LORD, HAVE MERCY Music for February 26, 2023 + The First Sunday of Lent

Vocal Music

• Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin – John Hilton (1599-1657), Peter Crisafulli, arr.

Instrumental Music

• Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4, – Frédéric François Chopin (1810 –1849)
• Sarabande in d minor – George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
• Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott – Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)

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

• Hymn 142 Lord, who throughout these forty days (ST. FLAVIAN)
• Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
• Hymn R 172 In our lives, Lord, be glorified (LORD, BE GLORIFIED)
• Hymn R107 You are my hiding place (HIDING PLACE)
• Hymn 688 A mighty fortress is our God (EIN FESTE BURG)
• Psalm 99 – Tone IIa

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when our liturgical actions change to reflect the meaning and purpose of Lent. And the music changes, too. A time of penitence and quiet reflection cannot embrace music that jumps for joy and is all “happy-clappy!” The organ becomes quieter (or drops out all-together), the service music changes to include a Kyrie (Lord, Have Mercy) and Agnus Dei (Jesus, Lamb of God.)

John Donne

Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin

The choir sings an anthem that certainly supports the penitential mood. Hymn 140 in our hymnal is not known to our congregation, so it makes a perfect anthem. It's text is from the poem A Hymn to God the Father by the English Renaissance writer John Donne. If you don't have a hymnal nearby, you can read the entire poem here. You can see that Donne was convicted of his sin.

The music is by John Hilton, an English composer, who was organist and lay clerk at St Margaret's Westminster from 1628 to 1644 and was buried in the church in 1657. He was the son of John (died 1608) who was organist and composer at Trinity College in that city. John junior graduated from that college in 1626 and leased a house from the Dean and Chapter of Westminster in the Almonry, near the Abbey. He was also a lutenist to Charles I. He ceased to be organist as Parliamentary forces ordered organs to be removed from churches and psalms to be said, not chanted.

John Hilton

This hymn has been arranged for quartet in Elizabethan style by the American Composer Peter Crisafulli. Born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, in 1946, Crisafulli earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Northwestern University. His musical formation in the service of the church began at age seven as a chorister in the Men and Boys Choir of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. He has been serving as Minister of Music at All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland, since 1988. Many of his compositions were written for All Saints Church. 

Prelude in E Minor

Frédéric Chopin wrote a number of preludes for piano solo. His cycle of 24 Preludes, Op. 28, covers all major and minor keys. The Prélude Op. 28, No. 4, by Frédéric Chopin, is considered by many to be one of the most famous of the Chopin preludes. By Chopin's request, the piece was played at his own funeral by Franz Liszt on a pipe organ. (I'll be using the piano, as originally planned.)

The famous German conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow called the prélude "suffocation", due to its sense of despair. In fact, Chopin's last dynamic marking in the piece is smorzando, which means "dying away". But the prelude may have once been given a title. According to George Sand's daughter Solange, who stayed with the composer at the monastery in Majorca when the preludes were written, "My mother gave a title to each of Chopin’s wonderful Preludes; these titles have been preserved on a score he gave to us." That titled score is lost. But Solange did record the names of the preludes, apparently without assigning the names to the prelude numbers. It is believed that the title "Quelles larmes au fond du cloître humide?" ("What tears (are shed) from the depths of the damp monastery?") corresponds to Prelude No. 4.

Music for September 18, 2022 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Wash Me Throughly – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Instrumental Music

• Sarabande – David Ashley White (b. 1944)
• Be Thou My Vision – Larry Schackley (b. 1956)
• Tuba Tune in D Major, Op. 15 – C. S. Lang (1891-1971)

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

• Hymn 475 - God himself is with us (TYSK)
• Hymn R258 - To God be the glory (TO GOD BE THE GLORY)
• Hymn 368 - Holy Father, great Creator (REGENT SQUARE)
• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (SLANE)
• Hymn 390 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
• Psalm 113 – Tone VIIIa

Wash Me Throughly

In 1717, George Frederick Handel became the composer in residence at Cannons, the court of James Brydges, who became the First Duke of Chandos in 1719. As part of his responsibilities, he wrote eleven "anthems" for use in the chapel there, but these are more than just a simple anthem. They are multi-movement works which foreshadow the greatness found in his oratorios. Handel was limited in the resources available to him, so it was written for only three voices (soprano, tenor, and bass) with intimate instrumental forces of oboe, two violins, and basso continuo (usually the organ with the bass line doubled by an instrument). It is true chamber music.

G. F. Handel (without his wig)

The choir will sing the third movement of the third Chandos anthem, which is based on verses from Psalm 51. Originally written for alto and tenor, today the entire choir will be singing together. Handel himself chose the texts for all the Chandos Anthems, using primarily as his source the Psalter of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

Sarabande

This expressive short organ work from David Ashley White combines a soaring, lyric melody with a lush accompaniment. The music builds to a full organ climax in the middle and then fades away to tranquility at the end. It was written for and dedicated to Yuri McCoy, a graduate of the organ program at Rice University and now organist at South Main Baptist Church in Houston

Be Thou My Vision

The British Isles have provided us with some simple and often haunting folk melodies. Many of these tunes have been matched with hymn texts and become a treasured part of our hymnody. This is true with the tune SLANE, an old Irish folk tune associated with the ballad "With My Love on the Road" in Patrick W. Joyce's Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). It became a hymn tune when it was arranged by David Evans and set to the Irish hymn "Be Thou My Vision" published in the Church Hymnary (1927). SLANE is named for a hill in County Meath, Ireland, where St. Patrick's lighting of an Easter fire–an act of defiance against the pagan king Loegaire (fifth century)–led to his unlimited freedom to preach the gospel in Ireland.

Larry Shackley, a free-lance composer from Columbia, South Carolina, has written a lovely piano meditation on SLANE that I'll be playing at communion.

