Music for February 27, 2022 + The Last Sunday after Epiphany

Vocal Music

• Immortal, Invisible – Eric Thiman (1900-1975)

Instrumental Music

• Make Me an Instrument – Kevin McChesney (b. 1963)
• Meditation on “Beautiful Savior” – Cathy Moklebust (b. 1958)
• A Tune for the Tuba – Eric Thiman

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 383 - Fairest Lord Jesus (ST. ELIZABETH)
• Hymn 135 - Songs of thankfulness and praise (SALZBURG)
• Hymn R201 - Be still, for the Spirit of the Lord (BE STILL)
• Hymn R247 - Lord, the light of your love is shining (SHINE, JESUS, SHINE)
• Psalm 99 – Tone Va

The Handbell Guild plays for the first time this year, offering two classic handbell pieces. 

The first is a song called "Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace, composed by Kevin McChesney, one of the most prolific composers for handbell, in response to the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in 1999. Fifteen people lost their lives when two students began shooting students and teachers, and eventually themselves. The piece begins and ends with 15 chords for the 15 people who lost their lives, and is composed around the Prayer of St. Francis.

Obviously, we began rehearsing long before the threat of war in the Ukraine. We scheduled it as rumors of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia at the behest of Vladimir Putin were just being voiced. It is with the people of Ukraine (and the entire world) that we play this today.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Kevin McChesney graduated with highest honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BMus in Composition and Theory. A composer and arranger of handbell music, Kevin currently has over 900 titles in print and is one of the very few musicians who makes handbells a full‑time vocation. 

Kevin was a church music director in Methodist and Presbyterian churches for twelve years. Kevin is currently the handbell editor for Jeffers Handbell Supply and the RingingWord catalog. He directs an auditioned community handbell choir, the Pikes Peak Ringers. 

Kevin lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife Tracy and their cats, Belle and Grace Note.

The other work is by Cathy Mokelbust, another prolific composer for bells working today. Since its publication in 1996, her "Meditation on Beautiful Savior" has become one of the all-time most popular pieces in the handbell repertoire, with approximately 50,000 copies sold as of 2012. 

Cathy Moklebust began her handbell journey at age 12 at her home church, First Lutheran Church in Brookings, South Dakota. She went on to get her B.A. and M.Ed. at South Dakota State University, in  Brookings, then began her career as a public school instrumental music instructor in South Dakota. She  has performed as principal or section percussionist with several professional and community bands and orchestras throughout the upper Midwest. Cathy has played in, conducted, and coached church and community handbell ensembles in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Since 1989, she has worked in the music retail and publishing industry; currently she and her husband David operate a successful music preparation service in their hometown of Brookings.

Music for May 13, 2018 + The Sunday after Ascension

Vocal Music

• Come Down, O Love Divine – Ralph Vaughan Williams, (1872-1958),arr. Philip Dietterich (b. 1931)

Instrumental Music

• Toccata on “King’s Weston” – arr. Matthew Compton (b. 1994)
• Gabriel’s Oboe – Ennio Morricone (b. 1928), arr. Kevin McChesney (b. 1963)
• Prelude on "Hyfrydol" – Healey Willan (1880-1968)

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

• Hymn 494 - Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA)
• Hymn 214 - Hail the day that sees him rise (LLANFAIR)
• Hymn 215 - See the Conqueror mounts in triumph (IN BABILONE)
• Hymn R245 - Lord, I want to be a Christian (I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN)
• Hymn R228 - Eat this Bread (Taizé)
• Hymn 460 - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
• Psalm 1 - Beatus vir qui non abiit (Thomas Pavlechko)

May is the time that our choirs begin to wrap things up for the current choir season before taking a well deserved summer break. It's a time that always brings both sadness and relief that our weekly rehearsals won't be happening for the hot summer months.

This Sunday you will hear our Good Shepherd Handbell Guild for their final time this Spring. This group involves 10-11 volunteer ringers who work hard every week. Handbells are melodic percussion instruments, so good rhythm skills are essential. Since each ringer typically plays two or more bells, a high level of commitment is important, as even one absence leave a large gap in the ensemble. This group rehearses on each Wednesday (September through May) and plays every 4-6 weeks.

