Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
We have a very special event in worship this Sunday. In lieu of our normal liturgy, we will be celebrating the birth of one of the greatest hymn writers of all time, Isaac Watts. Born on July 17th, 1674 (that's 338 years ago) in Southampton, England, he eventually become recognized as the "Father Of English Hymnody."
His father, also Isaac Watts, was a well known religious nonconformist at the time. He was even arrested twice for his views. He was illegible for admission to either Oxford or Cambridge due to his family's views, so he attended the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington in 1690. He would spend much of his life in this London suberb. He occasionally embraced his father's nonconformist views, but spent most of his life promoting a non-denominational, ecumenical view of religion and theology. He never married, and died in 1748.
(Biographical information taken from Norman Mable's Popular Hymns and Their Writers and William Jensen Reynolds' A Survey of Christian Hymnody)
His legacy in the field of English hymnody is expansive in the least. Watts, along with Charles Wesley, did for English (language) hymnody what Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt, and Johann Niedling did for German Lutheran hymnody. Watts was a visionary in creating new, original, theological texts for use in worship. Before Watts, music in the church was in the vein created by John Calvin during the Reformation, using verse translations of the psalms for congregational singing. Protestant hymnody was given a much needed boost when it was revolutionized by Watts and the people he influenced, including Reginald Heber (Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty), John Newton (Amazing Grace), and Augustus Toplady (Rock Of Ages).
Watts' original hymns are known for being both intensely personal and affirmational. His hymns could break down the barrier between poet and singer. Hymns like "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" are sung from the perspective of the singer themselves, and the text reflects the personal spirituality of many Christians. He also had his own take on the psalms, creating an entire poetic psalter, one example of which we will hear this Sunday.
I have chosen several Watts hymns to replace our standard liturgical elements, and will be sung throughout the service. Brief synopses of each follow...
Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed- As a Kyrie can be thought of as a prayer for mercy, this Watts hymn used during Lent is a sign of the sacrifice Jesus gave in order that we may have that mercy.
Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs- The Canticle of Praise usually calls us all together and unites in worship. The title and first stanza of this hymn does just that, uniting our joys with us and all the angels.
Give To Our God Immortal Praise- This verse takes the place of our Gospel Acclamation this week, as its praise to God is a fine precursor to the Gospel reading.
O That The Lord Would Guide My Ways- This fine guidance hymn fills into our Offertory slot this week. Rather than being a true Offering hymn, it actually comments on our Gospel this week, asking for guidance from Jesus through times of hunger and need.
My Shepherd You Supply My Need- This is Watts poetic transcription of Psalm 23, which we will be using as the precursor to Communion in the Lamb of God spot.
Jesus Shall Reign- As a conclusion to the service, the exterior stanzas of this hymn of praise will be used as our Post Communion Canticle.
PRELUDE
Sonatine- Maurice Ravel (Prelude- 9:00 AM)
We'll be joined by Rachel Frantsen this week, daughter of Paul Frantsen (our director of Youth and Family). After having graduated this spring, she will be attending St. Olaf College in the fall to pursue a degree in piano performance. The pieces she is playing in worship are excerpts from her senior recital from a couple weeks ago.
Ravel's Sonatine is set in three movements, and was composed between 1903-1905. Rather than the more normalized "Sonata," the title refers to the slightly shortened nature of the work and not the potential simplicity that a piece of this title would carry. In fact, when Ravel debuted the work, he feared that it may be too difficult for most pianists (a rather ironic statement given that his Gaspard de la nuit, composed 3 years later, is one of the most difficult pieces in the piano repertoire).
The first movement is being played this week, and was the first movement that Ravel completed. He actually composed it for a composition competition in which the criteria was a sonata movement of 75 measures or less. Ravel was actually the only entrant, but was disqualified due to having 78 measures instead of 75. A prize was not awarded.
The first movement is in traditional sonata form, and though we will not be hearing them, the conclusion of the movement foreshadows portions of the second and third.
OPENING HYMN
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Most of the time, this hymn seems to be performed slowly and contemplatively, with reverence and care. Personally, I think of this hymn as a hymn of praise. In the first stanza, it even says, "Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise."
The language of this hymn, composed by Robert Robinson, exudes some grand, wonderful statements. Robertson composed the hymn at the age of 22, and has been made famous primarily through Mack Wilberg's arrangement performed by the Morman Tabernacle Choir. American composer Charles Ives also used its tune, NETTLETON, in several of his compositions.
People ask me all the time what an "ebenezer" is. Its origins are in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel 7:12 says "Samuel took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer - "the stone of help" - for he said, "Up to this point the Lord has helped us!"
The Israelites went through a long period of journey, sadness, and tribulation. Under the leadership of Samuel, God finally restored the Israelites to their rightful place in society. Upon the acknowledgement of this, Samuel placed the stone where this restoration began, and dedicated it as a monument to God.