A native of Chicago, Shackley attended Eastman School of Music (M.M) and the University of South Carolina (D.M.A). He has had a varied career, from teaching at Columbia International University in Columbia, South Carolina, to working at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, creating original music and producing radio programs for the Moody Broadcasting Network, to composing for over 30 films, videotapes, and radio dramas. He has also served churches such as Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois as well as several churches in South Carolina. Shackley is also an active studio musician, arranger, and orchestrator. Recently, he has devoted most of his composing to music for the church, writing over 450 keyboard arrangements and 250 choral pieces for a variety of publishers.

Tuba Tune

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.

Music for May 29, 2022 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter

Vocal Music

• A Song to the Lamb – Donald Pearson (b. 1953)

Instrumental Music

• Sonata No. 8: Andante Sostenuto – Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)
• Sarabande (Concerto for Oboe in G Minor) – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
• Llanfair – Robert J. Powell (b. 1932)

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

• Hymn 214 - Hail the day that sees him rise (LLANFAIR)
• Hymn R168 - If you believe and I believe (ZIMBABWE)
• Hymn 325 - Let us break bread together on our knees (LET US BREAK BREAD)
• Hymn 460 - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (HYFRYDOL)
• Psalm 97 – Tone IIa

Anthem: A Song to the Lamb

The American composer Donald Pearson wrote this setting of Canticle 18 while he was organist/choir master of St. John's Cathedral in Denver. Now a canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. You are probably most familiar with canticle 20 - we sing it most Sundays at the beginning of the service. (Glory to God in the Highest.) Other familiar canticles are the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis, which are common at evening prayer services.

This setting starts of with a sparkling organ intro, which continues under the refrain which returns after each verse. The refrain was obviously meant for the congregation to sing, but today we will just leave it to the choir.

Opening Voluntary:  Sonata No. 8: Andante Sostenuto

Andante Sostenuto is the fourth movement of Alexandre Guilmant's Eight Sonata in A Major, Opus 9, completed at the composer's home in September 1906 and dedicated to Louis Herbette, a councilor of state. He later orchestrated the work as the Secondo Symphonie pour Orgue & Orchestra. It has some rich, thick chords which remind me of the opening of Camille Saint-Saens Organ Symphony which was written some 20 years earlier.

Félix-Alexandre Guilmant was a French organist and composer who was well known both as a recitalist and as a composer. His organ repertoire includes his 18 collections of Pièces dans différents styles (pieces in differing styles), the more liturgical Soixante interludes dans la tonalité grégorienne (60 pieces in Gregorian tonality) and his 12 books of l'Organiste liturgique (the liturgical organist). He also wrote chamber music, vocal music, a sinfonia cantata (Ariane) as well a lyric scene (Bathsheba).

Communion Voluntary: Sarabande 

This is the third movement of Handel's Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor (HWV 287) composed  possibly in 1704-1705. It was arranged for organ by Edward Shippen Barnes, an American organist from the first half of the 20th century who was well known for his editions of organ transcriptions of orchestral works. 

Here is a recording of the Houston Early Music group, Ars Lyrica, performing this movement. (Don't listen to it in church!)

Closing Voluntary: Llanfair

The closing voluntary is a setting of our opening hymn by the living Episcopalian composer Robert J. Powell. He is known to our congregation if for no other reason than his setting of the Gloria (Canticle No. 20 - see above) that we have been singing each Sunday during Eastertide.

Music for Easter 2022

Vocal Music

• Tell the News – David Ashley White (b. 1948)
• Alleluia – Rick Sowash (b. 1950)
• I Know that My Redeemer Liveth (Messiah) – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Instrumental Music

• Let Heaven and Earth Rejoice – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• Prelude in G, BWV 541 – J. S. Bach

Congregational Music (all hymns from The Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 179 - “Welcome, happy Morning!” (FORTUNATUS)
• Hymn 207 - Jesus Christ is risen today (EASTER HYMN)
• Hymn 180 - He is risen, he is risen! (UNSER HERRSCHER)
• Hymn - Doxology (LAAST UNS ERFREUEN)
• Hymn 193 - That Easter day with joy was bright (PUER NOBIS)
• Hymn 210 - The day of resurrection (DIADEMATA)
• Psalm 118 – Tone VIIIa

My friend David Ashley White has written an Easter anthem for choir and organ that sounds like it came out of the 19th century shaped-note tradition. (We talked about that tradition several months ago, here.) It is a rugged original tune with an equally athletic organ accompaniment. This was commissioned by the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy in 2003

The communion anthem is an a cappella setting of the single word, "Alleluia." It was written by Cincinnati composer Rick Sowash, and published last year for choirs struggling to meet and rehearse in the pandemic. Written for two voices (women and men), it is an ingenious canon where the women begin with the melody, and men come 4 beats later, singing an exact duplication of the treble part. I thought it would be easy for the choir, but it has taken us one year to learn it! It is much harder than it looks!

The communion solo is that perennial favorite from Messiah, I Know that my Redeemer Liveth. Handel's masterpiece includes several movements that become required listening during the seasons of the church year. This beautiful soprano solo was last sung in 2020, at our virtual Easter service. Amy Bogan will again sing it in person for us this year.

I'm playing two pieces by Bach for Easter. The opening voluntary is actually an arrangement of a choral piece from his cantata for Trinity Sunday, but it's so festive and it's theme "Let Heaven and Earth Rejoice" is perfect for Easter. And the closing voluntary is the Prelude in G, with it's opening passage that just shoots upward like a rocket, reminding me of the resurrection.

Music for March 6, 2022 + The First Sunday in Lent

Vocal Music

• Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days – Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), arr. Mark Schweitzer

Instrumental Music

• Chorale Prelude on a melody by Orlando Gibbons – Healey Willan (1880-1968)
• Suite No. 4 in E Minor: Sarabande – George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)
• Hilf Gott, Dass Mir's Gelinge, BWV 624 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

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

• Hymn s-67 The Great Litany
• Hymn R112 - You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord (ON EAGLE’S WINGS)
• Hymn 150 - Forty days and forty nights (AUS DER TIEFE RUFE ICH)
• Hymn R9 - As the deer pants for the water (AS THE DEER)
• Hymn 559 - Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us (DULCE CARMEN)
• Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 – Tone IIa

The anthem today is what classical musicians call a quodlibet, which is an arrangement of two or more familiar tunes in polyphonic relationship, meaning that they can be heard at the same time. The arranger, Mark Schweizer, has done that by combining the beautiful melody of Gabriel Fauré's Pavane, Op. 50 with the hymn-tune MORNING SONG (hymn 9 in the Hymnal 1982), using the text, "Lord, who throughout these forty days." The combination is a match made in heaven. Here are links for you to hear the two melodies by themselves. (Just don't listen during the sermon if you are reading this on Sunday!) 

