Music for August 9, 2015 + The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music
Ave Maria – J. S. Bach/Charles Gounod
Jade Panares, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541 – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• Devotion - Jim Brickman (b. 1961)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of the communion hymn, which is found in the Episcopal supplemental hymnals Lift Every Voice and Sing II and Wonder, Love and Praise.)

• Hymn 494 - Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA) *
• Hymn 685 - Rock of ages, cleft for me (TOPLADY) *
• Hymn - Taste and See (TASTE AND SEE)
• Hymn 178 - Alleluia! alleluia! give thanks to the Lord (ALLELUIA NO. 1) *

* - denotes one of the top 17 favorite hymns of this congregation.

Here in the Episcopal Church, we follow the Lectionary, a three-year cycle of readings from the Bible that, each week, prescribes a reading from each of the Old Testament, Psalms, The Epistles, and the Gospels. I use these readings to help shape a theme of the day when choosing the hymns and other music for our Sunday worship. All my good intentions, however, fly out the window this month, as we sing the hymns you have chosen as the favorite hymns of the congregation. This list is as random a list as they come, so I'm just choosing the rest of the music to be as random.

Take the offertory this morning. Jade Panares, a recent choral intern in our choir, is going to sing "Ave Maria" in a setting by Charles Gounod. It's probably also a favorite of many in this congregation. I particularly like it because it uses the Prelude in C Major for clavier (keyboard) by J. S. Bach. The prelude is from a collection of 24 preludes and fugues in all 12 major keys and all twelve minor keys, something that was not possible to do in Bach's earlier years as a composer because up until that time, keyboard instruments were tuned to an unequal temperament, a temperament that keeps pure or nearly pure intonation in some keys but causes dissonances in the little-used keys, making them sound out of tune. The "equal tempered scale" was developed for keyboard instruments so that they could be played equally well (or badly) in any key. It is a compromise tuning scheme. Bach wrote this collection, called Das Wohltemperierte Klavier (or The Well-Tempered Clavier) in 1722.

131 years later, Charles Gounod is waiting for dinner with his fiancee and her parents. He's fiddling around with the Bach Prelude and improvising a lovely melody that his future father-in-law, Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, notices and asks him to play again. Zimmermann hurried to note it, then some days later, had Gounod listen to it played with a violin, and supported with a small choir. And so was born " Consideration on Bach's prelude " which later became the famous Ave Maria. (Let us add that Zimmermann, who had signed up with a publisher, handed back to Gounod a sum two hundred francs for the purchase of the work.)

Hymn focus

Rock of ages, cleft for me.

No one was more surprised than me to see this hymn in the top 17 list. After all, it's a pretty old hymn, with a kind of sing-songy melody that we really don't sing much at Good Shepherd. I think, much like in American politics, that the older generation voted more in this poll! Regardless of how it got there, it actually is a very solid hymn.

1."Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee! Let the Water and the Blood, From thy riven Side which flow'd, Be of Sin the double Cure, Cleanse me from its Guilt and Pow'r.

2.“Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill thy Law's demands: Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for Sin could not atone: Thou must save, and Thou alone! 

3.“Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to thy Cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for Dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly : Wash me, Saviour, or I die! 

4."Whilst I draw this fleeting breath— When my eye-strings break in death— When I soar through tracts unknown— See Thee on thy Judgment-Throne— Rock of ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee! 

The hymn appeared in the March 1776 issue of The Gospel Magazine following a pair of related articles. The first, which was attributed to “J. F.,” demonstrated by a series of questions and answers the magnitude of the British national debt, and how it could never be repaid. The second article, which was by AugustusToplady, used the same approach to demonstrate the magnitude of human sin, and how impossible it is for a human to achieve the righteousness of God for even one moment; hence, the need for Christ and his redemptive work on the cross. He then went on to say that Christ's redeeming work “will not only counter-balance, but infinitely over-balance, all the sins of the whole believing world” and concluded the article with the four stanzas of this hymn, which he titled “A living and dying Prayer for the holiest Believer in the World.”

