Music Spotlight (August 8, 2021)

Prelude

"Just As I Am" by William Bolcom

From American composer, William Bolcom (1938–): 

The American Guild of Organists commissioned the first trio of Gospel Preludes; an Emory University faculty member commissioned three, and Marilyn Mason [world-renowned organist] asked for six. Though the tunes in the Preludes come from both black and white Protestant American churches, what I do with them puts them outside the category of religious music – they belong clearly to the concert world... READ MORE

Listen carefully as Bolcom enfolds the melody canonically throughout the piece, using dissonance to emphasize certain images and melodic ideas. You first hear the melody clearly in the soprano range of the organ. In the next iteration of the soprano melody, the pedal line cleverly echoes in transposition. In following iterations, the melody appears in three different voices at once in stunning intricacy. 

Opening Hymn

#839 "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine" (ASSURANCE) 

"Foretaste of glory divine...visions of rapture...angels descending...whispers of love..." 

One cannot help but be swept up by Crosby's revelatory imagery. We must realize that "middle class women in nineteenth-century United States had little voice in worship...One of the only ways for a woman to claim the authority to be heard was by direct personal revelation from God." 

READ MORE about Fanny Crosby--beloved female hymn-writer, advocate for the blind, and friend to at least four U.S. Presidents. 

Special Music 

"Cry Out to God in Joy (Psalm 66)" by Steven C. Warner 

Today, we are presenting Psalm 66 (vs. 1-11) responsorially, inviting the congregation to "Cry out to God in joy!" through song. After each section of text sung by the cantor, the congregation may join in the refrain, printed in your bulletins. Responsorial singing is a community-strengthening, Biblical practice, originating from ancient Jewish temple worship. 

Middle Hymn

#442 "Just As I Am, Without One Plea" (WOODWORTH)

One day when everyone in her family had gone to a church bazaar to raise funds for a charity school, [Charlotte] Elliott was left alone, confined by her sickness. Though depressed with feelings of uselessness and loneliness, she recalled the message “Come to Christ just as you are,” which she had received from César Malan during the darkest period of her soul. She then overcame her distress to write this hymn...

"People aren’t 'good enough' or 'not good enough' to come to Jesus. It is through God’s initiative, pardon, promises and free love mentioned throughout the hymn that everyone can come to Jesus!" READ MORE

Offertory

"The Call" by Ralph Vaughan Williams

One might assume that Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) was a deeply religious composer, based on his large religious musical output. He was indeed brought up in the Anglican Church of England but also heavily influenced by his mother's family relation--Charles Darwin. Scientific discoveries of the late 19th century attracted Vaughan Williams to agnosticism. However, he employed religious texts for their literary beauty and connection to English heritage.

How could [Vaughan Williams] bring to life divine words with no personal conviction of their meaning? James Day comments on a statement by Vaughan Williams that "the object of art is to stretch out to the ultimate realities through the medium of beauty."...In [George] Herbert, Vaughan Williams found a master poet whose poetry was simple yet profound, plain yet technically sophisticated, popular yet permeated with the seriousness of English worship. READ MORE

"The Call" by George Herbert (1593 – 1633)

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:

Such a Way, as gives us breath:

Such a Truth, as ends all strife:

Such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:

Such a Light, as shows a feast:

Such a Feast, as mends in length:

Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:

Such a Joy, as none can move:

Such a Love, as none can part:

Such a Heart, as joyes in love.

Closing Hymn

#724 "O Jesus, I Have Promised" (NYLAND)

John Ernest Bode (1816-1874) has given the church one of its most enduring hymns of Christian discipleship....More than fifty years after its publication in 1933, [its overuse was noted]: “Bishops have been known to implore their clergy that this hymn should not be sung at all the Confirmations they attend...” READ MORE

The romantically chromatic--perhaps even maudlin--tune was written by Arthur Henry ‘Daddy’ Mann (United Kingdom, 1850-1929). As director of music and organist at King's College Chapel, he was most noted for founding the world-famous tradition of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 1918.

Postlude

"Postlude" by Thomas Aberg

Thomas Åberg (b. 1952) was born in Stockholm and works there as composer and independent organist. Most of his works are written for the organ and are characterized by their rhythmic joy, simplicity, and humor. He has stated that "music must bring enjoyment, without abandoning reverence," and as such his style often uses the most basic of musical materials to create a discourse that is both spiritual and visceral.