Easter Sunday
As I discussed with Chancel Choir Wednesday night, Easter is arguably the most important Sunday in the church year. It sounds like I'm stating the obvious when I say that, but when you really think of the grand scope of the occasion and the implications of it, both in the story of the Lectionary and the amount of people that arrive inside the four walls of this church on no other Sunday beside this one.
This is my fifth Easter as an employed Director of Music in the church. It is my first here at St. Paul's. In those five years across several denominations, I've learned several of the "rules" that are required for a successful Easter morning. The goal that I have continually worked towards for Easter morning is to not only satisfy the people that are there but one time a year (which is required), but to also feed the souls of those who are there every week who seek not only the Easter standards, but something deep and original to the Easter day. Throughout Music Notes today, I'll try to describe the balance that I have hoped to achieve.
HYMNS AND SONGS
Jesus Christ Has Risen Today (Opening Hymn- 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM)
Of course, this is the Easter standard of Easter standards, and interestingly enough, I really rebelled against doing it initially. While it is easy to think that I simply did that because I didn't want to use something so "popular," that really wasn't true. My initial rejection of it was based on purely musical reasons. First, as an organist, it is one of the most difficult hymns in the repertoire to play. It requires a lot of dexterity in the pedals, and it is very contrapuntal in nature. Secondly, it's not the easiest hymn to sing either. The third line of the melody reaches the high E, which is the absolute top note that should be contained in a hymn tune. Not only does it reach this top note, but it does so in one of the most uncomfortable ways possible, with it happening at the conclusion of a line when singers have expelled most of their breath.
All of these shortfalls aside, this hymn has become required repertoire on Easter morning for better or worse. Perhaps it is because of the rampant use of the word "Alleluia," which has been forbidden from the church lexicon for the last six weeks. Despite this being a rather "long" hymn by most standards, the primary reason for that is that half of the tune is taken up by Alleluias. The rest of the hymn is a joyful, accessible celebration of the events of Easter morning. Each stanza contains four lines with the rhyme scheme AABB. When read out loud with no music, skipping the alleluias, it sounds rather pedestrian. Interestingly enough, the "A" couplets in stanzas one and two refer to the resurrection, and the "B" couplets look back at the passion. In the final two stanzas, this organization is carefully reversed.
While the authors of both this text and tune are still relatively unknown today, there is no question that they have created something that will be truly immortal and everlasting.
Thine Is The Glory (Hymn of the Day- 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM)
By contrast to the first hymn, Thine Is The Glory, while still popular, contains what I believe to be a much deeper and more profound realization of the events of the Resurrection. Surrounding the refrain of, "Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son. Endless is the victory thou o'er death has won!" is an extremely strong message of hope and thankfulness. In stanza two, much like Mary and the disciples experienced, the experience of being face to face with Jesus is described. In gratefulness of this, we arise to sing hymns of praise throughout the entire church.
Interestingly enough, both the composers of the words and music of this hymn are well known, unlike our first one. The composer of the text was Edmund Budry, who lived in the early 20th century as a Swiss minister and author. The text was originally composed in French, and was later translated into the English version we all know. The text was set to a tune written over 150 years before by the great Baroque composer G.F. Handel. The tune was excerpted from the oratorio Judas Maccabeus, and today carries that title as its tune name. The tune is very march like, comprising mainly of tonic and dominant harmonies.
The Strife Is O'er, The Battle Done (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Once again, the word Alleluia permeates this entire hymn, comprising both the refrain and the conclusion of each stanza. The text of this hymn, though anonymous, contains countless references to scripture. For instance, in stanza one, the "victory of life" refers to the conflict between Jesus and the Devil referenced in Matthew 12:29. Stanza three is derived from the prophesies and realization of his own death through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In the concluding stanza, the "stripes" referred to are a reference to Isaiah 53:4-5.
This joyful tune that accompanies the text is arranged from a renaissance dance by G.P. da Palestrina, one of the masters of sacred music in the renaissance.
At The Lamb's High Feast We Sing (Communion Hymn- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This is a wonderful example of a communion hymn to be used on Easter. As we gather at the table of the Lord, we eat, drink, and celebrate the victory of Christ over death. We are washed clean in the blood spilled from the side on the cross.
With this focus on blood, verses two through four have more of an emphasis on the paschal blood, which gave birth to our wine, drowns the enemies, and accompanies the body of Christ in the form of our bread.
