Music for Sunday, October 2, 2022

Vocal Music

• O Lord, Increase My Faith – Henry Loosemore (c.1600 - 1670) (fl. 1627-1670)

Instrumental Music

• An Wasserflüssen Babylon (By the Waters of Babylon), BWV 653 – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• Ich ruf zu dir (I call on Thee, Lord Jesus Christ) – J. S. Bach
• Finale and Fughetta in C – Johann Kaspar Ferdinand Fischer (1656-1746)

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

• Hymn R 49 Let the whole creation cry (LLANDFAIR)
• Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim (PADERBORN)
• Hymn From North and South (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn R 249 Great is thy faithfulness (FAITHFULNESS)
• Hymn 551 Rise up, ye saints of God (FESTAL SONG)
• Psalm 37:1-10 – Tone VIIIa

O Lord, Increase My Faith

In Sunday's Gospel, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Luke 17:5-6)

The Good Shepherd Choir asks the same thing in this Sunday’s anthem.

O Lord, increase my faith,
strengthen me and confirm me in Thy true faith;
endue me with wisdom, charity, and patience,
in all my adversity, Sweet Jesu, say Amen.

Attributed for many years to the English composer Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), modern scholarly research reveals the composer as Henry Loosemore, an English composer and organist. His father, John Loosemore, built the organ at Exeter Cathedral. Henry Loosemore served as the organist at King's College, Cambridge. In 1640, Loosemore was granted the degree of B.Mus by the University, on the supplication of King's College avowing that 'he had studied the art of musical composition for seven years, together with its practice, and has achieved approval of those skilled in the art.'

An Wasserflüssen Babylon

This chorale prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach is from a set known as The Great Eighteen, a set of chorale preludes for organ prepared by Bach in Leipzig in his final decade (1740–1750), from earlier works composed in Weimar, where he was court organist. The works form an encyclopedic collection of large-scale chorale preludes, in a variety of styles harking back to the previous century, that Bach gradually perfected during his career. Together with the Orgelbüchlein (see below), the Schübler Chorales, the third book of the Clavier-Übung and the Canonic Variations, they represent the summit of Bach's sacred music for solo organ.

The hymn "An Wasserflüssen Babylon" is a paraphrase of Psalm 137, a lament in exile in Babylon. The gentle ritornellos of the accompanying parts in the two upper parts and pedal of this sarabande, anticipate the ornamented chorale in the tenor, evoking the mournful tone of the hymn, the "organs and harps, hung up on willow trees", based on Psalm 137. In a famous concert in 1720 on the great organ in St Catherine's Church in Hamburg, Bach had improvised for almost half an hour on the same hymn tune as a tribute to the church's organist Johann Adam Reinken and his celebrated fantasy on the same theme.

Ich ruf zu dir

At communion you will hear "Ich ruf zu dir" (BWV 639) from Orgelbüchlein by Bach, a famous collection of 46 Chorale Preludes for organ. The melodies of these Chorale Preludes are not by Bach, they are from the tradition of the Lutheran Church, but Bach works his magic on these miniatures. The music is in the key of F minor, described by J. P. Kirnberger, a pupil of Bach, as "the least pure, and thus the saddest."

The text was written by Johann Agricola (1494-1566) and published before 1530.

I call to You, Lord Jesus Christ!
I beg, hear my complaint!
Grant me grace at this time;
let me not despair!
The pure faith, Lord, I wish
that You would give me:
to live to You
to help my neighbor,
and to keep Your Word faithfully.

There are three voices - the bass line in the pedal, played as a steady, pulsating beat; the middle line, written in flowing 16th notes, imitative of the bowing style of a viola player, and the top line, playing the melody. The first half of the tune is somewhat ornamented, while the second half, curiously, is plain. This may be a signal to the performer to improvise similar ornamentation for the second half. On the other hand, it may be an intentional reflection of the shift of emphasis that occurs half way through the text, from a plaintive to a more sturdy and confident character. ("The pure faith..." "to keep your word faithfully.")

This work was included in the zero gravity scene in Andrej Tarkowski's movie "Solaris".

