On New Music
Of making many books there is no end . . . Ecclesiastes 12:12
And so goes the publishing industry. Now don’t get me wrong: I love books. I’m eagerly anticipating the FedEx delivery truck dropping off a box from CPH on Friday with the new edition of Walther’s Law and Gospel, a volume of Sasse, and two volumes of essays by Robert Preus.
As a church musician I get excited (or at least a bit interested) when music publishers, primarily CPH and MorningStar Music, release their new music (which CPH has been doing over the last few weeks). Is there a new treasure waiting to be found? A new (or old) text just waiting to burst in song? Did any of the composers on my short list compose anything new?
Fellowship & Church Musicians
Put a group of church musicians in a room and you’ll probably see this: camaraderie. Whether it be old friends or new faces, a fellowship develops from a common musical bond and shared experiences.
Johann Walter – Composer and Poet
On April 24 the church commemorates Johann Walter, the first Lutheran kantor (brief bio). This year I’m sharing a selection of his poem “In Praise of the Noble Art of Music” that Carl Schalk included in Music in Early Lutheranism. Schalk notes that Walter’s musical “work was clearly related to the theology of the church and his understanding—which he derived from Luther—that the role of music in the church was to proclaim the Word rather than to interpret it.”
Manz Harmonizations for Lent & Easter
As I was filing away some of the Lenten and Easter music, I realized Paul Manz’s Varied Hymn Accompaniments for Lent and Easter got a lot of use this year. I particularly appreciate that these collections are accessible for organist and congregation alike.
Helping Your Congregation Sing
Sometimes church musicians get so caught up with making music, whether that be choral or instrumental, that they neglect or minimize (often unintentionally) their primary responsibility — leading and encouraging the people’s song in psalmody, liturgy, and hymnody. I remember being told (by my father no less) that while I might be able to play a very nice prelude, I should strive to be a good leader of hymn singing.
Mark Lawson, president of MorningStar Music, reflects on the importance of congregational song to Richard Proulx and Richard Hillert in the March edition of their e-newsletter. Special thanks to MorningStar Music for granting permission to post this article.
2010 Summer Organist Workshops
Once again I’m making my annual “plug” for the summer Organist Workshops at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. I can’t recommend these enough to parish organists of all skill levels. For three of the last four summers I’ve had the joy of studying improvisation with Kantor Hildebrand, organ playing with Kantor Resch, and handbells with Kantor Muth, in addition to studying theology, meeting fellow musicians, and being fed with the daily rhythm of prayer services.
Bach in Today’s Parish: Still the Evangelist
Some of you may have had the opportunity in November 2009 to attend the Good Shepherd Institute’s conference on “Bach in Today’s Parish: Still the Evangelist.” While I wasn’t able to attend, I patiently await the publication of their annual journal of papers presented at the conference (and hoping that they might post MP3s of the presentations). In the meantime, the folks at GSI have posted two of the conference papers on their website. They are interesting readings for musicians and non-musicians alike.
Organ Music: Chorale Preludes
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.
To that end, I would like to share with you a recent acquisition to my organ music library which I think will be quite valuable: the six volume series “Choralvorspiele Zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch.”
Walter Buszin on the Lutheran Masters
In 1948 CPH published an “Anthology of Sacred Music – Chorale Preludes by Masters of the XVII and XVIII Centuries” selected and edited by Buszin. It is the Foreword of this volume that I’d like to share with you. First, it provides insight into what CPH was publishing at that time. Second, it gives some guidance for parish musicians today. Third, it will provide a segue into another piece I’ll be posting in a few days.
A Bach Gem From YouTube
As many of you know, you can find virtually anything on YouTube — some of excellent quality and some that is mediocre. One particular organist that I enjoy listening to (and watching) is Rob Stefanussen. His most recent video is of Bach’s Wachet Auf — an obligatory favorite of organists and non-organists alike. Take a few minutes and enjoy this great piece. The videography is detailed and covers the finger and pedal work.
Share your thoughts . . .