Year C Music for the First Sunday of Advent: 11/28/2021

 

WELCOME TO ADVENT

One of the ways we mark a new liturgical season is by changing our musical setting of Holy Communion. This year I’ve drawn newer music from a variety of sources and styles – except for the sung parts of the Great Thanksgiving which come from setting 5.

MUSIC FOR THE GATHERING

Each week the Holy Spirit gathers God’s people together for worship. After the announcements we follow a gathering rite. This year our Advent gathering rite includes Confession and Forgiveness, a Kyrie, lighting the Advent wreath, and the Prayer of the Day. Here is some information about the musical elements of the rite.

 

Kyrie

This prayer of the church has been with us since ancient times. We typically use a modern English version that includes petitions specific to gathering, but this year we sing a version of its most basic form: Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. (Lord have mercy. Christ has mercy. Lord have mercy.) The Greek text harkens back to the early days of the Roman mass. 

In former years, the church observed Advent as a penitential season and this Kyrie reflects that. Written by Ghanaian composer Dinah Reindorf (b. 1927), it is to be sung legato (smoothly) in a penitential, bluesy style. 

We Are Waiting

We light the candles of the Advent wreath between two stanzas of a new hymn by John Helgen (b. 1957). In the third phrase of the first stanza, we ask Jesus, “sun of justice,” to shine upon us. Christians see Jesus in the words of Malachi 4:2.

 

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

 

The Advent Wreath at St. Mark's lit
for the fourth Sunday of Advent.

This is a foreshadowing of Christmas Eve when we will sing Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness! 

We Are Waiting is included in Augsburg Fortress’ new hymn resource All Creation Sings.

MUSIC FOR THE WORD

After the Gathering rite, we hear and proclaim God’s word.

An important piece of this part of our worship is the gospel acclamation, which we sing while standing. Through joining our voices in song, we welcome the gospel and proclaim it together.

 

Our sung acclamation is by Daniel E. Schwandt and comes from his Mass for Immanuel. This Alleluia is in echo form. A cantor sings the first line and the assembly repeats it. We hear the proper gospel verse, and then repeat both parts of the Alleluia.

 

NEW MUSIC FOR THE MEAL

After the Word, we move into the Meal portion of our service, which includes the offering. After the offering we sing another hymn found in All Creation Sings.

 

When a Star is Shining

Bob Moore (b. 1962) is a composer who lives in Jacksonville. He loves to set texts by Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993). (We often sing his tune Grace Eternal with her text All who hunger, gather gladly.) Singing about the star in the east may seem more suitable for Epiphany since it recalls the magi and their famous gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; but it is suitable to remember their gifts as we bring our own.

 

 

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Veni, Emmanuel)

setting, Charles Callahan

If you were holding a contest to name the most popular Advent hymn, this one would be at the top of the list.

The original form, dating from the eighth century, contained antiphons sung at Evening Prayer during the last days of Advent from December 17^th through December 23^rd. The antiphons made up an acrostic that, when read backwards, spelled ero cras – I will be tomorrow.

 

Many hymnals have a condensed version of the text, but ELW features all the antiphons and gives instructions for singing them. (ELW 257)

 

The tune we sing is probably not as old as the text. Mary Berry (also known as Sister Thomas More), traced the melody to a 15^th century procession used by Franciscan nuns during a funeral liturgy. It may have started as funeral music, but the tune is as hopeful as it is mournful and complements this Advent text nicely.

GATHERING HYMN Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers (Haf trones lämpa fardig) ELW 244

 

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

 

MUSICAL OFFERING Savior of the Nations, Come (Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland)

setting, Nancy M. Raabe

Nancy Raabe has arranged this classic Advent hymn in the form of a motet. Motets are sacred pieces of vocal music, usually sung a cappella (without instrumental accompaniment).

 

COMMUNION HYMN O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (Wie soll ich dich empfangen) ELW 241

 

SENDING HYMN Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (Merton) ELW 246

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fanfare on “Helmsley” (Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending)

setting, Karl Osterland

See the text and tune at ELW 435.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Sundaysandseasons.com

Music for Christ the King / Reign of Christ: November 21, 2021

 A Note from Cantor Tony Cruz
Hello all, I am on vacation again this week and am happy to let you know that Jane Daugherty will be my substitute again.  I'll see you next week for the First Sunday of Advent!