Augustus Montague Toplady was an
Anglican cleric and hymn writer. He was
a major Calvinist opponent of John Wesley

Each stanza elaborates on a truth about salvation. The first stanza describes the redemption that can be found in Christ. The second lists various ways in which human effort is inadequate to atone for sin, and the third is a declaration of dependence on the Savior and a plea for His cleansing. The final stanza looks forward to heaven. Our hymnal combines the last of stanza two and the first of stanza three into one middle stanza. (denoted by the bold-faced type)

Music for Sunday, August 2, 2015

Vocal Music

• Jesus, Shepherd, Be Thou Near Me – J. S. Bach (1685-1750) Bruce Bailey, tenor.

Instrumental Music

• Toccatina – R. M. Stults (1861-1933)
• Jubilee March – R.M. Stults 
• Aria – Philip Baker (b. 1934)

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

• Hymn 8 - Morning has broken, like the first morning (BUNESSAN)
• Hymn 335 - I am the bread of life (I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE)
• Hymn R-247 - Shine, Jesus, shine (SHINE, JESUS SHINE)
• Hymn 325 - Let us break bread together (LET US BREAK BREAD)

I began my organ career at my home church, the First United Methodist Church of Tiptonville, Tennessee. We lived across the street from the church that my mother had attended all her life and served as the volunteer choir director. I cannot remember the first time I had attended choir practice with her, playing in the church while she led the small choir through their paces, but when I was fourteen, I began to sneak into the church and play around with the 1924 Möller Organ.

The 20's were a decade of unprecedented economic growth in America, coming off the end of World War I. Even small town churches like First Methodist were able to build some small but beautiful buildings and furnish them with pipe organs. During the 1920s it is said that the M.P. Möller Organ company was building an organ a day to keep up with the demand.

First United Methodist Church, Tiptonville, Tennessee

In spite of the abundance of church organs, there proved to be a dearth of trained organists, so local pianists would be pressed into service to play for the local congregations. Obviously, they would need simpler music to play, so the Lorenz Publishing Company began publishing a bi-monthly magazine of simple, useful organ music for these novice organists. The organist of First Methodist, Tiptonville, was one of those who subscribed to this magazine, and when I started playing the organ, a stack of these magazines, dating back to the 1920s, was what I used as my introduction to the organ. This Sunday I am playing two pieces from those magazines.

These two pieces, Toccatina and Jubilee March, are from the pen of  Robert Morrison Stults, an American composer of popular music in the late 19th century and early 20th century. His most popular work, The Sweetest Story Ever Told, was published in 1892 and was still popular into the first half of the 20th century. Prior to 1910, Stults mostly wrote popular music, but after 1910, he wrote more sacred and bigger works, including a number of works for the organ. Toccatina is a short, perpetual movement sort of piece with limited pedals (perfect for those piano teachers who could manage the manual (hand) parts but were not as sure with their feet.) The Jubilee March is a typical march, but the pages of music I have are missing what would be the Trio (the B section in the middle), so I have re-created the trio with some music of my own.

The hymns today are from the list of the top 17 favorite hymns as determined from our Summer Hymn Survey. You can see the total results here:
 http://goodshepherdsongs.blogspot.com/2015/08/our-favorite-hymns.html

Morning Has Broken
“Morning has broken” first appeared in the USA in the Presbyterian Hymnbook (1955), but it was not until Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) sang it on his triple platinum album Teaser and the Firecat in 1971 that the song became well known and, as a result, has been included in most hymnals since that time. This is a rare, though not unique, example of a Christian hymn receiving acclaim through the popular media.

Percy Dearmer, editor of Songs of Praise (1931), requested a thanksgiving text from the poet Eleanor Farjeon to the lilting Gaelic tune BUNESSAN. Farjeon (1881-1965) who had around 80 works to her credit including Nursery Rhymes of London Town and The Glass Slipper, wrote a hymn that effectively links and expresses the creation stories in Genesis 1 and John 1, and reminds us that each new day is a gift from God.
The tune BUNESSAN demands a lesser-used poetic meter (dactylic) in threes. The result, according to British hymnologist J. R. Watson, is a “springy rhythm… [and a] beautifully sustained… poem [that] makes a delightful and charming morning hymn.” 