Finale and Fughetta

Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer was a German composer who influenced composers in the generation before J.S. Bach. He composed Italianate vocal compositions, liturgical organ works in the German tradition, and orchestral and keyboard works. Fischer was responsible for bringing a French influence into German music.

Music for Sunday, September 25

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (10:15)

Vocal Music

• Praise God in His Holiness – Geoffrey Shaw (1879-1943)

Instrumental Music

• Grand jeu – Pierre du Mage (1674 – 1751)
• Suite du premier ton No. 3 Récit – Denis Bédard (b. 1950)
• Rigaudon – André Campra (1660-1744)

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

• Hymn 494 - Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA)
• Hymn 429 - I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath (OLD 113TH)
• Hymn 705 - As those of old (FOREST GREEN)
• Hymn R - Jesus, remember me (Taizé)
• Hymn 625 - Ye holy angels bright (DARWALL’S 148TH)
• Psalm 146 – Tone VIIIa

St. Michael and All Angels (5 PM)

Vocal Music

• God Be In My Head – H. Walford Davies (1869-1941)
• Ave Verum Corpus – W. A. Mozart 

Instrumental Music

• Aria – Charles Callahan (b. 1951)
• Picardy – Charles Callahan
• Ye Holy Angels Bright – Charles Callahan

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

• Hymn 618 - Ye watchers and ye holy ones (LAAST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn 282 - Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels (CAELITES PLAUDANT)
• Hymn R75 - Praise the Lord, O heavens adore him (AUSTRIA)
• Hymn 324 - Let all mortal flesh keep silence (TUNE)
• Hymn 625 - Ye holy angels bright (DARWALL’S 148TH)
• Psalm x – Tone VIIIc

Praise God in His Holiness

The composer of today's anthem, the English organist, music educator, and composer Geoffrey Shaw, was the younger brother of the organist and composer Martin Shaw. As a boy, Geoffrey was a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral in London under Sir George Martin. Later he was organ scholar at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he studied under Sir Charles Stanford and Dr. Chas. Wood.

From 1902 to 1910 Geoffrey Shaw was music master at Gresham's School, Holt. In 1920 he was named his brother's successor as organist at St. Mary's, Primrose Hill, London. He also served as inspector of music to the Board of Education from 1928 until his retirement in 1942. In this post he devoted himself to the furtherance of popular organisations, both in the schools and training colleges and by means of such unofficial activities as summer schools for teachers and competitive festivals. In 1932 he was awarded the honorary Lambeth degree of D.Mus. In 1947 the Geoffrey Shaw Memorial Fund was established to assist musically talented children.

Geoffrey Shaw composed a ballet, All at Sea, orchestral works, and chamber pieces, as well as partsongs and unison songs. He also co-operated with his brother in editing song books.

An interesting fact is that his son, Sebastian Shaw, was an actor who was chosen for the small but crucial role of redeemed, unmasked and dying Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, the third and final film in the original Star Wars trilogy. 

Music for September 18, 2022 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Wash Me Throughly – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Instrumental Music

• Sarabande – David Ashley White (b. 1944)
• Be Thou My Vision – Larry Schackley (b. 1956)
• Tuba Tune in D Major, Op. 15 – C. S. Lang (1891-1971)

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 R258 - To God be the glory (TO GOD BE THE GLORY)
• Hymn 368 - Holy Father, great Creator (REGENT SQUARE)
• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (SLANE)
• Hymn 390 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
• Psalm 113 – Tone VIIIa

Wash Me Throughly

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.

Sarabande

This expressive short organ work from David Ashley White combines a soaring, lyric melody with a lush accompaniment. The music builds to a full organ climax in the middle and then fades away to tranquility at the end. It was written for and dedicated to Yuri McCoy, a graduate of the organ program at Rice University and now organist at South Main Baptist Church in Houston

Be Thou My Vision

The British Isles have provided us with some simple and often haunting folk melodies. Many of these tunes have been matched with hymn texts and become a treasured part of our hymnody. This is true with the tune SLANE, an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad "With My Love on the Road" in Patrick W. Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans and set to the Irish hymn "Be Thou My Vision" published in the Church Hymnary (1927). SLANE is named for a hill in County Meath, Ireland, where St. Patrick's lighting of an Easter fire–an act of defiance against the pagan king Loegaire (fifth century)–led to his unlimited freedom to preach the gospel in Ireland.

