BETWEEN THE LINES for Sunday, October 13, 2013
The intended audience for this blog post is members and friends of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, South Carolina. It is shared as a resource in preparation for worship this coming weekend. Blessings to all read this post. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Rejoice in the Lord! with the Children's Choir
This season I'm directing the elementary age choir. What a beautiful group of children they are!
Sunday they will sing an anthem from the Chorister's Guild library, "Rejoice in the Lord" by Jane Lindner. The text is based on Philippians 4:4-6:
The dictionary reminds me that rejoice means to be glad, to take delight in, to feel or express great delight or joy.
I come up short many times, do you? Working on this anthem with the children has reminded me of the joy that follows when we rejoice in the Lord.
Organ Music
For the offertory, a fine setting of the hymntune HYFRYDOL by Paul Manz highlights the text "Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners." Manz captures the joy and power of this thought in his alternating sections of playful interludes on the flute stops with the hymn tune played on a reed chorus. Forgiven sinners can be joyful!
The compositional device of alternation between groups (in this case families of stops) has been used pretty much throughout the history of Jewish and Christian worship music beginning with the alternation of instruments and voice, or choir and congregation in the Old Testament.
A lively trumpet tune by composer Aaron David Miller (2005) sends the congregation into the week with joy. A fast tempo and an energetic meter (which alternates every measure between 3/8 and 4/4) are the bookends to the piece. A middle section in 12/8 is marked "Gallop." Joyful, but not irreverent, this section almost insists that you cast off all grumbling and rejoice. Meanwhile, my helper at the bench, Drew (age 9) needs to hang on tight! His proud grandparents are members of the Chancel Choir.
Attending worship is our way to show God how much we love Him and how thankful we are for all He has done for us. Worship shows us again and again just how awesome our God is. If your view of God is pretty small or you don't even have anything to do with God, regular doses of worship can remedy that. Public worship is the place where our faith grows and is strengthen, our complacency challenged, our fears relieved, and our joy-bucket is replenished. I'll be at the bench this week with my dancing shoes on...I hope you'll join me in the choir loft or pews! Dancing shoes optional.
~~~
MUSIC LINKS
Trumpet Tunes for organ have a long history. Here are several that are often played at weddings:
Trumpet Tune by Henry Purcell, played by a fine Czech organist, and here by Dutch organist Pieter Pilon. Read about the fine historic organ he is playing here.
Trumpet Tune by John Stanley, played by Patrick Scott at Kings College, Cambridge. Dr. Scott is the organist in my city, Charlotte. I've had the privilege to hear him several times this summer in concerts.
Trumpet Tune by David Johnson (1922-1988), played on a virtual organ.
Festive Trumpet Tune by David German, 1990. Composed when Mr. German served at Calvary Church in Charlotte as their Minister of Music.
The intended audience for this blog post is members and friends of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, South Carolina. It is shared as a resource in preparation for worship this coming weekend. Blessings to all read this post. May the peace of Christ be with you.
This season I'm directing the elementary age choir. What a beautiful group of children they are!
Sunday they will sing an anthem from the Chorister's Guild library, "Rejoice in the Lord" by Jane Lindner. The text is based on Philippians 4:4-6:
Rejoice in the Lord, again I will say, Rejoice!Ponder for a moment what it mean to "rejoice in the Lord."
Be gentle to all, the Lord is near.
Rejoice in the Lord, again I will say, Rejoice!
Be thankful and pray, and God will give you peace.
Rejoice in the Lord, again I will say, Rejoice!
The dictionary reminds me that rejoice means to be glad, to take delight in, to feel or express great delight or joy.
I come up short many times, do you? Working on this anthem with the children has reminded me of the joy that follows when we rejoice in the Lord.
Organ Music
For the offertory, a fine setting of the hymntune HYFRYDOL by Paul Manz highlights the text "Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners." Manz captures the joy and power of this thought in his alternating sections of playful interludes on the flute stops with the hymn tune played on a reed chorus. Forgiven sinners can be joyful!
The compositional device of alternation between groups (in this case families of stops) has been used pretty much throughout the history of Jewish and Christian worship music beginning with the alternation of instruments and voice, or choir and congregation in the Old Testament.
A lively trumpet tune by composer Aaron David Miller (2005) sends the congregation into the week with joy. A fast tempo and an energetic meter (which alternates every measure between 3/8 and 4/4) are the bookends to the piece. A middle section in 12/8 is marked "Gallop." Joyful, but not irreverent, this section almost insists that you cast off all grumbling and rejoice. Meanwhile, my helper at the bench, Drew (age 9) needs to hang on tight! His proud grandparents are members of the Chancel Choir.
 |
| Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, South Carolina |
~~~
MUSIC LINKS
Trumpet Tunes for organ have a long history. Here are several that are often played at weddings:
Trumpet Tune by Henry Purcell, played by a fine Czech organist, and here by Dutch organist Pieter Pilon. Read about the fine historic organ he is playing here.
Trumpet Tune by John Stanley, played by Patrick Scott at Kings College, Cambridge. Dr. Scott is the organist in my city, Charlotte. I've had the privilege to hear him several times this summer in concerts.
Trumpet Tune by David Johnson (1922-1988), played on a virtual organ.
Festive Trumpet Tune by David German, 1990. Composed when Mr. German served at Calvary Church in Charlotte as their Minister of Music.
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