An Ebenezer stone can represent a fresh beginning for us in our faith journeys, despite being a rather archaic term. Over the years, many revisions to this hymn have been attempted to be put in place. None of them have stuck. Most of these revisions have to do with this word. I find it interesting that so many editors attempt to remove this phrase and replace it with something like, "Here by grace your love has brought me," or "Here I raise to thee an altar," while keeping words like "fetter" and "hither," two equally archaic words, remain.
Luckily, many people out there, including myself, are working to maintain these old texts while making them contemporary in other ways, through new arrangements and styles of playing the tune for example. This will be heard this Sunday at the REJOICE service when this hymn is done.
HYMN OF THE DAY
Beautiful Savior (Hymn of the Day- 9:00 AM)
This Silesian folk tune iws another that is much loved among Lutherans, especially in this part of the country, where Lutheran college grads spent four years and countless alumni gatherings singing F. Melius Christiansen's lovely setting.
The region of Silesia no longer exists, but most of it is occupied by what is now Poland. Unfortunately, there is little information on the origin of this hymn, nor who first translated it into English. The structure is symmetrical in that the interior and exterior stanzas are hymns of praise to the creator, and the interior stanzas proclaim said creation, by describing the meadows, woodlands, stars, and tying them to Jesus, who is said to shine fairer and brighter than all of these things.''
OFFERING
Rhapsodie in E-flat Major, op. 119, no. 4- Johannes Brahms (Offering, 9:00 AM)
Rachel Frantsen joins us once again with a late Brahms Rhapsody. The late works of Brahms, especially op. 118 and 119, are some of his finest, most creative, expressive works. Interestingly enough, the bombastic, passionate opening of this Rhapsodie hearkens back to his compositional style earlier in his life, such as the Scherzo, op. 4. Unusually, the piece actually ends in the parallel minor key of E-flat Minor.
COMMUNION HYMNS
We Come To The Hungry Feast (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Though our hunger for the Eucharist is satisfied each week, there are many hungers in our lives that still remain. We're hungry for peace, and we're hungry to see the hunger of others satisfied. As stanza three of this hymn says, "... and knowing, though we eat our fill, the hunger will stay with us...". This song is a call to all of us that we should always remember and pray for those in the world that may not be as fortunate as many others.
Let Justice Flow Like Streams (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
The main idea of this hymn is justice and peace flowing through our lives, so that we may hold straight to the line of God's goodness. Jane Parker Huber, a renowned Presbyterian hymn writer of over 30 hymns, just passed away this last November. Among many other things, she was a tireless advocate of women in the Presbyterian church. The justice and peace referred to in this hymn is clearly influenced by those inclusive beliefs.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This ancient chant from the Divine Liturgy of St. James comes from the 4th Century, AD, making it one of the oldest texts in the hymnal. This is actually the Offertory hymn of that service, and it is the only musical piece of the Liturgy that has found fame outside of the original setting. It was adapted and first used by Ralph Vaughan Williams where he set it to the tune PICARDY for use in the English Hymnal 1906. The translation of the hymn has many Biblical allusions, referencing Jesus, the six-winged seraph, Mary, and several others.
POSTLUDE
Fugue in E-flat Major "ST. ANNE" (Part 1)- J.S. Bach
The Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552 is one of Bach's finest masterpieces for organ. Both the prelude and fugue are in three parts with theological implications. The prelude represents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fugue also has Trinitarian implications, but its subject bears an extremely strong resemblance to the hymn tune ST. ANNE, known most famously as the tune for Isaac Watts' most famous hymn, "O God Our Help In Ages Past."
Though the hymn was originally published in 1719 and this organ piece was published in 1739, it is theoretically possible that Bach could have been familiar with it. Given the theological differences that would have existed between the two parties however, it is unlikely that Bach would have known it. It is impossible for Bach to have seen this tune combined with the "O God Our Help," text, since they were not paired with each other until sometime later. After all, there are only twelve notes and a finite amount of ways in which they could be combined, so it is likely that the similarities between the two tunes are merely a coincidence.
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Wow, this has been quite an extensive edition of Music Notes this week! As filled with content as this iteration is, I feel less guilty about this next announcement. For the next two weeks, Music Notes will be taking a brief summer hiatus while I am away attending a conference and taking a week of vacation. I initially considered still writing Music Notes during those two weeks, but my darling wife has convinced me otherwise. So if you miss it desperately for these next two weeks, you may take it up with her!
I will return with the next Music Notes on or around Thursday, August 2nd.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Music Notes: July 8th, 2012
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Last week's visit by the Strickert's last week brings an interesting perspective to this week's Gospel reading. In Mark 6, Jesus returns home after a long journey throughout the land. As he was preaching on the Sabbath, the people were perplexed by his words rather than being moved or inspired by them. After all, they knew him as a simple carpenter, and here he was making all these proclamations.
