Music for August 24, 2014 + The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Built on a Rock the Church Doth Stand - Ludwig Lindeman, arr. David N. Johnson

Instrumental Music

• Concerto: I. Allegro – Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)  Bennie Wemh, trumpet
• Ubi Caritas/Adoro te Devote – Michael Larkin (b. 1951)
• Thou Art the Rock – Henri Mulet (1878-1967)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “R” which are from Renew.

• Hymn 525        The Church’s one foundation (AURELIA)
• Hymn R 37       Father, we love you (Glorify your name)
• Hymn 707        Take my life and let it be (HOLLINGSIDE)
• Hymn 220        Let the hungry come to me (ADORO TE DEVOTE)
• Hymn R 226     Ubi caritas et amor (Taizé)
• Hymn R 306     We are marching in the light of the Lord (SIYAHAMBA)

Summer's over, the Good Shepherd Choir returns to the loft the Sunday, and it couldn't happen to a better set of scripture.
One of my favorite organ pieces to play is Henri Mulet's toccata, Thou Art the Rock. I have loved it since I first heard Virgil Fox's recording of it on the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia. I learned it as a junior in college, and it is perfect for this week's Gospel lesson from Matthew 16. 

15[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Mulet's actual title was long, and in Latin, taken directly from the 18 verse of Matthew 16. Tu es petra et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus te. You are Peter (the Rock), and the gates of Hell will not prevail against you. It is fast and furious, with a sense of conviction about it. The main theme will be heard in the pedal, coming in rather softly on page two of the music. Mulet was a French organist and composer who served as choirmaster of the basilica of Sacré-Coeur, Paris. Thou Art the Rock is from a collection of ten pieces called "Esquisses byzantines," half of them inspired by various parts of the Sacré-Coeur basilica. In 1937 Mulet burnt his manuscripts and left Paris for Provence. He was cathedral organist in Draguignan until 1958 and died there in 1967. He spent 30 of his 89 years in seclusion. He had no children, and died in a convent.

The Choir's anthem is a hymn setting with trumpet by David N. Johnson. It's a strong, sturdy tune which fits the text perfectly. It's a staple among Lutheran hymnody, and is also a perfect fit for today's scripture.

Built on a Rock the Church Doth StandEven when steeples are falling;Crumbled have spires in every land,Bells still are chiming and calling;Calling the young and old to rest,Calling the souls of men distressed,Longing for life everlasting.
Not in our temples made with hands,God, the almighty, is dwelling;High in the heavens his temple stands,All earthly temples excelling;Yet He who dwells in heavens aboveDeigns to abide with us in love,Making our bodies his temple.
We are God’s house of living stones,Built for his own habitation;He fills our hearts, his humble thrones,Granting us life and salvation;Were two or three to seek his face,He in their midst would show his grace,Blessings upon them bestowing.
Through all the passing years, O LordGrant that, when the church bells are ringing,Many may come to hear God’s wordWhere he this promise is bringing:“I know Mine own, Mine own know Me;Ye, not the world, My face shall see.My peace I leave with you.” Amen.

The piano meditation at communion is what the kids nowdays call a "mash up," mixing two, often disparate pieces of music together. The two tunes that Michael Larkin, a composer/musician from Wilmington, Delaware, has chosen to meld together in one are both Gregorian chants that have become hymns in modern hymnals. First we hear the chant, "Ubi caritas et amor" (hymn 606 in The Hymnal 1982) played in the treble (high end) of the keyboard. After a declaration of that tune, we hear "Adoro te devote" (hymn 314 in The Hymnal 1982, as well as hymn 357 and the hymn we will sing during communion from Renew, R220, Let the hungry come to me.) Then the pieces wraps up as it began, with a verse of "Ubi Caritas." Note that the chant "Ubi Caritas" is not the same as the Taizé piece "Ubi Caritas" that we will also be singing during communion.