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.