Mark Schweizer

Gabriel Fauré

Fauré: Pavane / Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker

Morning Song

The opening voluntary is an organ setting of another tune from hymnal which is not an explicitly Lenten hymn, Lord, forever at thy side, found at hymn 670. This tune is used in an anthem, though, which is often sung during Lent, Jesus, Grant Me This I Pray. This setting of the tune from the great English musician of the Renaissance Orlando Gibbons, is by the English-turned-Canadian composer, Healey Willan.

The closing voluntary is a short work by Johann Sebastian Bach found in his collection called Orgelbüchlein. Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) is one of the most extraordinary of all Bach’s organ collections and compositions. Even though it may seem to be just a collection of hymn-tune (chorale) arrangements for the church organist, it is considered by many scholars to be a masterpiece of organ literature. 

Bach planned a collection of 119 chorale preludes (only 45 were written) to be used during the liturgical year. Some are quite simple, while others are intricate works in miniature. Today I am playing one of the Lenten chorales on a text and tune well known to congregations during Bach's day.

The text itself is unusual. It was written in the 1500s by Heinrich Müller while he was in prison by the Duke of Saxony for his Lutheran sympathies. Müller included his name as an acrostic, using the first letter of each stanza to spell our his name. Also, the first stanza is weirdly self-referential: the poet asks God’s help “die Silben reimen zwingen” (to force these syllables to rhyme). Most hymns during the Reformation aimed to reach the entire worshipping community, not individual piety.

Much like Müller "forcing syllables to rhyme,"  Bach does the same thing, forcing the right hand to play two voices in canon. It’s an inside joke for the performer. For the listener, who might not perceive these counterpoint games, the idea is still clear from the meandering left-hand and pedal parts. The piece takes a lot of physical work to perform, and it sounds, at best, bizarre.  

Bach’s organ version was probably a deliberately rather awkward harmonic and canonic whole, with a left hand that searches around capriciously from high to low. Maybe Bach also thought it might not be so easy to keep constant faith if you were imprisoned for your religious beliefs for over ten years.

Music for Sunday, September 26, 2021 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Wash Me Throughly (Chandos Anthem No. 3) – George Frideric Handel 

Instrumental Music

• Prelude on “Mit Freuden Zart – T. Frederick H. Candlyn (1892-1964)
• If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee – Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
• If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

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

• Hymn 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
• Hymn R168 If you believe and I believe (trad. Zimbabwe)
• Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless (ST. AGNES)
• Hymn R291  Go forth for God (GENEVA 124)
• Psalm 19:7-14 Psalm Tone VIIIa

In 1717, George Frederick Handel became the composer in residence at Cannons, the court of James Brydges, who became the First Duke of Chandos in 1719. As part of his responsibilities, he wrote eleven "anthems" for use in the chapel there, but these are more than just a simple anthem. They are multi-movement works which foreshadow the greatness found in his oratorios. Handel was limited in the resources available to him, so it was written for only three voices (soprano, tenor, and bass) with intimate instrumental forces of oboe, two violins, and basso continuo (usually the organ with the bass line doubled by an instrument). It is true chamber music.

G. F. Handel (without his wig)

The choir will sing the third movement of the third Chandos anthem, which is based on verses from Psalm 51. Originally written for alto and tenor, today the entire choir will be singing together. Handel himself chose the texts for all the Chandos Anthems, using primarily as his source the Psalter of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

The opening voluntary is a organ prelude on the Bohemian Brethren tune from the 16th century, MIT FREUDEN ZART. It is set for organ by the esteemed former organist of St. Thomas Church, New York City, T. Frederick H. Candlyn. Born in England, he moved to the United States at age 23 to become the organist/choirmaster at St. Paul's, Albany. He moved to St. Thomas in 1943, where he stayed until his retirement in 1954. His name is still prominent in the choral libraries of church choirs in this country.

The accompanying photo shows the rector of St. Pauls, George Taylor, presenting Candlyn with an umbrella in recognition of 25 years of perfect attendance in Sunday School! 

If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee is hymn 635 in the Hymnal 1982, and its lyrics are especially appropriate for the scripture readings this Sunday. Since we won't get a chance to sing it, I encourage you to read the text while waiting during communion, or after you get back to your seat. I'm playing two different settings of the German chorale, Wer nur den lieben Gott, both by German composers of the Late Baroque. Johann Ludwig Krebs (composer of the communion voluntary) was held in high regard by his contemporaries, including the older musician J. S. Bach, who made up a play on their two names ( Krebs [crab or crayfish] and Bach [brook or stream]) by saying "He is the only crayfish in my stream." It is not surprising that many of his works, especially his organ compositions, are very much like those of Bach

Music for May 16, 2021 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter

Vocal Music

• Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether – Harold Friedell (1905-1958)
• The Tree of Life – K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)

Instrumental Music

• Concerto in E-flat Major – Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Kevin Mendoza, trumpet
• I. Allegro
• II. Andante
• I Thank Thee, Lord, through Thy dear Son – Johann Christoph Bach (1642 –1703)
• Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked with an asterisk which are from Lift Every Voice and Sing II.)

• Hymn 460 - Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
• Hymn 494 - Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA)
• Hymn - I have decided to follow Jesus (ASSAM)
• Psalm 1 - simplified Anglican Chant by Jerome Meachen

The music for this Sunday (which is Confirmation Sunday for us) begins with parts of a trumpet concerto by Franz Joseph Haydn, played by a student from Lone Star College in Kingwood, Kevin Mendoza. The concerto was one written by Haydn for his friend Anton Weidinger, a trumpet virtuoso and inventor of the first "keyed" trumpet which would allow a trumpet player to play in any key. 

the "natural" trumpet

A valve trumpet from the 1880s

You see, before this innovation, trumpets had no valves, and could only play a limited range of harmonic notes by altering the vibration of the lips; this is why it is called by the name of "natural trumpet". Most of these harmonic notes were clustered in the higher registers, so previous trumpet concertos could only play melodically with the high register. 