The final four stanzas focus mainly on the victory of resurrection. Like many of our other hymns today, this primarily focuses on victory, triumph, and power, with the implications that all of these have on us.
Christ Is Alive Let Christians Sing (Communion Hymn: 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
Personally, this happens to be my favorite Easter hymn (also appropriate for Advent). This was written in the late 1960's by Brian Wren, author of hundreds of hymns and one of the most powerful voices in 20th century hymnody. Unlike some of our previous hymns this Easter morning, Christ Is Alive takes the peril and triumph of Jesus and puts it in a context of our world today. For example, in stanza two we see that Christ is no longer bound to the stories of ancient years, but by the power of resurrection, we see him among us here and now, touching every place and time.
Other examples are in stanzas three and four, where we that despite factors like wealth and race divide us, Christ reaches through hatred and turmoil and shows us the way to love and peace.
This extraordinary text is suitable only for the greatest of tunes, and the tune TRURO fits that bill very well. Set in four distinct parts, this tune is majestic, triumphant, and most importantly, singable. It is symmetrical in nature, with the first phrase rising a whole octave and ending with the octave going down. What a wonderful conclusion to our Easter worship.
CHORAL ANTHEMS
Easter Morning, arr. Paul Christiansen (Prelude- 9:00 AM)
Paul Christiansen gives us a beautiful setting of the story where Mary and the disciples first see the resurrected Jesus, and he says "Peace be unto you." The narrative sections are composed in a very straightforward, recitative-like style, allowing the words to come to the forefront. A solo voice introduces the words of Jesus, and the entire choir enters homophonically with those famous words from John's Gospel. The piece ends as it started, with Mary telling the disciples that they had seen the Lord. This piece will lead directly to...
Christians To The Paschal Victim (Prelude, 9:00 AM)
This chant is nearing it's 1000th birthday. Generally being attributed to Wipo of Burgundy, composed in around 1050, it is one of the oldest pieces of music in our hymnal.
Verse one of the chant focuses primarily on the sacrifices exchanged, first by Jesus on the cross, and into our offerings and thanks for said sacrifice.
Verse two comprises another summary of the previous piece, where Mary and the disciples see the Lord resurrected, and the angels attest that he has risen to heaven.
The concluding stanza celebrates the new life we have obtained by the glory of the resurrection. This chant will be accompanied by the ringing of hand bells that additionally signify the splendor of the resurrection.
Easter Anthem- William Billings (Offering- 9:00 AM)
William Billings is widely regarded as the father of American choral music. Many of his songs and arrangements are still sung at Sacred Harp gatherings around the country. Not a trained musician, Billings' music was bold, harsh, and even his sacred music had large political, nationalistic overtones.
Easter Anthem is almost composed in the style of a Handelian chorus, only sung a capella. The colorful language and clever voicing all serves to glorify the message of the day, "The Lord has ris'n indeed! Hallelujah!"
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Apparition de l'Église éternelle (Apparition of the Eternal Church)- Olivier Messiaen (Prelude- 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM)
Olivier Messiaen set a lot of standards in the early 20th century with his creative composition, particularly when writing for the organ. While known primarily for his secular compositions, his sacred pieces have a unique ability to portray their intended meanings.
In Apparition of the Eternal Church, we see a wonderful vision of the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Messiaen was noted as a sufferer of synesthesia, a disease which causes various senses of the brain to cross over each other. In Messiaen's case, he was able to see music in the form of colors. He described each chord and sonority having its own color. In particular, he described C major as being "bright white." This is evident in this piece, where it climaxes on a glorious C major chord in the highest reaches of the organ.
Christ is Alive!- David Cherwien (Postlude- 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM)
This is a brief, three part piece by the noted composer and church musician David Cherwien. Dr. Cherwien has expressed the fabulous tune TRURO in three different ways. The first is in a characteristic toccata-like presentation, with the tune in the pedals underneath rapid passagework in the hands. The second section is the longest, and features almost a fugue-like structure that travels through many unexpected keys. The final section is a triumphant, straightforward statement of the tune featuring alternate harmonies and a glorious ending that descends across the entire pedal board reminiscent of the finale to Vierne's first Organ Symphony.
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What a glorious morning of music we have here at St. Paul's. My hope is that everyone who attends will depart filled with the spirit of the resurrected Lord!
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