Larry Shackley, a free-lance composer from Columbia, South Carolina, has written a lovely piano meditation on SLANE that I'll be playing at communion.

A native of Chicago, Shackley attended Eastman School of Music (M.M) and the University of South Carolina (D.M.A). He has had a varied career, from teaching at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina, to working at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, creating original music and producing radio programs for the Moody Broadcasting Network, to composing for over 30 films, videotapes, and radio dramas. He has also served churches such as Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois as well as several churches in South Carolina. Shackley is also an active studio musician, arranger, and orchestrator. Recently, he has devoted most of his composing to music for the church, writing over 450 keyboard arrangements and 250 choral pieces for a variety of publishers.

Tuba Tune

C. S. Lang (known to his friends as Robin) was born in New Zealand but moved with his family to London where he also studied at The Royal College of Music. His best-known work is the Tuba Tune for organ, Opus 15, a favorite of recitalists. This dashing little piece, which owes its title to the boisterous melody sounded forth on the organ's tuba stop, begins in the style of Handel but, in its central section, has some brief key changes that could belong to no century except the 20th.

Music for September 11, 2022

Vocal Music

• Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing – Gordon Young

Instrumental Music

• Prelude and Fugue in D Minor – Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
• Prelude on St. Columba – Healey Willan (1880-1968)
• Sinfonie from Cantata 29: We Thank Thee, God – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Congregational Music (all hymns from The Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 410 - Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (LAUDA ANIMA)
• Hymn 470 - There’s a wideness in God’s mercy (BEECHER)
• Hymn 401 - The God of Abraham Praise (LEONI)
• Hymn 571 - Amazing grace (NEW BRITAIN)
• Hymn 708 - Savior, like a shepherd lead us (SICILIAN MARINERS)
• Psalm 51:1-4, 7-8, 11 – Tone VIIIb

Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing

This morning we sing an anthem by twentieth-century American organist and choral and organ composer Gordon Young.  Dr. Young was awarded 18 consecutive annual composition awards from The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. His works works total over 800, and a number of his church anthems such as this one have become standard repertoire.  These are Young's words which speak the praise of God within all our hearts expressed as “Alleluia”, an early Hebrew expression of praise which literally means "Praise to Yahweh" or "Praise God!"

Prelude and Fugue in D Minor

There are not many female composers, especially from the past. One of the few is Clara Schumann, the wife of the composer/pianist Robert Schumann. As a pianist, she was as good or better than Robert, but as a composer we will never know. He wrote over 150 pieces. She wrote only a fraction of that.

Though she had been encouraged by her father to compose as part of her musical education, she became more preoccupied with other responsibilities in life as she grew older, and found it hard to compose regularly. "I once believed that I possessed creative talent," she said, "but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose – there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?" Her husband also expressed his concern:

"Clara has composed a series of small pieces, which show a musical and tender ingenuity such as she has never attained before. But to have children, and a husband who is always living in the realm of imagination, does not go together with composing. She cannot work at it regularly, and I am often disturbed to think how many profound ideas are lost because she cannot work them out."

The work you will hear today for the opening voluntary is a Prelude and Fugue which was originally written for piano, but I think it works equally well on the organ. The prelude and fugue form was an old compositional form, dating back to the days of Bach and Buxtehude. One can see in this composition that Clara was well-versed in music of other eras.

Sinfonie from Cantata 29: We Thank Thee, God, We Thank Thee

A concerto is a work for solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale. Bach never wrote such a work for organ and orchestra, so the closest we can come is this Sinfonie (overture or prelude) to his Cantata 29 

This work may have a familiar sound to listeners who do not already know this cantata: it is an arrangement of the Prelude from the Partita in E major for unaccompanied violin: 

The treble of the obbligato organ part plays the famous partita tune, transposed here from E major down a step to D major. Bach added trumpet and drum parts here for punctuation, and to make the opening line even more festive than the mood created by the partita theme alone. String and oboe parts provided additional reinforcement. It is unusual to find an obbligato organ part – more importantly, an independent organ part which is separate from the continuo. Was this a showcase for Bach’s own organ virtuosity? Or did Bach serve as a conductor here for the larger than usual cantata ensemble, while someone else – one of his talented sons? – stood at the organ?

