The text itself is quite familiar — the words of the Divine Service that have been sung by Christians for hundreds of years.  The same words that have accompanied the travelers of this world as they receive the gifts of God and confess and respond with thanksgiving.  The same words where the “now” of earthly life and “not yet” of eternity are joined.  Kyrie Eleison.  Gloria in Excelsis.  Credo.  Sanctus.

One of the things you find with Bach is the interconnectedness of words and music.  Bach takes these words and through the music provides a theological commentary.  For those interested in learning more about Bach’s compositional techniques in his Mass and how they enrich the text, you can download Christ’s Gifts in the Liturgy: The Theology and Music of the Divine Service (free download) from the Good Shepherd Institute and read Bach and the Divine Service: The B-Minor Mass by Paul W. Hofreiter.  The music isn’t just background noise to provide cover for the text and neither does the music dominate the text.  This is a good reminder for church musicians even today.

It is for these reasons that I’m drawn to the Mass in B minor.  While the words are in Latin, I inwardly “know” what is being sung — the music helps to reinforce those words.  It is a sung confession in faith of what Christ has done for us.  Hofreiter writes that “Bach could proclaim, in unison with Luther and all who have believed and will believe:”

All to the praise of Him who is the Master of all beauty.  All praise sung by faith at the present time is but a beginning of the eternal hymn. (Luther)

In closing, I’ll leave you with two of my favorite selections from Bach’s Mass — the Sanctus and Dona nobis pacem.  If you watch the Dona nobis pacem, notice what happens at the conclusion — a hushed silence and reverence.  Grant us peace.  If you don’t see the videos, click here and here.

Thanks for reading Bach and the Mass in B minor.

One of the things I look forward to from the Institute is their semi-annual newsletter.  The following email from Kantor Resch provides info on what to look for.  Definitely download a copy.  And, you’ll get to read more about this year’s Conference theme.  Just a hint: it is tangentially related to a certain “royal” event happening this Friday.

GSI Newsletter

Dear Friends:

I am happy to announce that the April issue of HIS VOICE is now available to download. This is the official electronic newsletter for the Good Shepherd Institute, and you will find it located at our website His Voice.

In this issue, you will find out about the upcoming Good Shepherd Institute Conference and the Organist Workshop. Articles on church music resources are provided by Kantor Kevin Hildebrand. Professor John Pless gives commentary on new publications for pastoral theology, while Dr. Daniel Zager makes recommendations on books and sacred music recordings.

You may also download the April issue by clicking here.

If you believe other people would benefit from receiving an email inviting them to explore His Voice, send an email to HisVoice@ctsfw.edu. Please include their email addressed, first and last names.

Blessings in Christ,

Rev. Richard Resch

Thanks for reading Good Shepherd Institute April 2011 Newsletter.

Each year as we revisit Palm Sunday we are confronted by a paradox in the hymns, the scripture readings, and the sermon. Appearances are deceiving. The Savior we want is not necessarily the Savior we need. Nagel writes,

Jesus’ words to the Greeks, as ever with His words, exactly met their seeking and their need. He tells that He is the Messiah, then declares that the hour of His glory is come. What earthly glorious pictures those words must have called up in the minds of the disciples. They were flushed with the glory of the palms and hosannas of Palm Sunday. This, they thought, was the real Jesus, the royal Jesus. This was Jesus coming into His own. The kingdom was about to be established. (p. 106)

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, there is a tension of the joyful hosannas and the journey to the cross. Musically, I sometimes struggle trying to balance this tension as I prepare for the worship service. It’s easy to play the loud and joyful settings of “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” and “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” with instrumental fanfare — almost like Easter has come a week early. Yet, as Nagel notes, “The hour of Jesus’ glory was to be the hour of His death, for He took our sins on himself . . . This was Jesus’ glory—that through His death there might be full, assured, and cheerful life of those who are God’s own” (p. 107).

Increasingly, I’m appreciating the complexity of the hymn “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty” (LSB 441) in understanding the paradox of Palm Sunday. Each stanza begins with “Ride on, ride on in majesty!” — causing an expectation of something regal, at least to human eyes and ears. Yet, we see the foreshadowing that this is a different sort of ride – “In lowly pomp ride on to die.” ”The angel armies of the sky Look down with sad and wondr’ing eyes To see the approaching sacrifice.” This is a bit of contrast from the angelic proclamation on Christmas Eve. But there is the expectation of triumph through this death and mortal pain. Each year as I accompany the singing of this hymn I try to lead with a restrained and solemn joy — interpreting the paradox from the organ bench and perhaps making this text come alive.

