Music Notes: May 26th, 2013

Trinity Sunday

Before I start, I would just like to acknowledge the wonderful contributions of our choirs and other music ensembles this year.  With the season now over, I'll never forget the way three of our choirs came together last week in order to lead the hymn, Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading, as part of our vibrant Pentecost service.  Thank you SO MUCH choirs, and I'll see you next year!

While last Sunday was primarily a celebration of the Holy Spirit, this Sunday will incorporate the Father and the Son, which creates the Holy Trinity.  The Trinity can be quite a puzzling concept for people to wrap their heads around.  Is it one?  Is it three?  It's both (I think), but it certainly is a mystery of the Christian faith.  There is only one God, but it is in three persons.  Each person is God, but they are distinct from one another in their origins.  The Father created all, the Son was holy begotten, and the Spirit moves us forward.  The music this week will guide us through these Trinitarian figures, featuring some of the most iconic and well known hymns in the repertoire.

Prelude (7:45 AM only)

Theme and Variations on Holy, Holy, Holy

Piet Post is a bit of a journey man Dutch composer.  He has had a long and rather successful career, but his music, especially in America, is not very well known.  

This theme and variations on the hymn tune NICAEA definitely deserves to be heard though.  The opening measures are striking, featuring the tune harmonized with parallel fifths.

The variations are quite inventive.  One features descending arpeggios with the tune on top.  The adagio variation has a pulsing bass line going throughout along with a wide variety of harmonic colors.  Yet another is a two voice invention, with the theme traveling from voice to voice.

Prelude (9:00 AM)

Prelude and Sarabanda from Suite no. 2- J.S. Bach

 

Bach's cello suites are examples of some of his most brilliant work.  Bach is likely most well known for his mastery of contrapuntal composition, which makes these cello compositions that much more brilliant.  With only one melodic line to work with, these pieces are nonetheless wonderfully artistic and inventive.

Of note here is the sarabande.  A dance from the 15th-16th century, its key features are a triple meter with an emphasis on beat two, as well as a slower tempo characterized by a large amount of ornamentation.

Opening Hymn

Holy, Holy, Holy

This hymn will be preceded by a thanksgiving for Baptism, shown on our new projectors.  Holy, Holy, Holy is traditionally known as the quintessential Trinitarian hymn, but interestingly enough, the hymn doesn't even follow a traditional Trinitarian structure, as many of our other hymns will today.

Despite not having a Trinitarian structure, it was composed by Reginald Heber for Trinity Sunday.  The three statements of "holy" are a direct reference to the mass ordinary text Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, (which we sing every week during the Communion liturgy).  They also reference Isaiah 6:1-5, where the six-winged seraphim approach and proclaim the first lines of the Sanctus.

About fifty years after its composition, John Dykes wrote the tune now exclusively used for this hymn.  It was named NICAEA, after the famed Council of Nicaea in the year 325, which was an ecumenical gathering of Christians arranged by Roman Emperor Constantine I.  In addition to coming to a consensus on the Holy Trinity, they also established the first portion of what became to be known as the Nicene Creed, and set the formula for determining the date of Easter.

Hymn Of The Day

Come Join The Dance Of Trinity

"Energizing" is a word that I would use to describe the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It is thus rather appropriate for the interweaving of these three elements to be in the form of a dance.  The whole idea behind the opening of this hymn is that the joining of the three aspects of the Trinity in a cohesive dance brought form to the universe.  

Stanza two makes a quick shift and brings the human aspect to the Trinity.  The "face of Trinity" is of course Jesus, and the hymn contrasts his newborn face in Bethlehem with the bloody face at the crucifixion.  It also makes the point that the Trinity is meant for the human aspect of us, and when it becomes confined through death, God (the first element) comes and rolls away the metaphorical stone, enabling us to rejoin the dance.

The third stanza references the holy Spirit aspects of the Trinity.  It looks back to Pentecost as a celebration of the Holy Spirit enabling people to tell the story of the Savior's name.  The third line is very interesting… "We know the yoke of sin and death, our necks have worn it smooth."  I believe this is referring to the entire journey we just took through Lent.  But once we are free of this yoke, we are free to move and able to share this good news with the world.

Like most Trinitarian hymns, this one concludes as it started, with a recapitulation of the first stanza, sharing many similar characteristics and messages.

Communion Hymns

Creating God, Your Fingers Trace

In addition to celebrating the Trinity, we are taking time to remember and pray for the residents of Moore, OK, as well as those closer to home who may be experiencing flood waters.  

This hymn gives thanks to a God that is creating (Father), redeeming (Son), and sustaining (Holy Spirit).  Stanza two calls back to the Thanksgiving for Baptism at the beginning of the service ("let water's fragile blend with air"), and stanza three uses the familiar Pentecost image of a dove coming down to earth.

In closing, we hear that we are all family, and calls for us to be touched by grace until we are all brought together to praise God.

If You But Trust In God To Guide You

Despite its clumsy modernizing, replacing the words "thou" and "thee" with "you," this remains one of the great hymns of hope that we have in the hymnal.  Georg new mark penned both the text as well as the chorale (a rarity for such a successful work) in the mid-17th century. 

Stanza one alone is such an uplifting promise of faith and hope.  Going on, we hear the message that there is no gain in stress or trouble as long as we are in our Savior's keeping. 

From beginning to end, this hymn contains enough hope and guidance to sustain us all the way through any hard times.  Throughout all of the pain and turmoil we go through, we can always take comfort that we can rest in God's word and good will as long as we sing, pray, and keep God's word unswerving.

Closing Hymns

Holy God, We Praise Your Name

Though it isn't directly alluded to in the 'by-line' of the hymnal, this text is a translation and paraphrase of the Te Deum chant.  The Te Deum laudamus  is an ancient hymn of praise for the church, used primarily in the daily offices of the Catholic Church.  More specifically, it is used at Matins, which is the service of Morning prayer from the canonical hours.  While the text is also associated with a standard plainchant, only the text is used here; the tune is original, coming from the Katholisches Gesangbuch (Catholic Songbook), published in Vienna in 1774.

There are two elements of this text that I would like to bring to the forefront.  The first is the concluding stanza, where the primary Trinitarian message is contained.  It says that though the names come in three parts, they are in essence one element, an "undivided God" that we worship and adore on bended knee, embracing the holy mystery of the Trinity.

The second doesn't necessarily relate to the Trinity itself, but rather to the entire field and future of church music.  The conclusion of stanza three states, "And from morn to set of sun, through the church the song goes on."  This is a message that I hold very close to my heart, and it gives me hope and motivation to ensure that the words and music of the church will be everlasting and never ending.

America The Beautiful

In honor of our veterans on this Memorial Day weekend, we will celebrate their lives and contributions to our freedom with this hymn.  The poem was composed by Catherine Lee Bates, and despite the song not really being a "church" song, it was combined with a tune composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel Ward.  Ward had originally written the music for a different hymn, but was combined with the Bates Poem and titled "America the Beautiful." 

The original version differs quite significantly from the version we have today.  For instance, here is the current opening stanza, followed by the original one…

Current:
O beautiful, for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain.
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood,
from sea to shining sea.

Original:
O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

As you can see, the original version contains a lot of antiquated, albeit very colorful language. 

Most important here is stanza two, where the heroes we celebrate are glorified in this stanza. 

Postlude

Finale on Holy, Holy, Holy- Piet Post

The large theme and variations began at the beginning of the service concludes here.  This final movement doesn't really have a distinct form.  It is at times imitative, other times homophonic, and other times much like a fantasy, traveling through a variety of key areas.  The piece concludes with a strong scalar ascension upwards to the final chords.