Music Notes: August 4, 2013

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Prelude

Romance from Concerto No. 2 - Henryk Wieniawski

Dr. Daniel Kaplunas, director of the Wartburg Community Symphony, will be joining us this week to provide both Prelude and Offertory music.  

In addition to being a medical doctor, Wieniawski, born in Poland in 1835, was also an accomplished violinist.  While not large, his compositional output contains several very important works for the violin, including two concertos.  Dr. Kaplunas will be playing the second movement of his D minor concerto here.

Titled "Romance," it contains a harmonically based melody which travels through a variety of keys, typical of late Romantic style music.  At the climax, the violin reaches the highest reaches of its range, with the orchestral reduction playing the same melody from the beginning.  This is a beautiful, touching example of a late Romantic-era slow movement.

Opening Hymn

All People That On Earth Do Dwell

This month in worship we are taking a look at the theme of resurrection.  This William Kethe text describes some of what we might see, hear, and experience as we journey to heaven.  Stanza three in particular appears to be a bit of an instruction manual on how to enter the pearly gates.  The standard question asked by a lot of us during life, "Why?" is asked and answered simply in stanza four; the Lord our God is good and is mercy is forever sure.

This old text is set to an equally old tune.  Normally associated with the Doxology, Kethe's tune, based on Psalm 100, is actually the text that led to the name of Louis Bourgeois' hymn tune OLD HUNDREDTH.  

Hymn of the Day

How Small Our Span of Life

After passing away in 2007, the world lost a wonderful preacher, theologian, and hymn writer in Herman G. Stuempfle.  This hymn is a fantastic example of his work.  Here we see an expansive text contrasting the length of our lives with the eternity of God.  The language in stanza two of time and space is wonderfully evocative.  These two spans of time are crossed by Christ when he left the infinite span of heaven to come to Earth and redeem our mortal lives.  The concluding stanza thanks God for the guiding pathway he gives each of us.

Offering 

Le cygne (The Swan) - Camille Saint-Saens

This is an extracted movement from Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals.  Set in 6/4 time, it features a langishing melody underneath a constant accompaniment of flowing, broken chords.  While originally written with cello providing the melody, it will be played up an octave by Dr. Kaplunas on the violin.

Communion Hymns

Take My Life That I May Be

This quintessential Offertory hymn by the father/daughter duo of William and Frances Havergal shows us offering ourselves, our hands, our voices, our riches, our will, and our love to God.  It is the ultimate hymn of generosity and giving to God as thanks for everything we have.

It is an example of a trust and guidance being placed in God we wouldn't or shouldn't be willing to place in anyone else.  Through the language in this hymn, we are doing just as what Jesus instructed us to do, that is, give of our whole selves, our time, our money, and our possessions, to God.

We Praise You, O God

God is not only with us, but has gone all the way back through previous generations to Abram and Sarah and beyond.  Stanza two of this lovely text by Julia Cory demonstrates that is isn't just us to has to travel through trials and temptations, but also our forefathers and mothers.  The concluding stanza is purely a statement of faith and gratefulness that through any future trials and temptations, God will always be there with us.

Closing Hymn

Lord, Dismiss Us With Your Blessing

The title of this tune, SICILIAN MARINER’S HYMN, is a little misleading.  While the tune is rumored to come from Sicilia, the hymn that it was originally associated with is actually Roman Catholic, from around the 10th or 11th century.  The tune actually seems to have inspired Charles Tindley’s civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.” 

This hymn is intended for use as a recessional, as we are dismissed from worship and giving thanks for the Gospel’s joyful sound.

Postlude

Fantasy on OLD HUNDREDTH - Piet Post

This composition from 1966 by Dutch composer Piet Post is in a standard ABA format.  The A sections feature the tune played as a chorale in the right hand, but each phrase is presented in a different key.  The dotted rhythm bass line assists in the harmonic changes.

The B section has the tune in open fifths, and in between each phrase, the melody is presented again in what is called diminution, that is the same melody, only with a quicker, shorter rhythm.

The piece concludes with a reprise of the A section and a short coda where the opening phrase returns using the open fifths, growing to a G major conclusion.