Music for Michael and All Angels: September 29, 2019

Opening Voluntary I Know That My Redeemer Lives

St. Mark’s Ringers

arr. Kevin McChesney

Gathering Hymn Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones (Lasst uns erfreuen)

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (424)

Psalm Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22

The refrain comes from the Taizé Community, an ecumenical religious community in Taizé, France. Music from this community is known for its brevity and contemplative flavor. This music is sung throughout the world during Christian worship services.

The tone is a standard ELW tone.

Hymn of the Day Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Picardy)

ELW 490

The haunting melody of this hymn is a seventeenth century French folk tune.

Original artwork by Laurie Zody Aurand. When I first saw this, I thought it was the "host arrayed in white," but it could just as easily be a choir of angels.

Musical Offering O Come and Dwell in Me (sung by the Festival Choir)

Arlen Clarke

A Scottish melody called “The Parting Glass” is paired with a text by Charles Wesley. Angels sing a song of praise lifted from the book of Revelation 7:10 -

Salvation to our God, salvation to the Lamb.

This arrangement features a viola obligato played by Ellen Olson.

From a stained glass window at Christ Lutheran Church in Bexley, Ohio.

Communion Hymns

Jesus, Lamb of God ELW 199

Holy, Holy, Holy ELW 190

On Eagle’s Wings ELW 787

The first two pieces are movements from Deutsche Messe by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Schubert composed the work to be sung for Roman Catholic masses. Unfortunately, it was rejected because the original text was in German rather than Latin. Fortunately its beauty and reverence won the day so that it enjoys wide popularity.

“On Eagle’s Wing” is a contemporary metrical setting of biblical texts from Psalm 91, Exodus 19, and Matthew 13. In addition to being a composer (with many liturgical works beyond “On Eagle’s Wings” to his credit), Michael Joncas is a Roman Catholic priest and a liturgical theologian.

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Gainesville, Florida

Sending Hymn God Who Made the Earth and Heaven (Ar hyd y nos)

ELW 564

Evangelical Lutheran Worship is now 13 years old, yet somehow we have managed to avoid singing this hymn. Don’t worry, you’ll recognize this traditional Welsh tune immediately! We usually sing it with the text “Go My Children, with My Blessing.”

Closing Voluntary Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones (Lasst uns erfreuen)

setting, Roberta Rowland-Raybold

ELW 424

 If you are taking our Revelation class led by Lynn Marlowe, you’ll notice three things  about this blog post and Sunday’s worship service:

First the painting at the top – William Blake’s “Angel of the Revelation.” Second, the second reading in today’s service comes from Revelation. Third, a quote from Revelation in the choir’s musical offering.

Do you see something in today’s music that excites you or sparks a specific memory? Comments on my blog are always welcome!

Music for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 22, 2019

Opening Voluntary The Good Shepherd

A pathway in the Smoky Mountains

Dom Paul Benoit (1893-1979)

I usually look to the gospel reading for inspiration in choosing the opening voluntary, but I couldn’t come up with anything that tied to obviously. So I turned to the Prayer of the Day for help. There I found these words:

Keep our feet from evil paths.

Almost immediately I remembered these words from the 23^rd psalm:

. . .he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

It’s also a nice tie in from last week when we heard about a shepherd who left a flock to go find the one lost sheep.

Paul Benoit, born in France, was a Benedictine monk, organist, and composer. “Dom” is a title given to Benedictines who have taken their vows.

Gathering Hymn Let Streams of Living Justice (Thaxted)

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW 710)

ELW (and some other hymnals) omits the second stanza that William Whitla wrote for this hymn.  Cries from the Tiananmen Square protests were still fresh in our minds and we were just learning of Argentina’s Mothers of the Disappeared. The missing stanza has both poignant and disturbing images including the “mother with her candle” and “the child who holds a gun. The stanza ends powerfully:

Each candle burns for freedom; each lights a tyrant’s fall;

each flower placed for martyrs gives tongue to silenced call.

Psalm Bless the Lord, O Saints and Servants

a metrical setting of Psalm 113

Text by Michael Morgan

Tune Austria, Franz Josef Haydn

Metrical settings of psalms are paraphrases written in poetic form. This means the text can be sung to a standard hymntune. Our first communion hymn, “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” is a metrical setting of the 23^rd Psalm.

