Music for July 24, 2016 + The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Precious Lord, take my hand– Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993)(Margie VanBrackle, soprano)

Instrumental Music

• Largo from "Xerxes" - Georg Frederich Handel (1685-1759)
• Give Thanks - Henry Smith, arr. by Phillip Keveren
• Hornpipe from "Water Music" - Georg Frederich Handel

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 410 - Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (Lauda Anima)
• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (Slane)
• Hymn 707 - Take my life, and let it be consecrated (Hollingside)
• Hymn 711 - Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Seek Ye First)
• Hymn 615 - “Thy kingdom come!” (St. Flavian)
• Psalm 138 - Confitebor tibi - Kevin R. Hackett, based on In Babilone 

Below are pictures of Tommy Dorsey and Thomas A. Dorsey. Both were musicians.  Both were active in the first part of the 20th century. And both are considered pioneers in their chosen field. But despite these similarities, they are still two very different people. Whereas Tommy Dorsey was one of the first to promote swing music (at least among the white population), Thomas Dorsey was the creator of gospel music -- the African American religious music which married secular blues to a sacred text.

Tommy

Thomas

Dorsey was working as a Blues pianist in Chicago when, at twenty-six, his hectic and unhealthy schedule led to a nervous breakdown, leaving Dorsey unable to play music. After a three year recovery, he committed himself to composing sacred music. Then Dorsey’s life was thrown into crisis when his wife and son died during childbirth. In his grief, he turned to the piano for comfort. The tune he wrote, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” came, he says, direct from God, and became a Gospel standard.

The communion voluntary is a piano piece based on the song Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart. It is arranged by Phillip Keveren, a prolific arranger, pianist, orchestrator and producer. His work is featured in numerous instrumental recordings, church choral, educational piano and Christian artist releases. His arrangements and compositions appear on recent projects by Sandi Patty, Travis Cottrell, Sara Groves and Ronan Tynan.

Mr. Keveren holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from California State University, Northridge, and a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Southern California. He and his wife Lisa live in Brentwood, Tennessee and are parents of two children, Lindsay and Sean. 

Many, many thanks to Margie VanBrackle for singing and  Karen Silva for playing the organ in my absence while I am at the Mississippi Conference for Church Music and Liturgy this week. Good Shepherd is blessed to have some very talented members of our family.