Music Notes: July 16th, 2013

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Prelude

Scottish Legend, op. 54, no. 1 – Amy Beach

Rachel Frantsen, piano

Rachel, daughter of our Youth and Family Director, Paul Frantsen, is back from her first year at St. Olaf and will share a couple of her piano pieces with us this week.

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was the first female American composer who was successful at composing large scale pieces for the classical stage.  She was a child prodigy, beginning her composing at the age of 5.  She wrote in a largely Romantic idiom, often compared to Brahms or Schumann.  In addition to her large scale works, she was best known for her songs and short piano pieces, one of which is shared this morning.

The Scottish Legend draws its inspiration, appropriately, from Scottish music.  Dotted rhythms and melodic contour are reminiscent of Scottish folk music.

Opening Hymn

God of Grace and God of Glory

This well known hymn by Henry Emerson Fosdick is a great example of the power and grace of God being used against the evil in the world.  Though the more familiar text with this tune is probably "Guide Me Now, O Great Redeemer," this text has found a home with CWM RHONDDA based on the popularity of Paul Manz's organ setting of this piece, incorporating fragments of the Hallelujah chorus.

Each stanza ends with a petition for strength and courage ("Grant us wisdom, grant us courage...").  Each of those statements is followed by a qualifier that applies to each of the stanzas that precede it.    

Hymn of the Day

Rise, Shine You People

This hymn is programmed a lot around the Epiphany season, but it is appropriate for Easter and general times as well.  The idea that Jesus arrives and makes such a difference in such a dynamic way is very inspiring, bringing us “freedom, light, life, and healing.” 

In hymnody, we talk a lot about text matching with music.  In the very first line of this hymn, we run into a problem.  In the first line, the music indicates that the text accompanying it should be, "Rise, shine, you people, Christ the Lord has entered..."  The music leaves a space for a lift here.  But if the musical element is removed and the text is spoken, we see that the phrase in its entirety is "Rise, shine, you people, Christ the Lord has entered our human story."  It's unfortunate that the music does not allow for this text to be completely reflected, but it is still evident and clear if some thought is put toward it.

Despite this minor shortcoming, it is a wonderful text and a very dynamic, exciting tune to sing.

Offering

Bruyeres – Claude Debussy

Rachel Frantsen, piano

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.

Communion Hymns

I Love to Tell the Story

Katherine Hankey, an English poet, was born in London in 1834.  Among her most popular poems is an expansive, two part poem about the story of Jesus.  From the second part of that poem, titled "The Story Told," was born this hymn as we know it today, "I Love To Tell The Story."

In the Anglican church at the time, there was very little, if any, congregational music.  The music mostly took form in chant or psalm singing.  Hankey was among the group of reformists that sought to put the Word of God into the voices of the people.  "I Love To Tell The Story" was one of the first hymns of this reformed tradition (soon to become Methodist), that was not written by someone named Watts or Wesley.

There is little to discuss in this text.  It is written in a very accessible, common style, which was the goal of the music in this movement.  The music matches suit, featuring a harmonic, four-part structure based around tonic and dominant harmonies.  The endearing simplicity of this text and tune (composed by German-American church musician William Fischer), has led to its enduring legacy, and its inclusion still in all modern hymnals, despite its antiquated style.

God, Whose Almighty Word

The most striking element of this tune is each stanza ending with the proclamation, “Let there be light.”  It adds a unifying element to the hymn, which is already unified by being based on the Trinity.  In standard Trinitarian hymn writing style, God is discussed in stanza one, Jesus in two, and the Holy Spirit in three.  As expected, all three are discussed in the fourth.

Most pertinent here is the second stanza about Jesus, discussing him as a healer, health to the troubled mind, and sight where illusions blind.

Closing Hymn

I’m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me

This is always a wonderful song to end a service with.  Even the most joyous of spirituals still reference the trials and tribulations that one has gone through, and that is in the case in the middle stanzas.  Jesus lifts us throughout times of trouble and when Satan has us down.   Also present in all spirituals is some aspect of “Glory, hallelujah.”  In other spirituals, it is harder to find, but it isn’t very subtle here!

The familiar structure is of course four phrases per stanza.  Each of the first three phrases has the same text and syllabic underlay.  Melodic contour is nearly identical, but the harmonic changes are what provide interest and excitement to this joyous tune.

Postlude

Rise, Shine You People – David Cherwien

David Cherwien’s organ works are some of the most virtuosic out there.  This is one of those that, while still very hard, is actually a little easier than it sounds.  The challenge lies in the double pedal line and one measure where the pedal plays quarters, right hand plays 8^th note chords, and left hand plays 32^nd note runs.  The piece is a wonderful explosion of joy and excitement.