November 3, 2019 + All Saints Sunday

Vocal Music

• Let Us Now Praise Famous Men – Ralph Vaughan Williams

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

• Hymn 287 - For all the saints (SINE NOMINE)
• Hymn 293 - I sing a song of the saints of God (GRAND ISLE)
• Hymn 286 - Who are these like stars appearing (ZEUCH MICH, ZEUCH MICH)
• Hymn R 243 - You shall cross the barren desert (BE NOT AFRAID)
• Hymn R 151 - Be thou my vision (SLANE)
• Hymn 556 - Rejoice, ye pure in heart (MARION)
• Psalm 149 – Tone VIIb

The composer of this morning's anthem, Ralph Vaughan Williams, was a 20th Century English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also very interested in the music of the church, for, though he identified as an agnostic, he was editor of the Anglican English Hymnal in 1906, in which he included many of his own tunes and arrangements of folk songs.

Ralph Vaughan Williams and
an unknown cat.

One such hymn-tune is the tune SINE NOMINE, which Vaughan Williams composed for the text "for All the Saints" and published in the English Hymnal. The tune's title means "without name" and follows the Renaissance tradition of naming certain compositions "Sine Nomine" if they were not settings for preexisting tunes. Equipped with a "walking" bass, SINE NOMINE is a glorious marching tune for this great text. Many consider this tune to be among the finest of twentieth-century hymn tunes (it is, perhaps, the church's equivalent to “When the Saints Go Marching In”). It is the opening hymn this Sunday.

Our anthem is Vaughan Williams’ Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Composed in 1923, it, along with SINE NOMINE,  captures the essence of English pomp and circumstance, with its inexorable forward marching movement.

The text is drawn the book Ecclesiasticus, commonly called The Wisdom of Sirach, a work from the early 2nd century B.C. written by the Jewish scribe Jesus ben Sirach. It contrasts the tribute paid to famous people of accomplishment with those whose lives may have been anonymous, but nonetheless contributed to the welfare of mankind and thus are as deserving of memorial. Inspiring as are his words, Ben Sira could not have known how, in our age today, leaders and heroes span not just generations, but also genders.

Music for October 27. 2019

Vocal Music

• There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy – Maurice Bevan (1921-2006)
• Prayer – Lloyd Pfautsch (1921-2003)

Instrumental Music

• The Sixty-Fifth Psalm – Alec Rowley (1892-1958)
• Chromhorne sur la taille (Messe pour les Convents) - Francois Couperin (1668-1733)
• Offertoire sur les grands jeux (Messe pour les Convents) - Francois Couperin 

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 506 - Praise the Spirit in creation (FINNIAN)
• Hymn 552 - Fight the good fight with all thy might (PENTECOST)
• Hymn 424 - For the fruit of all creation (EAST ACKLAM)
• Hymn 314 - Humbly I adore thee (ADORO DEVOTE)
• Hymn 680 - O God, our help in ages past (ST. ANNE)
• Psalm 65 – Tone V 

I've sung the hymn, "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy," for years - all my life, really - using the tune BEECHER which our hymnal uses. But several years ago, Maurice Bevan, a British bass-baritone who sang with The Deller Consort, St Paul's Cathedral in London, and the BBC, wrote a beautiful new tune which has since gained popularity. One of the things that won my heart in this arrangement was the inclusion of a couple of couplets that are left out of most hymnals:

But we make his love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify his strictness
With a zeal he would not own.

There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.

There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.

If our love were but more simple,
We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all gladness
In the joy of Christ our Lord.

Maurice Bevan

The hymn was written  by the Catholic priest and poet, Frederick William Faber. Raised in the church of England, and ordained an Anglican priest, he was influenced by the teaching of John Henry Newman. In 1845 Faber followed Newman into the Roman Catholic Church and served in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Because he believed that Roman Catholics should sing hymns like those written by John Newton, Charles Wesley, and William Cowper, Faber wrote 150 hymns himself. One of his best known, "Faith of Our Fathers."

Dag Hammarskjold

Our communion anthem also has a beautiful text. It is by Dag Hammarskjold, who was  Secretary-General of the United Nations until his death in a plane crash in 1961. He  gave the impression of being an agnostic humanist while he was serving at the UN, but after his death, his private papers were discovered which contained some notes entitled “negotiations with myself – and with God”. His prayers have a naked honesty which is deeply moving. This text is one of those.

Hammarskjold's words were set to a haunting, chant-like melody by Lloyd Pfautsch, composer and one-time Director of Choral Activities at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He was one of my teachers, and from him I learned much, including these two things.

Lloyd Pfautsch

1. WORDS MATTER -- Lloyd considered it important for those who sing great words of faith to consider, and carefully articulate them while singing them. For him, the choir’s diction was essential

in prompting the hearers’ informed response.

