Making the Cut

“You Lutherans,” my non-Lutheran friend opined, “just have to sing every stanza of every hymn.”  He paused for emphasis, then added, “Two stanzas is enough!”

I groaned because he and I have had this discussion before.  I asked him, “What if you only got to watch the first 45 minutes of ‘Frozen?’”

Is there a rule that Lutherans have to sing every stanza of every hymn?  Of course, not.

So why do we do it?

Hymns are usually poems before melodies are added to make them hymns.  That means they are fully formed literary works with a beginning, middle, and ending.  Some hymns tell a story so it seems pretty obvious why an assembly would sing all the stanzas. Imagine singing “The First Noel” and not including the stanza that speaks of the wise men entering the home where Jesus was with his mother, Mary.  Worse, leave out the stanza about the star.  That’s an important part of the story!

Other hymns speak of theology.

Several years ago I attended the Lutheran Church where my grandmother was confirmed.  I arrived early and was thrilled to find what looked like a lovely, well-maintained pipe organ.  I eagerly waited to hear that organ. . .and I waited awhile.  Mostly we sang praise choruses from the 70’s and 80’s to piano accompaniment.  (The piano playing was wonderful, but I still wanted to hear the organ my grandmother would have heard the day she was confirmed.)  Finally, the pianist moved to the organ for the final hymn. It was a tune I didn’t know (bonus!) and it was a Trinitarian hymn with three stanzas – one for each person of the Trinity.

The Pastor announced we would only sing the first stanza!

I was shocked that he would have us only sing the stanza addressing the first person of the Trinity and not the other two.  I can’t imagine the hymn writer would have been happy either. Plus, I didn’t get much of a chance to hear that organ!

Hymns are chosen for a particular Sunday because of how they relate to the readings and themes of the day.  Sometimes that connection isn’t clear until the middle of the fourth stanza.  (Please don’t suggest we only sing the first and fourth stanzas – I have been in churches where that is done.)  Hymns are never chosen to be place markers, something to do between readings or as a break within spoken parts of the service.

Will cutting stanzas save time?  Not really.  It’s a rare hymn stanza that takes more than 45 seconds to sing.

There are times when stanzas can be cut.  It might be wise to do so if several hymns are sung in the course of one service.  Last Sunday we had Advent Lessons and Carols with TEN hymns to sing!  I felt completely safe cutting several stanzas of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

ELW 342, "There in God's Garden," had 14 stanzas in its original incarnation.  When K. Lee Scott wrote a new melody, he cut this beautiful passion hymn down to 6 stanzas.  Imagine doing a choral arrangement with 14 stanzas and trying not to be repetitious!

St. Mark’s has an excellent repertoire of hymnody.  There are not many hymns that we sing over and over again.  When we only sing a hymn once per year, it’s hard to think about cutting stanzas. 

So, if you ever find yourself thinking a hymn is too long, take a look at it outside of the service.  Read the WHOLE thing.  Take your church bulletin home and read the Prayer of the Day and all of the readings for that day.  Then try to decide which stanzas should be cut.

First Photo (from top): Scissors - thanks to Wikipedia!

Second Photo: my grandmother

Third Photo: Russian icon (1480-1425) 

Fourth Photo: El Greco's "Jesus Carrying the Cross" 1580

Music for the Second Sunday of Easter: April 28, 2019

Pastor Sarah Locke

Pastor Daniel is on vacation this week so we welcome Pastor Sarah Locke to preach and preside. Pastor Sarah serves as the Lutheran-Episcopal Chaplain and campus pastor for Jacksonville Campus Ministry (JCM) at the University of North Florida. She also serves as the assisting priest at Redeemer Episcopal Church.

Prelude: Theme and Variations on “Now the Green Blade Rises” (Noël Nouvelet)

Wayne L. Wold (ELW 379)

The hymn bears an Easter text in our hymnal, but it actually dates from the 15^th century in France where it was a Christmas carol! Short and sweet is the order of the days for this set of variations that happily explores the organ’s palette with principals, strings, flutes, and reeds – ending with a trumpet tune.

