Music for Sunday, October 3, 2021 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• JLM – Bradley Phillips (b. 1955)

Instrumental Music

• Festival Piece – Craig Phillips (b. 1961)
• Prelude based on “Seelenbräutigam” – Gordon Young (1919-1998)
• Now thank we all our God – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

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

• Hymn 495 - Hail thou once despised Jesus (IN BABILONE)
• Hymn 480 - When Jesus left his Father's throne (KINGSFOLD)
• Hymn R217 - You satisfy the hungry heart (GIFT OF FINEST WHEAT)
• Hymn 397 - Now thank we all our God (NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT)
• Psalm 26 – simplified Anglican chant by Jerome Webster Meachen

Cranach, Lucas, 1515-1586. Christ Blessing the Children,
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved September 30, 2021].

What's one of the best-known, well loved children's hymns you can think of? Chances are it's Jesus loves me, that old Sunday School favorites by the gospel hymn writer William Bradbury.

Whenever I hear or read the passage from Mark where Jesus welcomes the little children, I always think of this hymn. Well, those words have taken on new life in an original tune by Atlanta composer Bradley Phillips, and we will sing it at the offertory this Sunday. (That's what the "JLM" in the title stands for - "Jesus Loves Me." List for a fragment of the familiar hymn-tune at the end when we sing, "the Bible tells me so."

A native Texan, Phillips studied oboe and organ at Baylor University (BM) and Florida State University (MM). He composes for both commercial and sacred spaces.

Another composer named Phillips wrote the opening voluntary this Sunday. Craig Phillips is the organist -director of music for All Saints Episcopal in Beverly Hills. A prolific composer, he was named the American Guild of Organists Distinguished Composer for 2012 — the seventeenth recipient of this special award, joining an illustrious list that includes past honorees Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Daniel Pinkham, Stephen Paulus, David Hurd and others. In 2015 Dr. Phillips was named an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Diocese of Los Angeles, at a gala event at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and in 2016 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary.

Dr. Phillips holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts, Master of Music, and the Performers Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, where he studied with the great pedagogue Russell Saunders. His Bachelor of Music Degree is from Oklahoma Baptist University, and his early musical studies were at the Blair School of Music in Nashville. 

SEELENBRÄUTIGAM is a German hymn tune written by Adam Dreese, a 17th Century German pietist. It is most often heard with the words

Jesus, still lead on till our rest be won.
And, although the way be cheerless,
we will follow, calm and fearless;
guide us by Your hand to our Fatherland.

The American compose Gordon Young has written an impressionistic prelude based on the tune which doesn't express the complete tune but gives us fleeting hints of it. Neither the tune nor the text are found in our hymnal

Music for Sunday, September 26, 2021 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Wash Me Throughly (Chandos Anthem No. 3) – George Frideric Handel 

Instrumental Music

• Prelude on “Mit Freuden Zart – T. Frederick H. Candlyn (1892-1964)
• If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee – Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
• If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

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

• Hymn 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
• Hymn R168 If you believe and I believe (trad. Zimbabwe)
• Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless (ST. AGNES)
• Hymn R291  Go forth for God (GENEVA 124)
• Psalm 19:7-14 Psalm Tone VIIIa

In 1717, George Frederick Handel became the composer in residence at Cannons, the court of James Brydges, who became the First Duke of Chandos in 1719. As part of his responsibilities, he wrote eleven "anthems" for use in the chapel there, but these are more than just a simple anthem. They are multi-movement works which foreshadow the greatness found in his oratorios. Handel was limited in the resources available to him, so it was written for only three voices (soprano, tenor, and bass) with intimate instrumental forces of oboe, two violins, and basso continuo (usually the organ with the bass line doubled by an instrument). It is true chamber music.

G. F. Handel (without his wig)

The choir will sing the third movement of the third Chandos anthem, which is based on verses from Psalm 51. Originally written for alto and tenor, today the entire choir will be singing together. Handel himself chose the texts for all the Chandos Anthems, using primarily as his source the Psalter of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

The opening voluntary is a organ prelude on the Bohemian Brethren tune from the 16th century, MIT FREUDEN ZART. It is set for organ by the esteemed former organist of St. Thomas Church, New York City, T. Frederick H. Candlyn. Born in England, he moved to the United States at age 23 to become the organist/choirmaster at St. Paul's, Albany. He moved to St. Thomas in 1943, where he stayed until his retirement in 1954. His name is still prominent in the choral libraries of church choirs in this country.

