Category Archives: Church Musician

Gregorian Chant in Worship

When most people think of Gregorian chant they likely think of Roman Catholics or cloistered monks (with their cowl) chanting in a dimly lit church.  This past Monday on Issues, Etc. Dr. Ben Mayes provided an interesting discussion on the history of Gregorian chant and its relevance to today’s Reformation Christians as part of our Lutheran heritage.  I’ve embedded the audio for your listening ease.

If you take only one thing away from the discussion, I think this should be it:

Gregorian chant lets the text of scripture and its quiet power shine through without forcing an emotion on it. (paraphrased from my listening notes)

A few years back I acquired a long out-of-print volume of Introits for the one-year lectionary set to Gregorian chant tones (edited by Walter Buszin and published by CPH in 1942).  Buszin provided these reasons for the use of Gregorian chant (referring specifically to the Introits, but logically extrapolating to chant in general):

  1. They are truly liturgical in character.
  2. They are simple and may be sung by any type of church choir and be transposed to other keys.
  3. They are churchly, giving prominence to the text and relegating the music to the background.
  4. They are undramatic and objective and yet possess great beauty.
  5. They have stood the test of time and have become a part of the Lutheran heritage.

Whether you choose to explore Gregorian chant further, it does make you think how music affects and has the potential to overpower the text.

More info about Gregorian chant from a Lutheran perspective can be found at the Lutheran Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood website.  Dr. Mayes also edited the Brotherhood Prayer Book.

Handbells Ringing Again

When September comes around, there seems to be a “Back to . . . ” frenzy.  In the church that often means Back to Sunday School, Back to Choir, and Back to Handbells.  This past Monday, the handbell group I ring with started our Fall season — we were fewer in number (only 6), but one more will be arriving next week.

Even with a smaller group we had a blast at practice (it’s as much a social gathering as it is a music group).  To ease back into ringing we sight read a number of 12 bell pieces and are planning to play a setting of Hyfrydol for Sept 20, which also happens to be the tune for the Hymn of the Day (LSB 851).  By the end of practice, the piece sounded great.

And what is the moral of the story?  For handbells, at least, you don’t need a dozen ringers and 3+ octaves of handbells to make music.  Even 6 or 7 ringers with 2 octaves of bells can make some joyful noise.  The early beginnings of my group was 6 ringers, 2 octaves of bells, and lots of 12 bell music (all in the key of C!).

Going through the handbell music this weekend, reminded me of the following piece I composed a few years ago for the 7th Sunday after Easter on the Hymn of the Day — Christ is the World’s Redeemer – 16 bells +/- for 2 octaves.  Unfortunately, there is not a dearth of music for the tune Moville — Kenneth Kosche’s organ setting in Musica Sacra (CPH) and John Ferguson’s choral setting (GIA).

Take a listen and enjoy!

The Other Essential Lutheran Library – Musician Edition

As I was browsing at the music store in Portland on Saturday, a quote from Luther came to mind:

Many books does not make one learned, nor much reading either; rather to read a good thing and to read it often, regardless of how little it is, that makes one learned in the Scriptures.

I think something similar could be said for church musicians in relation to their musical repertoire and libraries. Publishing companies continue to entice us with their latest offerings; yet we still have existing music waiting to be learned or looked at. To buy or not to buy? The related and potentially better question is: What is the Lutheran musician’s core repertoire (besides the hymnal)?

A few weeks back, Paul McCain at Cyberbrethren wrote about The Essential Lutheran Library — a core list of absolute essential reading for every Lutheran.

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J.S. Bach: Kantor for Today

Today the church commemorates Kantor Johann Sebastian Bach, a gifted musician and servant of the church. Because of his combined musical creativity and fidelity to Christ, he has become known as the Fifth Evangelist.

Kantor Resch, in an essay in the first journal of the Good Shepherd Institute (which by the way is available as a complimentary download), mentions that Bach’s “unbelievable source of faithful confession, of teaching and admonishing, of prayer, of praise and thanksgiving, and of healing and comfort–has become a hidden treasure.” He goes on to write,

It is time for a sacred music reformation. It is time for coming home to a practice that is just waiting for pastors, kantors, church musicians, choirs, instrumentalists to pick up, learn well, teach lovingly to their people, and begin using again. We need to wake up to what we have! (The Gift of the Church’s Song: Sacred Music as Healing and Comfort, 96).

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Pre-Bach: Shaping the Tradition

It seems fitting that on the eve of the commemoration of J.S. Bach’s death that I have just finished reading “Music in Early Lutheranism: Shaping the Tradition (1524-1672)” by Carl Schalk. (As a side note: CPH is having a phenomenal sale on books. I picked up Schalk’s book for only $15.00 (normally $32.00) and both volumes of Sasse’s Lonely Way for only $10.00 each (normally $21.00)).

Schalk’s premise is that while Bach is often considered the culmination of Lutheran church music in the 18th century, there was a period of 150 years before Bach that paved the way for the climate that he encountered. In other words, Bach did not just arrive on the scene and say “I have arrived.”

Schalk reviews the life and musical works of seven influential Lutheran musicians in the 150 years after the Reformation.

  • Johann Walter: First Cantor of the Lutheran Church
  • Georg Rhau: Printer of Early Reformation Music
  • Hans Leo Hassler: Herald of the Transition to the “New Style”
  • Michael Praetorius: Conservator of the Chorale
  • Johann Hermann Schein” Cantor of St. Thomas, Leipzig
  • Samuel Scheidt: Musician of Halle
  • Heinrich Schuetz: Tone Poet of Saxony

While I knew a little bit about Walter, Rhau, and Schuetz, it was enlightening to understand their background and the roots of Lutheran music and see the kinds of music they composed. For example, during the Thirty Years War Schuetz’s compositions became simpler — just a couple vocal parts, several instruments, and basso continuo to account for more limited musical resources and financial support.

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