OPENING VOLUNTARY

Adagio in G Minor                                                   Tomaso Albinoni

 

GATHERING HYMN ELW 408

Come, Thou Almighty King                          ITALIAN HYMN

 

HYMN OF THE DAY  ELW 416

At the Name of Jesus                                KING’S WESTON

 

MUSICAL OFFERING

Beautiful Savior                                              Healey Willan

 

COMMUNION HYMNS

Beautiful Savior ELW 838                                                         SCHÖNSTER HERR JESU

What Feast of Love ELW 487                                                                  GREENSLEEVES

 

SENDING HYMN ELW 434

Jesus Shall Reign                                                                                          DUKE STREET

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise setting, Michael Burkhardt

Music for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost: November 14, 2021

A Note from Cantor Tony
Hello all! I am on vacation this week but am happy to let you know my substitute will be Jane Daugherty - someone you know and love, and who knows and loves you back! I know you will have a morning filled with noteworthy preaching, exceptional musical leadership, joyful singing, and God's presence.

opening voluntary Prelude in C  J. S. Bach

 

gathering HYMN O God beyond All Praising (Thaxted) ELW 880

 

HYMN OF THE DAY My Lord, What a Morning (Burgleigh) ELW 438

 

MUSICAL OFFERING As This Broken Bread Wayne L. Wold

 

communion hymn Taste and See (Taste and See) ELW 493

 

SENding Hymn My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (The Solid Rock) ELW 596

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation

setting, Carl Schalk

Music for All Saints Sunday: November 7, 2021

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Celebrate with Ringing Michael Mazzatenta

played by the St. Mark’s Ringers

 

GATHERING HYMN Behold the Host Arrayed in White (Den store hvide flok) ELW 425

 

PSALM Psalm 24

setting by Peter Hallock from the Ionian Psalter

 

HYMN OF THE DAY For All the Saints (Sine Nomine) ELW 422

 

MUSICAL OFFERING Bound for the Kingdom arr. Linda L Lamb

This arrangement includes three well-known hymn tunes: “Land of Rest,” “Warrenton,” and “Pisgah.”

 

MUSIC DURING COMMUNION Shall We Gather at the River

arr. John Carter
Sung by the Festival Choir

 

SENDING HYMN ‘Tis the Church Triumphant Singing

This hymn, with a text by John Kent (1766-1843) is not in ELW. It is sung to the tune Ar hyd y nos

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir Johann Pachelbel

Music for Reformation Day: October 31, 2021

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Three settings of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (Ein feste burg)

Michael D. Costello

Three sections of Costello’s partita around this famous Lutheran hymntune make up the prelude: Chorale, Tricinium, and Ayre. The final movement of this partita will be heard as the closing voluntary.

 

GATHERING HYMN Salvation unto Us Has Come (Es ist das heil) ELW 590

This is one of the oldest Lutheran hymns as it appeared (with 14 stanzas) in our very first hymnal – Etlich christlich Lieder, published in 1523.
I loved the isometric version of this tune that I grew up with (in the red Service Book and Hymnal, 1958), but the rhythmic version moves me in a completely different way. The introduction is a chorale prelude by Gerhard Krapf. Krapf was drafted into the German army in 1942 and captured by the Russians. After the war, he returned to Germany and completed his music degrees. In 1953, he came to the United States to complete additional studies. He stayed in the U. S. and became an organ professor and a noteworthy composer of church music.

 KYRIE AND CANTICLE OF PRAISE

A hallmark of the German reformation was an emphasis on congregational singing. Here we follow the tradition of a chorale service. Said to be an innovation of Martin Luther, these services take traditional liturgical texts and render them as hymns. ELW has a version of this Kyrie with a Slovak tune. I’ve decided to use a German tune that will be more familiar to our community. The opening “bids” are sung to a tone found in Evening Prayer.

The canticle of praise is the very familiar “All Glory Be to God on High.” Nikolaus Decius (1458 – ca. 1561) is credited as the composer, but he based it on a chant tune from the 10^th century.

 

HYMN OF THE DAY A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Ein feste burg) ELW 503

Today we are singing the rhythmic version of this tune. If you grew up with the isometric version, that transition can be a little difficult. Listen to the introduction for where the notes are long and where they are short. This rhythmic alternation gives the hymn a dance-like quality that is very rewarding!

 

This rhythmic version is much closer to Martin Luther’s original version than the isometric version is. Over time, tunes from the Reformation began to be sung more slowly and the short notes elongated to the same length as the long notes. Today’s Gathering Hymn is another version of a tune that has rhythmic and isometric versions.

 

MUSICAL OFFERING Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word

setting, Jeremy Bankson

 

OFFERING HYMN Now Thank We All Our God ELW 840

Nun danket all Gott is another example of a chorale that has rhythmic and isometric versions. Here we sing the isometric one.