The accompanying photo shows the rector of St. Pauls, George Taylor, presenting Candlyn with an umbrella in recognition of 25 years of perfect attendance in Sunday School! 

If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee is hymn 635 in the Hymnal 1982, and its lyrics are especially appropriate for the scripture readings this Sunday. Since we won't get a chance to sing it, I encourage you to read the text while waiting during communion, or after you get back to your seat. I'm playing two different settings of the German chorale, Wer nur den lieben Gott, both by German composers of the Late Baroque. Johann Ludwig Krebs (composer of the communion voluntary) was held in high regard by his contemporaries, including the older musician J. S. Bach, who made up a play on their two names ( Krebs [crab or crayfish] and Bach [brook or stream]) by saying "He is the only crayfish in my stream." It is not surprising that many of his works, especially his organ compositions, are very much like those of Bach

Music for September 19, 2021 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Grant Us Thy Peace – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Instrumental Music

• Was Gott tut, das is wohlgetan – Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)
• Song Without Words: Consolation, Op. 30, #3 –Felix Mendelssohn
• Allegro in B flat Major – Felix Mendelssohn

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 390 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
• Hymn 636 - How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord (FOUNDATION)
• Hymn 660 - O Master, let me walk with thee (MARYTON)
• Hymn 482 - Lord of all hopefulness (SLANE)
• Psalm 54 - Psalm Tone VIIIa

Felix Mendelssohn was exposed to Lutheran hymns during his musical studies, which included the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was then inspired to try his hand at writing chorale cantatas as part of his musical Studies in 1831.  He composed today's anthem, Verleih uns Frieden (Grant Us Thy Peace) in 1831 as one of eight chorale cantatas based on Lutheran hymns. He later chose only Verleih uns Frieden for publication.

The text is Martin Luther's "Verleih uns Frieden", a paraphrase of Da pacem Domine, a Latin prayer for peace from the 6th or 7th century based on biblical verses 2 Kings 20:19, 2 Chronicles 20:12,15 and Psalms 72:6–7. It was a regular close of church services in Luther's time. Surprisingly, Mendelssohn did not use the melody which was associated with Luther's text, but composed a  new melody following the style of recent hymns in clear major-key tonality.

Felix Mendelssohn

The melody appears three times, rendering the complete text each time. It is introduced by the men alone, then repeated by the trebles, with the men singing counterpoint, and finally appears in the sopranos in a mostly homophonic four-part setting.

Robert Schumann said about the composition: "The small piece deserves to be world famous and will become so in the future; the Madonnas of Raphael and Murillo cannot remain hidden for long."

The communion voluntary is another piece by Mendelssohn, this time on the piano. Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) is a series of short lyrical piano songs by Mendelssohn written between 1829 and 1845. The works were part of the Romantic tradition of writing short lyrical pieces for the piano, although the specific concept of "Songs Without Words" was new. 

Mendelssohn resisted attempts to interpret the songs too literally, and objected when his friend Marc-André Souchay sought to put words to them to make them literal songs:

What the music I love expresses to me, is not thought too indefinite to put into words, but on the contrary, too definite. (Mendelssohn's own italics)

However, that has not kept people from doing that very thing. The melody from Opus 30, No. 3 has been turned into a hymn-tune called CONSOLATION, which is used for several texts, the most prevalent being "Still, still with thee, the purple morning breaketh," by Harriet Beecher Stowe. (Extra points if you can tell me what famous novel she wrote.) It has published in several older hymnal, but is now out of fashion.

Music for Sunday, September 12, 2021 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• The Mind of Christ – K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)

Instrumental Music

• Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now – Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
• God Extends an Invitation – Anne Krentz Organ (b. 1960)
• Trumpet Tune – Georg Philipp Telemann

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of  "I have decided" which is from Lift Every Voice and Sing.)

• Hymn 525 - The church’s one foundation (AURELIA)
• Hymn 675 - Take up your cross, the Savior said (BOURBON)
• Hymn - I have decided to follow Jesus (ASSAM)
• Hymn 473 - Lift high the cross (CRUCIFER)
• Psalm 116:1-8

K. Lee Scott

Birmingham, Alabama composer Lee Scott has taken the hymn "May the mind of Christ, my Savior" and set it to the tune BATTY for a lovely anthem.  The text is called a "catalog" hymn, which list different things the believer asks: "May the mind of Christ," the "word of God," the "peace of God," and the "love of Jesus." The hymn was first published in the London children's hymnbook Golden Bells (1925) and has gained popularity in recent hymnals.

