Music for April 30, 2017 + The Third Sunday of Easter

Vocal Music

• As We Gather at Your Table – Skinner Chávez-Melo (1944-1992)

Instrumental Music

• Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 649 - J. S. Bach (1685-1750) 
• Fantasia No. 2- Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) 
• Engleberg – Charles Callahan (b. 1951)

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

• Hymn 180 - He is risen, he is risen! (UNSER HERRSCHER)
• Hymn 492 - Sing, ye faithful, sing with gladness (FINNIAN)
• Hymn 495 - Hail, thou once despised Jesus (IN BABILONE)
• Hymn R115 - God’s holy ways are true and just (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn 204 - Now the green blade riseth (NOEL NOUVELET)
• Hymn - I come to the garden alone (IN THE GARDEN)
• Hymn 296 - We know that Christ is raised (ENGLEBERG)
• Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 Dilexi, quoniam – Mode 2

For the third Sunday of the Easter season the choir is relaxing things a bit and singing a modern hymn for the offertory. The text by Carl Daw is set to a tune by the late Skinner Chávez-Melo, an organist, conductor and composer who was born in Mexico City, but completed his musical studies in the United States, receiving degrees at Eastern Nazarene College and the Union Theological Seminary, and pursuing further studies at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School. He was music director at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan at the time of his death when he was just 47 years old.

Chávez-Melo, was a contributor to the Spanish language hymnal for the Episcopal Church, El Himnario, wrote this tune in 1989 to honor Raquel Gutierrez Achon, the editor of that hymnal. Originally written for the text Sing of Mary, pure and lowly (hymn 277 in The Hymnal 1982), it was paired with this text for supplement to our hymnal, Wonder, Love, and Praise because the committee...

...wanted a less objective tune that would speak to the way the text draws the singer inward to reflect on the meaning of Eucharist for personal commitment and service. (John L. Hooker, Wonder, Love, and Praise Leader's Guide, 1997)

For the opening voluntary I've chosen a chorale prelude from the Schübler Chorales, a collection of six chorale preludes for organ by J. S. Bach, At least five of the six are transcribed for organ from movements in Bach's cantatas. This one, Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ ("O Stay With Us, Lord Jesus Christ), is a transcription of the third movement of cantata no. 6, Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden ("Stay with us, for evening falls").  It was originally a solo for soprano paired with an obligato violin solo

I chose it because of the connection to the day's Gospel reading. Two early Christians are walking to Emmaus, when they meet a stranger who has not heard of the Crucifixion of Christ. They discuss the events, and their companion explains how this is to fulfill the scriptures.

²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight (Luke 24)

Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus,  Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (French), 1852-1929

You can see how this passage also influenced my choice of today's anthem, too.

As we gather at your table,
as we listen to your word,
help us know, O God, your presence;
let our hearts and minds be stirred.
Nourish us with sacred story
till we claim it as our own;
teach us through this holy banquet
how to make Love's victory known.

The Communion Voluntary today is the unaccompanied Fantasia No. 2 for flute by the German Baroque composer Georg Philipp Telemann. It is played by Kingwood Park High School Senior Andrea Velasquez who gave her Senior Flute recital here at Good Shepherd yesterday. She will be majoring in music this fall at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.