Our Favorite Hymns

At the beginning of summer, I asked the congregation of Good Shepherd to give me a list of their top 10 favorite hymns. Fifty-three people responded, resulting in a list of 190 different songs. Notice I said “songs” and not “hymns,” because not all of the selections were in praise of God. One vote went to “Jingle Bells,” and while it is a fun and festive holiday tune, is not a hymn. “Michael, row the boat ashore” was twice nominated (from the same family, I might add), though the only thing religious about it is the word “Alleluia!” Another favorite was “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” the 1968 rock song by Iron Butterfly. The only time I have heard this sung in church was in “The Simpsons” episode, "Bart Sells His Soul", when Bart passes this song out in church as a hymn entitled "In the Garden of Eden," with composer credit given to "I. Ron Butterfly." The organist, as I remember, really rocked it out.
Another 60’s pop hit, “Turn, Turn, Turn”, does, however, have solid scriptural basis as its lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the Book of Ecclesiastes, as found in the King James Version of the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Three people voted for it. There were also single votes for some old songs from the early 20th century (“In the Garden”, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”, “Whispering Hope”, and “The Church in the Wildwood”).

What surprised me most were the hymns straight from the 1982 Hymnal that, to the best of my memory, have not been sung at Good Shepherd in my 18 year tenure. “Come, Labor On” (no. 541) received three votes.

There were no huge surprises in our list of the top 15 (which was expanded to 17 due to ties). Here is the rankings, along with the dates they will be sung.

ranking	Hymn	percentage	Date to be sung
1	Lift High the cross	30	8/30
2	Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound	24	8/23
4	Morning has broken, like the first morning	20	8/2
4	Onward, Christian soldiers	20	8/23
5	I, the Lord of Sea and Sky	17	8/30
7	A Mighty Fortress Is our God	15	8/16
7	How great thou art	15	8/23
10	Crown him with many crowns	13	8/9
10	O God, our help in ages past	13	8/16
10	Rock of ages, cleft for me	13	8/9
17	Abide with me, fast falls the eventide	9	8/16
17	Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord	9	8/9
17	I am the bread of life	9	8/2
17	I want to walk as a child of the light	9	8/30
17	Shine, Jesus, shine	9	8/2
17	We are marching in the light of God	9	8/30
17	The church’s one foundation	9	7/19

One thing that is clear from the survey is that no certain type of hymn is going to make everyone happy. For instance, you might thing that singing “Amazing Grace” would make everyone in the congregation feel warm and fuzzy and want to hug puppies and children, but I am here to tell you, there is a significant vocal body of people in the congregation who surprise me with their disdain for this hymn which they feel is overused. (Note: in 2014 it was only sung twice in worship at 10:15). In the same manner, the 20% that love singing “Onward, Christian soldiers” may not be the same 20% that get a happy feeling singing “Morning has broken.”

I want to give a great big “Thanks” to Bruce Bailey for collecting and tabulating the votes for this survey.

Music for July 19, 2015 + The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Instrumental Music

• Tribute (Lullaby) – Craig Phillips (b. 1961)
• A Tune for the Tuba – Eric Thiman (1900-1975)
• Meditation on “Repton” -  Robert A. Hobby (b. 1962)
• O Perfect Love - Gordon Young (1919-1998)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 525 - The Church’s one foundation (AURELIA)
• Hymn 653 - Dear Lord and Father of mankind (REPTON)
• Hymn 343 - Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless (ST. AGNES)
• Hymn 708 - Savior, Like a shepherd lead us (SICILIAN MARINERS)

Lots of organ music this week, and all of it, I think, is immediately accessible even to those not particularly fond of the organ. Two of the pieces are original works with no reference to a hymn tune. 

