Opening Voluntary Hymn Partita on “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”
(jesu
meine freude)
chorale
settings from Service Book and Hymnal (pub. 1958, Augsburg Publishing House)
and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pub. 2006, Augsburg Fortress)
Organ
settings:
Jan
Bender (1909-1994
David
A. Schack (b. 1947)
J.
S. Bach (1685-1750)
During
these summer months and this time of pandemic, I’ve been taking some classic
Lutheran hymns (for more on what makes a hymn “Lutheran,” see a former post at http://smljax.blogspot.com/2014/05/our-lutheran-heritage-in-hymns-is-hymn.html)
and having sung stanzas interlined with organ settings. I’ve decided to start
calling these arrangements “partitas.” A partita is a suite of pieces – I’ve
just elected to fill my suite with the voices of different composers writing on
the same tune.
jesu meine freude comes from a secular song written in bar form, which is to say it is arranged in three phrases where the second is a repeat of the first – or AAB form. Many Lutheran hymns, including some by Martin Luther, utilize bar form. At some point, a non-musician got ahold of this knowledge and started the rumor that Martin Luther based all of his hymns on tavern songs. It has been a hard story to live down. Although some Lutheran tunes began in the secular realm, it is more like singing What Child Is This to Alas, My Love, You Do Me Wrong, than it is to singing A Mighty Fortress Is Our God to A Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall. (That doesn’t actually work, by the way. I’m just making a point.) Incidentally, jesu meine FREUDE, or Jesus, my joy, “was originally Flora, my joy. . .
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. . .
In his cantata Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (BWV 12), J. S. Bach “buries” this well-loved tune in an aria for tenor. You can hear the aria, hear the tune, AND see the score at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZjVP6y71yg The entire cantata is worth your time, but you can skip to the 18:58 mark to hear just this aria.
This is the most recent Bach cantata sung at St. Mark’s – and we used an oboe
instead of a trumpet.
 |
| "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" Bach Vespers orchestra and choir at St. Mark's November 17, 2019 |
Gathering Hymn O Day of Rest and Gladness (haf trones lampa färdig)
If
someone ever asks “Why do Christians worship on Sunday?” you can respond with
verse 2 of this hymn.
This hymn appears in ELW with the tune Ellacombe but I’ve
never felt that was a good pairing. The Episcopalians sing it with a tune that
I adore – Es flog ein kleins Waldvögelein – but I try not to
introduce new tunes for online worship. A perfect solution seemed to be Haf
trones lampa färdig, the Swedish folk tune that we sing with “Rejoice, Rejoice
Believers” in Advent.
Hymn of the Day Neither Life nor Death (neither death nor life)
ELW
622
The
refrain for this hymn by Marty Haugen is easily learned. In fact, you may have
it memorized after the second stanza. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming
it later in the week. Thanks to Pastor Daniel for leading this hymn and playing
it on his guitar!
Marty Haugen is a prolific composer of hymns and liturgical music. Probably his most famous work with Lutherans in “Holden Evening Prayer.”
Sending Hymn Give Thanks for Saints (repton)
ELW
428
I’ve
loved this tune for awhile now, at least since 2009 (but longer, really). Here’s
proof from a Facebook post in 2009:
Closing Voluntary When Morning Gilds the Skies (laudes domini)
setting, Robert Lind
“May Jesus Christ be praised” no only when morning gilds the skies, but also “when evening shadows fall.”
And
it’s not just a song for humankind to sing, but also the earth, “sun and stars
of space” and all creation. The text begs for this refrain to be sung all day –
and not just this day, but forever.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship
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