Music for September 4, 2022 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• I Love You, O My God Most High – David Hogan (1949-1986)

Instrumental Music

• Trio in D Minor – Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
• Ubi Caritas – Gerald Near (b. 1942)
• Praeludium in F Major – Johann Ludwig Krebs

Congregational Music (all hymns from The Hymnal 1982 with the exception of "I can hear my Savior calling" which is from LEVAS II.)

• Hymn 594 - God of grace and God of glory (CWM RHONDDA)
• Hymn - I can hear my Savior calling (NORRIS)
• Hymn 576 - God is love, and where true love is (MANDATUM)
• Hymn 675 - Take up your cross, the Savior said (BOURBON)
• Psalm 1 – Tone VIIIa

I Love You, O My God Most High

I’m always moved by stories of talented people who are cut down in the prime of life. Such is the story of David Hogan, the composer of today’s anthem. Hogan was an American composer, teacher, and performer with ties to both the East and West Coasts. He had moved to France to teach at the American Conservatory at the Palace of Fontainebleau in Paris, and was flying back to Paris on July 17, 1996 on TWA Flight 800, when it suddenly crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York. Thus ended a life dedicated to music.

A native of Virginia, Hogan graduated from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in 1971, and would go on to earn a master's degree in voice in 1975. He enjoyed enormous success both as a composer and teacher and still found time to perform internationally as a concert tenor and pianist. For three years in a row, his students won first place in the Student Composers Competition of the Music Teachers National Association.

Dedicated to God as well as his craft, he had the distinction of being one of the two composers chosen to write new works for the Consecration of the Washington National Cathedral in 1989. Our kids choir learned his Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis a few years ago for the Diocesan Youth Choral Festival. But he also wrote simple sacred music too, such as today’s anthem, written for his small choir at St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco.  It’s a simple setting of a traditional Irish melody, Daniel, arranged for two-part mixed choir. Simple but elegant, it uses the text by St Ignatius of Loyola, as translated by Edward Caswall.

I love you, O my Lord most high,

for first your love has captured me;

I seek no other liberty:

bound by your love, I shall be free.

May memory no thought suggest

but shall to your pure glory tend,

may understanding find no rest,

except in you, its only end.

All mine is yours: say but the word,

say what you will, it shall be done;

I know your love, most gracious Lord,

I know you seek my good alone.

Apart from you, nothing can be,

so grant me this, my only wish,

to love you, Lord, eternally,

you give me all in giving this.

Johann Ludwig Krebs

Wait, Who?

Krebs was an organist and composer from a highly musical family.  His father, both brothers, and his three sons all received formal musical training; his son Johann Gottfried was also an extremely prolific composer.

Best remembered as a pupil of Bach, Krebs was educated at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, as were his brothers.  The oft-repeated story that Bach punningly referred to him as the finest 'crab' in his "brook" (Krebs im Bach) is apocryphal, but Bach did provide a written testimonial as to his skill in composition and in playing the keyboard, lute, and violin.

Over his career Krebs held three organ posts, all in the viscinity of Leipzig: first at the St Marien church in Zwicken, then at the castles of Zeitz and, finally, Altenburg.

His status as a student of Bach tended to shade many of his compositions.  Although many of his works do stay very close to the outdated Bach model, with a conservative love of counterpoint, other compositions exhibit a more up-to-date style galant, a light and elegant free homophonic style of musical composition in the 18th century as contrasted with the serious contrapuntal style of the baroque era. 

In today's two organ pieces, the opening voluntary is an example of his mastery of Baroque counterpoint. The Trio in D Minor is written in three parts: two top parts played separately by the hands, and a bass line played by the feet. There is a lot of imitation between the two keyboard parts.

The closing volutary is an example of the more 'modern' style galant. This meant simpler, more song-like melodies, a decreased use of polyphony, short, periodic phrases, and a reduced harmonic vocabulary emphasizing tonic and dominant

.