He is not deterred however. He sends his disciples two by two to the surrounding villages, instructing them to heal and make anew anyone they come across, while ignoring the doubters.
PRELUDE
Aria No. 4 and Variations from Hexachordium Apollonis- Johann Pachelbel (Prelude- 9:00 AM)
While Pachelbel wrote an extensive amount of organ music, his Hexachordium Apollonis is likely his largest, most expansive work. Translating as the "Six Strings of Apollo," it is a set of six arias, each with somewhere between 5 and 8 variations.
Published in 1699, it was dedicated to Dietrich Buxtehude and Ferdinand Tobias Richter. Pachelbel included a rather long preface to the work, where he discussed the nature of music, including it coming from the celestial heavens. Pachelbel rarely included this type of language in his secular music, which indicates that he considered these six arias and variations to be sacred works.
OPENING HYMN
In Christ Called To Baptize (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Ruth Duck, the author of this text, is professor of worship at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Evanston, Ill. She is a widely published author of a variety of hymn texts.
This text, set to the Welsh tune commonly associated with "Immortal, Invisible," we see three important elements of our church normally associated with Christ's life reflected in our own. As Christ baptized, we ourselves are baptized and given thanks for life with each of our breaths. When Christ shared meals with his disciples, it creates a haven of welcome where we are all able to share in one bread. Finally, the discipleship of Christ calls us to live in grace and compassion, reflecting Christ's ways.
HYMN OF THE DAY
We Walk By Faith (Hymn of the Day- 9:00 AM)
This traditional text composed by English hymn writer Henry Alford in the mid 19th century was given an overhaul in the mid 1980's with a new tune by Marty Haugen.
The general message of this hymn is that even though we cannot tangibly see Jesus directly in the world, it is our faith that connects us to him. There are surely times when unbelief or doubt permeates our life. Stanza three gives us inspiration when that happens. We need not be ashamed if doubt creeps into our mind. We can ask God for help with our unbelief, which will hopefully cause our faith to abound and call on Christ when necessary.
The hymn comes full circle at the conclusion, as we finally are able to behold God with our sight after our life of faith is done.
COMMUNION HYMNS
Take, Oh, Take Me As I Am (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
John Bell is an important musical representative of the Iona Community out of Scotland, which is an ecumenical gathering of Christians of many types from all over the world.
This short refrain is in the style of Taize, with a short refrain using an accessible, harmonized melody. The refrain quotes Song of Solomon, and is a prayer to God that we be accepted in our many forms and types.
The Son Of God, Our Christ (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Earlier, our hymn of the day cast an old text into a brand new tune. This hymn does the opposite, where a new text composed by Ed Blumenfeld was set to a slightly older tune. Though it was composed in the 20th century, this tune carries many of the characteristics of 19th century hymn tune writing. The melody itself is a little on the uninteresting side, but combining it with a beautiful four part harmony makes the tune come alive.
The first two stanzas of this hymn start in the past, where Jesus' recruitment of his disciples formed the basis of Christianity. Fast forward to our time, where Christ dares us to follow boldly in his name and continue the work throughout the world.
We All Are One In Mission (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This hymn continues where the previous one left off. Here we take the responsibility Christ challenges us with, where we rise united and share our various gifts throughout the world. Though we all may have different goals with our ministry, our purpose is the same, that we may be able to touch the lives of others with the grace of God so the entire world can feel the warm embrace of God.
OFFERING
Bruyeres- Claude Debussy (Offering- 9:00 AM)
Claude Debussy's 2 books of 12 preludes each have become standards in the piano repertoire. Unlike most standard piano sheet music, the titles of these pieces were actually included at the ends of the works in the original publications. Debussy did this intentionally so a performer could then reflect on what he intended the piece to be about, rather than having that preconceived notion in their minds at the beginning.
The title Bruyeres is actually a town in Eastern France. Cast in an ABA form, it uses a pentatonic melody, heard at the beginning of the piece, as a base for the entire work.
POSTLUDE
ST. DENIO- David Cherwien (Postlude- 9:00 AM)
David Cherwien is known throughout the nation as one of the finest church musicians, organists, worship leaders, and organ composers in the country. His organ works are known for their high level of difficulty. It's simply natural for one to write music with themselves in mind, and Dr. Cherwien is certainly one of the more capable organists in the country.
This arrangement casts the ST. DENIO tune beneath a florid, contrapuntal arrangement in the hands which is almost a two part invention. The work in the hands could almost stand on its own, and the use of the tune in the bass ups the creativity factor even more.