Hymn of the Day God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending (Rustington)

ELW 678

Musical Offering The Truth Will Make You Free (sung by the Festival Choir)

Anne Krentz Organ

In the second reading, Paul identifies himself as a “teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” Anne Krentz Organ’s piece takes its text from John’s gospel and reminds us that disciples of Jesus continue in his word and know the truth. In knowing the truth, we are made free.

Communion Hymns

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (Resignation)

ELW 782

By Your Hand You Feed Your People (Camrose)

ELW 469

Sending Hymn Son of God, Eternal Savior (In Babilone)

ELW 655

Closing Voluntary Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Lobe den Herren)

Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

ELW 858

Don’t miss the organ concert by Zach Klobnach on Sunday evening at 7:00. Read more on this blog at http://smljax.blogspot.com/2019/09/organ-concert-at-st-marks-zach-klobnak.html

This event is co-sponsored by St. Mark’s and the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Music for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 15, 2019

Opening Voluntary Chorale Prelude and Chorale on “O Jesu Christe, wahres Licht”

Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)

Gesangbuch, Nürnberg, 1676 (Evangelical Lutheran Worship 675)

Our Prayer of the Day begins, “O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion, you lead back to yourself all those who go astray.” The opening line of this hymn petitions, “O Christ, our light, our radiance true, shine forth from those estranged from you. . .”

Today’s opening voluntary begins with a variation on the chorale tune. The setting is by the German organist, Helmut Walcha. The second part of the voluntary is the four-part chorale as it appears in ELW.

Helmut Walcha had poor vision as a child. His condition was brought on by the smallpox vaccine. As he grew older, his eyesight grew worse until, in his late teens, he was completely blind.

Helmut Walcha

So how did he not only become a gifted organist, composer, and teacher, but also famous for his recordings of J. S. Bach’s works? The story goes that he would have other musicians play each individual voice (including the pedal!) from Bach’s works four times. Walcha memorized the voices as they were being played, memorizing each line independently.  Having perfect pitch also helped with this process.

Gathering Hymn Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (St. Denio)

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW 834)

Hymn of the Day Amazing Grace (New Britain)

ELW 779

“Amazing Grace” is probably the best known of all hymns in American churches, and probably the most sung. We have sung this hymn 16 times in 13 years at St. Mark’s – or 1.2 times each year.  Yes, I keep track of such things!

Many people have a strong emotional attachment to “Amazing Grace.” Four years ago I asked choir members to talk about their favorite hymns. It’s no surprise that “Amazing Grace” was one of the hymns that was chosen. Read about Jane’s connection here: http://smljax.blogspot.com/2015/09/canticles-of-praise-and-hymns-of.html

Musical Offering Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (sung by the Festival Choir)

Michael Larkin

Communion Hymns

Our Father, We Have Wandered (Herzlich tut mich verlangen)

ELW 606

Chief of Sinners, Though I Be (Gethsemane)

ELW 609

Sending Hymn O Lord, Now Let Your Servant (Kuortane)

ELW 313

“Now, Lord, You Let Your Servant Go in Peace” may be sung as a post-communion canticle in the ELW settings of Holy Communion. The rubrics state that if it . . was not sung at the end communion, it may be sung here, or another sending song may be sung.

This morning’s sending hymn is a metrical setting of the canticle set to a Finnish folk tune.  The second stanza goes beyond the scope of the canticle. As we turn to follow the cross in its procession, we ask God to grant that we may follow God’s glorious light, not just as we leave the nave and go into the week, but into the life that comes after this one.

Each Sunday as we leave the nave we see these weavaings that remind us to declare God's deeds in the world. They were given to St. Mark's in 1984 by Paul W. Brandenburger in memory of his aunt, Florence Mina Brandenburger, his father,  Paul Walter Brandenburger, and in honor of his mother, Margret Eide Brandenburger. 

Closing Voluntary O dass ich tausend Zungen hätte  

Jeffrey Blersch

ELW 833

New voices are always welcome in the Festival Choir at St. Mark’s! If you like to sing and have a desire to serve God and the people of St. Mark’s through our music ministry, please contact Tony Cruz.

