.  In fact, this entire song is a veritable dictionary containing many different names of God... King of Kings, The Lamb, Lord of Lords, Lord Jehovah, Lord of Heaven, etc...  A strong tune with an easy modulation between stanzas creates an uplifting, worshipful experience.

Shepherd Me, O God (Offering- 10:30 AM)

This paraphrase of Psalm 23 is one that tends to slide under the radar.  We may all know the more famous paraphrases, such as The King of Love My Shepherd Is, or My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, but this haunting F-minor tune deserves equal recognition.  The refrain is easily singable, and our worship team will provide the verses this week, which contains the bulk of the Psalm 23 text.  This is yet another offering from Marty Haugen, who is one of the greatest contributors to both church music and hymnody of the last 30 years.  The Psalm 23 text is particularly appropriate on this day, as it is a scripture commonly associated with comfort and peace during a difficult time.

I Come With Joy (Communion- 10:30 AM)

This text by the wonderful hymn poet Brian Wren (b. 1936) speaks to the glorious and celebratory nature of communion.  As we see in stanza five, we have an opportunity to embark on all of our journeys together after sharing a meal and being filled with the blood and body of Christ.  The ideas of unity and togetherness flow through this hymn beautifully.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC


Intermezzo, op. 118 no. 2- Johannes Brahms (Prelude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)


A few weeks ago, I played number four from this set of six pieces by Johannes Brahms.  This is the second piece of his op. 118 set, and is likely the most famous.  The piece is in a clear ABA format, that is, the music at the beginning and end is (nearly) exactly the name, note for note.  The middle section is cast in the relative minor key of F# minor, and uses Brahms' characteristic three-against-two pattern between the hands.

Improvisation on LLANGLOFFAN  (Offering: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)

 This is going to be fun.  As this will be an improvisation, I don't have fully worked out exactly what I'll be playing, but what I can tell you is that you'll want to keep your hymnal open after we sing this as the hymn of the day and read the text as I play.  Keep the image of a wandering group of people being guided by an ever-loving, ever-present deity in your head as the music unfolds.

Prelude in D-minor- Johann Pachelbel (Postlude: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)

Last week I played four preludes by baroque-era composer Johann Pachelbel.  This week as the postlude, I play only one, but it is longer than all four of last week's preludes combined!  Massive in scope and sound, it has many of the standard characteristics of Pachelbel's longer organ works, namely a large amount of figuration in the hands over a pedal tone.  The phrases are very long, and like much of our music today, it is on a journey, always looking for a destination.  When it finally arrives at a cadence, the pedal point changes and the journey starts all over again.  Circle of fifth progressions, fantasia-like scalar passages, and toccata chord figurations round out this mammoth prelude.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

 1. Brahms: Handel Variations, Op. 24 / Rhapsodies, Op. 79 / Piano Pieces, Opp. 118 & 119 - Murray Perahia, piano

Murray Perahia has been a mainstay on the concert stage and recording studio for over 30 years.  Though known for his expert interpretations of classical era repertoire (Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven are his specialties), one of his most recent recordings offers up some beautiful renditions of Brahms, including the Intermezzo I will play Sunday morning.

2. One Is the Body- John Bell and the Wild Goose Worship Group


Though The Summons is not included on this disc, it contains a wide variety of music coming out of the Iona Community.  Featuring both traditional and contemporary sounding renditions of their standard hymns, it is a recording full of spirit, soul, and passion.

3. Worship- Michael W. Smith


This is Michael W. Smith's best selling CD of contemporary praise and worship hits, including Open The Eyes of My Heart.  It is available as a CD or a digital download.

4. The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season


I'm sure you're thinking, "Umm, Nick, did you make a mistake?"  Your eyes do not deceive you... I included Season 10 of The Simpsons here in my Music Notes for St. Paul's Lutheran Church.  Why did I do that?  Because in episode 18, titled "Simpsons Bible Stories," we see the kids of Springfield Elementary lead by Moses (Milhouse), go up against Pharoah (Principal Skinner), to get him to release the rest of the "Israelites." Highlights include Pharoah's dictation of hieroglyphics, and Moses' exclamation as he parts the Red Sea, "I did it!  I performed a miracle!  I'm a genius!!"  Ha ha.

Thus concludes week 2 of Music Notes.  I hope you continue to find these helpful to prepare for weekly worship, and I certainly appreciate any and all feed back.  Blessings to you all!

Music Notes: August 21st, 2011

10th Sunday After Pentecost, Year A

Throughout this summer at St. Paul's, we've been following the semi-continuous readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for our worship.  This week we move into Exodus, where we'll hear the story of the Hebrew midwives defying Pharaoh in order to save the young children from a certain death.  One of these infants, the baby Moses, is placed among the reeds of the Nile river, where he was later found and raised by Pharaoh's daughter.

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, the disciple Peter tells Jesus that he is the Messiah, the son of the living God.  Jesus replies God has led Peter to that conclusion, and that he will build his church upon that rock, that foundation.  He is then handed the keys to heaven from Jesus, essentially saying he will be welcome there forever on.  He then swears all his disciples to secrecy that he is the Messiah.


