Music Notes: July 14th, 2013

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Prelude

Children of the Heavenly Father - arr. John Ferguson

Many of you know that John Ferguson is my original organ teacher and mentor.  Most of my hymn playing and anything else I do on the organ was and is inspired by him.  

Compared to other masters of congregational song and hymn festivals (Paul Manz, David Cherwien, et al...) his output for solo organ is not as large, but this piece is particular truly encapsulates his style.  The first time I read through it, I noticed how natural it felt to play due to me being so influenced by his style.  The planing triads on top of the tune in a solo 4' flute in the pedal just comes second nature to me due to my training.

Opening Hymn

O God, Our Help In Ages Past

Isaac Watts' famous paraphrase of Psalm 90 takes center stage here.  Watts, the "father of English hymnody," actually composed a complete metrical, poetic psalter, but this is by far his most famous effort.

The concept here is that of an everlasting, ever living God who created all things, oversees all things, and renews all things (help in ages past, hope for years to come).  Multiple stanzas talk about the concept of creation, specifically the two that are being depicted in the prelude.  While the creation aspects are important, they are a means to an end.  The true message here is that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and will be with us through all our trials, adventures, and tasks as we move forward.

Hymn of the Day

Holy Spirit, Truth Divine

One common structure for composing a hymn is to start each stanza with the same phrase, only changing one small adjective.  Each of these adjectives are then expanded upon in the rest of the verse.  This is evident right away in the conclusion of the first line.  Truth dawns, love glows, power fortifies, and peace stills.  The final stanza, with the word "right," is a little difficult to understand.  "King within my conscience reign," refers to the piece of the Holy Spirit that is inside of all of us.  

Interestingly enough, the word "reign" interrupts the rhyme scheme.  The text author, Samuel Longfellow, was born in 1819 in Portland, Maine.  In the far Northest US at the time, an English accent would likely still predominate, even as late as 1850.  Said with such an accent, the word "reign" would likely be closer to "rine," which would of course rhyme with di-"vine."  Details like this are very important when an anomoly in a hymn is detected.

Offering

Here I Am, Lord - arr. Jack Schrader (Summer Choir)

Many people have arranged this much loved hymn by Dan Schutte.  These three verses are expertly crafted into an arrangement that paints the text (for example, the piano part on the word "stars") beautifully.  Three part mixed arrangements (two women's parts, one men's), are very difficult to write.  Most of the time, the voicing doesn't work correctly and the men's part ends up being too high.  That is not the case here though.  The optionally written bass part only supports it and is an excellent addition when it is able to be added.

Communion Hymns

Children of the Heavenly Father

With hymns such as "Children of the Heavenly Father," Lina Sandell has placed herself into the hearts of Christian worshipers young and old, creating one of the most timeless, relatable texts in all of hymnody.

Though Sandell penned these texts, they may not have been successful and widely known if it weren't for the Swedish troubador Oskar Ahnfelt.  He traveled through both Sweden and Norway with a 10-string guitar, singing Sandell's hymns and sharing his ministries.  He was even endorsed by Swedish King Karl XV, who declared that these songs should be shared throughout the entire kingdom.  He later assisted in the publishing of Sandell's texts, which paved the way for them to be included in hymnals throughout the world.

My Life Flows on in Endless Song

In addition to being a hymn writer, Robert Lowry, perhaps best known for his hymn Shall We Gather At The River, was also a professor of literature and a Baptist minister.  While this hymn was written in the 1870's, it wasn't used very frequently until the 1980's when it was recorded by several well known Catholic church musicians including Marty Haugen and David Haas.  The refrain as we find it today was not originally the refrain, but rather stanza two.  The recording by Haugen and Haas made use of it as a refrain, and it has caught on in the new generation of print hymnals.

Closing Hymn

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less

This hymn was composed by Edward Mote (1797-1874), a cabinet maker by trade, who later became a pastor in Sussex.  The hymn was actually inspired by a different scripture entirely, from Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders, which describes two men, one who built their house on rock, and the other on sand.  When the rains came, the house on the rock survived, but the house in the sand sunk.  Christ is used as a metaphor for this lesson.

Most of the time at St. Paul's, we sing this hymn to the tune MELITA (Eternal Father, Strong to Save).  On the same page is this text attached to a different tune.  William Bradbury composed this tune, as well as the tune to Jesus Loves Me.  Interestingly enough, both of those tunes share similar characteristics (2 identical phrases in the verse, and a refrain).  I find this tune, with its simple, straightforward harmonies, to be much more appropriate for the "solid" nature of this text.

Postlude

Improvisation on the Eighth Psalm Tone - Everett Titcomb

The "eighth psalm tone" is not from the ELW, but rather from the English Hymnal, 1906.  Psalm singing in the Episcopal tradition is different than what we do; it is longer and more complex.  Everett Titcomb, noted English composer, has created a wonderful, expansive setting based on a sixteen note pattern.  The piece travels through several keys and registrations before arriving at a glorious ending.