Weidinger developed a keyed trumpet which could play chromatically throughout its entire range, though his idea of drilling holes and covering them with flute-like keys was not a success as it had very poor sound quality. Weidinger did not perform the Concerto in public until 1800. Surviving in a single manuscript copy, this extraordinary work wasn't performed again until 1929.

 The valved trumpets used today were first constructed and used in the 1830s.

Harold Friedell

The offertory anthem is one of our choir's favorites, partly, I imagine, because of its lyrical melody and partly because of its imaginative and descriptive text. "Tether" is not a word used much today except in the term "Tether Ball," but I think that is an extremely accurate term for how the spirit connects us together, and to God. If you ever played tether ball as a child, you know that the ball is tied, or tethered, to the pole, and no matter how hard it is hit, it is connected to that pole, and will always return. Crafters in the group also love the term "knit thou our friendship up," though modern hymnals have tried to replace that with the pedestrian phrase "so now bind our friendship up."

This beautiful setting was written by Harold Friedell, an American organist, choirmaster, teacher, and composer. Friedell was raised in New York state, and worked at several prominent churches, ending up at St. Bartholomew's in New York City. Draw Us In the Spirit's Tether was composed while he was at St. Bart's. He also taught at Julliard and Union Theological Seminary. You can read more about him here.

The communion anthem is another beautiful setting of a hymn text. Eric Routley, an English Congregational pastor, musician and hymn writer, was the preeminent 20th-century hymnologist of the English-speaking world. He translated a 12-stanza hymn by a 17th-century Hungarian pastor to produce this text. K. Lee Scott wrote the tune for Routley’s text as a commission for the Episcopal Churches in the Diocese of Alabama for their Year of Evangelism in 1995. He remembers studying Routley’s texts (“because Routley had such an eye for texts”) and being drawn especially to this one because it was so panoramic. Scott remembers late at night sitting on the organ bench with just the organ light on in little Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church, walking back and forth from the organ bench down the aisles, as the tune gradually emerged out of his meditating on the text.

K. Lee Scott

K. (Keaton) Lee Scott is an internationally known composer and choral conductor of church music.  A life-long resident of Alabama, he received two degrees in choral music from The University of Alabama School of Music and has served as adjunct faculty for The University of Alabama School of Music, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Music, and Samford University School of Music.  He travels widely as a guest conductor and clinician in North America and beyond.  He is also director of music at Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church.  He has traveled extensively as guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States, as well as to Canada and Africa. 

Music for April 18, 2021 + The Third Sunday of Easter

Vocal Music

• Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain – R. S. Thatcher (1888-1957)
• Come, Risen Lord – Alfred Morton Smith (1879-1971)

Instrumental Music

• Partita on Middlebury – Charles Callahan (b. 1951)
• Hymn 213 - Come Away to the Skies
• Hornpipe – George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of the canticle which is from Wonder, Love, and Praise.)

• Canticle Christ our Passover (Pascha nostrum) (SINE NOMINE)
• Hymn 182 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing (TRURO) (stanzas 1,2,5)
• Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! (UNSER HERRSCHER) (stanzas 1,2,4)

The anthem this Sunday morning is by Reginald Thatcher, an English musician and educator who lived in the first part of the 20th century. From all accounts, he was an unassuming man, though he held leadership positions at several fine schools before becoming principal of the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1944. He was also the assistant director of music for the BBC during the early war years in the late 30s until 1943. 

His anthem, Come, Ye Faithful, was written when he was director of the Harrow School, one of the most prestigious schools for boys in the world. It uses the text by eighth-century Greek poet John of Damascus (c. 675- c. 754) who is especially known for his writing of six canons for the major festivals of the church year. (A canon is a form of Greek hymnody based on biblical canticles. Greek canons demonstrate how Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Christ's resurrection.) This text was written around 750 and inspired by the Song of Moses in Exodus 15.

The communion motet is simply a hymn straight from our hymnal. I’ve chosen it because it is perfect for today’s Gospel and the celebration of the Eucharist. It is a fine text which celebrates the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. Stanzas 1 and 4 allude to the part of the Emmaus story (Luke 24:28-35) in which the two disciples invite Jesus to be their guest, but then Jesus becomes their host. Stanza 2 focuses on our partaking of the sacrament and stanzas 3 and 4 on the oneness we share with all believers in this world and in heaven.

Originally written as "Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest," the text by George W. Briggs (1875 -
1959) was first published in the original edition of the British hymnbook Songs of Praise (1925). Briggs was a well-known twentieth-century hymn writer. A clergyman in the Church of England, he served a number of parishes and was a chaplain in the Royal Navy. He was especially interested in promoting meaningful worship in the British schools and consequently wrote Prayers and Hymns for Use in Schools (1927) and Prayers and Hymns for Junior Schools (1933). Briggs was a founding member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

This tune was written by the Rev. Alfred M. Smith, an Episcopal priest from Pennsylvania whose avocation was music. He has written three hymn-tunes, two of which are in our hymnal.

Music for Easter 2021

Vocal Music

• Now the Green Blade Riseth – Shirley McRae, arr. (1933-2018)
• Christ the Lord is Risen Today – John Ferguson, arr. (b. 1941)
• I Know that My Redeemer Liveth – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
• Amy Bogan, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Improvisation on Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing! - Paul Manz (1919-2009)
• Carillon de Westminster, Opus 54, No. 6 – Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
• Rondo in G – John Bull (1562 or 1563 – 1628), arr. Richard Ellsasser (1926 - 1972)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today (EASTER HYMN)
• Hymn 178 Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord (ALLELUIA NO. 1)
• S-128 Sanctus - William Mathias
• S-151 fraction anthem (
• Psalm 118 – Hal H. Hopson

The music for Easter takes on an appropriately celebratory tone with the addition of two instruments you don't usually hear together except on a Revolutionary War battlefield.