HYMNS AND SONGS


The Church's One Foundation


This is the opening hymn for all of our traditional worship services this week.  The text was composed by Samuel John Stone (1839-1900) in in the 1860's, and has a high influence from our Gospel reading today.  Throughout the hymn, the "church" is referred to in the feminine, symbolizing the union with Jesus, whom has built her up, provided the foundation, and enriched her for eternity by the shedding of his body and blood.  The hymn also alludes briefly to the Apostle's Creed in stanza five.  In line two, the phrase "mystic sweet communion" refers to the communion of saints from the creed.  The saints themselves are referenced both in stanza three and in the final line of the hymn, "...that we like saints before us, may see you face to face."  The strong tune, AURELIA, was composed by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876), one of the most prolific hymn tune writers from the 19th century.  He is the grandson of one of the founders of Methodism, Charles Wesley.

If you're at church this Sunday, note the unique harmony (inspired by my mentor Dr. John Ferguson) you will hear during stanza three, "Though with a scornful wonder, the world sees her oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed..."  These words were indeed controversial in their time, and can still inspire debate.  The hymn does make clear though that while we may be in turmoil now, the "morn of song" will come to us eventually.

Our Father, By Whose Name

This is the Hymn of the Day at all of our traditional worship services.  As we read Exodus this week, we hear how parents and caregivers were willing to possibly sacrifice their own selves to save their children.  As Moses is sent down the Nile in a basket, he arrives in the arms of a gentle, loving mother who nurtures him, allowing him to eventually grow into greatness.

Arranged in a Trinitarian pattern, this hymn by F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984) shows how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit nourish the children of our world.  God watches over and blesses the mothers and fathers as they shepherd their children.  Jesus, once an innocent child himself, traveled the land blessing children, allowing them to behold his presence and grow in his grace.  The Holy Spirit nourishes the love in our hearts and gives us all the compassion to creates "dwelling place(s) of peace" for all of our young ones.

Jesus Loves Me!


This timeless text by Anna B. Warner (1820-1915) is one of the Communion hymns at our 5:30 PM Saturday evening service.  It follows the ideals from stanza two of our Hymn of the Day this week, showing how Jesus is a comforting presence for not only the children of the world, but for everyone.  The hymn was originally written as a poem to comfort a dying child, and in its full form, contains seven stanzas.  The stanzas referring directly to the illness of the child are generally omitted in most hymnals, and though our ELW hymnal doesn't, other hymnals use additional stanzas composed by other poets.

Come To Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty

Also used during Communion at our 5:30 PM Saturday service, it has a similar message to the Jesus Loves Me.  Though most of the hymn doesn't refer specifically to Eucharist, the stanza two line, "Drink the cup of life I offer; at this table be my guest," was certainly written with Communion in mind.  Stanza six again makes a direct reference to the capacity of Jesus to comfort children, "Come to me, abandoned, orphaned; lonely ways no longer roam."  The composer, Delores Dufner (b. 1939), continues to write hymns to this day.  She has published over 150 hymns.  It is set to the well-known Sacred Harp tune, BEACH SPRING.

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less

This hymn will be used at all of our services this week.  It will be the closing hymn at our 5:30 PM Saturday, 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday services, and a communion hymn at our 7:45 AM service.  Again, it references our Gospel reading for the day, depicting Jesus as the "solid rock" which the church can and does stand on.  The hymn was composed by Edward Mote (1797-1874), a cabinet maker by trade, who later became a pastor in Sussex.  The hymn was actually inspired by a different scripture entirely, from Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders, which describes two men, one who built their house on rock, and the other on sand.  When the rains came, the house on the rock survived, but the house in the sand sunk.  Christ is used as a metaphor for this lesson.

The Heart Of Worship

This song, the opening song of our 10:30 contemporary service, is the title track to Matt Redman's album released in 1999.  Matt Redman is an English worship leader and song writer, currently residing in the UK.  For a brief period, he was centered in Atlanta, GA.  As the opening song, it's functioning as a call to worship, as heard in the first verse, "... longing just to bring something that's of worth, that will bless your heart."  There is a brief reference to Jesus Loves Me in stanza two, where it states, "Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is yours..."

Let There Be Praise


This high energy song, written by Melodie and Dick Tunney in the 1980's, has been covered by many Gospel artists, including Sandi Patty and Elizabeth Bluehorse.  Though the song actually contains several verses, this Sunday we will just be repeating the chorus several times as a way to actively welcome God into our presence.

The Wise May Bring Their Learning


This hymn is from the very first edition of the Borning Cry hymnal, composed and compiled by John Ylvisaker.  It has a very gentle 3/4 lilt, which lends almost a dance-like quality to the mellow, E-major tune.  The hymn evokes ideas of the potential for children in our world.  Even though children may not have much at their disposal initially, they have love, praise, and the ability to walk the Holy ways of God.  This reflects on our reading from Exodus this week.  When Moses was sent down the river by his caregivers, even though he was just a baby, he had unlimited potential to bring something special to the world, just like every child born and raised today.