The 2018 Good Shepherd Handbell Guild (two members missing)

We are playing two pieces that are harder than anything we have done in a long time. For the opening voluntary. arranger Matthew Compton has written a high energy arrangement of Ralph Vaughan William's hymn-tune, KING'S WESTON. True to a Toccata, this arrangement flies along with fiery rhythms and continuous intensity from beginning to end. The second stanza features a unique twist where the tune is played both forward and backward at the same time. Listen for that backwards melody as it is played on the handchimes.

Matthew Compton

Matthew Compton is a Colorado Springs native who has been composing, arranging, and conducting music for handbells since 2007 when he was in the eighth grade.  He had his first composition published at the age of 15, making him one of the youngest ever published handbell composers.  He has numerous compositions and arrangements in print or in the publishing process.  An avid performer and listener, Matthew is known for his high energy originals and arrangements and beautiful harmonies, and his music has been performed across the world

Ennio Morricone

The other handbell piece is Gabriel's Oboe, originally written by the composer Ennio Morricone for the film "The Mission." The score for that movie was nominated for an Oscar, and Morricone recieved a Golden Globe for his music for that film.

Since it's appearance in 1986, this tune has become a standard of instrumental and vocal repertoire. Sarah Brightman, Il Divo, Yo Yo Ma, and a host of others have recorded it. Arranger Kevin McChesney captures its beauty completely in this wonderful arrangement.

Philip Dietterich

The choir's offertory anthem, Come Down, O Love Divine, is another arrangement of a Vaughan Williams tune. This hymn, often sung for Pentecost, is  No. 516 in our hymnal. The text is translated and reworked from the original hymn by 14th century Italian author Bianco da Siena. The tune name is Down Ampney,  named after Vaughan-William's birthplace. New York State native Philip Dietterich composed this hymn-anthem based on the familiar tune. For most of his adult life he was the Minister of Music at First United Methodist Church in Westfield, New Jersey. Mr. Dietterich now lives in retirement in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.

Music for March 19, 2017 + The Third Sunday in Lent

Vocal Music

• As Pants the Hart - Joel Martinson (b. 1960)

Instrumental Music

• Lenten Contemplation – William E. Moats (20th-21st C.)
• Antiphonal Celebration  – Kevin McChesney (b. 1963)

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

• Hymn 522 - Glorious things of thee are spoken (AUSTRIA)
• Hymn 143- The glory of these forty days (ERHALT UNS, HERR)
• Hymn 686 - Come thou fount of every blessing (NETTLETON)
• Hymn R122 - Surely it is God who saves me (FIRST SONG OF ISAIAH)
• Hymn R9 - As the deer (AS THE DEER)
• Hymn 690 - Guide me, O thou great Jehovah (CWM RHONDDA)
• Psalm 95 - Tone IIa

Kevin McChesney

This Sunday we feature the Good Shepherd Bell Choir in two pieces by contemporary American composers. The opening voluntary is a piece in 6/8 time called Antiphonal Celebration - not the most Lent-like title, but a nice way to start the service. It is by Kevin McChesney, a free-lance specialist in handbells who is in demand as a workshop leader across the country. Previously he was a church music director in Methodist and Presbyterian churches as well as accompanist and co‑director for the vocal music department at Air Academy High School, where he co‑directed a major production each fall season for eleven years. McChesney graduated with highest honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BMus in Composition and Theory. A composer and arranger of handbell music, Kevin currently has over 450 titles in print.

Listen for the antiphonal dialogue between treble and brass bells. The piece combines a lyrical melody with strong rhythmic energy, and uses mallets and the bell technique called martellato, where the bells are rung directly into the table pads.

The other piece uses both the full set of bells plus our three octaves of handchimes. It is a lovely medley of hymns associated with the Lenten season: SOUTHWELL (Lord Jesus, Think on Me), GETHSEMANE (Go to Dark Gethsemane), and HERZLIEBSTER JESU (Ah, Holy Jesus), all from the Hymnal 1980. This arrangement is by William E. Moats, a former band and orchestra director from Ohio. Moats graduated from Kent State University in Music Education and from Ball State University with a Master of Arts degree in Music.

He also served as choir director at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Kettering, Ohio for 15 years.  In addition to vocal choir he directed a brass ensemble, church band, folk ensemble, and handbell choir. In addition to handbell music, he has published band music, string orchestra music and brass chamber music.

Mr. Moats is currently semi-retired, currently directing an adult vocal choir in Mechanicsville, Virginia.