At the time I was looking for music for Easter 2021, choirs were not yet permitted in our in-person services, so I needed some special music for our four-person Schola (1) that would be appropriately festive while not being over-powering for the small group. I remembered an arrangement of an Easter carol which was accompanied by piccolo and snare drum alone. It was a perfect choice. I paired it with another Easter carol arranged for two-part choir, flute, bells and tamborine, and was all ready for Easter. Then, when we got the word that the choir could sing, we were all set!

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today is arranged by John Ferguson, for many years the Elliot and Klara Stockdal Johnson Professor of Organ and Church Music and Cantor to the Student Congregation at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. His undergraduate work was completed at Oberlin College, his Masters degree from Kent State and the DMA diploma from The Eastman School of Music. He set the Charles Wesley Easter hymn to a Christmas Carol from 13th century France called ORIENTIS PARTIBUS. (You may remember the carol as "The Friendly Beasts.") It's a very simple setting for choir which is made more joyful by the addition of the spritely piccolo and crisp sound of the snare drum.

The other anthem is a setting of another Easter text set to another French Christmas carol. Anglican priest John MacLeod Campbell Crum wrote Now the Green Blade Riseth to be paired with the popular French carol melody NOËL NOUVELET. Michael Hawn, retired professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology at SMU, wrote this about the text:

The vivid imagery of the hymn is biblically based: John 12:23-24: "And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (KJV) In addition, 1 Corinthians 15:37-38 connects the image with the resurrection: "And that which sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." (KJV)

The connection of the Easter event - the rising of Jesus -- is unmistakable. The simple phrase "Now the green blade riseth" reminds us that Jesus is risen today just as he rose on that first Easter morning. In the third line, we find "Love" being used as a metaphor for Jesus. We are now reminded why Jesus came to the earth in the first place: "For God so loved the world…" (John 3:16). After speaking directly about Jesus' death and resurrection, Crum turns to our lifetime struggles. In the fourth stanza, Crum emphasizes that no matter what we are going through, "Jesus' touch can call us back to life again." (2)

This arrangement is by a one of my Memphis friends, Shirley W. McRae. Shirley was Professor Emerita in the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music (University of Memphis), where she taught for 25 years and served as coordinator of music education. At the University, she taught courses in aural theory, children's choirs, hymnology, choral conducting, and music education. 

With a worldwide reputation in the specialized field of Orff Music, she was a composer, music clinician, children's choir conductor as well as the author of two textbooks, Directing the Children's Choir and Tutoring Tooters. Over her extensive career, she composed numerous choral works, both sacred and secular, for unison and mixed choirs as well as eight books of compositions and arrangements for Orff music classes. Her compositions and arrangements have been widely performed by school, university, community, and professional ensembles across the United States. Four of her compositions have been commercially recorded by groups including the Rhodes College Singers, the Denver Women's Chorus, and the Memphis Boychoir and Chamber Choir.


She has arranged this carol for choir, flute, handbells and percussion.

The opening voluntary at the 10:15 service is a toccata based on the famous bell peal, Westminster Chimes. Nearly everyone associates the Westminster chimes with the Clock Tower at the House of Parliament in London. Originally, however, they were fitted to the clock of the University Church, St Mary's the Great, in Cambridge, England. This is a fabulous organ piece, written by a great composer, Louis Vierne. He was almost completely blind after being born with cataracts, and composed in Braille or on large manuscript paper. From an early age he had a gift for music, and was able to pick out notes from a Schubert lullaby on the piano at the age of two.

The closing voluntary is the Rondo in G, attributed to John Bull but probably composed by Richard Ellsasser, an American organist active during the 1940s, 50's and 60's. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ellsasser was a musical prodigy who studied piano and organ, touring the eastern United States as an organist with various symphony orchestras at the age of 7. He made his New York organ debut in 1937. At the age of 19 he became the youngest person in history to have played, from memory, all 250+ organ works of J. S. Bach. At age 41, he suffered a stroke which forced him into retirement.

(1) Schola refers to a singing school especially for church choristers, and specifically: the choir or choir school of a monastery or of a cathedral. In a monastery, everyone was expected to sing the service. The Schola was a specialized group from out of the larger "choir" (Congregation) for special music.

(2) C. Michael Hawn https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-now-the-green-blade-riseth

Music for November 10, 2019 + Kirkin o' the Tartans

Vocal Music

• Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs – Paul Ritchie
• I Know that My Redeemer Liveth – G. F. Handel, Amy Bogan, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Highland Cathedral - James D. Wetherald, arr., Richard Kean, pip
  er 
• Traditional Piping Tunes – Richard Keen, piper

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

• Hymn R 5 - God is here, and we his people (ABBOTT’S LEIGH)
• Hymn 295 - Sing praise to our Creator (CHRISTUS, DER IS MEIN LEBEN)
• Hymn - I know that my Redeemer lives (DUKE STREET)
• Hymn R 90 - Spirit of the Living God (LIVING GOD)
• Hymn R 36 - I love you, Lord (I LOVE YOU, LORD)
• Hymn 671 - Amazing grace! how sweet the sound (NEW BRITAIN)
• Hymn 625 - Ye holy angels bright (DARWALL’S 148TH)
• Psalm 17:1-9 - Tone Vc, Refrain by Jane Marshall

This is a favorite Sunday for many parishioners at Good Shepherd when we “Kirk (or bless) the Tartans.” Though we have been doing this for over 20 years, it is still a relatively new thing, beginning in the early 1940s, when Peter Marshall (the Presbyterian minister who was chaplain of the Senate - not the game show host) held prayer services at New York Avenue Presbyterian in D.C to raise funds for War Relief. At one of the services, he preached a sermon called “Kirking of the Tartans,” and thus a legend was born. You can read a more detailed history here at the Scottish Tartans Museum website. (Side note: the Scottish Tartan Museum is in Franklin, North Carolina, NOT Scotland)

Samuel Seabury

The reason we "kirk the tartans" is to remember our Anglican history,  specifically Samuel Seabury, the first American Anglican bishop who was consecrated by the Scottish Bishops of the Anglican church during the Revolutionary War. (England was a bit upset with the Americans, so they would have no part of that!) Thus we commemorate his consecration on the Sunday nearest his feast daym which is the anniversary of his consecration as a bishop, November 14, 1784. We wear our tartans, hang them in the church, and hear the bagpipe play. For twelve years now we have begun the service with the piper playing Highland Cathedral and end with him playing traditional piping tunes.

