Music for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost: August 29, 2021

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Two Versets on “Morning Has Broken” (Bunessan)

Richard Proulx, 1937-2010

 

GATHERING HYMN Dearest Jesus, at Your Word (Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier)
ELW 520

 

HYMN OF THE DAY As a Chalice Cast of Gold

This hymn is not in ELW. The text is by author and poet Thomas Troeger (b. 1945) and the tune is Dix.

 

MUSICAL OFFERING Create in Me
Thomas Keesecker
The text comes from Psalm 51.

 

COMMUNION HYMN Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
African American Spiritual

 

SENDING HYMN O Word of God Incarnate (Munich)

ELW 514

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fanfare Postlude on St. Thomas

In many hymnals this tune is paired with the text “I Love Thy/Your Kingdom, Lord.)

Music for Mary, Mother of Our Lord: August 15, 2021

Mary’s role is not limited to giving birth to Jesus and mothering him in his childhood. In John’s gospel, she is among the women standing near the cross; in Acts, she is among the disciples awaiting the gift of the Spirit. Through all that happened she continued to see how God was at work through her son, keeping the ancient promises to her ancestors, brushing aside the rich and powerful, and focusing on those as poor and powerless as Mary herself.  

From Sundays and Seasons, Augsburg Fortress

OPENING VOLUNTARY The Angel Gabriel from Heaven  
setting, Paul Manz
 
GATHERING HYMN Savior of the Nations, Come (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland) ELW 263

 

St. Mary of the Mount Catholic Church
Pittsburgh

CANTICLE OF PRAISE My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness, O Lord
setting, Anne Krentz Organ
Mary’s Song, also called the Magnificat, is usually associated with Evening Prayer. This is the first of three versions we will sing an hear today.  The second version, from the gospel of Luke, is the gospel reading for the day.
 

Gospel Acclamation
Michael Krentz has pulled the melody from the popular Christmas carol Greensleeves and added a setting of the gospel verse for the day. This same tune comes back as the offering hymn.
 
HYMN OF THE DAY For All the Faithful Women (Kuortane) 

ELW 419
 
MUSICAL OFFERING There Is No Rose Pat Messick
A 15^th century text is set to a gentle contemporary tune. This is a macaronic carol, one that mixes English with Latin words. Another example of this type of song is Angels We Have Heard on High.
 
OFFERING HYMN What Feast of Love (Greensleeves) ELW 487
 
COMMUNION HYMN Canticle of the Turning (Star of County Down) ELW 723
In recent years this has become a favorite hymn at St. Mark’s. It’s hard to resist a stirring text paired with an Irish jig!
 
SENDING HYMN Signs and Wonders (Freu dich sehr) ELW 672
Listen for the angel wings in the organ introduction.

Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Prelude and Chorale on Nun komm der Heiden Heiland
prelude, Walter L. Pelz; chorale, Johann Walther

Portrait of Mary: By Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato - Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1432637

The Annunciation: By Leonardo da Vinci - http://www.marysrosaries.com/collaboration/index.php?title=File:Annunciation_-_Leonardo_Da_Vinci_-_Annunciazione.jpeg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13126265

 

Music for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost: August 8, 2021

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY

Prelude and Chorale on “O Bread of Life from Heaven” (O Welt, ich muss dich lassen)
prelude, Johann Gottfried Walther, 1684-1748; chorale, Heinrich Isaac, 1450-1517, arr. J. S. Bach, 1685-1750

 

GATHERING HYMN What Is this Place (Komt nu met zang)

ELW 524

Text: Huub Oosterhuis, b. 1933; tr. David Smith, b. 1993                                                

Music: A. Valerius, Nederlandtsch Gedenckclanck, 1626

 

This traditional Dutch hymn may not be known to everyone at St. Mark’s, but everyone will find it easy to sing. It’s written in the popular Lutheran bar form. There is a short “A”section that is sung twice and leads into the final six bars. The tune feels like a folk song and is easy to sing.

If you’d like to get the tune in your head a little before Sunday, here is a wonderful recording of a solo singer accompanying himself on guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4F8qnmBew4

 

An illuminated manuscript from the early 1400s

PSALM Psalm 130

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.”

The assembly sings a refrain that quotes the tune Yigdal (The God of Abraham Praise). A cantor sings the stanzas using an Anglican chant called “Cambridge Chant.”

 

HYMN OF THE DAY Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness (SchmÜcke dich) ELW 488

Text: Johann Franck, 1618-1677, tr. Lutheran Book of Worship                                            

Music: Johann Crüger, 1598-1662
The hymn is introduced with a chorale prelude on the same tune by Johann Gottfried Walther, 1684-1748.

 

MUSICAL OFFERING O Bread of Life from Heaven

David Ashley White

COMMUNION HYMN Bread of Life from Heaven

(Argentine Santo / Break Now the Bread) ELW 474

Text: Susan R. Briehl, b. 1952                                     

Music: Argentine traditional, refrain; Marty Haugen, b. 1950, stanzas

 

The refrain came comes out of the charismatic Christian tradition in Argentina. This refrain is so easily learned, that worshipers might even sing it as they approach the ministers to receive communion.

Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen collaborated on the stanzas that appear in this version.

SENDING HYMN My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (The Solid Rock) ELW 596

Text: Edward Mote, 1797-1874                                                                                              

Music: William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868

Back in the late 70s I sang with a touring choir of high school students called the New Way Singers. This was through the Nebraska Christian College. We sang a downright danceable version of this hymn in a style not often seen in church music – DISCO!

CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) was just coming to be known as a genre. We were all huge fans of Amy Grant. (I'm still a fan!)

The New Way Singers summer of 1979. I'm on the left near the back, third row (sort of), with my hands on my right knee.

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fanfare on “Let the Whole Creation Cry” (Salzburg)

setting, Stephanie Honz

sources: Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worshiphttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio_70r_-_De_Profundis.jpg#/media/File:Folio_70r_-_De_Profundis.jpg