2. MUSIC MATTERS -- Lloyd taught all of us that when choosing worship music --- congregational, choral, instrumental or keyboard --- the liturgy should inform the appropriateness of the music, and, the music, particularly the music of hymns, should compliment the words. I try to do that every Sunday.

That's why I chose this week's opening voluntary, a Tone Poem by English composer Alec Rowley on Psalm 65, which is the Psalm of the day. It's a longer work than usual (almost 8 minutes), so I want you to listen for these themes found in the music: (The text is from the Coverdale translation of the Bible, which had been used as the Psalter in all Books of Common Prayer, back to the first in 1549, until 1979.

Verse 1: Thou, O God, art Praised in Zion - Majestic 3/4 time
Verse 3: My misdeeds prevail against me - Softer, lyrical section, melody in the oboe (a plaintive sound).
Verse 7: Who stilleth the raging of the sea and the madness of the peoples. -  The organ becomes more agitated, growing in volume, tempo, and intensity, until it relaxes into a feeling of peace.
Verse 9: Thou Visiteth the earth, and blessest it. -  A broad, sweeping, descending melody modulating downward through three different keys as it "visits the earth" (descending)
Verse 14: The Valleys also shall stand so thick with corn, that they shall laugh and sing. - The music growing in volume and breadth, "thick" 

Music for October 20, 2019

Vocal Music

• Let Us Go to the House of the Lord – Ellen McClune and Steve Taranto (The Coventry Choir)
• Without the Fire - David Ashley White
• Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of our Heart - Henry Purcell 

Instrumental Music

• Reflections on a Tune – David Ashley White
• Book of Book, Our People’s Strength – Timothy Albrecht
• Fanfare for Saint Anthony – David Ashley White

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

• Hymn 372 - Praise to the living God! (LEONI)
• Hymn 631 - Book of books, our people’s strength (LIEBSTER JESU)
• Hymn 711 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God (SEEK YE FIRST)
• Hymn R168 - If you believe and I believe (Zimbabwe)
• Hymn R173 - O Lord, hear my prayer (Jacques  Berthier)
• Hymn 530 - Spread, O spread, thou mighty word (GOTT SEI DANK)

This Sunday we hear the story of the Widow and the Apathetic Judge.  The widow comes to the judge day after day, petitioning him to decide on her behalf, and despite his indifference to the justice of her cause, he relents simply to get her off his back. In contrast to the judge’s apathy, God is empathetic: God cares and God wants us to receive blessings.

The idea of God as an empathetic judge is what sparked the choice of the two anthems the Good Shepherd Choir is singing. The communion anthem, Henry Purcell's "Thou Knowest, Lord" from the Funeral music for Queen Mary II in 1695, could very well have been sung by the persistent widow:

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts;
Shut not thy merciful ears unto our pray'rs;
But spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty.
O holy and most merciful Saviour,
Thou most worthy Judge eternal...

This anthem was sung at Purcell's very own funeral just eight months later in November, 1695.

 In the offertory anthem, we sing the phrase "Without the Judge, there is no Pleading," and we immediately thought of today's parable.

Rae Whitney, an English-born poet and hymn writer now living in Nebraska, has written a text, based on a few lines from Thomas á Kempis, that reflects on what we would be missing if there were no faith or resurrection. It has been set to music by Houston composer David Ashley White, whose music is familiar to us here at Good Shepherd just as it is to musicians and choirs throughout the world. He is the Professor of Composition and Music Theory at the University of Houston.

This anthem is one of several that will be sung at the Diocese of Texas's annual Choral Festival next weekend at Christ Church Cathedral. It is a fine example of choral writing, with a beautiful melody, lush harmonies and changing meters of 4/2 to 3/2 that fit the rhythm of the words to create a powerful message. 

David writes more than just choral music, however. Organists are fortunate that he has written several lovely and interesting organ works. Two of those will be played today as the opening and closing voluntaries. The first, Reflections on a Tune, are his musings on his own hymn tune PALMER CHURCH, which is found at Hymn 327 in The Hymnal 1982. The name is in reference to White's home parish, Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church here in Houston.

Music for October 13, 2019

Vocal Music

• Rejoice, O Land – Healey Willan (1880 - 1968)
• Here, O My Lord – Eleanor Daley (b. 1955)

Instrumental Music

• Chorale Prelude on the Tune “Bevan” – Healey Willan
• Fanfare and Alleluia – Douglas E. Wagner
• Postlude in D – Healey Willan

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

• Hymn 411 - O bless the Lord, my soul (ST. THOMAS (WILLIAMS))
• Hymn - Wade in the water (Negro Spiritual)
• Hymn R 266 - Give thanks with a grateful heart (GIVE THANKS)
• Hymn R 191 - O Christ, the healer (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
• Hymn R 232 - There is a redeemer (GREEN)
• Hymn 397 - Now thank we all our God (NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT)
• Psalm 111 - Jerome W. Meachen

This Sunday the Gospel from Luke tells us of ten lepers who are healed by Jesus. The tenth leper was a Samaritan, a foreigner to Jesus. But he experienced the love and healing which tore down the barrier to a relationship with Jesus. He was filled with the desire to praise and to thank God for this gift—not out of obligation, but out of genuine gratitude.
That is why I chose the anthem for Sunday:

Rejoice, O land, in God, thy might;
His will obey, Him serve aright.
For thee the saints lift up their voice;
Fear not, O land, in God rejoice.