 

COMMUNION HYMN O Lord, We Praise You (Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet) ELW 499

The introduction is a bicinium (a two-voice piece) by Kenneth T. Kosche that leads us into the singing of this happy hymn. I’ve only learned this hymn in recent years, but it has become a favorite.

 

SENDING HYMN Rise, O Church, Like Christ Arisen (Surge Ecclesia) ELW 548

This hymn was written for the 50^th anniversary of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Roseville, Minnesota. The text is by Susan Palo Cherwien. The tune was written by Resurrection’s cantor, Timothy J. Strand.

Why does the church reform? Perhaps it is to “remember well the future God has called us receive” – and then to live into it with a living faith.

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Fughetta on “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
Michael D. Costello

Music for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost: October 24, 2021

 

On Tuesday of the coming week, the church commemorates thee hymnwriters: Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heerman, and Paul Gerhardt.

These great hymnwriters all worked in seventeenth-century Germany in times of war and plague. Nicolai, a pastor, lost 1,300 parishioners to plague, 170 in one week. He wrote "O Morning Star, how fair and bright" and "Wake, awake, for night is flying." Heermann's hymns, including "Ah, holy Jesus," often express the emotions of faith. Gerhardt, perhaps the greatest Lutheran hymnwriter, was a pastor in Berlin. (from Sundays and Seasons)

Their texts and music, now hundreds of years old, continue to form and inspire Christian worship. We will join our voices with theirs, and the whole church, as we sing Gathering, Communion, and Sending hymns.

All three portraits are from Wikipedia

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart (Herzlich lieb) setting, Jacob B. Weber

The text and music can be found at ELW 750. Later, we will sing the hymn as the Hymn of the Day.

 

GATHERING HYMN O Holy Spirit, Enter In (Wie schön leuchtet) ELW 786

Nicolai’s tune has long been known as the “Queen of the Lutheran Chorales.” He also wrote the tune for “King of the Lutheran Chorales” – Wachet auf – which we sing with the text “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying.”

HYMN OF THE DAY Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart (Herzlich lieb) ELW 750

Probably the first thing Bartimaeus saw when he gained his sight was the face of the Lord Jesus. May it be the same for us when our eyes are opened at his reappearing.

MUSICAL OFFERING I Lift My Eyes Up to the Hills Thomas Keesecker

The text comes from Psalm 121. It continues the theme of vision, and also echoes much of the text in the Psalm for the Day.

COMMUNION HYMN O Jesus, Savior Dear (O Gott, du frommer Gott)

A Saturday night communion service in Advent
at St. Mark's

There are three hymns from Heermann in ELW, but they are not well-known to our community – so I went in search of something else. I found this Heerman text in The Lutheran Hymnary, published by Augsburg in 1935.

I altered the text for modern usage (eliminating the “thees” and “thines”) but still found difficulty with the archaic usage of “prais-ed” and “bless-ed.”

This tune may not be familiar, but it is predictable and not difficult to sing. The introduction will be soloed out on the organ’s clarinet stop.

 

SENDING HYMN Evening and Morning (Die gülde Sonne) ELW 761

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Wie schön leuchtet

Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703)

J. S. Bach’s first cousin once removed is the composer of this fughetta setting of Nicolai’s tune from the Gathering Hymn.

Bartimaeus graphic From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2015 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS004212

Music for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost: October 17, 2021

 

OPENING VOLUNTARY The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns (St. Magnus) setting, Bernard Wayne Sanders

 

GATHERING HYMN Making Their Way (Komt nu met zang) ACS 979

This hymn comes from the new ELCA hymn resource All Creation Sings. A couple of weeks ago we sang this new-to-us tune with the text “What is this place where we are meeting.”

 

PSALM Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b

The tune of the refrain is borrowed from a Taiwanese hymn. Members of our Festival Choir and St. Mark’s ringers led this hymn for a Lutheran Restoring Creation worship service which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLnfqE6FFRQ&t=622s
Our contribution begins at the 30:00 mark.

 

HYMN OF THE DAY Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (Lasset un smit Jesu ziehen) ELW 802

 

MUSICAL OFFERING I Sing the Mighty Power of God

David Lasky

This hymn about the God of creation echoes themes from today’s psalm.

 

COMMUNION HYMN Let Us Break Bread Together (Break Bread Together) ELW 471

 

SENDING HYMN To Be Your Presence (Engelberg) ELW 546

 

CLOSING VOLUNTARY God of Grace (Cwm Rhondda) setting, Paul Manz