Music for March 28, 2021 + Palm Sunday

Vocal Music

• Ah, Holy Jesus – Robert Benson (b. 1942)
• My Song is Love Unknown – Mark Schweitzer (1956-2019)

Instrumental Music

• Crown Imperial – William Walton (1902-1983)
• Variation on Ah, Holy Jesus – Robert Benson (1942)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor (VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN)
• Hymn 435 At the name of Jesus (KING’S WESTON)

Just in time for Holy Week, the Good Shepherd Choir returns to sing for Palm Sunday. It's been over a year, but the choir will return to in-person services for this one Sunday. The Diocese of Texas has also allowed us to begin to include congregational singing, too. So this Sunday will be filled with music.

The choir will sing  the hymn Ah, Holy Jesus, a hymn by Lutheran pastor Johann Heerman who lived in Austria at the turn of the 17th century. He took his inspiration for "Ah, Holy Jesus" from a Latin text which was originally published in a fifteenth-century devotional book. 

Heerman's hymn version first appeared around 1630. He wrote it during the Thirty Years War, a time when many hymn writers became introspective. Writing during this time of uncertainty and trouble, Heerman's hymn emerged from a backdrop of his own personal suffering. In the lyrics, Heerman describes the afflictions of Jesus, and admits his own part in Jesus' death.

"Ah Holy Jesus" continues to challenge Christians today; pushing us to realize it was our personal sins that put Jesus on the cross. And beyond that, Heerman's hymn points us to a proper response, beautifully reminding us that Jesus' death for our salvation calls for us to adore and worship him. (1)

The hymn has been arranged for choir (with additional organ solos) by the Cincinnati organist and composer, Robert Benson.  His compositions for choir, organ and other instruments have been published by several reputable sacred music publishers. His works have been performed by the Cincinnati Camerata, the Miami University Men’s Glee Club and Collegiate Chorale as well as in churches. He is an active member of the Association of Anglican Musicians and Dean of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

The Schola will sing a setting of another great Holy Week hymn, My Song Is Love Unknown, with a new setting by Mark Schweitzer.

A native of Florida, Mark Schweizer received music degrees from Stetson University in Deland, Florida and the University of Arizona including a doctoral degree in vocal performance. He returned to teach at Stetson University from 1982 to 1985 followed by eight years on the music faculty of Louisiana College. Mark lived in North Carolina where he served as editor of St. James Music Press. He is the author of fifteen “Liturgical Mystery” novels, as well as other books, and several opera and musical librettos. His published musical compositions can be found in the catalogs of five different publishing houses in addition to St. James Music Press.

The opening voluntary is Crown Imperial, a march by the English composer William Walton. Walton derived the march's title from the line "In beawtie berying the crone imperiall" from William Dunbar's poem "In Honour of the City of London". Walton originally composed the march for the planned coronation of Edward VIII, but Edward abdicated in 1936. The coronation was held on the scheduled day, with Edward's brother being crowned instead, so it was premiered then. Crown Imperial was also performed at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It has been arranged for organ by Herbert Murrill.

The march falls into an ABABC form. The march opens in C major over Waltonesque long pedal points, which build energy. The following strain, an Elgarian trio section, moves into A-flat major. Then both march and trio reappear in C again and come to a conclusion in a small heroic coda.

The closing voluntary is a variation of the Offertory hymn subtitled, Partita IV: The Temple Veil Is Rent in Twain. Benson includes this program note:

At the terrible and sublime moment of Christ's death on the cross, the planet itself experiences the monumental event. An earthquake shakes the Temple in Jerusalem and causes the veil that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple to be torn in two, announcing that the holy and sacred are no longer a separate realm apart from the human but fully integrated with it, a gift for which we humans did nothing but for which we must be eternally grateful.

(1) https://songsandhymns.org

Music for March 21, 2021 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Vocal Music

Create in Me a Clean Heart – Carl F. Mueller (1892-1982)
Hymn: As Moses Raised the Serpent Up (GIFT OF LOVE)

Instrumental Music

Praise to the Lord – Anna Laura Page (b. 1943)
Called Home to Heaven – Fred Gramman (b. 1950)
This Is the Day– Susan Morris (b. 1951)
Grand Jeu – Pierre DuMage (1674-1751)

The Bells are ringing! For the first time since this pandemic began, the Good Shepherd Handbell Guild will be ringing in our morning worship services. We have actually been rehearsing since September, but the fall was spent focusing on music for Christmas, as we played at the live Nativity services. But now we get a chance to play in worship.