The communion piece, Tribute, was written by Craig Philips, the organist and director of music at All Saints (Episcopal) Church in Beverly Hills. He wrote this at the request of concert organist David Craighead in honor of David's concert manager, Karen McFarlane. It is a gentle piece with the opening melody played on the krummhorn, one of the oldest organ sounds that in its most familiar form has a tone resembling that of the clarinet. It's written in 3/4 time, so it lends itself to the feel of a lullaby (which is probably why Philips sub-titled it thus so.)

The closing voluntary features another distinctive organ sound, the tuba. Much like the trumpet, it is a reed-stop with a brassy sound, but at 16' pitch, meaning it sounds an octave lower. This is a work written by the organist and composer Eric Thiman, who was active in England in the middle of the 20th century. Largely self-taught, he was Professor of Harmony at the Royal Academy of Music, and from 1956 to 1962, Dean of the Faculty of Music at London University. He was also organist and choirmaster at the City Temple in London, a Congregational Church where he achieved renown as an improviser of great skill. This Tuba Tune is in a form often used for trumpet tunes on the organ, with the solo featured on the opening theme, followed by the exact same theme with the full organ. The most famous example of that is the Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark's March) used so often at weddings.

The two other organ works are based on hymn tunes. 

Robert A. Hobby

C.H.H.Parry

We start of with Robert Hobby's straightforward setting of the tune Repton, used for the hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. The tune first appeared in Charles H. H. Parry's oratorio Judith with the text, "Long since in Egypt's plenteous land, Our fathers were oppressed." Some time later this chorus was published separately as an anthem with the words which we will sing today as a hymn later in the service. It's a glorious melody, with a second half of the hymn tune that gradually builds toward a high note with such sweeping grandeur that one cannot fail to feel the passion of the music. 

At the last minute I had to substitute an organ voluntary for the vocal selection originally scheduled for today. Since I knew Father Bill was going to preach on recent events concerning marriage, I thought I would play Gordon Young's setting of the little-used wedding hymn, O Perfect Love. Regardless of your thoughts about marriage equality, you have to admit the text of the hymn, written in 1848 by Dorothy Francis Blomfield for her sister's wedding, is appropriate for any couple pledging their love for each other. It is a prayer that the marriage will be blessed with love, faith, endurance, and other qualities that lead to a strong relationship. The fourth stanza is a doxology addressed to the members of the Trinity.

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom thou in sacred vow dost join in one.  

O perfect Life, be thou their full assurance
of tender charity and steadfast faith,
of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
with childlike trust that fears no pain or death. 

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife;
grant them the vision of the glorious morrow
that will reveal eternal love and life

Music for July 5, 2015 + The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown – setting by K. Lee Scott (b. 1950) Danial Ward, bass-baritone

Instrumental Music

• Variations on an American Tune – Gordon Young (1919-1998)
• Variations on “God Save the King” – Charles Wesley (1757-1835)

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

• Hymn 636 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord (FOUNDATION)
• Hymn R 37 Father, we love you (GLORIFY YOUR NAME)
• Hymn 536 Open your ears, O faithful people (TORAH SONG) 
• Hymn 716 God Bless Our Native Land (AMERICA)
• Hymn 718 God of our fathers, whose almighty hand (NATIONAL HYMN)

The fiberglass-and-steel “Statue of Liberation
Through Christ” at World Overcomers Outreach 
Ministries Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

A Christian, an American, and a church musician walk into a bar. The Christian looks at the church musician and says, "Let's sing a hymn!" The American says, "Yes! Let's sing "America, the Beautiful!" The church musician says, "I just came in here for a drink."

The Sunday near Independence Day is one day when I just want a drink.

My friend and fellow church musician, David Perry Ouzts, writes a blog similar to mine, and his post for this Sunday is called Fanfares and flag-waving: How to be Episcopalian for the 4th of July. I want to quote some of it here:

As a liturgist, the Sunday nearest to the fourth of July is always a Sunday of great compromise. As an Episcopal parish, we do not just throw out the readings (AKA “the propers”) for the day: that’s “liturgically illegal” according to the Book of Common Prayer and actually requires permission of “the Diocesan” (a.k.a. the Bishop).