We Are An Offering

This gentle ballad by Dwight Liles, composed in 1984, explains how we don't just give offerings to God in the form of cash and checks.  We do it with our voices, the lifting of our hands and lives, giving all that we have and all that we are to God.

Bread of Life from Heaven


This hymn exists today thanks to a variety of people and sources.  The entire text was composed by Susan Briehl (b. 1952) who was Executive Director of Holden Villiage, after serving for eight years as campus pastor of Pacific Lutheran University.  For the tune, Marty Haugen took an Argentinian folk song to use as the refrain, while composing an original theme for each of the verses.  In order to be authentic to the source material, this hymn should be sung in a Latin-American style, possibly accented with a conga and shakers.  In our case though, we'll be presenting it as more of a lyric ballad in order to further allow the words and music to meld together into more of a uniform message.  At our service, the verses will be sung by our worship team, with the congregation joining in on the refrain.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC


Prelude: Six Preludes- Johann Pachelbel


German composer Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), was one of the great organ masters of the 17th century.  In addition to over 100 chorale settings, he wrote a variety of preludes, fugues, toccatas, ricercars, and other works, most of which are very accessible to any organist.  These six preludes all showcase his "melo-harmonic" style, through the use of suspensions, ornaments, and occasional rapid scale passage work.

Offering: Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 332- W.A. Mozart
                I. Allegro


This sonata as a whole was the third in a group of three sonatas, K. 330-332, in 1783 (The Sonata, K. 331 is well known for it's Turkish Rondo in the third movement).  It is believed they were written in Vienna, but they could have also been penned while Mozart was in Salzburg, where he was actually introducing is new wife Constanza to his father, Leopold (the elder Mozart was not particularly happy with this arrangement!).

In form, the first movement of this sonata is a very clear Sonata form, with an easily identifiable exposition, recapitulation, and development.  It also showcases Mozart's signature alberti bass figuration underneath a tune that, while not when of Mozart's most memorable or singable, has a lot of wit and youth contained within.

Postlude: Built on a Rock- Flor Peeters

This piece is based on the old Danish hymn, "Built on a rock the church doth stand," penned by Nicolai Grundtvig (1783-1872).  This hymn refers directly to our Gospel reading of the day.  In Flor Peeters' setting of this strong minor tune, he employs a lot of open fifths and fourths to signify the solid foundation that the church is placed on.  The tune is shared through the hands and the pedal, and closes with a strong D-major cadence.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING


Great Hymns of Faith, vol. 2- The St. Olaf Choir, Anton Armstrong, conductor


This CD includes 18 well known hymns, presented in both traditional and rather elaborate choral settings.  Tracks to note are the two arrangements by John Ferguson.  First, "The Church's One Foundation" is the fully realized choral setting of the hymn which influenced both my introduction and playing of stanza three.  Second is Dr. Ferguson's arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me," which was composed and dedicated to the conductor, Anton Armstrong, for use at the funeral of his father.  This album can be purchased at www.stolafrecords.com


Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. 310, K. 331 "Alla Turca" & K. 332; Fantasia in D minor- Mitsuko Uchida, pianist


Ms. Uchida, one of the finest interpreters of Mozart in the world, offers this CD of piano music which includes the sonata I'll be playing this morning.

Samuel Sebastian Wesley: Anthems- Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Christopher Robinson, conductor


S.S. Wesley is perhaps best known as the composer of the tune AURELIA, the tune used for the hymn The Church's One Foundation.  He also wrote many choral anthems, several of which are included here, including the beautiful "Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace." 


The Heart Of Worship- Matt Redman (digital download)


This CD includes the title track "The Heart of Worship," which opens our 10:30 AM contemporary service this week.  In addition, you'll find 11 other inspiring praise anthems.








     

Introduction

Hello to all!  Whether you are a member/regular attendee of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Waverly, IA, or you've just stumbled across this blog randomly, I'd like to warmly welcome you to the new music-in-worship blog for St. Paul's Lutheran Church.  My name is Nick Klemetson, and I am the Director of Music Ministry and Organist at St. Paul's.  This space will be used for in-depth conversation, anecdotes, and history about our weekly worship music.  By discussing these hymns and other pieces weekly, I hope to enliven our music and hymnody, which will hopefully enable us to come to a deeper understanding of just what we are singing about in worship week after week.

Each week, I will also be including a selection of CD's or digital downloads that you may be interested in experiencing.  Some will be directly related to the music from the worship services, and others may just be some of my favorites!  Either way, I would love to provide you with an opportunity to experience new recordings you may not have been familiar with previously.

The music notes for this coming Sunday, August 21st, 2011, will be posted shortly.  I am very excited for this new opportunity to share how these timeless pieces of music will fit into our worship lives here at St. Paul's!

Blessings,
Nick Klemetson