Music for December 15, 2019 + Advent III

Vocal Music

• O Jesus, Grant Me Hope and Comfort – Johann Wolfgang Franck (1644-1710)

Instrumental Music

• Aria (The Goldberg Variations) – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• Once He Came in Blessing – John Leavitt (b. 1956)
• Magnificat on the Ninth Tone – Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)

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

• Hymn 59 - Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding (Merton)
• Hymn S 242 - Canticle: The Song of Mary (Magnificat) – Tonus Peregrinus
• Hymn 493 - O for a thousand tongues to sing (Azmon)
• Hymn 60 -  Creator of the stars of night (Conditor alme siderum)
• Hymn 615 - “Thy kingdom come!” on bended knee (St. Flavian)
• Hymn R 278 - Wait for the Lord (Jacques Berthier)
• Hymn 76 - On Jordan’s banks the Baptist’s cry (Winchester New)

You could call all the music this Sunday basically Baroque . All but one of the choral and organ music is written by composers of the Baroque period, that period of music from 1600-1750 characterized by the music of such composers as J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi. The one lone stand-out is by contemporary American composer John Leavitt, and even his organ setting of the Advent Chorale Gottes Sohn ist kommen ("Once He Came in Blessing" in our hymnal) is imitative of an organ chorale of Bach, with a long, solo melodic line which is highly ornamented, contrasted against an almost metronomic eighth-note accompaniment grouped into two-beat, sighing motives. So all the music sounds Baroque in spite of the century in which it was written. (Which leads me to say, If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it.)

A native of Kansas, John Leavitt received the Kansas Artist Fellowship Award from the Kansas Arts in 2003 and in 2010 he was the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces to commission a new choral work in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the State of Kansas.  His music has been performed in 30 countries across the globe and his recordings have been featured nationally on many public radio stations. His compositions are represented by nearly every major music publisher in this country. In addition to his academic posts, he has served Lutheran churches in the Wichita area.

The choir's anthem is a beautiful little motet by the German composer Johann Wolfgang Franck, who was better known during his time as a composer for theatre. He began his career, however, in the service of the Margrave of Ansbach where he composed a considerable body of sacred music for the court chapel. In 1677 he was made court chaplain, but this came to an end in January 1679 when he was forced to flee after murdering one of the chapel musicians and wounding his own wife in a fit of jealousy.

No wonder he turned to opera.

I guess 17th century Bavaria did not possess "the long arm of the law," as he found asylum in Hamburg, becoming musical director of the The Oper am Gänsemarkt, the first public (not court supported) opera in Germany. Here he produced 14 operas between 1679 and 1686. From 1690 to 1695 he was in London, in whose concert life he was an active participant.