Glad shalt thou be, with blessing crowned;
With joy and peace thou shall abound;
Yea, love with thee shall make his home
Until thou see God’s kingdom come.

Sometimes we become overwhelmed and anxious about all the ways we are foreigners to God and we build barriers to his Grace. We should take heart from this Samaritan, whose life is transformed from fear to love, from anxiety to perpetual thanks.

Healey Willan, 1965

The arrangement of this hymn is by the Anglo-Canadian organist and composer Healey Willan. He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano. He is best known, however, for his church music.

He also composed the communion voluntary based on the hymn-tune BEVAN, which is used for the little known hymn Jesus, My Great High Priest. You'll hear the melody in the right hand, played again a measure later by the left hand on a different manual (keyboard.)

The Good Shepherd Handbell Guild will play for the first time this Sunday as they play Douglas Wagners Fanfare and Alleluia for the opening voluntary.

Music for October 6, 2019

Vocal Music

• O Lord, Increase My Faith – Henry Loosemore (c.1600-1670)

Instrumental Music

• By the Water of Babylon, BWV 653 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• Amazing Grace – George Shearing (1919-2011)
• Chaconne – Louis Couperin (1626-1661)

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

• Hymn R 49 - Let the whole creation cry (LLANFAIR)
• Hymn 671 - Amazing grace, how sweet the sound (NEW BRITAIN)
• Hymn 380 - Praise God from whom all blessings flow (OLD 100TH)
• Hymn 660 - O Master, let me walk with thee (MARYTON)
• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (SLANE)
• Hymn 535 - Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim (PADERBORN)

George Michael, who has nothing to do with this Sunday's music, but got your attention.

As George Michael said, "You Gotta Have Faith."

In Sunday's Gospel, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Luke 17:5-6)

The Good Shepherd Choir asks the same thing in this Sunday’s anthem.

O Lord, increase my faith,
strengthen me and confirm me in Thy true faith;
endue me with wisdom, charity, and patience,
in all my adversity, Sweet Jesu, say Amen.

Attributed for many years to the English composer Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), modern scholarly research reveals the composer as Henry Loosemore, an English composer and organist. His father, John Loosemore, built the organ at Exeter Cathedral.  Henry Loosemore served as the organist at King's College, Cambridge.  In 1640, Loosemore was granted the degree of B.Mus by the University, on the supplication of King's College avowing that 'he had studied the art of musical composition for seven years, together with its practice, and has achieved approval of those skilled in the art.'

Psalm 137 is an alternate Psalm for the day. (We will be singing Psalm 37). The text,

1. By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2. On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4. How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

describes the desperate situation of the Israelites in exile.

In 1525, Wolfgang Dachstein wrote a German Chorale based on the psalm, and many 17th century organists used the chorale in both organ and choral settings. J. S. Bach was one of those. In his collection known as the 18 Choräle or Leipziger Choräle, Bach included two different versions. One of them, BWV 653b, has five voices, and the melody sounds ethereally in the upper voice, against a sombre double pedal part. In the other version, BWV 653a, the ornamented melody in the middle voice is wedged between two upper voices and pedal. This is the version I will play as the opening voluntary.

This latter version was clearly Bach’s favourite, as he revised the material in his later years in Leipzig, by adding even more ornamentation to the melody and further accentuating the drawn-out rhythm as a slow sarabande (a slow, stately Spanish dance in triple time). In this way, he emphasised the point of this chorale, which is expressed in the later verses of the text, where the Israelites are forced to sing a song of praise. But how are they to sing in such hopeless circumstances? That is precisely what Bach conveys in this chorale prelude. Although the oppressors have got the exiles right where they want them, the timid middle voice keeps going courageously, and with all the ornamentation displays faith in a good outcome.(1)

The closing voluntary is also in an ancient dance form, this time the chaconne, a composition in a series of varying sections in slow triple time, typically over a short repeated bass theme. Originally a stately dance performed to a chaconne, popular in the 18th century, here we have an organ arrangement of a harpsichord piece by French composer Louis Couperin. Couperin moved to Paris in 1650–1651, where he worked as organist of the Church of St. Gervais in Paris and as musician at the court.

This arrangement is by the early 20th century French organist, Joseph Bonnet.

(1) A Somber Sarabande, Netherlands Bach Society, https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/bwv/bwv-653/