Sources:

https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Walcha-Helmut.htm

Music for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost / "God's work. Our Hands." Sunday: September 8, 2019

Opening Voluntary Two Settings of “Allein Gott in der Höh”

Early rendering of Decius' work.

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau (1663-1712)

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

I often choose opening voluntaries based on hymns that will be sung during that day’s service; however, today I have chosen two pieces based on today’s Canticle of Praise. The text of the canticle is a metrical setting of Glory to God in the Highest. The tune is borrowed from the hymn found at ELW 410 and is based on a tenth century plainsong (chant) version that was adapted by Nikolaus Decius.

Decius’ version was first sung on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1523.

Gathering Hymn Lift High the Cross (Crucifer)

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) 660

Jesus carries his cross.
From a Mission near San Diego, California.

Hymn of the Day Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said (Bourbon)

ELW 667

“Bourbon” may seem like an odd name for a hymntune, but perhaps not when you consider this American tune is possibly named for Bourbon County, Kentucky.  Guess what they used to make a lot of there?

Musical Offering Take Now My Voice (sung by the Festival Choir)

Douglas Nolan

From this point in the service our music is more reflective of the “God’s work. Our hands.” theme.

Communion Hymns

They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love (St. Brendan’s)

Text and Music by Peter Scholtes

This is a favorite from my childhood. Every time I sing it, I am transported to the shores of Lake Lundgren Bible Camp in Pembine, Wisconsin. I can still hear the guitars and see the campfire.

Peter Scholtes wrote this in the 60s while he was a priest. Later in life he left the priesthood and became a became a business consultant. See his obituary at https://pscholtes.com/obituary.htm.

We Are Called (We Are Called)

ELW 720

Sending Hymn God’s Work, Our Hands (Earth and All Stars)

Wayne Wold’s entry was the winner for a hymn writing competition for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. Wold wrote an original tune, but also set it to the familiar tune “Earth and All Stars” – which is how we will sing it today.

Closing Voluntary Aeolian Fanfare

Charles Callahan

The Oxford Dictionary defines “aeolian” as “relating to or arising from the action of the wind.” It might be helpful to think of the Holy Spirit sending us out into the world, especially to do our work for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday.

Read more about “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday here: https://elca.org/dayofservice?_ga=2.203439312.113437876.1567886902-1027348905.1558465990

New voices are always welcome in the Festival Choir at St. Mark’s! If you like to sing and have a desire to serve God and the people of St. Mark’s through our music ministry, please contact Tony Cruz.

Sources: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymnal Companion
Wikipedia credit for Decius photo: By Original Work: Johann Spangenberg - http://www.fischer-download.de, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32907629

By Original Work: Johann Spangenberg - http://www.fischer-download.de, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32907629

Organ Concert at St. Mark's: Zach Klobnak Returns to Jacksonville

A former member of the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Zach Klobnak starts off the AGO’s season with a recital on the Zimmer/Colby organ at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3976 Hendricks Avenue, in Jacksonville, FL. Zach served All Saints Episcopal Church (Jacksonville) as Director of Music during the years 2009-2011. We are happy and excited to welcome him back to our city!

The concert is Sunday, September 22^nd, at 7:00 p.m. and is co-sponsored by St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Jacksonville Chapter of the AGO. This event is free with a reception following. All are welcome!

Dr. Zach Klobnak is College Organist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He is also Director of Music and Organist at the Presbyterian Church of Danville, where he directs the music program, administers the “Music on Main Street” concert series, and plays the church’s Taylor & Boody pipe organ.  A native of Iowa, he holds degrees from Luther College (BA), the University of Florida (MM), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA), where he held the Brownson Fellowship for organ studies.  His principal organ teachers include Dana Robinson, Laura Ellis, and Gregory Peterson; he has also studied harpsichord with Kathryn Reed and choral conducting with Donald Nally, Fred Stoltzfus, and Timothy Peter.  Zach is an active recitalist, a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and studied French organ literature and design in Paris and in the Alps region of France.  He has previously held church music positions in Illinois, Florida, and Iowa.

St. Mark's Zimmer/Colby Organ

The program (subject to change) will include works by William Mathias (Processional), Iain Farrington (selections from Animal Parade), Rachel McLaurin, David P. Dahl, William Walton, and J. S. Bach.

Please join us for another great organ concert at St. Mark’s!