A few years ago I came across a new setting of “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty” by John Ferguson. Fittingly, he entitled his hymn tune “Paradox”. Here is a recording of Ferguson’s setting sung by the St. Olaf Cantorei. The choral score can be purchased from Lorenz. If you do not see the embedded music file, click here to hear the audio.

As Jesus goes on this trek to the cross, we too go with Him.

In the days when bridges were not so plentiful, there were strong men whose task it was to carry people across otherwise impassable rivers. That was the occupation of St. Christopher. He strapped people to his back and plunged in, bearing them through the water to the other side. Just so we are borne through death to life on the other side strapped to Christ. His going through death must be our going through death so we may arrive with Him to life.

On Good Friday, when you see Christ dying on the cross, being cut off from God for sin, say, “That is my death for my sin.” When Christ rises out of the whelming waters of death to life, say, “That is my rising to life.” “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). (p. 107-108)

Thanks for reading Palm Sunday Paradox.

Church musicians are often in a quandary when selecting sheet music to add to their libraries: a finite budget and seemingly infinite choices from music publishers.  The musician needs a discerning eye to determine what will be useful at their skill level and worship context.  Random selection might yield a few gems, but also result in a bloated collection.  A quality library doesn’t necessarily have to be large.  It does, however, have to be well chosen. (Organ Music: Chorale Preludes)

Concordia Publishing House is one of the few publishers that I routinely use that has substantial sales on some of their music products.  Vendors like SheetMusicPlus will often have rotating 20% sales on different publishers or types of music (e.g., choral), but CPH usually has a limited selection of choral, handbell, organ, and piano music at significant savings (50% – 75% off). If your congregation subscribes to Creative Worship from CPH, you can also work directly with their Music Department to order “suggested” products at 20% off.  I know this sounds like an advertisement for CPH, but it’s more of an FYI of how to make a music budget stretch further (assuming you have a need for their products).

One word of caution: just because something is on sale does not mean you need it!

As I scanned through the latest CPH Music Warehouse Sale, I’ve listed a handful of organ music items that are frequently on my music rack (and a book about handbells) with the thought that someone might also find them useful. If you’re looking for other recommendations, Kevin Hildebrand normally has organ and choral music reviews in each edition of His Voice from the Good Shepherd Institute.

Organ Music

• Chorale Preludes of Dietrich Buxtehude ($8.75 – editor Scott Hyslop) – This collection is a selection of some of Buxtehude’s chorale preludes. While I don’t own this particular edition (I have the Barenreiter series), I’ve enjoyed learning and playing Buxtehude throughout the church year.  In the March 2007 edition of His Voice, Kevin Hildebrand offers suggestions based on several levels of difficulty and includes the BuxWV number.
• Hymnal Supplement 98 Prelude Editions (Vol 3, 4, and 5 – $4.50 each) – Useful especially for some of the newer hymn tunes in Lutheran Service Book. I think CPH may be letting these go out of print.
• Introductions, Harmonizations, Accompaniments, Interpretations (Vol 3 – $4.00, Vol 4 – $4.25 – Jeffrey Blersch) –  The introductions are sometimes longer than I would normally play, but could also work as a prelude.  The usefulness of the harmonizations in your worship setting will depend on your musical resources.  Some of the harmonizations interweave the melody amongst the different voices and work best if there is a choir to support the singing (and know what you’re up to).
• Master Organ Works of Jan Bender (Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 – $7.50 each) – Let’s just say I paid a lot more than $7.50 for each of these volumes when they first came out. Volumes 1-4 have been particularly useful over the years (based on hymn tunes) and I’ve learned to like the sound and writing of Bender. Volume 1 is primarily for manuals. Volumes 2 & 3 are for manuals and pedals.  Volume 4 has some very nice longer pieces (I often use Ein Feste Berg and Wie schon leuchtet). Volume 5 are non-hymn based triptychs which I haven’t used much. Kevin Hildebrand provides a review of this collection in the February 2006 edition of His Voice.
• Six Hymn Improvisations (Vol 1 – $2.75, Vol 2 – $2.75, Vol 4 – $3.00 – Kevin Hildebrand) – I frequently use Kantor Hildebrand’s improvisations and will occasionally tweak/shorten them to use as a hymn introduction. Volume 1 has a few gems with great settings of Ebenezer (Thy Strong Word) and In Dir Ist Freude (used as the hymn introduction to In Thee Is Gladness on the Heirs of the Reformation CD set). And the renaissance dance setting of O Lord, We Praise You is just fun to play.
• Songs of the Gospel (Vol 1, Vol 2 – $22.50 each) – These two volumes have been really helpful to collect a variety of older and newer settings on the hymns of Martin Luther (Volume 1) and Paul Gerhardt (Volume 2).  For the amount of music you get for the price, these are bargains.

