Lighting the Advent Candles

The Advent wreath is a symbol that we are well acquainted with at St. Mark’s.  Each year we can be sure that it will appear in its designated place with the correct amount of candles in the proper colors.  Many of us remember seeing Advent wreaths our entire lives and so we suppose the symbol’s origins to be shrouded in ancient secrecy, perhaps even something to be taken for granted – but just how ancient is the wreath?

According to Wikipedia, the symbol is not as ancient as we might think.  The evergreen wreath itself is ancient since we know it was used in northern Europe long before the arrival of Christianity. The circle told of the cycle of seasons while the pine boughs spoke of the persistence of life through difficult winters.

Somewhere along the way, it was reinterpreted as a Christian symbol.  Candles were not added to form the Advent wreath we know until the 16^th century.  Wikipedia credits Lutherans with establishing the tradition, but not everything you read on the internet is true!  The article goes on to say that Advent wreaths didn’t appear in American churches until the 1930’s.

This year the Advent wreath at St. Mark’s will take on a different appearance all together.  The wreath will include us inside its circle.  We are using the festival stands appropriately adorned with advent colors and symbols.  Evan H. will be in charge of this work.  The lighting ritual will include the reading of the gospel and the singing of an Advent song by Daniel E. Schwandt – “Many Will Come.”  This is an unpublished piece which the composer has granted us permission to use. Schwandt is the Cantor at Augustana Lutheran Church (Hyde Park, Illinois) and the Staff Musician at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Whatever form the wreath takes, Advent’s two-fold message is a powerful one for Christians: Christ has come and he is coming again!

A Hymn Festival Celebrating the Continuing Reformation of the Church Sunday, November 11th at 5:00 P.M.

LutherCountry is a name for the combined German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. This is the area where Martin Luther lived and did his world-changing work. Since one year is not enough to commemorate this work, LutherCountry instituted the “Luther Decade” which began in 2007. When it culminates in 2017, we will observe the 500th anniversary of the events that started a reformation.

Each year has a theme and the theme for 2012 is “Reformation and Music.” The Reformation didn’t only affect singing in the home and church, but it influenced the work of composers like Telemann, Handel, and J. S. Bach.

Donald L. Armitage, a noteworthy Lutheran church musician from North Carolina, and Susan Palo Cherwien, a gifted Lutheran poet and hymn writer, have teamed up to create A Hymn Festival Celebrating the Ongoing Reformation of the Church. This festival celebrates the reformative work of Martin Luther as it is expressed in his hymns and tunes, and in the hymns and tunes from Christian peoples around the world in the centuries since. This hymn festival will be sung at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sunday, November 11th, at 5:00 p.m. Tony Cruz will serve as the organist and a choir will help lead the congregational singing.

Admission is free. An offering will be taken to benefit the expansion of St. Mark’s 1984 Zimmer pipe organ which is expected to be completed in early 2013.

Come Sing in One of Our Choirs!

In a Lutheran understanding of worship, the role of solo voices, choir, organ and other instruments is to enhance the musical participation by the congregation. This is accomplished by supporting and enriching the singing of congregational hymns; bringing richness and variety to worship as portions of the liturgy are entrusted to those who have rehearsed on behalf of the congregation; and presenting attendant music as appropriate and possible. (From the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Statement on Worship and Music

The Festival Choir prepares hymns, liturgical music, and various musical offerings to enhance worship at St. Mark’s. We are ever mindful that the music we prepare serves to worship God as we sing Lutheran chorales, plainsong, polyphony, spirituals, and more. We sing music written by composers long dead and those who are writing today. Some of our music requires many weeks of intense practice and some is ready after only a rehearsal or two.

We are always looking for new singers, but have a particular need for basses right now. There is no audition, but some experience singing in a choir is preferred. The ability to read music is not required, but it is helpful. Through hard work and practice, you’ll be reading music before you know it. The Festival choir sings at the 11:00 service on Sunday morning and at other liturgical observances (Epiphany and Ascension, for example) throughout the year. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evening in the music suite 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. We also rehearse on Sunday morning (during the regular year) at 10:30.

The Matins Choir is a smaller group, providing musical leadership at the 8:30 service. These singers meet on Sunday morning at 8:00 to rehearse service music for the day and to learn an easy musical offering. Members of this group often sing with the Festival Choir for larger events. If you like to sing, but cannot attend a midweek rehearsal, we would love to have you join us.

This year the Kingdom Choir will transform into a robed choir! Rather than coming forward to sing a musical offering, they will wear robes and help lead the full liturgy once each month. Membership in this group is open to all children in grades 1 through 6. The choir rehearses on Sunday morning after the 11:00 service for about 1 hour. There is no audition and church membership is not a requirement to sing! Contact Tony Cruz, or any choir member, if you have any questions.

The Psalms Come to Life In Anne Coyle's "David and the Psalms."

Jacksonville composer Anne Coyle says that on April, 7, 2011 she was inspired to set all 150 psalms to music by writing one psalm per day - a task that would take about 5 months to complete.

She completed the task, but that wasn't the end of it! Anne has selected several of these psalms and combined them with drama, the San Jose Dancers, singing by the choir of San Jose Catholic Church, colorful banners, and an Ark of the Covenant procession. Anne says that the last piece was added to highlight the importance of the Levites in Hebrew worship.

