Fourth Sunday Of Lent
Before we start this week, I wanted to talk about something new that I'll be doing for the future with Music Notes. I have the big bulletin board near the parish hall that I barely ever use. Some of you may have noticed last week that I put excerpts of the blog on to the board. I will continue to do that in future weeks, while slightly altering the form of it. I hope that this will help the blog to reach a larger audience who may not know of its existence yet, and to allow people to refresh themselves on the musical information before entering worship. So, keep an eye on the bulletin board!
This week, our Gospel reading takes us to one of the most recognizable, widely known Gospel readings in the entire Bible. The scripture surrounding the Gospel of John 3:16 tells of the ultimate sacrifice of a father, who's love for the world and its inhabitants caused him to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving up his son for the benefit of all. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that who so believes in him will have everlasting life."
The themes of love, mercy, and sacrifice are most prevalent in our scriptures and music for this week.
HYMNS AND SONGS
There's a Wideness In God's Mercy (Opening Hymn- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This is an example of an early North American frontier tune with a later composed text by British theologian Frederick William Faber. The contrast between the American tune and British vernacular are clearly evident. The tune features a largely pentatonic melody (minus the B-flats in mm. 3, 7, and 15) and an AABA'* form, common for the time. The text contains characteristically British language such as "kindly judgement given," "magnify its strictness with a zeal," and "greater good because of evil, larger mercy through the fall."
The bulk of the theology applicable to us this week is in stanza three, which speaks of the limitless, grand nature of the love of God. The love of God is so wide and far reaching, our minds cannot even fathom its range. The heart of the Eternal is so kind and wonderful that it was willing to sacrifice God's only son for all of us. Unfortunately, we as humans, having human limits, can sometimes dilute this glorious love by putting our own limits on it, and "magnify(ing) its strictness" in a way that God would never endorse or support.
Ultimately, thanks to Jesus sacrifice, we owe everything we have to him and are able to rejoice in the greater good brought on by the evil of others. Through this, our love and faith in God is strengthened and we live lives of thanksgiving through the goodness of the Lord.
* AABA' (A, A, B, A prime)- refers to the first two and final lines being (nearly) identical. The reason for the "prime" on the final A line is the different beginning, which is actually identical to B. It could be called B' as well. Other early American tunes use this form, such as HOLY MANNA.
God Loved The World (Hymn of the Day- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Stanza one of this hymn is a direct paraphrase of the John 3:16 scripture. Each stanza following is either a commentary on this scripture, or a result that we can benefit from due to the sacrifice, concluded by a trinitarian statement of faith.
In stanza two, we hear a fine summation of the results of this sacrifice. By suffering death, Jesus creates a cornerstone of faith, which we are absorbed into by confiding and believing in him.
The hymn writer changes the voice is stanzas three and four and begins speaking directly to us. Drawing from the scripture, the truths revealed in stanza two are applied even further to us, describing that if we are ill and near to death, the truth that Jesus will rescue us from death is yet another cornerstone of our faith, as stated in the Apostle's Creed, "... the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." Stanza four has a baptismal reference as its conclusion, telling us that through are baptism, we are prepared to receive the full benefit of Jesus' sacrifice.
What Wondrous Love Is This (Communion Hymn- 7:45 AM, Closing Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Much like our opening hymn today, this tune is possibly the most well known example from the Southern Harmony shape note song book. Unlike our opening hymn which only used a tune from the early American tradition, this text is also born out of that tradition, and is most likely the hymn most associated with the early frontier worship tradition.
The form of the text is identical in each stanza. The early idea of each stanza is repeated several times at the beginning, and the sentence is then expanded upon through the second half. For example, it's not just, "What wondrous love is this?" as a question. It is, "What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?" Each stanza can be boiled down to one succinct question or statement. These are the three remaining statements...
"When I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, Christlaid aside his crown for my soul."
"To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM, while millions join the theme, I will sing."
"And when from death I'm free, I'll sing God's love for me, and through eternity I'll sing on."
As you can see, the wondrous love that was questioned and commented on in stanza one is answered on stanza four through our redemption.
CHORAL ANTHEM
God So Loved The World- John Stainer (Choral Anthem (before Gospel)- 9:00 AM)
This a capella chorus is the most frequently excerpted portion of a larger oratorio called The Crucifixion by John Stainer. Scored for SATB choir, tenor and bass soloists, and organ, The Crucifixion was completed in 1887 and tells the story of the Passion beginning with the journey to Gethsemane and concluding with the crucifixion and commentary on it. Though the work was initially popular, it was received negatively by critics and even Stainer himself dismissed the work as "rubbish." Despite the negativity, it is still frequently performed today due to its accessibility and power.
God So Loved The World is the ninth movement of the oratorio and uses just the SATB chorus. It's English harmony and voicing is very prevalent and portrays the text beautifully, particularly towards the end of the work on the words "everlasting life."
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Prelude on ROCKINGHAM OLD- Robert Bucklee Farley (Prelude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This prelude is rather straight forward and lets the tune shine through. Presented simply in a reed stop on the organ, the tune is supported by romantic harmonies that, while traditional, are strikingly different than the hymnal harmonization, which allows for a new take on an old tune.
Improvisation on Wondrous Love (with PICARDY)- Paul Manz (Postlude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Paul Manz will forever be remembered as one of the finest service players, improvisers, and composers that church music was privileged to have in the 20th century. In his 91 years on earth, he left a legacy that is truly unmatched by all but a very select few.
Of everything that Paul Manz was known for, he may be most remembered for his tremendous organ improvisations. He began writing some of them down and published them as compositions titled simply "Improvisations." Over 100 are now available across many volumes.
According to the title, this improvisation is focused on the hymn "What Wondrous Love Is This." However, you initially hear a completely different tune entirely. The tune PICARDY is commonly associated with the hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence." Only after several measures does the Wondrous Love tune appear, quietly, in cluster form underneath, while the PICARDY tune continues. Careful attention and awareness is required to truly hear it.
That's it for this week. Thank you to all of you who are attending Holden Evening Prayer on Wednesday evening. I hope you are finding it fulfilling!
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