Because we are playing three numbers (the most we've ever played in one service) and because we are live-streaming our services, we are moving from the security and anonymity of the loft right down front of the congregation. This will offer you the rare opportunity to watch the entire choir in action. I believe that bell choir music is as interesting visually as it is aurally, so this should prove to be fascinating for the members of the congregation.

Anna Laura Page

The first piece is an arrangement of the hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, by Anna Laura Page A native of Louisville, Kentucky, she received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky. A widely published composer of choral and handbell music, she has been active in the promotion, composition, and publication of music for handbells, serving as the Handbell editor for Alfred Publishing for 11 years, and was also on the Music Committee for the 1991 Southern Baptist Hymnal. She currently resides in Sherman, Texas.

In this piece, listen for several idiomatic handbells techniques, including the martellato (where the bell is sounded by hitting the padded table), mart lift (similar to the martellato, but the bell is immediately lifted off the table to allow it to vibrate), staccato (the bell is rung normally, but with a thumb or finger on the bell to shorten the sound), and echo, where the bell is rung normally then touched lightly on the table to affect the sound (listen for a "wow-wow" effect).

Fred Gramman

At the offering we are playing a meditation on the hymn-tune HOLY MANNA, which is often used for the text "Brethren, we are met to worship." It was written by Fred Gramman, the organist at the American Church in Paris. He is a native of Washington state where he began organ studies with Dr. Edward Hansen of Seattle. He earned organ performance degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Michigan, moving to Paris in 1972 for organ study with Marie-Claire Alain and Maurice Duruflé. Since 1976, he has been Director of Music at the American Church in Paris where, in addition to his organist duties, he also conducts the Adult Choir, the ACP Bronze Ringers, and the Celebration Ringers

He wrote the piece for the community ensemble Music Made in Heaven, a handbell choir made up of parents who have lost children to death. The group was formed in 2004 as a continuing expression of the parent's love for God and their joy in the gift of their children. 

Gramman named the piece Called Home to Heaven, utilizing the last verse of the hymn Brethren We Have Met to Worship. The line, "Then He'll call us home to heaven" resonates with those who have lost children and other loved ones. 

HOLY MANNA is masterfully woven through this arrangement creating an enchanting setting of the traditional tune. The second verse is beautifully created, juxtaposing bells and chimes in a fugue-like style. It is followed by a majestic verse and prayerful conclusion.

Listen for the use of mallets , the Echo technique , and the Swing. (You'll see it at the very beginning.)

Susan Morris

The communion bell piece is an interpretation of Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." This gentle and inspirational work was written by Susan Morris for the Handbell Choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. Music is an avocation for Morris. Even though she began taking piano lessons at the age of ten and soon after began composing her own music, her career was in science. She received a BS in Biology from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and then continued her studies at the University of Virginia, receiving a graduate degree in Medical Technology.  She now resides in Lynchburg, VA.

Music for March 14, 2021 + The Fourth Sunday of Lent

Vocal Music

• God So Loved the World – John Stainer (1840-1901)
• Come, thou Fount of Every Blessing – Roland E. Martin (b. 1955)
• Hymn: Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (NEW BRITAIN)

Instrumental Music

1. Prelude, Fugue, and Variation – César Franck (1822-1890).
   
2. “Little”Prelude in E Minor – attr. to J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

The Gospel reading this week is one of the most familiar pieces of scripture in the world. It sums up the Gospel message - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoso believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I felt called to once again use the familiar anthem by John Stainer, from his famous oratorio, The Crucifixion, as our offertory anthem today. Stainer had been the organist-choir master at St. Paul's, London in the late 1800s and wrote a large amount of organ and choral music, as well as a popular treatise on organ playing.

The Communion anthem is a repeat of an anthem that was sung as a duet back in July of 2020, but its theme of Grace works so well with this week's scripture readings (especially the Epistle) that I just had to schedule again. Read about it here.

César Franck

César Franck was one of the first well-known French organists of the 19th century. Born in Belgium, he moved to Paris when he was 13 to study organ, ultimately becoming a French citizen so that he could study at the Paris Conservatoire. Upon graduation, he made a brief return to Belgium before returning to Paris, where he embarked on a career as teacher and organist. He gained a reputation as a strong musical improviser, and travelled widely within France to demonstrate new organs built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. In fact, Franck’s improvisations after church services were so popular that he wrote some of them down, publishing them as Six Pieces in 1862. These exploited the power and colors of the Cavaillé-Coll organs to the fullest and did much to establish the distinctively French school of symphonic organ music.

The third of the Six Pieces is the Prelude, Fugue, and Variation, Op. 18, which was dedicated to Camille Saint-Saëns, himself an organist of considerable skill. The flowing B-minor Prelude has a gentle melancholy, opening with three repetitions of an asymmetrical five-bar phrase. The Fugue has its own little prelude and clean textures, the polyphony by no means hard to follow. Rounding the three-part work is the Variation, a repeat of the Prelude with a more active accompaniment, resolving to the hopeful key of B major.