Books

• Handbells in the Liturgy ($8.00) – Practical ideas on how to use handbells in the worship service. Surprise , surprise – handbells can be used in more ways than just playing an instrumental piece.

Thanks for reading CPH Spring 2011 Music Sale.

If you’ve never heard In Christ Alone, you can listen to it here.

Starke’s post reminded me of a post at Boundless Line (a Focus on the Family blog for young adults) entitled Modern Worship: All About Me.  In that post Thomas Jeffries provides a reflection of the songs being used in evangelical churches.  Jeffries admits “that many evangelicals today have unwittingly embraced songs about themselves at the expense of those focusing their gaze upon Him.”  The solution he provides is the need to consistently focus on Christ in their song and hymns.

In a recent interview in the Leadership Journal, Keith Getty (co-author of In Christ Alone) and Kristyn Getty provided this refreshing perspective of church music:

If I’ve got non-Christian friends coming to church, I’d far rather give them four verses of comparatively heavy theology with some theological words which explains the gospel, than give them twenty repeated words that could be said about your pet horse or your girlfriend.

I would qualify his comment to include that as Lutherans, Lutherans should be singing texts that reflect and are in harmony with Lutheran theology.  Other Christian groups may have “heavy theology”; it just might not be compatible with Lutheran theology.

Thanks for reading In Christ Alone.

Each year around the All Saints Sunday weekend the Good Shepherd Institute hosts their annual conference which features fellowship, recitals, a hymn festival, and a number of presentations for pastors and musicians.  The conference that is presently underway is entitled “Sing With All the Saints in Glory.”  In March 2010, Dr. Just remarked in their newsletter how the staff determined the conference theme.

After last year’s well-received and well-attended conference on Johann Sebastian Bach, we wondered how we could sustain this momentum. In a meeting with Kantors Resch and Hildebrand and Dean Grime about how we can top Bach, someone blurted out: “Let’s do death. We’ve never done death. Let’s do death.” I looked over at the Kantors, and I could see the musical wheels spinning with requiems, hymns, and all sorts of other possibilities. What is more vital for pastors, musicians, and deaconesses than how we proclaim to the saints what we believe about death? We all agreed that there was no more perfect topic to follow Bach than how we celebrate life in the midst of death, especially at a Good Shepherd Institute conference held during All Saints weekend. Yes, we all agreed, it is time for us to “do death.”

While I haven’t attended one of the conferences, my thoughts and prayers are with them as I see what they’re doing a few time zones away.  A highlight for me, while not a substitute for being there, is the eventual publication of their annual journal that features the presentations from the conference.  These journals provide some good reading (and lifelong re-reading) material.  My personal favorite is Volume 2 – Christ’s Gift’s in Liturgy.  Normally the journals are about $20.00 apiece, but since Volume 2 is out of print, they have kindly made it available for download (no charge) as a PDF.  If you are a church musician with a love for sacred music, hymnody, worship, and theology, you definitely will want this.  While you’re at it, take a look at their semi-annual newsletter with some great recommendations on articles/books, sheet music (organ and choir), and recordings.  Yes, your pocketbook will be a little lighter, but you will have some worthwhile additions to your library.  Kantor Hildebrand’s recommendation of Partita on Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart by J. Wayne Kerr, was a great addition to both of my All Saints Sunday services.

If you’re not familiar with the resources for church musicians from Concordia Theological Seminary, do check them out.  They have been a blessing to me.  Perhaps they will be for you as well.

