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, January 31, 2021 +The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Vocal Music

• O Give Thanks Unto the Lord – Joseph Corfe (1740-1820)
• Hymn 493: O for a thousand tongues to sing (AZMON)

Instrumental Music

• Suite Breve – Craig Phillips (b. 1961)
• Prelude (for the Foundations)
• Impromptu (for Flutes and Mutations)
• Fanfare (for the Reeds)
• Lament (for Strings)
• Epilogue (for Full Organ)
• Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness – Mark Knickelbein
• Toccata Pontificale – Gordon Young (1918-1998)

This Sunday a trio sings an English anthem from the Classical period, and I play an organ Suite and a piano chorale prelude by two living American Composers.

First is the anthem by the English composer Joseph Corfe. He was born at Salisbury where he received his early musical education from the organist of the cathedral, and was for some time one of the choristers. In 1783 he was appointed one of the gentlemen of the Chapel Royal but returned to Salisbury in 1792 as the cathedral organist there. In 1804 he resigned his post in favour of his son, Arthur Thomas Corfe, and died in 1820. Another of his sons, John David Corfe, was for many years organist of Bristol Cathedral, and his grandson, Charles William, (son of Arthur) was organist of Christ Church, Oxford. 

Joseph Corfe's best known compositions are in a volume of church music, containing a well-known service in B flat, and eleven anthems. Today's anthem was originally for two equal voices, but the editor of this edition added a bass part and changed the text from "I will magnify thee" to "O Give Thanks unto the Lord."

Craig Phillips

Far more prolific is the composer of the opening voluntary. Craig Phillips is the Canon for Music at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was born in Louisville, Kent., in 1961. He received a B.M. from Oklahoma Baptist University, and a M.M. and D.M.A. and the Performers Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y.

Phillips is a noted composer, having received numerous commissions, including this work Suite Breve, which was commissioned by the American Guild of Organists' Boston 2009 Convention.

Suite Breve is a suite of five movements that demonstrates all the primary colors, or sounds, of the organ. The first piece, ‘Prelude,’ explores textures for foundations; the second, ‘Impromptu,’ flutes and mutations; the third, ‘Fanfare,’ uses the reeds; the fourth, a plaintive ‘Lament,’ is scored for strings; and the last section, ‘Epilogue,’ employs the full organ.

Mark Knickelbein

The piano piece played during communion is a setting of the Eucharist hymn Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness, which is found in our hymnal at hymn 339. It is arranged by Mark Knickelbein, editor of music and worship at Concordia Publishing House and an active composer and church musician. He has a Bachelor of Science in education from Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN, and a Master of Arts in music from Concordia University Chicago. He previously served Trinity Lutheran in Kaukauna, WI, as principal organist and choir director. 

Music for June 2, 2019 + The Sunday after Ascension Day

Vocal Music

• A Gaelic Blessing – John Rutter (b. 1945) 

Instrumental Music

• Prelude on “Deo Gracias” – Healey Willan (1880 – 1968) 
• Tribute – Craig Phillips (b. 1961) 
• Toccata on Hyfrydol – Craig Phillips 

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

• Hymn 450 - All hail the power of Jesus’ name! (CORONATION) 
• Hymn 7 - Christ, whose glory fills the skies (RATISBON) 
• Hymn 495 - Hail, thou once despised Jesus! (IN BABILONE) 
• Hymn R168 - If you believe and I believe (ZIMBABWE) 
• Hymn R136 - Alleluia (ALLELUIA) 
• Hymn 460 - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (HYFRYDOL) 

Do you know what a rune is? John Rutter has said that his composition, A Gaelic Blessing, is based on "an old Gaelic rune". Every time I put that in the service leaflet as source of the text, one of our proof-readers assumes that my typing is as accurate as my organ playing and changes it to "an old Gaelic tune."

Every time.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (I just looked at mine on my shelf, from my college days!), a rune is a poem or song. Usually it has Norse or Scandinavian ties, but I guess we could call this Gaelic verse a rune.

I found this description of Rutter's piece on the Classic FM website, the website of the British Classical FM station which, unfortunately, we can no longer listen to in the States. I'm sure it has something to do with Trump. I wish I could claim this witty opening as mine, but alas, it isn't.

Musicians are a mischievous lot – as evidenced by the nickname ascribed to John Rutter’s A Gaelic Blessing. No sooner had it been composed in 1978 than it was being referred to as ‘A Garlic Dressing’.

Rutter is known for his beautiful simplistic choral miniatures – and this is the finest example of them all. Commissioned by an American Methodist church, the lush string accompaniment perfectly matches the serene text Rutter chooses to set. Although the words are filled with religious significance, it would be fair to expect the composer himself to hold deep religious beliefs. Rutter, however, describes himself as ‘An agnostic supporter of the Christian faith’.

Lasting under two minutes, A Gaelic Blessing is an enduring popular choice at weddings, christenings and funerals – not only for the deeply comforting words but for the equally tranquil and sensitive music Rutter sets them to.

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/rutter/music/john-rutter-gaelic-blessing/

I will say that I resist writing "Garlic Dressing" on the choir whiteboard everytime we sing. It is hard, but I manage to resist.

 a painting of the Ascension
from the 'Jesus Mafa’ project of Cameroon:

My opening voluntary is Healey Willan's bold setting of the hymn tune DEO GRACIAS, which we find in our hymnal at 218, the Ascension hymn "A hymn of glory let us sing." The tune is called DEO GRACIAS because these are the first two words of the original song, a ballad commemorating the victory of King Henry V of England at Agin-court, France, in 1415. This "Agincourt Hymn," as it is often called, is one of the most famous old English songs. (It is also used for another text in our hymnal, O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High. You can look this one up yourself, using the index in the back of the hymnal.)

