Music for Sunday, January 30, 2022 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Vocal Music

• The Gift of Love – Hal H. Hopson (b. 1933)

Instrumental Music

• Pastorale on “Abbot’s Leigh” – Joel Martinson (b. 1961)
• Rhapsody – Daniel Elder (b. 1986)
• Fughetta on “Abbot’s Leigh” – Joel Martinson

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

• Hymn 379 - God is Love, let heavens adore him (ABBOT’S LEIGH)
• Hymn 598 - Lord Christ, when first thou cam’st to earth (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
• Hymn - Through north and south and east and west (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn R218 - Broken for me (BROKEN FOR ME)
• Hymn 530 - Spread, O spread, thou mighty word (GOTT SEI DANK)
• Psalm 71:1-6 – Tone Va

The opening and closing voluntaries are from a set of short pieces by Dallas composer and friend, Joel Martinson. He has held the position of Director of Music and Organist at The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas, since June 2004. He coordinates the musical life of this vibrant parish, including choral and instrumental ensembles for all ages, as well as the music series Transfigured Nights. He led Transfiguration’s new organ project, which culminated in a 3-manual, 47-stop organ by the firm of Richards, Fowkes & Co. dedicated in 2010. 

An active composer, Joel Martinson has been commissioned by a wide array of churches, musical organizations and individual performers across the United States. In 2007 he was commissioned to write his work Four Short Journeys to ABBOTT'S LEIGH, the tune of our opening hymn this Sunday. What I like about the work is that there are four very different pieces which are inspired by the tune, not just another straight-forward presentation of the melody. You will hear fragments which will remind you of the familiar hymn-tune, but is also an organ work in its own right.

The opening voluntary is his Pastorale. It takes its inspiration from the first three notes of the hymn-tune, and octave arpeggio found in in the last line of the hymn. It also exploits a juxtaposition of the minor and major tonalities found in the third phrase of the hymn.

The closing voluntary, Fughetta, is a lively fugal piece with a subject based on the first four bars of the tune. After a few excursions to various keys, it ends with a short refrain of the hymn followed by a final presentation of the subject.

The anthem is a well-known and loved setting of the English folk-tune, O WALY WALY, coupled with a paraphrase of 1st Corinthians 13 by another Dallas composer, Hal Hopson. Since published as an anthem in 1972, it has since become popular as a hymn, appearing in 24 hymnals, including RENEW which we have in the pews.

Hopson is a prolific composer, arranger, clinician, teacher and promoter of congregational song, with more than 1300 published works, especially of hymn and psalm arrangements, choir anthems, and creative ideas for choral and organ music in worship. Born in Texas, with degrees from Baylor University (BA, 1954), and Southern Baptist Seminary (MSM, 1956), he served churches in Nashville, TN, and most recently at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. 

The communion voluntary is written by the young American composer Daniel Elder. A native of Georgia, he earned his BM degree from the University of Georgia in 2010, and his Masters of Music from Westminster Choir College 2012. He now divides his time between Los Angeles and Nashville, Tennessee. He has written in both choral and instrumental idioms, and has made quite a name for himself in his short life. 

Music for January 23, 2022 + The Third Sunday after Epiphany

Vocal Music

• Christ, Whose Glory – Rachel Aarons (b. 1984)

Instrumental Music

• Psalm XIX: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God – Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
• In Viam Pacis – Charles Callahan (b. 1951)
• Intrada on “Abbot’s Leigh” – Rebecca Groom te Velde (b. 1956)

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

• Hymn 475 - God himself is with us (TYSK)
• Hymn 576 - God is love, and where true love is (MANDATUM)
• Hymn 632 - O Christ, the Word Incarnate (MUNICH)
• Hymn R-226 - Ubi Caritas (Jacques Berthier)
• Hymn 539 - O Zion, haste (TIDINGS)
• Psalm 19 – Tone Va

This Sunday is a bit unusual in that of all the composers featured, only one is a dead white guy, and 50% of the composers are women!

Rachel Aarons

Let me start with telling you about the anthem. The familiar hymn Christ, whose glory fills the skies (no. 7 in our hymnal) has been given a new tune by Virginia composer Rachel Aarons. A native of Laramie, Wyoming, Aarons has played piano since the age of four. While in college, she studied piano, voice, and composition while pursuing a B.A. in French Language and Literature. Aarons composes for her church choir where she is happy to be a "Back Row Alto." She lives in Virginia with her husband, and her two dogs, and stays busy as a real estate agent.

In this setting, there are actually two different tunes. The first verse, sung by the trebles, is set to a jaunty tune in 6/8 time, one that would be easy to skip to. Verse two is totally different, in a restrained 4/4 meter, sung by the men. Then on the final stanza, the original tune reappears, this time in canon between the trebles and the basses. It is a refreshing take on these old words.

Rebecca Groom
te Velde

The other work by a female composer is the closing voluntary by Rebecca Groom te Velde. She is a third-generation professional organist, following both parents and her grandfather. She graduated summa cum laude from Seattle Pacific University where she studied organ and composition with her father, Lester H. Groom. In 1982, she received the M.Mus in organ literature and performance from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. For the academic year 1980-81 she received a full grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to study with Michael Schneider at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany. In 1991 she assumed her present position as organist of First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater, OK. She is an active performer, composer, clinician, and adjunct instructor of music at Oklahoma State University.

te Velde has published several collections of works based on hymn tunes, including this "Intrada" or introduction to the tune ABBOT'S LEIGH (which we sing with the words "God is here, and we his people," "Lord, you give the great commission," and "God is Love, let heaven adore him," which we will sing at 10:15 next week.