Thanks for reading Church Musicians & Concordia Theological Seminary.

I have a small tome on my desk called the Propers of the Day that has all the propers (parts of the service that change) for each Sunday and feast or festival. The Psalms often permeate each day in the introit, gradual, and of course the Psalm of the Day. They announce the theme of the day in the introit. They offer responses to the other lessons. They, along with the other propers, are meant to be used — whether on the lips of the pastor, choir, or congregation — whether spoken, chanted, or sung —  not for the sake of “having” to do it because it’s listed in the hymnal or tradition says so, but because we “can” use them in Christian freedom to unify, unfold, and accent the day’s theme. If you don’t use the propers, why not? If you do use them, why?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that:

“Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure vanishes from the Christian church. With its recovery will come unexpected power.”

There are numerous ways to present the Psalms ranging from simple to complex. I’d like to share a YouTube video of an unpublishsed (as far as I can tell) invigorating setting of Psalm 149, the appointed Psalm for All Saints Day. As a brief background, Reformed churches often have a rich tradition of Psalm singing, sometimes (unfortunately) to the exclusion of non-Psalm based hymns. This setting is from Christ Church in Moscow, ID and a video from one of their Psalm sings (which you’ll notice encompasses all generations of their congregation — even the children sing). When I first heard it, I thought the music sounded familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. After a few days of the tune in my head, I was singing a Psalm from the Brotherhood Prayer Book and realized a part of the setting was based on the Gregorian chant Tone VIII, albeit with some rhythmic additions.

And a second Psalm setting (Psalm 98) for good measure being sung by their congregation (not choir).  Prepare to be astounded.  I also commend them for their resourceful use of instrumentation.

Thanks for reading Psalms for All Saints.

It is not we who call ourselves Lutherans. Rather, our adversaries call us that. We allow this to the extent that this title is an indication of the consensus that our churches have with the orthodox and catholic doctrine that Luther set forth from Holy Writ. Therefore we allow ourselves to be named after Luther, not as the inventor of a new faith but as the asserter of the old faith and the cleanser of the church from the stains of Papist dogmas. Consequently, we also do not reject the names “Christian” and “catholic,” nor do we render ourselves unworthy of them by the approval of any heretical dogma, as did the Arians, Nestorians, Eutychians, etc. Rather, we are called “Christians” from Christ as the only Author and Teacher of our faith. We are called “catholics” from our consensus with the catholic faith. We are called “Lutherans” from Luther as the asserter and defender of that faith, but especially as the reformer whom God raised up.

—Johann Gerhard, On the Church (Theological Commonplace XXV), § 156.

Thanks for reading Lutheran: What does this mean?.

These are all well worth listening to.  And if you haven’t decided to have “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It” sung at your funeral service, I think you’ll be convinced that you might want to add it.

Here are the links to each part of the Issues Etc series.

1. God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It (Pastor Wil Weedon)
2. Thy Strong Word (Dr. Arthur Just)
3. Lord, Thee I Love With All My Heart (Rev. Paul McCain)
4. The Church’s One Foundation (Dr. Arthur Just)
5. My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (Pastor Bill Cwirla)

Thanks for reading Issues Etc. – Top 5 Hymns.

When I think of Bach and his death, the first thing that comes to mind is the closing chorale to his St. John Passion.  He closes this Passion with the final stanza of Martin Schalling’s hymn text “Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart.” (Starts at 8:58 in the YouTube video).

Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abr’hams bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me,
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend,
my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end. (LSB 708, st. 3)

Bach’s setting has endeared me more and more to this hymn.  It is a hymn of trust, of hope, of comfort, and of joy for the Christian who looks to the gracious face and work of Christ in the midst of their own death and eventual resurrection.  For good reason, this hymn has accompanied many on the journey to their Savior.  At nearly every funeral I’m the organist for, I’ll play either the Walther or Krebs (usually both) organ settings of this hymn as pre-service music (along with pieces by Bach).

So today I thank God for the work and faith of Bach and the treasures he left behind that have enriched us (for me particularly the organ chorales and sacred choral music).  Here are several posts from the archive vault on Bach and one of my favorite musical pieces.  Soli Deo Gloria.

• J.S. Bach: Kantor for Today
• Bach in Today’s Parish: Still the Evangelist

Thanks for reading J.S. Bach: The Music Lives On.