Music for June 3, 2018 + Music Appreciation Sunday

Living Americans 

music by contemporary composers connected to the Episcopal Church or with connections to Texas and Houston

Vocal Music

• When In Our Music God Is Glorified – David Ashley White (b. 1944)
• Nearer, My God, to Thee – arr. Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
• Lord, You have Searched Me – David Hurd (b. 1950)
• Mass for St. Philip’s – William Bradley Roberts (b. 1947)

Instrumental Music

• Aria on a Chaconne – Joel Martinson (b. 1960)
• Strengthen for Service, Lord – Anne Krentz Organ (b. 1960)
• Festival Piece – Craig Phillips (b. 1961)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those without a number which are from Wonder, Love, and Praise: A Supplement to the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 7 - Christ, whose glory fills the skies (RATISBON)
• Hymn 490 - I want to walk as a child of the light (HOUSTON)
• Hymn - Through north and south (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn - Heal me, hands of Jesus (SHARPE)
• Hymn 324 - Let all mortal flesh keep silence (PICARDY)
• Hymn 530 - Spread, O spread, thou mighty word (GOTT SEI DANK)

As I write this blog each week, I am acutely aware that much of what we sing, play, and hear in our worship is the work of dead white men. While I appreciate that we want to hear and perform music which has stood the test of time, I also have a yearning to experience music that is new, different, and indicative of the age in which we live. One day, while listening to SiriusXM's Symphony Hall channel, I heard a promo for their weekly series "Living Americans," and the idea of scheduling a service devoted to music of such people was planted in my head.

With the exception of two composers, all of the composers featured today have ties to the Episcopal Church. And though all the hymns are not by living composers, two of them (I want to walk as a child of the light and Heal me, hands of Jesus) are indeed written by composers who are still very much alive and connected to the Episcopal Church.
 

David Ashley White

When you think about hymns about worship and music, one of the first hymns that comes to mind is one written in 1971 by the British minister and hymn-writer, Fred Pratt Green. When In Our Music God Is Glorified , usually sung to the hymn tune ENGLEBERG. However, today we sing a setting of the text to the tune HAMMERLING by Houstonian David Ashley White, Professor of Composition and Composer-in-Residence at Houston’s Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. He served as Director of the Moores School from 1999-2014.  This festival setting owas commissioned by the Houston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for the 1988 National Convention, and was premiered at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston.

Dan Forrest

Nearer, My God, to Thee is by Dan Forrest, a free-lance composer living and working in South Carolina. Though he is a Presbyterian, his arrangement of the hymn Nearer My God to Thee was part of the prelude music for the funeral of Barbara Bush at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston in April. It is a beautiful arrangement with lovely harmonies which brings new life in this timeless hymn. It starts out in 6/8 time, but then reverts to the more familiar 4/4 time of the hymnal setting as it changes key on the second stanza. On the third stanza, we change keys again, not just once but twice before returning to the original key and gentle rhythm  of the beginning

David Hurd

The psalm for the day is David Hurd's Lord, You Have Searched Me Out. Dr. Hurd was Professor of Sacred Music and Director of Chapel Music at the General Theological Seminary in New York City for 28 years. He is presently the Director of Music at The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square, New York City. We often sing parts of his Intersession Mass at our services, particularly in Advent. This setting of Psalm 139, the appointed Psalm for today, is one of the choir’s favorites.

William Bradley Roberts

Mass for St. Philip’s is a setting of the mass by William Bradley Roberts, the Associate Professor of Church Music at Virginia Theological Seminary and an ordained Episcopal priest. He came to Virginia Seminary after serving at St. John's, Lafayette Square, Washington, and St. Philip’s in the Hills, Tucson, Ariz. His undergrad degree was from Houston Baptist University.  This Mass was written for the Tucson congregation while he was serving as their director of music.

The organ and piano music includes:

Joel Martinson

Aria on a Chaconne is a beautiful, meditative organ piece by Joel Martinson, director of music and organist at Church of the Transfiguration (Episcopal) in Dallas. The lyrical melody is heard in the right hand played on a solo flute stop, while the left hand plays an accompaniment of pulsating block chords. At one point, the right hand plays a duet with itself as the left hand continues the accompaniment. Joel is another well-known composer of organ and choral music in the Episcopal Church. He runs his own publishing company, Kessler Park Press.

Anne Krentz Organ

Strengthen for Service, Lord is a setting of a new hymn-tune by Robert Hobby, director of music for Trinity English Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. The arrangement is by another Lutheran musician, Anne Krentz Organ, who serves as the Director of Music Ministries at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL. Contrary to her name, Anne 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 Chicago. She currently serves as the President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Craig Phillips

Festival Piece – Craig Phillips is Director of Music at All Saints’ Church, Beverly Hills. His organ compositions are heard in churches all across the continent, with many being featured at National and regional meetings of the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians.
After the service we will celebrate and honor all our musicians at Good Shepherd with an extended coffee hour to thank our choirs, music director and all those involved in the music program. This will be the choir’s final Sunday before summer break.

The public is invited to attend this service – guests are welcome.