Presbytery Worship

The Presbytery of Western North Carolina met today at Montreat in the Upper Anderson Auditorium.

Through a series of circumstances I don't fully understand I was asked to play for the opening worship service. For all the import of the gathering, the service was kind of thrown together (in a good way!): we were to hear three candidates for ordination preach sermons, and celebrate communion, all in 45 minutes; and according to Karen Haak, to try to do that innovatively!

We did sing three stanzas of "Fairest Lord Jesus" to open, but every other song got whacked in the interest of time. Remarkably, and with no derision intended, all three preachers held to their 7 minute time constraint pretty well. I played my settings of three chant tunes (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM; VENI CREATOR; and ADORO TE DEVOTE) for the prelude, during the distribution and at the end of worship. We sang a single stanza of three hymns after each of the sermons. In the end the service went very well, with nice singing from the gathered delegates (and groupies from the preachers' churches).

As I was playing the prelude, though, I thought about the various churches represented. Not all of them can afford a full-time musician like myself. Not all of them can afford to pay anyone. The people who give their time and talents as music leaders for many of our presbytery's churches do so out of a deep commitment, but often with minimal training and support. For many churches a choir of 5 warblers is the norm. They sing to God's glory not certain that they and the pianist will arrive at the end of the stanza at the same musical moment. I was playing a nicely in-tune 6-foot Yamaha baby grand piano; how many plink-ity uprights and spinets are still honorably providing music in Presbyterian churches around our region? I was accompanying the hearty singing of 300 people; how many of our Presbytery musicians play for half of that crowd, or a third that crowd or less?

So while I played the prelude and off and on throughout the service, I prayed for those churches and my colleagues in music ministry around the Presbytery. I prayed for the musicians who donate their time and talent. I prayed for the choristers who though few in number, lead their congregations faithfully. And I prayed for myself for greater humility and thankfulness. I have a full-time job with a decent salary and benefits; I enjoy a nice pipe organ; all the pianos are in tune. I work with not one, nor even two, but several groups of fine musicians, choristers and instrumentalists, many of whom practice at home and want learn more, and strive to offer their very best in worship. I work with a staff of church professionals who love one another and the Lord, and seek to honor God with their work, and who seek to lead our congregation's mission and ministry with a sense of challenge and compassion.

I don't know what else was on the docket at Presbytery today, but that's what I did. I prayed.

Amen.

Worship Music 27 April

FirstLight worship this week will begin with Michael Ledner’s “You are my hiding place;” Donna Adkins’ “Glorify thy name;” “Better is one day;” and “My life is in you.” We will conclude worship with “Father, I adore you” that song climaxing in a three part round. The Prophets will be singing a new (to us) song, “Days of Elijah” by British composer Robin Mark. Folks are often struck by the apocalyptic language of this song. Mark has this to say about the lyric. We like notion of Jesus coming again and again, especially as an abiding Counselor, as depicted in the day’s gospel reading. For that reason we tend not to get too hung up on the chronology of the song, and simply enjoy the images, especially and , as Mark notes, the over-riding theme of hope. For the prayers we will be using a familiar responsorial setting of the Lord'’ Prayer. Jim Strathdee arranged the words; the tune is of unknown origin though Al Oppenheimer wrote the arrangement of the melody we customarily use.

Worship at 11 AM will include congregational hymns “For the beauty of the earth” (DIX); “Breathe on me, breath of God” (TRENTHAM); and “Father, I adore you” (MARANATHA). Pinging off of the gospel lection, the choir will sing the choral classic, Thomas Tallis’ “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Being in that region of the world with the anthem, organ music will be in the long tradition of English organ voluntaries, concluding with John Stanley’s famously stately “Trumpet Voluntary in D.”

General Knowledge: Beethoven's Ninth

Every singer ought to know the original German and the English translation of the text used in the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Here it is:

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere
anstimmen und freudenvollere.
Freude! Freude!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligthum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng getheilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!
Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muß er wohnen.

Oh friends, not these tones!
Rather let us sing more
cheerful and more joyful ones.
Joy! Joy!
Joy, beautiful sparkle of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium!
We enter, fire-drunk,
Heavenly one, your shrine.
Your magics again bind
What custom has strictly parted.
All people will be brothers
Where your tender wing lingers.
Whoever succeeds in the great attempt
To be a friend of a friend,
Whoever has won a lovely woman,
Let him add his jubilation!
Yes, whoever calls even one soul
His own on the earth's globe!
And who never has, let him steal,
Weeping, away from this group.
All creatures drink joy
At the breasts of nature;
All the good, all the evil
Follow her roses' trail.
Kisses gave she us, and wine,
A friend, proven unto death;
Pleasure was to the worm granted,
And the cherub stands before God.
Glad, as his suns fly
Through the Heavens' glorious plan,
Run, brothers, your race,
Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.


