Music for the First Sunday of Advent: November 30, 2020, Year B

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Creator of the Stars of Night (Conditor alme siderum)

setting, Carlton R. Young

 

Advent and Christmas seem to pull our hearts to older, ancient even, music of the church. This hymn is no exception. Christians were singing it about 900 years before the Reformation began – that means some 1,400 years before our present day. ELW places it in the Advent section, but it’s also suitable for Christ the King Sunday. Our choir sang an arrangement of it last week.

 

The melody has four short phrases and they rise and fall with notes that stay close to each other.

Carlton Young’s setting features an ostinato accompaniment (a short phrase that repeats throughout a piece of music) while the melody is in the pedal.

 

Conditor alme siderum is also the basis for the Kyrie that we’ll be singing throughout the season of Advent.

 

GATHERING HYMN O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (Wie soll ich dich empfangen)

ELW 241

This is one of nine hymns in ELW by Paul Gerhardt who is known as Germany’s greatest hymn writer. (I bet you thought it was Martin Luther, didn’t you?) Gerhardt played a role in German Church history by attempting to bring together Lutheran and Reformed clergy – a task that ultimately failed because of their diverging theological viewpoints. Still, Gerhardt was well-liked on both sides of the protestant aisle.

 

Gerhardt’s faith combined “a deep personal piety and filial trust in God with the love of nature of the true poet. . . “We can see this throughout this hymn, but especially in the second stanza:

 

HYMN OF THE DAY Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (Merton)

ELW 246

The gospel reading opens with a terrible scene: darkness, falling stars, and a shaking heaven. Then we see Jesus coming with “great power and glory.”  According to this hymn, it is seeing Jesus that allows us to cast off the darkness and rise from our bondage.

 

MUSICAL OFFERING God of Still Waiting

Music: Alfred V. Fedak
Text: Carlton R. Young

 

MUSIC DURING COMMUNION Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Picardy)

setting, Robert Hebble

 

This hymn is even older than Creator of the Stars of Night, possibly dating to the second or third century. The familiar tune, Picardy, is of French origin and not quite as old since it comes from the 17^th century.

We will encounter Picardy three times in today’s liturgy since it is the basis for the gospel acclamation and the Holy, holy, holy. (Sanctus)

Robert Hebble, the composer, died in Atlantis, Florida on February 17, 2020. Here is a link to his obituary:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/west-palm-beach-fl/robert-hebble-9043903

 

SENDING HYMN Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending (Helmsley)

ELW 435

It would be hard for me to tell you how much I love this hymn. I first heard it on a CD by the Cambridge Singers with an arrangement by John Rutter. You can hear this arrangement, with its stirring brass and organ introduction, at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBAG0TXu2AE

 

One day, as I was browsing the Episcopal Hymnal 1982 (I worked at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville at the time), I was playing through hymns and recognized Helmsley. I was so excited to discover it was actually a congregational hymn and it has been an important part of my Advent season since that day.

 

There is a stanza missing in ELW so I usually print a four-stanza version when we sing it; however, with COVID-19 concerns we are also trying to limit assembly singing. I included the missing stanza, from the pen of Charles Wesley, here:

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Trumpet Tune on “Wake, Awake!”

Martha Sobaje

 

OTHER MUSIC

Kyrie Eleison

Our Kyrie has been composed from “Creator of the Stars of Night.” This is a new setting so I’ve done a short “tutorial video” to help you learn it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0ItLZGyVU&t=63s

Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah Tif in veldele – lighting of the Advent Wreath

Psalm Setting

An assembly refrain with an ELW tone sung antiphonally between the choir and assembly

Gospel Acclamation Picardy

Sanctus Picardy

 

Sources:

Wikipedia

Painting of Madonna with Child by Lorenzo Monaco, Florence, c.1410
By Unknown author - Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche Lübben, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1410833

Portrait of Paul Gerhardt, Wikipedia

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Oxford University Press

Music for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost: November 15, 2020

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Partita on “Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart” (Herlich lieb)

A partita is a musical suite. In recent years, composers have been writing “hymn partitas” – a suite of variations on a hymn tune. This partita by J. Wayne Kerr has three variations. We’ll hear the first one, Reflection, as the service begins. The other two variations will be heard later in the worship service.