Music for January 16th + The Second Sunday after Epiphany

Vocal Music

• Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Instrumental Music

• Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness, BWV 654 – J. S. Bach
• Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness – Anne Krentz Organ (b. 1960)
• Praeludium in A Minor, BWV 559 – J. S. Bach

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

• Hymn 440 - Blessed Jesus, at thy word (LIEBSTER JESU)
• Hymn R90 - Spirit of the Living God (Daniel Iverson)
• Hymn 135 - Songs of thankfulness and praise (SALZBURG)
• Hymn R136 - Alleluia (ALLELUIA)
• Hymn 371 - Thou, whose almighty Word (MOSCOW)
• Psalm 36:5-10 - Tone IIa

This Sunday the choir sings one of Bach's most famous choral pieces. “Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring” is the English title of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Jesus bleibet meine Freude” from BWV 147 Cantata 147. “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”. Johann Schop (1590-1664) composed the movement's underlying chorale melody, “Werde munter, mein Gemüthe”. Bach's contribution was to harmonize and orchestrate it. Written during his first year in Leipzig, Germany, this chorale movement is one of Bach's most enduring works.The English version is attributed to the poet Robert Bridges. It is not a translation of the stanzas used within Bach's original version, but is inspired by stanzas of the same hymn that Bach had drawn upon: "Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne", the lyrics of which were written in 1661 by Martin Janus.

Another of Bach's great organ works is his chorale prelude on the communion hymn Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness, which is found in our hymnal at hymn 339. The original German title, “Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele,” is best translated as "Adorn yourself, O dear soul." It approaches the Eucharist more as a joyous feast than as a lamentation. The melody is attributed to Johann Crueger (1598-1662), and true to the first word of its title, Bach has “adorned” it with ornaments and melismas to the point of being difficult to recognize. It was one of the organ preludes for Prince Philip's funeral in April of this past year.

The same tune is the basis for the contemporary piano setting of the hymn by Lutheran composer Anne Krentz Organ. It's amusing to me that a composer with the surname "Organ" would arrange this as a piano piece, but her undergraduate degree was in piano performance, and a master’s degree in piano pedagogy. Piano teaching was her intended career. But, as she says,

 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. 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.

Organ is the Director of Music Ministries at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL., where her responsibilities include worship planning, service playing, and the direction of the choral and instrumental music program which includes adult, youth, and children's choirs, handbell choirs, and a variety of instrumental ensembles.

Music for January 9, 2021

Vocal Music

• Deck Thyself, my Soul, With Gladness – George Frederick Handel
• Christine Donley, soloist

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

• Hymn 76 - On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (WINCHESTER NEW)
• Hymn 636 - How firm a foundation (FOUNDATION)
• Hymn 135, st. 1+2 - Songs of thankfulness and praise (SALZBURG)
• Hymn 510 - Come, holy Spirit, heavenly dove (ST. AGNES)
• Hymn 132 - When Christ’s appearing was made known (ERHALT UNS, HERR)

Jackson Hearn has Covid 19. Karen Silva has filled in for the day.

Music for January 2, 2021 + The Second Sunday after Christmas

Vocal Music

• Christ Be With Me – Noel Rawsthorne (1929-2019)

Instrumental Music

• The Old Year Away Hath Fled – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
• Let all mortal flesh keep silence – Charles Callahan (b. 1951)
• In Thee Is Joy – Johann Sebastian Bach 

Congregational Music (all hymns from The Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 109 - The first Nowell the angel did say (THE FIRST NOWELL)
• Hymn 421 - All glory be to God on high (ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HÖH)
• Hymn 127 - Earth has many a noble city (STUTTGART
• Hymn 480 - When Jesus left his Father’s throne (KINGSFOLD)
• Hymn 324 - Let all mortal flesh keep silence (PICARDY)
• Hymn 119 - As with gladness men of Old (STUTTGART)

This Sunday is the second Sunday after Christmas day. Between this Sunday and the next, the church calendar includes the Epiphany, January 6, the day the Magi discovered the newborn King. Since we don't have a service on Epiphany, we acknowledge this with some Epiphany hymns this Sunday. And since Sunday is so close to the beginning of the new year, I'm also throwing in a couple of organ preludes Bach included in his collection Orgelbüchlein, which tracks the liturgical year with a set of chorale preludes starting in Advent, advancing through Christmas to Pentecost; these two pieces are included in the section for New Year's Day. The first is evident: The Old Year Now Away Hath Fled.

The second is not overtly written for New Year, but it's infectios joy is perfect for the week after Christmas. In Thee Is Gladness (In dir ist Freude) is constructed around an extremely brief five-note motif from the first five notes of the chorale. Bach sticks teasingly to these five opening notes, of which two are even the same note. It is only by degrees that we get to hear the whole melody, but even then the little motif keeps popping up.

The anthem is a setting of St. Patrick's prayer, Christ be With Me, which is a perfect for a new year.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. Amen.

Noel Rawsthorn

It is written by Noel Rawsthorne, a British organist and composer who was organist at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral from 1955 until 1980. He had begun there as a chorister at age 10.

After stepping down from the cathedral in 1980, he worked with the music publisher Kevin Mayhew on arrangements for the organ of well-known classical works. Volume followed volume, covering every possible occasion. Likewise, numerous collections of simple voluntaries were published, each being cleverly and precisely imagined, their structures handled with great care.