On the other hand, in a country in which we give thanks for our religious freedom, praying in church for our country and its leaders is quite acceptable. Moreover, our hymnal, The Hymnal 1982, contains a small section of “National Songs,” those hymns that we all love and probably learned as school children. In fact, our Book of Common Prayer contains an entire set of proper readings for liturgies if held on the exact day of Independence Day in a given year; these propers never supplant the Sunday propers but are available for use, even as private devotions.

Well, like David and the Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis, we are going to go for the middle ground, the via media, as good Episcopalians are wont to do. I'm playing variations on "God Save the Queen" during communion, as written by Charles Wesley Junior, the son of the imminent hymn writer and Anglican priest. Charles junior was a musical child prodigy who became an organist and composer who spent most of his career as the personal organist of the English Royal family. 

God Save the Queen is, of course, the tune we Yanks use as for the words "My country, 'tis of thee," which we'll sing at the Independence Day Celebration after church in the Great Hall. It is also the tune for the communion hymn this morning, God bless our native land, a hymn that is a prayer for any land or nation. I feel it's fitting for a worship service.

The opening and closing voluntaries are based on a familiar hymn that, while it is not 'patriotic,' carries a real American flavor. Gordon Young wrote these variations on the tune NETTLETON (Come, thou fount of every blessing) for the dedication of an organ in Fort Worth. The theme and seven variations show off the colors of the organ in different and unique ways. Sometimes the theme (melody) is apparent. Other times it is only hinted at with fragments and chord progressions from the hymn. The last movement will be used at the closing voluntary. Why not stay and listen to this brilliant finale and let the lines for hot dogs die down!

The closing hymn is often referred to as the "National Hymn." Daniel C. Roberts wrote this "God of our Fathers" in 1876 for July 4 centennial celebrations in Brandon, Vermont, where he was rector at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. This hymn puts God first, and is constantly addressed to Him as a prayer for the nation, without reference to American superiority. The second and third stanzas allude to a nation's need for God's law and guidance to maintain peace. It was published in the Protestant Episcopal Hymnal of 1892.

Don't forget to vote for your ten favorite hymns. The top 15 will be sung in church during August. You can email your choices to jacksonhearn@goodshepherdkingwood.org
The deadline is July 5!

Music for June 28, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – arr. Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949) - Richard Murray, soloist

Instrumental Music

• Tune in E (in the style of John Stanley) – George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987)
• Prelude in E-Minor (op.28 no. 4) - Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
• Tuba Tune in D – Craig Sellar Lang (1891-1971)

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

• Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing (AZMON)
• Hymn 533 How wondrous and great (LYONS)
• Hymn R 23 The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases (THE STEADFAST LOVE)
• Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul (ST. THOMAS[WILLIAMS])
• Hymn R 281 Broken for Me (BROKEN FOR ME)
• Hymn 610 Lord, whose love through humble service (BLAENHAFREN)

From A Land Down Under 

George Thalben-Ball was an incredible force in the organ world of Great Britain. Though originally born in Australia, his family moved to England when he was four. He entered the Royal College of Music in London at the incredibly early age of 14, and upon graduation, the young man was asked to deputise as organist at London's Temple Church by its then organist, Sir Henry Walford Davies. In 1923, he succeeded Walford Davies as organist and director of the Temple Church choir, a post he held for nearly 60 years. Under his direction, the choir attracted such a following that queues for services often spilled out of the Temple into Fleet Street. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1967 and knighted in 1982.

He was also well known as a virtuoso organist, playing on the daily BBC radio broadcasts. He could sight-read, transpose and improvise in any style and at any length to the highest standard without perceptible effort. The opening voluntary today is a piece he wrote in the style of John Stanley, an 18th century English organist and composer. It's really rather stylized, and romantic in its idea of what the music of Stanley was like, but it's still a lovely, stately piece. It's in three parts, with the first and last being almost identical.

Likewise, 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.

