Music for March 8, 2015 + The Third Sunday of Lent

Vocal Music

• Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin - John Hilton (ca. 1599 – 1657), arr. Peter Crisafulli
• Let Thy Blood in Mercy Poured - Johann Cruger

Instrumental Music

• These are the Holy Ten Commandments, BWV 679 – J. S. Bach
• Balm in Gilead - Timothy Shaw

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

• Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days (ERHALT UNS, HERR) omit stanza 5
• Hymn R 75 Praise the Lord! O heavens adore him (AUSTRIA)
• Hymn 676 There is a balm in Gilead (BALM IN GILEAD)
• Hymn 149 Eternal Lord of love, behold your church (OLD 124TH)

The choir is singing two unfamiliar hymns from the Hymnal 1982 this Sunday as part of their weekly offering. The anthem to be sung at the offertory is a contemporary arrangement of a 17th century hymn by the poet and priest, John Donne (1573-1631). He was dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, when he wrote the poem "Hymn to God the Father", which is the text of today's anthem. I am including it here, for I think the listener would do well to read and meditate on this text before and after hearing it sung in church.

from Hymns of the Christian Centuries, (1903) page 95

Izaak Walton says, in his Life of Donne (1670),

I have the rather mentioned this hymn for that he [Donne] caused it to be set to a most grave and solemn tune, and to be often sung to the organ by the Choristers of St. Paul's [Cathedral] Church in his own hearing, especially at the evening service, and at his return from his customary devotions in that place, did occasionally say to a friend, 'the words of this hymn have restored to me the same thoughts of joy that possessed my soul in my sickness, when I composed it. And, O the power of Church-music! that harmony added to this hymn has raised the affections of my heart, and quickened my grace of zeal and gratitude; and 1 observe that I always return from paying this public duty of prayer and praise with an unexpressible tranquillity of mind, and a willingness to leave the world.'

John Donne

The special sickness during which this hymn was composed fell upon the author during the earlier part of his life. It was sung at St. Paul's Cathedral, at intervals from 1621 to 1631, when Donne died.
Gregory Benoit notes that Donne puns on his own name in this poem, ending the first two stanzas by saying to God, “When you have done forgiving this sin, you still don’t have Donne — for I have more sins to address.” Each stanza addresses a specific class of sin, rather than specific actions which he has committed.

The music is by English composer and organist, John Hilton. He received the B. Mus. from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1626, and became organist of St Margaret's, Westminster in 1628. It is highly possible that this is the tune that Donne commissioned for his text which was sung at St. Paul's

The opening voluntary is a hands-only organ piece (called manualiter) by J. S. Bach from the Clavier-Übung III, which has been referred to as the German Organ Mass.  It is a collection of compositions for organ which Bach published in 1739. It is considered his most significant and extensive work for organ, containing some of his musically most complex and technically most demanding compositions for that instrument. The purpose of the collection was fourfold:

1. an idealized organ program, taking as its starting point the organ recitals given by Bach himself in Leipzig.
2. a practical translation of Lutheran doctrine into musical terms for devotional use in the church or the home; 
3. a compendium of organ music in all possible styles and idioms, both ancient and modern, and properly internationalized.
4. a didactic work presenting examples of all possible forms of contrapuntal composition, going far beyond previous treatises on musical theory.

Albert Schweitzer compared it to the Greater and Lesser Catechism of Martin Luther:

Luther, however, had written a greater and a smaller catechism. In the former he demonstrates the essence of the faith; in the latter he addresses himself to the children. Bach, the musical father of the Lutheran church, feels it encumbent on him to do likewise; he gives us a larger and smaller arrangement of each chorale ... The larger chorales are dominated by a sublime musical symbolism, aiming simply at illustrating the central idea of the dogma contained in the words; the smaller ones are of bewitching simplicity.  - Albert Schweitze, "J. S. Bach, Le Musicien-Poète", (Leipzig 1905).

This setting of the German chorale based on the Ten Commandments is the second, smaller setting of which Schweitzer speaks. It is a fughetta on a paraphrase of the first line of the chorale, in the rhythm of a gigue, and with bouncing leaps and an almost playful mood of high spirits! Not quite what we think of as LENTEN music!

Hymns -

• The glory of these forty days (ERHALT UNS, HERR) The Latin hymn Clarum decus jejunii may have been written by Pope Gregory I, and was translated from the Latin by Maurice F. Bell for The English Hymnal, 1906. It is a Lenten hymn that reminds us of the necessity for fasting and prayer as exemplified by Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and John the Baptist. We will omit stanza 5 during the processional as we are singing that stanza as the presentation hymn after the offertory.
• Praise the Lord! O heavens adore him (AUSTRIA) This hymn, based on Psalm 148, is by an anonymous author, and has been around since around 1801. A post-exilic hymn, Psalm 148 maintains that God's glory displayed in creation and redemption is so great that the praise on Israel's lips needs to be supplemented by a chorus from all creation. This echos the sentiment found in today's Psalm, Psalm 19 (The heavens declare the glory of God.)
• There is a balm in Gilead (BALM IN GILEAD) In the Old Testament, Gilead was the name of the mountainous region east of the Jordan River. This region was known for having skillful physicians and an ointment made from the gum of a tree particular to that area. Many believed that this balm had miraculous powers to heal the body. In the New Testament, God answers the suffering of His people by sending His own son to take our place. Jesus becomes our “balm in Gilead.” It is Him we are called to turn to in our times of trial for healing and comfort. We sing this song with that assurance: no matter our hardships or supposed shortcomings, Jesus loves us enough to take our suffering upon Himself.
• Eternal Lord of love, behold your church (OLD 124TH) A relatively new hymn, found only in about four hymnals, it is another hymn for the Lenten season, this time comparing our Lenten pilgrimage with the pilgrimage of the Israelites in escaping Pharoah (Cloud by day, fire by night).