Gathering Hymn: Christ Is Risen! Alleluia (Morgenlied) ELW 382

The first time I ever sang this hymn was March 23, 2008 when it was requested by a much-loved choir member, Margaret Walker.  I had never heard it, so I was surprised to learn that many in the choir were familiar with it.

Margaret Walker sang in the choir at St. Mark’s over 6 decades. In 2012 we celebrated the feast of her

Margaret in her usual place.

nativity with a special hymn sung to the tune Ein feste Burg. Margaret died in 2016.

We sing of Margaret on this day

and thank you that she leads us.

She sings, so we our voices raise,

led in a song most glorious.

Her natal star appears,

removing all our fears.

This be our one desire,

please set our hearts afire,

to sing like Margaret of the Choir!

Hymn of the Day: Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain (Gaudeamus pariter) ELW 363

Musical Offering (Festival Choir): Easter Carol Alfred V. Fedak

This is another French melody even older (13^th century) than Noël Nouvelet. The arranger pairs it with a text by Charles Wesley.

Communion Hymn: O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing (O filii et filiae) ELW 386

Some people might freak out a little when they see we are singing all nine stanzas – but they are all critical for the day. Stanzas 5-8 retell the story in the gospel reading. Since we are singing this during communion, we should have ample time to finish! I have written about cutting stanzas from hymns in an earlier blog post which you can read here: http://smljax.blogspot.com/search?q=making+the+cut

Sending Hymn: Thine Is the Glory (Judas Maccabeus) ELW 376

The tune’s first incarnation was in an oratorio, “Judas Maccabeus,” by George Frederic Handel. “See, the Conquering Hero Comes!” includes choir, organ, and orchestra. If you wonder how a piece of music translates from oratorio into hymnody, you can hear a performance of this piece as Handel first composed it at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM6nw8L5YnU

Postlude: Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands (Christ lag in Todesbanden) J. S. Bach (ELW 370)

This is the most Lutheran piece of music we will hear today! J. S. Bach’s chorale prelude on the Christ lag in Todesbanden comes from Orgelbüchlein, his collection of preludes on 46 tunes that span the liturgical year.

Sources:

Hymnal Companion: Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Wikipedia

This Is the Night!

Our midweek Lenten series this year was titled “Making Change.” We have covered the change of season, a change of habit, a change of circumstances, a change of heart, and the final session will be “change of plans.”

I would like to invite many of us to make a change in our usual routine for Holy Week. 

In the year 387, St. Augustine was baptized at the Easter Vigil.  It is the true high point of the full Christian year and we celebrate it in style at St. Mark’s.  Each year some of the great stories of the Old Testament are told to show how God has preserved his people since the beginning of creation.  Each year we move from darkness to light.  We respond with songs – both new and old.  Bells are rung, choirs sing, and our Lord’s resurrection is proclaimed.  More effort goes into the planning and workings of this service than any other service of the year - yet each year there are only a handful of people in the pews.

 

I have never been a “numbers guy” who lamented low attendance because I believe the prayers need to be prayed, the lessons need to be read, and the hymns needs to be sung regardless of how many people come.  That said, in a community that has excellence in worship (and music) as one of its core values, people ought to be present for the most significant worship event of the year.

Some say they don’t come because the service is too long.

It’s not.  Evangelical Lutheran Worship suggests twelve Old Testament readings, but we always cut that down to five or six.  This is not the three hour service you may remember as a child.

Some say they don’t come because they don’t want to sit and listen to readings.

Each year we try to present at least some of the readings in a different light.  We have used dance, drama, choral readings, and music to enhance the various lessons.

On Transfiguration Sunday we symbolically buried the alleluia.  It comes back at the Easter Vigil accompanied by a swelling organ, ringing bells, and happy voices.  Let’s make a change and have a full assembly for the Easter Vigil this year.

Remember to bring a bell – any shape, any size to help announce the gospel reading!

Photos: 1. Lutheran deacon with Easter candle from Wikipedia. 2. Noah's Ark, original artwork by members of St. Mark's. 3. The Valley of Dry Bones, original artwork by Lauren Sohacki, a member of St. Mark's. 4. A fourteenth century bell depicting Christian saints from Wikipedial