Hymn of the Day

Lord, whose love through humble service

Albert F. Bayly wrote this text in response to a Hymn Society of America search for new hymns on social welfare in 1961. The text begins with recognition of Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross and then points to the continuing needs of the homeless, the hungry, the prisoners, and the mourners. Bayly's words remind us of modern refugees, AIDS patients, and famine victims who are as close as our doorstep or who are brought to our attention via the news media. The final two stanzas encourage us to move from Sunday worship to weekday service; such integrity in the Christian life is truly a liturgy of sacrifice, pleasing to God.

The tune BLAENHAFREN is a Welsh melody in a rounded barform (AABA), making it easy to learn and easy to sing. The rhythmic accents propel the melody forward, providing a fitting setting for this challenging text.

Music for June 21, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost + Confirmation

Confirmation Sunday

Vocal Music

• O Thou Who Camest from Above – Philip W. J. Stopford (b. 1977)
• Gracious Spirit, Dwell With Me – K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)

Instrumental Music

• Symphony No. 5: IV. Adagio– Charles Marie Widor (1844-1937)
• Symphony No.5: V. Toccata – Charles Marie Widor

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

• Hymn 688 A mighty fortress is our God (EIN FESTE BURG)
• Hymn 297 Descend, O Spirit, purging flame (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
• Hymn 608 Eternal Father, strong to save (MELITA)
• Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim (PADERBORN)

The choir makes a rare summer appearance this Sunday as Bishop Andy Doyle visits Good Shepherd to confirm new members to Christ's church.  We'll be singing two anthems based on hymns dealing with the Holy Spirit.

Our offertory anthem is a well-known text by Charles Wesley set to an original new tune by English composer Philip W. Stopford. Listen for the interval of a rising fourth (the same notes as "Here Comes the Bride") sung as an opening motif which is used throughout the piece. The men of the choir sing the first stanza in unison. The treble voices join the men on stanza two, still in unison, but in the second half of the piece you'll hear a deviation from the original melody, taking us to the feeling of a higher key. At the phrase "in humble prayer and fervent praise." the organ drops out and the choir sings in four-part harmony for the first time in this piece. Stanza three starts with the women singing the motif in unison to be joined by the men for four part harmony, a capella, while they modulate to a new key. The final stanza starts with choir in unison except for a soaring descant from the sopranos.

We sang this just a month ago, but are repeating it now as the third stanza speaks so well to the confirmands:

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.

K. Lee Scott wrote the communion anthem, a pairing of the text "Gracious Spirit, Dwell in Me" with the Gregorian chant tune "Adoro te devote."  We sang this anthem on Pentecost, but since it has great relevance to confirmation (and Pentecost was on Memorial Day weekend, when half of you weren't here), we are singing it again.

Scott was born in Langdale, Alabama and earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Choral Music from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He later became the Director of Choral Music there. Today he is still on the faculty at the university as a part-time instructor as his work as a freelance composer keeps him busy. He has had over 100 of his works published, through 11 different publishing companies.

Our opening hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, is often referred to as “the battle hymn” of the Reformation. Many stories have been relayed about its use. Albert Bailey writes,

It was, as Heine said, the Marseillaise of the Reformation…It was sung in the streets…It was sung by poor Protestant emigres on their way to exile, and by martyrs at their death…Gustavus Adolphus ordered it sung by his army before the battle of Leipzig in 1631…Again it was the battle hymn of his army at Lutzen in 1632…It has had a part in countless celebrations commemorating the men and events of the Reformation; and its first line is engraved on the base of Luther’s monument at Wittenberg…An imperishable hymn! Not polished and artistically wrought but rugged and strong like Luther himself, whose very words seem like deeds. (The Gospel in Hymns, 316)

As you can see, this is a hymn close to the hearts of Protestants and Lutherans, a source of assurance in times of duress and persecution. The text is not restricted, however, to times of actual physical battles. In any time of need, when we do battle with the forces of evil, God is our fortress to hide us and protect us, and the Word that endures forever will fight for us.