Amy Bogan, our soprano section leader, is singing one of the favorite arias from Handel's Messiah, I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.  It's the opening movement of the third part of the oratorio, which is considered to be the Easter section, but the text is not New Testament, but is mainly from the Old Testament book of Job. As our first lesson this Sunday is that passage from Job, it is only fitting that Amy sing it during communion.

Music for July 7, 2019 +

Vocal Music

• O Had I Jubal’s Lyre – George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)

Anna Zhang, soprano
Instrumental Music

• Aria from Water Music – George Frederick Handel
• There Is a Fountain – Jean Langlais
• Postlude in G – George Frederick Handel

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

• Hymn R-270 - Join all the glorious names (DARWALL)
• Hymn 441 - In the cross of Christ I glory (RATHBUN)
• Hymn 424 - For the fruit of all creation (EAST ACKLAM)
• Hymn R305 - Lord, you give the great commission (ABBOT’S LEIGH)

The offertory this Sunday is the jubilant aria for soprano from Handel's opera, Joshua. Joshua tells the story of the Israelites from their passage over the Jordan River into Canaan and through the Battle of Jericho. This aria comes at the end of the oratorio. It will be sung by our soprano section leader this past year, Anna Zhang. Anna was a student at Lone Star College, and will be entering Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches in the fall.

If you were raised in the Baptist, Methodist or other southern denominations, chances are great that you will remember an old hymn called "There is a fountain filled with blood." This old revival tune was given a new treatment by the French organist Jean Langlais. The melody is played in the pedals, while a slow, modal accompaniment hovers above.

Music for June 23, 2019 + Pentecost 2

Vocal Music

• Let the Bright Seraphim – George Frederick Handel (1685-1759), Jade Panares, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Choral – Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
• Ayre – George Frederick Handel 
• Postlude – Louis Vierne 

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

• Hymn 388 O worship the King, all glorious above! (HANOVER)
• Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East or West (MCKEE)
• Hymn 679 Surely it is God who saves me (THOMAS MERTON)
• Hymn R9 As the deer pants for the water (Martin Nystrom)
• Hymn R218 One bread, one body, (ONE BREAD, ONE BODY,)
• Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul (ST. THOMAS (WILLIAMS))
• Psalm 42 -  Tone VIIIa

Music for November 11, 2018 + Kirking of the Tartans

Vocal Music

• Thou Art God – Lionel Bourne

Instrumental Music

• Highland Cathedral - James D. Wetherald, arr., Richard Kean, piper
• Lascia ch’io Pianga – G. F. Handel

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

• Hymn 686 - Come, thou fount of every blessing (NETTLETON)
• Hymn S-204 - Glory be to God on High - Old Scottish Chant
• Hymn 429 - I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath (OLD 113TH)
• Hymn 707 - Take my life, and let it be (HOLLINGSIDE)
• Hymn R172 - In my life, Lord, be glorified (LORD BE GLORIFIED)
• Hymn R27 - O how he loves you and me (PATRICIA)
• Hymn - In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful (Jacques Barthier)
• Hymn 671 - Amazing grace! how sweet the sound (NEW BRITAIN)
• Hymn 579 - Almighty Father, strong to save (MELITA)
• Psalm 146 – Tone VIIIa

This is a favorite Sunday for many parishoners at Good Shepherd when we “Kirk (or bless) the Tartans.” This is a relatively new rite, beginning in the early 1940s, when Peter Marshall (the Presbyterian minister who was chaplain of the Senate - not the game show host) held prayer services at New York Avenue Presbyterian in D.C to raise funds for War Relief. At one of the services, he preached a sermon called “Kirking of the Tartans,” and thus a legend was born. You can read the entire fascinating history here on the Tartan Authority Website.

Samuel Seabury

We do it every year around Samuel Seabury day, the first American Anglican bishop who was consecrated by the Scottish Bishops of the Anglican church during the Revolutionary War. Ironically, Samuel Seabury was born on November 30, 1729, the day of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, which may have presaged his future consecration as the first American Bishop when he was consecrated at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland

Seabury as
portrayed in the
musical "Hamilton"

Thus we commemorate his consecration by wearing our tartans, hanging them in the church, and hearing the bagpipes play. We begin the service with the piper playing “Highland Cathedral” and end with him playing “Amazing Grace.”

(Seabury appears in the musical "Hamilton" in the number "Farmer Refuted". He is an active Loyalist, someone who remains loyal to an established ruler especially during a revolt, preaching against the Revolution in front of important members of the American government and supporters of the Revolution. Hamilton then backs him down and eventually wins the debate after important members of the congress backed Hamilton. Seabury wrote his defense of the Loyalist position under the name A. W. Farmer, or A Westchester Farmer, hence "The farmer refuted.")

The anthem is a work by Lionel Bourne, Organist & Director of Music at the church of St John the Divine, Kennington (London). Bourne has been at St John’s since 2006.  A graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire, he has many years’ experience as a church musician under his belt as well as a career in music at the BBC.

The text is by the Reverend Canon David Adam, former Vicar of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Lindisfarne is famous for its medieval religious heritage. In 635AD Saint Aidan came from Iona and chose to found his monastery on The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, thus making it a center of Celtic spiritualism. Mr. Adam’s poem sounds eversomuch like an ancient Gaelic Rune.

