"Music in the liturgy is God's good gift to the church to glorify God and edify God's people." (From the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Statement on Worship and Music)
Church Music Sunday is not a liturgical observance, but it is a day that St. Mark's has chosen to recognize the importance of music in our worship services. We publicly express our support for our siblings in Christ who sing in the Festival Choir, ring handbells in the St. Mark's Ringers, and play instruments to enliven our worship. Further, we acknowledge assembly singing as the primary musical expression of our worship and promise to cheerfully lift our own voices for the proclamation of the gospel.
OPENING VOLUNTARY Andante Maestoso Kevin McChesney
St. Mark's Ringers
This melody comes from The Planets, a famous orchestral suite by English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934). We hear the music for Andante Maestoso in the movement named for Jupiter.
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| Diana, Princess of Wales at the White House in 1997 |
Probably the first instance of adding text to this melody came in 1921when the tune, now named Thaxted, was paired with patriotic words by the British poet Sir Cecil Spring-Rice (1859-1918). It was famously sung by the assembly at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Hear the tune, and the singing at Princess Diana's funeral, at this link:
The text of I Vow to Thee, My Country follows:
Evangelical Lutheran Worship pairs Thaxted with two texts: Let Streams of Living Justice (ELW 710), and O God Beyond All Praising (ELW 880). Another instance is found in All Creation Sings where the tune is paired with O Spirit, All Embracing by Delores Dufner.
Feel free to call any of these texts to mind as the St. Mark's Ringers signal the beginning of our worship service.
GATHERING HYMN Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing
(Gelobt sei Gott) ELW 385
We continue to lift our voices with hymns of Christ's resurrection as the 50-day celebration of Easter continues!
HYMN OF THE DAY My Shepherd, You Supply My Need
(Resignation) ELW 782
Today is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. This hymn is a metrical setting of the beloved 23rd Psalm. The meditative tune - a traditional North American creation - is a suitable pairing for the text.
MUSICAL OFFERING Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life
Michael Larkin
Larkin's original melody is gentler than the one we find in ELW. The harmonies are lush and a joy to sing. One musical thing to listen for in his melody concerns rhythm. It's written in 6/8 time so that the larger beat is typically divided into three parts: 123 456, 123 456. Occasionally he divides the second half of the bar into two beats, so we get something like 123 456, 123 4 &. It has the effect of briefly suspending time and relaxing into the end of the musical phrase.
COMMUNION HYMN Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us (Bradbury)
ELW 789
SENDING HYMN How Shall I Sing That Majesty (Coe Fen)
ACS 1095
Text by John Mason (1646-1694)
Music by Kenneth Naylor (1931-1991)
Who are we in the grand plan of God's creation? Hymnwriter John Mason draws on images from Psalms 104 and 137 to express our place in the cosmos and the boundless greatness of God. The majestic melody from Kenneth Naylor gives us a glimpse of what that greatness might sound like, even though in our earthbound insignificance we can only imagine the eternal Alleluias of heaven. The melody, Coe Fen, is named for a small meadowland east of the River Cam in the city of Cambridge, England. (From Sunday and Seasons)
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| One of the views around Coe Fen |
After the "Recognition of Music Ministers in the Church" this new-to-us hymn has a double emphasis. It's an exhortation for our musicians who work during the week to prepare well-rehearsed music, and it strengthens the resolve of those who sing from the pews but will one day sing "Alleluia" with the celestial choir.
Watch for this amazing bit of poetry that expresses the vastness of God: thou art a sea without a shore, a sun without a sphere.
Sources:
www.alcm.org - website of The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/holst-i-vow-to-thee-my-country
Portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales: By White House photographer - Ronald Reagan Library
([https://reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/photographs/large/c31901-3.jpg
C31901-3)], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2356832
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/holst-i-vow-to-thee-my-country
Stained glass window of Jesus as The Good Shepherd: By Stained glass: Alfred Handel, d. 1946[2], photo:Toby
Hudson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10163206
View of Coe Fen: By JackyR - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=631009
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