The reasons one ought to know this are manifold. It’s beautiful poetry in either language. Likewise the musical theme lies behind the hymn "Joyful, joyful we adore thee," found in nearly every hymnal. And whether the modern poet intended it or not, this poem oozes through that modern text. Frederich Schiller wrote the original poem in 1785. Beethoven included it in the symphony which was completed in 1824. Beethoven added some words (in italics above) to the Schiller poem to complete his own spin on the text. Beethoven was not the only composer to set the words to music. The overt mysticism and references to a pantheon of deities is removed in the poem found in most hymnals.

Here is the text we usually find in modern hymnals:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Henry J. van Dyke wrote this poem in 1907. It’s not clear if he had in mind any reference to the Schiller poem. The connections are obvious however, despite what is in van Dyke’s hand a distinctly Christian paean. A few hymnal committees have tried to remove the male-dominated language from van Dyke’s poem, with very few doing it well. I believe inclusive language is a must in any hymn text written these days, but to force our preferences on ancient texts usually has a deleterious effect on the poem’s integrity and the singer’s enthusiasm for singing it. Too often the revision is too awkward to sing. But that’s another post.

Church musicians owe it to themselves to know the original Schiller poem and its translation, as well as the complete poem by van Dyke. Even if you don't know a lick of German, one can listen to a good recording and learn even how to say the poem with authority. Every singer should likewise aspire to be able to sing the Beethoven choral symphony at some point in their life. I got to sing it in college as part of a mass of college choirs singing with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. I have forgotten a lot of what the preparation and the performance were like, but I will never forget hearing the cellos and basses begin the theme before the singers’ entrance, nor the 21, count them, D major chords that end the piece.

Things every church singer ought to know

I frequently joke with the choir singers about the “things every singer ought to know.” To me it seems that there are certain things that every church singer, even the amateur, ought to know. These may be things related to choral singing or church history or liturgical practice. After spouting off recently (on needing to know the original text to Beethoven’s “Hymn to joy” in German and English) I realized that I ought to start compiling my list before I forgot parts of it.

Along with this corpus of knowledge about church music and liturgy and ecclesiology I think belongs my list of “perfect choral works.” The singers in the choir finish the sentence for me when I begin, “There are very few perfect pieces of choral music in this world…” The statement concludes, “this is one of them!” There are very few pieces worthy of being called "perfect;" I strive to let our singers know what they are, and when possible to have them sing them often, and to let them become a vital part of the church music experience. So in order to keep that list up to date, I’ll include elements from it in this same ongoing series.

Finally, I believe quite firmly that it is not enough to know the facts. Rather, amateur and professional church musicians need to know “why” this is a "fact I ought to know," and why a particular piece I deem “perfect” has made it on my list. I'll be sure to give my spin on the reasons a given fact is worthy of being committed to memory, and why a choral work is in my opinion "perfect."

I am going to label posts on this topic “general knowledge.” It sounds a bit lame, but these things are really the general facts one working in the area of church music must know to go about that ministry with any sense of integrity. I hope the choir singers, the folks at BMPCNC and others, including my professional colleagues, will enjoy this series. It's going to be incredibly personal, opinionated and eclectic, but then, what else would you expect from me?

Worship Music for April 6

FirstLight worship will begin with a medley of "We fall down" and the hymn "Holy, holy, holy" (NICEA). These two sings marvel in the holiness of God and combining them into a unit will be a powerful time of praise. "Open the eyes of my heart" will also help set the tone for our worship. This is Emmaus Sunday, the third Sunday of Easter, when the reading is traditionally the story of the Emmaus experience. The Prophets of Praise will sing James Moore's very popular "Taste and see" at the offering. Having heard it there, the congregation will be invited to sing the refrain while we receive communion. Our worship will conclude with the American folk hymn DOVE OF PEACE with text by Brian Wren, "I come with joy to meet my Lord."

Worship at 11 AM will begin with music from the anti-apartheid movement of South Africa in the latter part of the last century. That movement has strong support in people's faith, and new songs of prayer, devotion and social awareness grew with the movement. One of the most popular is "Haleluja, pela tse rona," or "Hallelujah, we sing your praises." With verses that laud Jesus' presence in the bread and cup, and his admonition to spread the gospel, this will be a great way to begin and end worship. The choir will sing a new setting of Wren's "I come with joy" by Gary Allen (GIA). While we are familiar with the text using the tune DOVE OF PEACE, hearing it with a new tune give us new ears to hear the message in a fresh way. Liturgical extras (new members joining) will limit us to two hymns: "Christ is risen, sing hosanna" (HYMN TO JOY) and "O Thou who in this mysterious bread" (LAND OF REST). The latter is a Charles Wesley hymn, found in the United Methodist hymnal of 1989; with its reference to the Emmaus experience, it will be a nice way to tie the worship service together this week.