Paul Burns helped with the writing of the script.

Anne has a tie to St. Mark's - she is the mother of John Coyle, a former member here.

When she reached her eighties, Anne's thinking was, "Well, it's about over." The Lord, she says, had other plans. She says she's in good company since Moses didn't start until he was 80. Read more about Anne's journey and hear some of her music at www.psalmbird.net.

St. Mark's will host this production on Sunday, July 29th, at 6:00 p.m. in the nave. All are welcome. There is no admission fee, but the gift of a non-perishable food item (to be shared with Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities is requested.

Dinner and A Show - The Sequel

Last year’s “Dinner and A Show” was such a popular event that we are repeating it again this summer. There is still room for several singers and one handbell ringer.

The theme for this year’s show is “Far Away Places.” Our ringers will play selections from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Star Wars.” The choir will sing songs from “The Lion King,” “The Sound of Music,” and “South Pacific.”

The remaining rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings: 7/25, 8/1, 8/8, and 8/15 with our “show” being on 8/22. The handbell choir rehearses 5:30 to 6:30 and the singing choir rehearses 7:00 to 8:30. If you would like to participate, please contact Tony Cruz. Our evening on 8/22 will begin, as it did last year, with a potluck supper.

All are welcome!

Music In the Mountains: A Summer Worship Event

Musicians from the Episcopal Church have been gathering for 62 years at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee for the purpose of continuing education, fellowship, and inspiring worship. I first attended this conference in 2000 when I was the organist-choirmaster for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, FL. Why would someone who is now a Lutheran attend an Episcopal conference? First, our manner of worship is not that far removed when you consider our common lectionary. The words that we say and the prayers that we pray sound very much alike. Second, Sewanee always attracts a knowledgeable faculty – leaders in the field of church music. Third, it’s a chance for me to sing in a choir, a choir of about 150 singers. Most of the singers are music directors and/or organists in their home churches, but some are not. The literature that is sung is quite difficult. That said, this is not a place for beginning singers! As in the past, this year’s focus was on two worship services: Evensong on Friday Evening, and the Sunday morning Festival Eucharist. Father Matthew Moretz was our preacher for the week. He also gave lectures on the use of social media. He is the creator of “Father Matthew Presents,” a series of videos that seeks “to present the treasures of Christianity one video at a time.” I encourage you to check them out on YouTube. Just search “Father Matthew presents.” I recommend the one on the Ascension.

Our choral leadership was provided by Huw Lewis, an internationally known choir director and organist. He is the College Organist at Hope College (Holland, MI) and the Director of Music at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Detroit. His warm teaching style and (sometimes maddening!) attention to detail must be two items that put him at the top of his field - those and the fact that he is a consummate musician! Bruce Neswick, Associate Professor of Music in Organ and Sacred Music at the Jacob School of Music (Indiana University), was our organist for the week and he was inspiring to hear! His improvisations on the mighty 70 rank Casavant organ at All Saints Chapel (University of the South) did not disappoint! He accompanied both services where his playing inspired glorious singing.

No conference is complete without workshops! I attended sessions on training volunteer voices, hymn playing, and organ improvisation. I also attended a master class where several organists played and then received private instruction from Huw Lewis and Bruce Neswick – well, as private as it can be with 70 other organists listening and picking up pointers for their own playing. The Lois Fyfe music display was wonderful! I was like a kid in a candy store – an expensive candy store! Evensong is the Episcopal version of the Luther Vespers service. The choir sings quite difficult music and essentially prays on behalf of the congregation whose participation, except for the hymns, is mostly active meditation. We sang the Preces and Responses (prayers) by Robert W. Lehman, a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis by Henry Smart, and Edward Bairstow’s setting of “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.”

Lutherans would have felt right at home with the Sunday morning worship since we share much of the format and texts in common. Our choral music for the morning was two pieces by Gary Davison: “My Song Shall Be Alway,” and “Hymn of Praise.” The latter, commissioned for the conference and thus a world premiere, featured changing meters, solos, and singing throughout the dynamic spectrum. The psalm at both services was sung in the Anglican Chant style. More complicated that what we typically do at St. Mark’s, this style of psalm singing is usually sung by a trained choir. I am fortunate that St. Mark’s permits me two weeks of continuing education per year. At Sewanee, I found fresh inspiration and new ideas that will find their way into my own directing and playing this year. Thank you to all of my “full communion” brothers and sisters who welcomed me as a fellow Christian musician. May God bless our ministries as we were blessed on the “holy mountain.”

New Choral Risers in the Music Suite

The choir room in the music suite got a major upgrade this summer courtesy of Adam K. and his desire to complete an Eagle Scout Project at St. Mark's. Over the course of one weekend, Adam and his crew completed a project that will help us for many years to come. He had great help from Justin V., Dennis D., and several adult scout leaders as well as many other scouts. These risers were designed and built from scratch. Due to their stability and durability, they will benefit musicians at St. Mark's for many years to come. Adam designed the project and was responsible for getting donations, materials, and assistance for its building. Thank you to Adam and to all of those who assisted him! Please come back to the music suite and check them out!