This text is attributed to Kate Barclay Wilkinson, an English woman from the turn of the 20th century. Little is known about Wilkinson's life: a member of the Church of England, she was involved in a ministry to girls in London and a participant in the Keswick Convention Movement. She was married to Frederick Barclay Wilkinson.

The tune is a Moravian melody by the German composer Johann Christoph Kühnau

Anne Krentz Organ

The communion voluntary is a setting of a Brazilian hymn, Nuestro padre nos invita,  arranged for the piano by the Lutheran composer Anne Krentz Organ, the Director of Music Ministries at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Valparaiso University, a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Illinois, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Church Music from Concordia University in River Forest, IL.

She came to a career in church music in a roundabout way.  She says,

I have a bachelor’s degree in piano performance, and a master’s degree in piano pedagogy. Piano teaching was my intended career. But the Spirit works in mysterious ways, and I began subbing for a Saturday evening service. Attendance was around 40-50 people, all of whom went up for communion at the same time, none of whom brought their hymnals along with them. There I would be, week after week, playing the communion hymn(s) verse by verse. That didn’t seem helpful, and at the same time, I was considering what to propose for my final project at Concordia [University]. It occurred to me that some “Reflections” on hymn tunes for holy communion might be useful. I arranged five communion tunes for piano, which were subsequently published by Augsburg Fortress as my first collection of piano arrangements.

Music for Sunday, September 5, 2021 + The Fifthteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• O Christ, the Healer, We Have Come – Richard W. Gieseke (b. 1952)

Instrumental Music

• Jesus, be in My Heart - Arranged by Kim Robertson
• What Wondrous Love is This - Arranged by Carol Kappus:
• Dance of the Fairy Folk - Carol Kappus
• Ned of the Hill , Ireland, arranged by Kim Robertson
• Fantasy on “Nun Danket All” – Aaron David Miller (b. 1972)
• Hymn 374, Come, let us Join Our Cheerful Songs

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

• Hymn 371 Thou, whose almighty word (MOSCOW)
• Hymn R266 Give thanks with a grateful heart (GIVE THANKS)
• Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing (AZMON)
• Psalm 146 - Tone VIIa

folk lever harp

This Sunday we welcome Kingwood resident Miriam Freiter to our 10:15 service. Miriam is a folk harpist who will be playing the harp before the service and during communion.

The folk harp is smaller than it's cousin, the orchestral harp. It's what you often hear when listening to Celtic Music. That's why you'll be hearing several pieces this weekend from Ireland, or written in that style. The pieces Mim will be playing are written by two of America's leading folk harpists.

Kim Robertson  is an American Celtic harp player from Wisconsin. Classically trained on piano and orchestral harp, her work encompasses over 20 album projects, several volumes of harp arrangements, instructional videos, and an international itinerary of concerts and retreats. 

Carol Kappus  is an award-winning Celtic harper and singer specializing in Scottish music including traditional songs, songs of Robert Burns, and songs in Scots Gaelic. Based in Michigan, she gives performances, teaches private lessons, and leads workshops.

The choir will be singing an original setting of the hymn Oh Christ, the Healer, We Have Come. It is written by Missouri composer Richard W. Gieseke. Gieseke attended Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, studying under Dr. Carl Schalk and Dr. Richard Hillert. Now retired, he  has served in several Lutheran congregations with smaller church choirs, providing the opportunity to write for unison and three-part choirs. 

The closing organ voluntary is a bold, splashy arrangement of hymn 374 (Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs) by another midwestern composer, Aaron David Miller. Miller serves as the Director of Music and Organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and maintains an active recital schedule. 

Aaron David Miller

Dr. Miller began his studies in organ performance under the guidance of Carlene Neihart in Kansas City and continued in Chicago with David Schrader. At this time, he attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he studied composition with Bruce Horst. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1995 from the Eastman School of Music, studying organ performance with David Craighead, Russell Saunders, David Higgs, and Michael Farris, and composition with Samuel Adler and Joseph Schwantner. Dr. Miller completed his graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music, earning his Master of Music degree in 1997 and his Doctor of Musical Arts in 1999. He studied composition and organ performance with McNeil Robinson.