Bourne has scored this piece for four vocal parts (SATB) and organ. Marked "Flowing, but not too fast", the music is in G major and 3/4 time. The choir begins singing in unison, but by the second stanza begins to unfold into four parts. piece. Dynamically, the music begins softly and stays that way until the beginning of the third stanza, when a gradual crescendo climaxes on the text “Thou art the light, the truth, the way,” with pronounced breaks after “Light,” “truth,” and “way.” There is a diminuendo to a very soft ending as the choir repeats the final line “Thou art my Savior this very day.”

Lascia ch’io pianga (Let Me Weep) is an aria from the opera Rinaldo by George Frederick Handel. I'll admit it has nothing to do with church, per se, but it is very spiritual in nature. Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato's includes it on her recent album with conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and the ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro, In War & Peace: Harmony Through Music. On this recording, she uses Baroque arias to explore the pain and possibilities of these troubled times. A companion website invites anyone and everyone to answer the simple but loaded question, "In the midst of chaos, how do you find peace?"

The piano arrangement I'm playing is from an old Etude magazine from 1919 - one year after World War I ended. It is arranged by Moritz Moszkowski, a German composer, pianist, and teacher of Polish-Jewish descent. He took quite a few liberties in his "transcription."

Music for September 16, 2018

Vocal Music

• Day by Day – Martin How (b, 1931)

Instrumental Music

• Voluntary in G Major – William Boyce (1710-1779)
• Variations on Jesu, Meine Freude (Hymn 701) – Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)
• Sinfonia from “Sampson” – George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “x” which are from Lift Every Voice and Sing II.)

• Hymn 525 - The Church’s one foundation (AURELIA)
• Hymn 675 - Take up your cross, the Savior said (BOURBON)
• Hymn 433 - We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing (KREMSER)
• Hymn L136 - I have decided to follow Jesus (ASSAM)
• Hymn L144 - I can hear my Savior calling (NORRIS)
• Hymn 522 - Glorious things of thee are spoken (AUSTRIA)
• Psalm 116:1-8 - tone VIIIa

I love Baroque music (music from @1600-1750), and particularly the well-defined musical forms of the period. In Germany one of the prevailing tendencies was pairing the Prelude and Fugue together. Stylistically, the prelude is improvisatory in nature with a small number of rhythmic and melodic motifs that recur through the piece, while a fugue is a sophisticated compositional technique of two or more voices, built on a musical theme that is introduced at the beginning, then imitated at different pitches and which recurring frequently during the composition.

In England, composers didn’t seem to pair the two forms as much as combine them into one piece called voluntaries. Originally, the term voluntary was used for a piece of organ music that was free in style and was meant to sound improvised (the word voluntary in general means "proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent"). [1] This probably grew out of the practice of church organists improvising after a service.

Later, the voluntary began to develop into a more definite form, like the today’s voluntary by William Boyce. It begins with an improvisatory section (prelude) before ending with a fugue – and in this instance, it’s a Double Fugue, with two subjects that are developed simultaneously.

William Boyce was the leading native-born composer in England during Eighteenth Century, second only in popularity to that German intruder, Georg Friedrich Händel (who later Anglicized the spelling of his name as George Frederick Handel.) He was known for his set of eight symphonies, his church anthems and his odes. He also wrote three operas and some chamber music.

At the age of 48, Boyce went deaf, and had to give up playing the organ. He devoted himself to editing the collection of church music which bears his name and completing the compilation Cathedral Music that his teacher Maurice Greene had left incomplete at his death. This led to Boyce editing works by the likes of William Byrd and Henry Purcell. Many of the pieces in the collection are still used in Anglican services today.

Boyce was largely forgotten after his death and he remains a little-performed composer today. The great exception to this neglect is his church music, which was edited after his death and published in two large volumes in 1780 and 1790.

The first movement (Allegro) of Boyce's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat was the first piece of music played during the procession of the bride and bridegroom at the end of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

To balance the understated elegance of Boyce’s Voluntary, I will end the service with a transcription of a Sinfonia from the Oratorio Solomon by his greatest rival, Handel. This Sinfonia, which opens act 3, is more commonly known as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.” It was featured at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

[1] "voluntary". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 September 2018.

Music for Easter 2018

Vocal Music

• Sing Unto God from Judas Maccabeus – George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) 
• Laudate Dominum from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) 
• Brooke Vance, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Tuba Tune – Norman Cocker (1889-1957)
• Festival Toccata - Percy Fletcher (1879-1932) 

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

• Hymn 207 - Jesus Christ is risen today (Easter Hymn) 
• Hymn 417 - This is the feast of victory (Festival Canticle)) 
• Hymn 210 - The day of resurrection (Ellacombe) 
• Hymn 174 - At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (Salzburg) 
• Hymn 204 - Now the green blade riseth (Noel Nouvelet) 
• Hymn 179 - “Welcome, happy morning!” (Fortunatus) 
• Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 -Tone VIIIa,  refrain by Hal Hopson

In what may be a first, none of the choral or organ music for the big Easter services was written expressly for the season of Easter. In fact, there is not even an "alleluia" in the whole lot! But rest assured, the resurrection will be celebrated! All of the music is joyous and jubilant!

Many choirs across the globe will include one or more selections from Handel's oratorio, Messiah, in the Easter services, but we turn to another of his oratorios, Judas Maccabaeus, for our offertory. The story of a people’s triumph told in music of high drama and glorious pageantry is George Frideric Handel at his heroic best, full of rousing choruses, ravishing duets, and fiery arias. 

 

Written by Reverend Thomas Morell (based on the apocryphal book 1 Maccabees), the libretto of Judas Maccabaeus tells the tale of the Jews’ resistance toward their Syrian conquerors. Led by their king, Antiochus, the Syrians invaded Judea in 169 BC, killing many people and desecrating the Jewish temples. The Jews did not submit willingly to their captors, and under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, fought their tormentors. Our anthem comes from the moment that the Jew's learn that Judas has not only defeated scores of enemies, but has moved into Jerusalem as well.  That's why the people of Israel "sing unto God, ...to crown this conquest with unmeasur’d praise." It's a perfect response also to Jesus' conquest over death and hell.