 

Today’s gospel reading is the parable of the talents. We are often told the lesson for us in this reading is that we should not squander the gifts we have from God. In Martin Schalling’s hymn we acknowledge God’s gifts and ask for help in using them for God’s glory.

       Yea, Lord, thine own rich bounty gave my body, soul, and all I have in this poor life of labor.

       Lord, grant that I in every place may glorify thy lavish grace and serve and help my neighbor.

 

I did not know this hymn before coming to St. Mark’s. Now it is one of my favorites.

 GATHERING HYMN Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (Hyfrydol) ELW 707

 

HYMN OF THE DAY As Saints of Old (Forest Green) ELW 695

This is one of the most satisfying of all hymn tunes. It’s AABA form is solid and reassuring. This is my favorite tune for the Christmas text “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

 

MUSICAL OFFERING Jesus Calls Us K. Lee Scott

This text is found in ELW with the tune Galilee, but K. Lee Scott has paired it with Sion’s Security, an American southern folk hymn that was first published in 1867.

 

MUSIC DURING COMMUNION

Variation 2 in J. Wayne Kerr’s partita is a trio – a piece of music with three voices. The right hand takes the melody while the left hand plays a counter melody. The organ pedals provide a solid foundation with a steady beat.

 

SENDING HYMN O God, Our Help in Ages Past (St. Anne) ELW 632

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Variation 3 on “Lord, Thee I Love”

The final variation is a toccata. The hands are quite active while the pedals solo out the melody. If you’ve ever wondered what it sounds like when all of the organ’s stops are played, listen to the last two chords of this piece which are played “full organ.”

Music for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost: November 8, 2020

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY The Trumpet Shall Sound

G. F. Handel from Messiah, arr. Lani Smith

 

GATHERING HYMN Come, We That Love the Lord

(Marching to Zion) Evangelical Lutheran Worship 625

 

HYMN OF THE DAY Wake, Awake for Night Is Flying
(Wachet auf) ELW 436

Many call this hymn the Lutheran King of the Chorales and I have to admit it’s one of my favorites. Before coming to St. Mark’s, the only time I sang this hymn was in choir when I was in middle school.  It’s in most hymnals and musicians of all denominations revere it, but it’s rarely sung by congregations outside of Lutheran churches.

Today’s second stanza is an “organ only” stanza with a setting by Robert Lau. (In this time of Covid, one of the ways we can limit assembly singing is through the use of organ settings. While the organ plays, the assembly to hear another composer’s approach and to meditate on the text.)

Robert Lau’s setting of this tune includes four variations and we’ll hear them all throughout the service this morning. The first variation comes during the Hymn of the Day. Variations 2 and 3 will be heard as the communion elements are distributes. The fourth (and final) variation will be heard as the closing voluntary.

By Hieronymous Francken II - Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6860120

SENDING HYMN Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers
(Haf trones lampa färdig) ELW 244

This is another hymn I never sang before coming to St. Mark’s – and this text paired with a Swedish folk song has become one of my favorites!

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Wachet auf

setting, Robert Lau

Music for All Saints Sunday: November 1, 2020

 Opening Voluntary Behold the Host Arrayed in White

(Den store hvide flok)

setting, John Ferguson

 

Gathering Hymn For All the Saints (Sine Nomine)

ELW 422, stanzas 1, 2, 3, 7

 

Hymn of the Day Jerusalem, My Happy Home (Land of Rest)

ELW 628

 

Musical Offering For All the Saints Bob Moore, text by John L. Bell

Sung by the Festival Choir

 

Music During the Distribution

Shall We Gather at the River setting, Robert A. Hobby

 

Sending Hymn Sing with All the Saints in Glory (Blaenwern)

 

Closing Voluntary Prelude and Chorale on “Rejoice in God’s Saints”

(Laudate Dominum

prelude, David Cherwien; chorale C. Hubert H. Parry