For the closing voluntary, I am playing the third prelude of the so-called "Little" Prelude and Fugues which have been attributed to J. S. Bach. I've been playing one of these a month for three months now, so you can expect to hear the fourth one (which is in F Major) in April. The Major key, with its brightness and joy, will be appropriate for the Easter Season. But for now, it's Lent, and E Minor is perfect for our season of introspection and repentence.

Music for March 7, 2021 + The Third Sunday in Lent

Vocal Music

1. Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin – Peter Crisafulli (b. 1946)
2. Hymn: Praise the Lord! O heavens adore him (AUSTRIA)
3. Hymn: Let Thy Blood in Mercy Poured (JESUS, MEINE ZUVERSICHT))

Instrumental Music

• Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot, BWV  678, 679 –  J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• (These are the Holy Ten Commandments)
• Psalm XIX – Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)

Peter Crisafulli

Today's anthem is a setting of a text by the 16th century English poet John Donne, with a melody by his contemporary John Hilton, arranged for quartet in Elizabethan style by the American Composer Peter Crisafulli.

Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, Peter Crisafulli earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Northwestern University. His musical formation in the service of the church began at age seven as a chorister in the Men and Boys Choir of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. He has been serving as Minister of Music at All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland, since 1988. Many of his compositions were written for All Saints Church. 

The organ music choices for today were all inspired by our readings found in the Old Testament and the Psalm.

The opening voluntary is two chorale settings from the Clavier-Übung III of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Clavier-Übung is a collection of keyboard works written as "keyboard exercises," but the music goes far beyond being pure pedantic. Some of Bach's greatest music for keyboard (harpsichord as well as organ) are found in these four volumes.

At the heart of Bach’s Clavier-Übung III are some clever arrangements linked to the Lutheran Mass and the catechism. In this second group, the six parts of the Lutheran catechism – the principles of the religion – are each presented in a version with pedal and a version without. It begins with Luther’s little known ‘ten commandment chorale’ (Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot') in ten verses (how else?), plus a conclusion and the following introduction: 

These are the holy ten commands,

Which came to us from God’s own hands,

By Moses, who obeyed His will,

On the top of Sinai’s hill.

Kyrieleis.’ 

It is a melody in five phrases, which Bach doubles to ten in a simple canon in the first chorale prelude.

A canon is like a round (think Row, row, row your boat). It is no coincidence that Bach uses the canonic technique in writing this prelude. The Greek word canon means ‘law’, so for that reason alone a composer can hardly avoid this technique in the case of this text. It is remarkable that the piece as a whole exudes a warm, pastoral atmosphere, rather than a purely technical one. The chorale melody, played in canon by the left hand, meanders smoothly between a melodically rich interwoven canon in the upper parts, notwithstanding a few harmonically exciting moments. This makes these ten commandments a peaceful counterpart to the one that follows. 

The second prelude is the smaller of two settings of this chorale-tune. The lively gigue-like fughetta has several similarities to the larger chorale prelude: it is in the mixolydian mode of G; it starts with a pedal point of repeated Gs; the number ten occurs as the number of entries of the subject (four of them inverted); and the piece ends on a plagal cadence. The liveliness of the fughetta has been taken to reflect Luther's exhortation in the Small Catechism to do "cheerfully what He has commanded." Equally well, Psalm 119 speaks of "delighting ... in His statutes" and rejoicing in the Law.

Benedetto Marcello

The closing voluntary is an organ arrangement of a vocal setting of Psalm 19 by Benedetto Marcello.  Marcello was an Italian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher. He was a member of a noble family and was what 18th century chroniclers called a "dilettante"; an aristocrat who also pursued musical composition as a sideline, for, although he was a music student of Antonio Lotti and Francesco Gasparini, two well known and respected musicians of his day, Marcello's father wanted Benedetto to devote himself to law.

So Benedetto Marcello combined a life in law and public service with one in music. Marcello served the Venetian Republic as a magistrate from about 1708 until 1728. In 1730 he went to Pola as district governor. In 1738 Marcello was appointed to his final position as chief financial officer of the city of Brescia, but died after less than a year in this job on or around his 53rd birthday.

As a composer, Marcello was best known in his lifetime for his massively influential eight-volume publication Estro poetico-armonico, a collection of the first 50 Psalms as paraphrased in Italian by his friend G. Giustiniani. It is in this collection that we find today's closing voluntary, which was arranged by Theodore DuBois in the 1800s.