Music Notes: March 24th, 2013

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is also known in a lot of places as Passion Sunday, since we usually tell the Gospel story of Jesus' last meal with his disciples, betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and burial.  This is probably the only service throughout the year that takes such a dramatic turn in the middle of it.  Beginning with the pomp and circumstance of the Palm Processional (and its corresponding Gospel reading) and ending while reflecting on the Passion Gospel is an enormous juxtaposition. 

Most people consider the Passion Gospel the turning point, but I actually think it's the psalm for this Sunday.  The middle verses of Psalm 31 are just shockingly verbose and blunt when it comes to an assessment of yourself.  Combined with that is an antiphon sung by the Chancel Choir featuring the words of the commendation used in the Service of Christian Burial in the ELW, "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."

PRELUDE

Finale from Symphony No. 4- Charles Marie Widor

I've used this as the Prelude on Palm Sunday for just about my entire career.  C.M. Widor was known as a wonderful orchestrator at the organ, hence his largest output of organ works (9 total) being called Symphonies.  With the resources of the organ and the Saint Sulpice cathedral, he could replicate just about any orchestral color in existence.

This finale to the 4th Organ Symphony, while not as well known as the famous toccata finale to the 5th Symphony, is a wonderful piece in its own right.  It is centered around a 16 bar "refrain" with a sequential chord progression that comes back in a variety of keys.  It seems to fit beautifully as music to accompany the Palm Processional that is about to take place.

CHORAL ANTHEM

Ride On In Majesty- W. Glen Darst

This choral anthem will precede the Processional hymn.  Ride On In Majesty has been a standard Palm Sunday text for a long time (it is contained in our ELW).  I've described this setting of it by W. Glen Darst as a "power anthem" from the 1950's, and it is truly that.  It is old fashioned in the best of ways, with strong choral writing and a fantastically written organ part.  Most intriguing is the third verse, featuring just the men, along with organ writing that is quite dissonant.  This dissonance is necessary, as it reflects the text that Christ is riding on to "die."

OPENING HYMN

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

This hymn is the traditional response to the opening words of Palm Sunday, which include the telling of the Processional Gospel, where Jesus makes his triumphal entry.  The refrain of the hymn comments on one of those opening sentences, which involve the phrase "Hosanna in the highest."  The lips of children referred to in the refrain describe the children lining the road as Jesus approaches.  This tradition manifests in our service with the reading of the opening sentences and Gospel by two members of the Friends of the Lord choir.

The verses summarize both the Processional Gospel as well as estimating how the people would act and react as Jesus enters.  Verse one is a confirmation of the fulfillment of the prophecy that the son of David and the King of Israel will come, manifest in Jesus.  Verse three discusses the palm processional itself, where palm leaves were waved in celebration of the arrival of Jesus.
 
HYMN OF THE DAY

Jesus, I Will Ponder Now

The first line of this is indicative as to why we are using it in this spot.  This entire hymn, but particularly in the first stanza, is a preparation stanza/hymn for Holy Week. 

The syntax and grammar structure of stanza three makes it difficult to understand.  The point it is trying to make is that we are asking not only to just see the passion, but to actually understand why it is happening.  Through the crucifixion, the sin that we experience and live with daily are forgiven. 

The closing stanza has us making a pledge that we will not let this sacrifice go to waste.  By living lives in service to God, the sacrifice that Jesus made for us will not be in vain.

OFFERING

I Praise The God Of Grace- Susan Powell (Friends of the Lord)

This piece was actually written by a friend of mine from college.  This Horatio Bonar text has been set to a melody that is "child-like without being childish."  The refrain, which is melodically driven, breaks into two parts at the end.  Friends of the Lord never fails to amaze me with their ability to sing in two beautiful parts.  They listen to each other, sing with beautiful tone, and the results are just lovely.  I couldn't be prouder of them and how hard they work.

COMMUNION HYMNS

What Feast Of Love (7:45 AM only)

Delores Dufner penned this text to recognize both Holy Communion and to show the image of the Light of Christ coming into our realm.  The exterior stanzas use imagery of bread and wine, and the interior second stanza is the light stanza.  It is set to the old English tune GREENSLEEVES.  Dufner, a nun of the Order of St. Benedict (hence the OSB usually listed after her name), is widely published as both a hymn writer and librettist.

Lord Who The Night You Were Betrayed

The first sentence of this hymn may be better explained by saying, "Lord, who did pray that all your church might be forever one, on the night you were betrayed."  Similar to the Hymn of the Day, this hymn also instructs us to not forget the gift of sacrifice we were given.  It does this all through the perspective of the Eucharist.  Each stanza ends with the brief refrain, "Oh may we all one bread, one body be through this blest sacrament of unity." 

The unity theme carries into the fourth stanza, which makes clear that even when the sacrament of Communion ceases, we will all be one due to its unifying character. 

Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior

This is one of my favorite chants in the ELW.  The text as we have it now is paraphrased from the original text by Thomas Aquinas.  Aquinas (1225-1274) was an Italian priest, and was an extremely influential figure in both theology and philosophy.  Most notably, Thomas believed strongly in the existence of God, and published a pamphlet of 5 reasons why.  These reasons, explained simply, were, 1. The motion of the universe, 2. Causation (first cause), 3. Existence of the necessary and unnecessary, 4. Gradation, and 5. The ordered tendencies of nature.

The principal characteristics of this text are those of adoration and awe.  We are in awe in the thought of this sacrifice and the Eucharist, and in one of the most poignant lines, we ask God to "increase our faith and love that we may know the hope and peace which from our presence flow."

CLOSING HYMN

Go To Dark Gethsemane

While the title of this hymn seems to indicate a mere retelling of Jesus' and the disciple's pilgrimage to the mountain of Gethsemane, it actually runs much deeper.

Each stanza describes a scene leading towards and including the death of Jesus.  The conclusion of each stanza features something that we can learn in the example of Jesus.  In stanza one, he goes to Gethsemane to pray, therefore we "learn from Jesus Christ to pray."  Stanza two vividly describes the punishment and flogging, from which we "learn from Christ to bear the cross."  The crucifixion takes place in stanza three, where we "learn from Jesus Christ to die."  Finally, the conclusion foreshadows the resurrection, where our Savior will "teach us so to rise."

The music for this hymn is a good example of the contrast between the German style and this later English style.  While the writing of both hymns is homophonic, that is, in four parts, this tune has very even, square, predictable phrases, which are more accessible to a wider range of singers, hence its popularity in the 19th century when the growing trend was to put the song back into the voice of the people.

POSTLUDE

Lamb of God- arr. F. Melius Christiansen

Last year, the Chancel Choir sang this as the postlude to Palm Sunday.  This year, rather than it being sung, the choral will be played on the organ using a paraphrase of F. Melius Christiansen's famous choral setting.  This choral sets us up beautifully to enter Holy Week.