Last week's visit by the Strickert's last week brings an interesting perspective to this week's Gospel reading. In Mark 6, Jesus returns home after a long journey throughout the land. As he was preaching on the Sabbath, the people were perplexed by his words rather than being moved or inspired by them. After all, they knew him as a simple carpenter, and here he was making all these proclamations.
He is not deterred however. He sends his disciples two by two to the surrounding villages, instructing them to heal and make anew anyone they come across, while ignoring the doubters.
PRELUDE
Aria No. 4 and Variations from Hexachordium Apollonis- Johann Pachelbel (Prelude- 9:00 AM)
While Pachelbel wrote an extensive amount of organ music, his Hexachordium Apollonis is likely his largest, most expansive work. Translating as the "Six Strings of Apollo," it is a set of six arias, each with somewhere between 5 and 8 variations.
Published in 1699, it was dedicated to Dietrich Buxtehude and Ferdinand Tobias Richter. Pachelbel included a rather long preface to the work, where he discussed the nature of music, including it coming from the celestial heavens. Pachelbel rarely included this type of language in his secular music, which indicates that he considered these six arias and variations to be sacred works.
OPENING HYMN
In Christ Called To Baptize (Opening Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Ruth Duck, the author of this text, is professor of worship at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Evanston, Ill. She is a widely published author of a variety of hymn texts.
This text, set to the Welsh tune commonly associated with "Immortal, Invisible," we see three important elements of our church normally associated with Christ's life reflected in our own. As Christ baptized, we ourselves are baptized and given thanks for life with each of our breaths. When Christ shared meals with his disciples, it creates a haven of welcome where we are all able to share in one bread. Finally, the discipleship of Christ calls us to live in grace and compassion, reflecting Christ's ways.
HYMN OF THE DAY
We Walk By Faith (Hymn of the Day- 9:00 AM)
This traditional text composed by English hymn writer Henry Alford in the mid 19th century was given an overhaul in the mid 1980's with a new tune by Marty Haugen.
The general message of this hymn is that even though we cannot tangibly see Jesus directly in the world, it is our faith that connects us to him. There are surely times when unbelief or doubt permeates our life. Stanza three gives us inspiration when that happens. We need not be ashamed if doubt creeps into our mind. We can ask God for help with our unbelief, which will hopefully cause our faith to abound and call on Christ when necessary.
The hymn comes full circle at the conclusion, as we finally are able to behold God with our sight after our life of faith is done.
COMMUNION HYMNS
Take, Oh, Take Me As I Am (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
John Bell is an important musical representative of the Iona Community out of Scotland, which is an ecumenical gathering of Christians of many types from all over the world.
This short refrain is in the style of Taize, with a short refrain using an accessible, harmonized melody. The refrain quotes Song of Solomon, and is a prayer to God that we be accepted in our many forms and types.
The Son Of God, Our Christ (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
Earlier, our hymn of the day cast an old text into a brand new tune. This hymn does the opposite, where a new text composed by Ed Blumenfeld was set to a slightly older tune. Though it was composed in the 20th century, this tune carries many of the characteristics of 19th century hymn tune writing. The melody itself is a little on the uninteresting side, but combining it with a beautiful four part harmony makes the tune come alive.
The first two stanzas of this hymn start in the past, where Jesus' recruitment of his disciples formed the basis of Christianity. Fast forward to our time, where Christ dares us to follow boldly in his name and continue the work throughout the world.
We All Are One In Mission (Communion Hymn- 9:00 AM)
This hymn continues where the previous one left off. Here we take the responsibility Christ challenges us with, where we rise united and share our various gifts throughout the world. Though we all may have different goals with our ministry, our purpose is the same, that we may be able to touch the lives of others with the grace of God so the entire world can feel the warm embrace of God.
OFFERING
Bruyeres- Claude Debussy (Offering- 9:00 AM)
Claude Debussy's 2 books of 12 preludes each have become standards in the piano repertoire. Unlike most standard piano sheet music, the titles of these pieces were actually included at the ends of the works in the original publications. Debussy did this intentionally so a performer could then reflect on what he intended the piece to be about, rather than having that preconceived notion in their minds at the beginning.
The title Bruyeres is actually a town in Eastern France. Cast in an ABA form, it uses a pentatonic melody, heard at the beginning of the piece, as a base for the entire work.
POSTLUDE
ST. DENIO- David Cherwien (Postlude- 9:00 AM)
David Cherwien is known throughout the nation as one of the finest church musicians, organists, worship leaders, and organ composers in the country. His organ works are known for their high level of difficulty. It's simply natural for one to write music with themselves in mind, and Dr. Cherwien is certainly one of the more capable organists in the country.
This arrangement casts the ST. DENIO tune beneath a florid, contrapuntal arrangement in the hands which is almost a two part invention. The work in the hands could almost stand on its own, and the use of the tune in the bass ups the creativity factor even more.
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