Music for January 12, 2020 + The Baptism of Christ

Vocal Music

• My Dancing Day – Shaw/Parker (Alice Parker, b. 1925)

Instrumental Music

• When Jesus Went to Jordan’s Stream – Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
• When Jesus Went to Jordan’s Stream – Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
• Toccata in F – Dietrich Buxtehude

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

• Hymn 76 - On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry (WINCHESTER NEW)
• Hymn R157 - We believe in God Almighty (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM)
• Hymn 135, - Songs of thankfulness and praise (SALZBURG)
• Hymn - Shall we gather at the river (HANSON PLACE)
• Hymn 132 - When Christ’s appearing was made known (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
• Psalm 29 – Tone Vc, refrain by James E. Barrett

This Sunday we are doing our last repeat from Christmas Eve, as we sing the Robert Shaw/Alice Parker arrangement of the English carol, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day.

As the choir began to review it this past Wednesday (rehearsing, mainly, as it was their first time together since Christmas), one of the basses asked, "Are we going to keep doing this until we get it right?"

"No," I answered. "We are going to keep doing it until it no longer fits the lessons for Sunday."

You see, this Sunday is the Sunday that we remember the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. You'll notice references to Jesus' baptism in hymns 132 and 135, and a passing reference to the act in the opening hymn 76 and the communion hymn, Shall we gather at the river (which is not in The Hymnal 1982, but in the sister volume, Lift Every Voice and Sing.)

Alice Parker

The same holds true for My Dancing Day. Alice Parker, who was associated with many years with Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Chorale, arranged the medieval carol, keeping the gentle dance-like rhythm. The text of the carol tells the story of Christ, whose life is repeatedly characterized as a dance. The original carol has 11 stanzas, but this setting ends with stanza 4, the verse about the baptism.

Then afterward baptized I was;
The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
My Father’s voice heard I from above,
To call my true love to my dance.
Sing, oh my love, this have I done for my true love.

The organ music is also based on a hymn for this occasion. This time it is a lesser known German Chorale which you'll find in the hymnal at hymn 139. If you are paying attention (or at church on time, for once), you'll hear me play the hymnal setting first during the opening voluntary, before playing Marcel Dupre's simple setting. You should be able to hear the melody clearly in this setting.

The same is not true about the communion voluntary, a chorale prelude on the same tune by the German composer Dietrich Buxtehude. He's treated the cantus firmus (the musicologist's way of saying melody) as a highly ornamented fashion, almost obliterating the tune until you really have to know what you are listening for in order to recognize it.