You'll hear many typical Handelian elements, starting with the opening theme in the altos which breaks into a joyous, melismatic run on the words "praise." There is also a juxtaposition of contrapuntal, fugal sections mixed with clear cut homophonic sections where each part sings the same words at the same time, emphasizing the words.

Brooke Vance, solist for the Mozart this Sunday.
Brooke grew up at Good Shepherd, singing in the choirs
until she entered Indiana University where she received her
undergraduate degree in music in 2017

During communion, we are so happy (and fortunate) to have Brooke Vance with us to sing the exquisite Laudate Dominum from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

Mozart composed two settings of the Vespers (Evening Service): Vesperae Solennes de Dominica, K. 321 (1779) and Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339 (1780). The title Vesperae Solennes de Confessore means that the work was composed to honor a saint. Solennes in this case means accompanied by an orchestra. 

 

The Vesperae Solennes de Confessore was the last work Mozart wrote for his taskmaster employer, Archbishop Colloredo. This service stays well under the 45-minute time limit created by the Archbishop, composed of five Psalms, followed by a canticle, the Magnificat. The Psalms flow easily from one to the other, as chant would do in such a service.  

 

For this movement, he creates one of the most lyrical and beautiful soprano solos in all of his 

compositions. It is a gentle hymn of praise, with soaring, expressive melody for the soloist, 

accompanied by liquid, flowing instrumental lines. The choir enters quietly at the Gloria patri, singing the same music that the soloist sang at the beginning of the movement while textually continuing the text. The soloist enters with exquisite embellishment at the Amen. The chorus states a final, quiet Amen, and the movement concludes with a gentle, rippling effect in the accompaniment.

The organ music comes from the early-twentieth century English school, with works by Norman Cocker and Percy Fletcher. Of the two, Cocker was more at home in the church, with Fletcher at home in the theatre.

Cocker was a chorister at Magdalen College, Oxford, before later becoming organist of Manchester Cathedral.   He was awarded the Organ Scholarship at Merton College, Oxford, but never completed his degree after being sent down, on his own admission, for not doing enough work. He also held appointments in various cinemas in the city. He is chiefly known for this one work, Tuba Tune, which he wrote in 1922.

Fletcher, who was born in Derby, made his living as a Musical Director in the London theatre world, fulfilling this position successively at the Prince of Wales, Savoy, Daly's, Drury Lane and from, 1915 until his death, His Majesty's Theatre. He also composed two successful musical comedies, Cairo, described as a 'mosaic in music and mime' in 1921, The Good Old Days in 1925.

He also wrote a good deal of classical music for orchestra, chamber ensembles,  brass bands, and church, but sadly Fletcher's music has now all but sunk without trace. One may still occasionally hear Bal Masqué played by a light orchestra, Labour and Love and the Epic Symphony performed by brass bands, or the rare church choir sing the Passion at Easter. Ultimately it is the organ where you now regularly hear his works, including today's closing voluntary, Festival Toccata, written in 1915.

Music for October 8, 2017 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• I Choose Love – Mark Miller (21st C.)
• Let Thy Blood in Mercy Poured - Johann Crüger (1598-1662)

Instrumental Music

• Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan  (Whate'er my God ordains is right) – Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)
• Concerto No. 4 in F Major:  III. Andante – G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
• Fantasia C-major BWV 570 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

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

• Hymn 518 - Christ is made the sure foundation (WESTMINSTER ABBEY)
• Hymn 474 - When I survey the wondrous cross (ROCKINGHAM)
• Hymn 495 - Hail, thou once despised Jesus! (IN BABILONE)
• Hymn R9 - As the deer pants for the water (AS THE DEER)
• Hymn 598 - Lord Christ, when first thou cam’st to earth (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
• Psalm 80:7-14 – Tone VIIIa

In the midst of pain, of war, of brokenness... we choose love. We choose community. What better way to share this message than through powerful song, and that's exactly what you'll hear this Sunday in the piece our choir will sing at the offering. This soulful anthem, written in response to the tragic events that occurred at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, North Carolina in 2015, is a testament to the power of forgiveness and peace. I chose it even as our community was still knee-deep (literally) in post-Harvey pain, and it is even more appropriate the week after the tragedy in Las Vegas.

Mark A. Miller

It is written by the contemporary composer Mark Miller. He is on the faculty at both the Drew Theological School and the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University where he teaches music and worship. He also is Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit, New Jersey and Composer in Residence of Harmonium Choral Society in NJ. From 2002-2007 he was Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church and from 1999-2001 was Assistant Organist and Music Associate at the Riverside Church, both in New York City.  Miller received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University and his Master of Music in Organ Performance from Juilliard.

As the the son, grandson, brother, and cousin of United Methodist clergy, Mark Miller believes in Cornel West’s quote that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” He also passionately believes that music can change the world. This is never more obvious than today's anthem, I Choose Love. Here is 

Miller’s Reflection on his composition:

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

The gospel stories of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection continue to inspire, uplift, and amaze me. They inspire, uplift, and amaze because Jesus consistently chooses love. When it would be easier for him to appease with the powerful religious leaders and Roman backed authorities he chooses love. Even as his friends disappear and the crowds that once shouted “hosanna” turn on him with shouts of “crucify,” he chooses love. Even after betrayal and humiliation, even when he is dying, he chooses love.

The words to the song “I Choose Love” are by my friend Lindy Thompson, written in response to the murder of nine people who were at their church bible study. The people of Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, S.C., chose love when they offered forgiveness in the face of hatred and violence.

We always have a choice. Every day we have a choice–how will the events of your day and your life affect you? It’s the challenge of the witness of Jesus–the challenge of a truly faithful life–a daily spiritual discipline for each of us to rise up every day and say “I choose love.”

The other anthem this morning uses John Brownlie's communion text, Let Thy Blood In Mercy Poured. Brownlie was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who was interested in both education and hymnology. He wrote several original hymns, and translated many more from Latin and Greek. In addition, he wrote on the history of hymns. This hymn-text has been matched with a melody by Johann Crüger, one of the leading musicians in Germany during the early baroque period. Nine of his hymns are in our Hymnal 1982.