Music for October 9, 2016 + The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Amazing Grace – arr. Ed Lojeski
• Hide Me Under the Shadow of thy Wings – John Ebenezer West (1863-1929)

Instrumental Music

• Adagio – Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
• Fantasy – Daniel Elder (b. 1986)
• Praeludium and Fughetta in E – 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 427 - When morning gilds the skies (Laudes Domini)
• Hymn 424 - For the fruit of all creation (East Acklam)
• Hymn R4 - Lord, I lift your name on high (Rick Founds)
• Hymn R191 - O Christ, the healer (Erhalt uns, Herr)
• Hymn R232 - There is a redeemer (Green)
• Hymn 397 - Now thank we all our God (Nun danket alle Gott)
• Psalm 111 Confitebor tibi – Tone IVe

Ed Lojeski

The choir is back down by the piano this Sunday as we sing a gospel-style arrangement of that old favorite Amazing Grace. It is arranged by Ed Lojeski, Director of Music at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Westlake Village, CA. But he is much more than a typical church choir director; in addition to being a choral/vocal arranger and composer, he has served as accompanist and musical consultant for movie productions and on TV films. Mr. Lojeski has served as pianist-conductor and/or vocal coach for Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Kathryn Grayson, The Lettermen, Tony Martin, Cyd Charisse and many others. Choral groups under his direction have appeared on television, at the Hollywood Bowl, and on tour in Europe, Australia and Hawaii.

Ed Lojeski is acknowledged as one of the finest choral arrangers of pop music in the business today. Admittedly, this arrangement of the old hymn has more Hollywood than heaven about it, but it's fun to sing and is a nice change from our usual, more sophisticated fare.

Franz Liszt as a young virtuoso

The most famous of piano virtuosos of the Romantic era (19th century) and still one of the most highly regarded was Franz Liszt. Born in Hungary but educated in Paris, he began touring across Europe to the same kind of adulation that later pop stars such as Frank Sinatra and The Beatles experienced in their concerts.) He was a spectacular pianist, and his dashing good looks made the women swoon even more. He continued touring until 1848,  when Liszt gave up public performances on the piano and went to Weimar, acting as conductor at court concerts and at the theatre. He also gave lessons to a number of pianists and wrote articles championing the music of Berlioz and Wagner.

Liszt in 1886, after taking
holy orders.

In 1861 Liszt retired from music and joined the Franciscan order in 1865, receiving four Minor Orders of the Catholic Church (namely, Porter, Lector, Exorcist and Acolyte). He had always felt a calling to the church, being a devout Roman Catholic, and in his retirement was no longer hindered in his quest. It was during this time that he wrote many of his smaller organ organ works which fit in with the religious aesthetic needed for liturgical use. The piece I am playing for the prelude this morning comes from the first year of his retirement. In it, you can hear the same harmonies, chord progressions, and melodic turns that one comes to expect from the late Romantic music of Wagner.

 I love finding new composers. Recently, I ran across some You Tube videos of some choral music by a young man from Atlanta named Daniel Elder. His choral music was beautiful (look for something in the coming months sung by the GS Choir). I also found his "Piano Rhapsody," his first composition for the instrument, written while he was a student at the University of Georgia in 2008. In true Rhapsody style, it has several different sections which it doesn't strictly follow any real form.

Daniel Elder,
(c) 2016 Natalie Watson Photography

Critics have hailed his works as “deeply affecting” and "without peer," with emotional evocations ranging from lush lyricism to jagged polyphony. Daniel’s compositions have been performed extensively in the USA and abroad, including a recording at Abbey Road Studios by the Grammy-award-winning Eric Whitacre Singers. The first commercial album of Daniel's choral works, "The Heart's Reflection: Music of Daniel Elder," was released in October 2013 by Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) and Naxos of America, and debuted at #53 on the overall classical Billboard chart. Daniel’s choral music is currently published by Carus Verlag, Edition Peters, GIA Publications, and Walton Music, and his instrumental music by Imagine Music and Wingert-Jones Publications.
He's a year younger than my oldest child. I feel old.

Check out his You Tube channel here.