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.

HIS VOICE

The Good Shepherd Institute has recently published the bi-annual edition of their newsletter “His Voice” that focus on resources for pastoral theology and sacred music.  In it you’ll find information on the next GSI conference (and the creative way they came up with the topic), book/article recommendations from John Pless, choral recommendations from Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, and music/article recommendations from Daniel Zager.

For those of you who enjoy the writings of Bo Giertz (e.g., Hammer of God and To Live With Christ), John Pless recommends The Knights of Rhodes, a novel by Giertz recently translated into English by Bror Erickson.  If you are interested in it, just a hint — buy directly from the publisher (Wipf and Stock) and the price is $21.60 + shipping rather than $27.00 + shipping.

GATHERED GUESTS

CPH is having a 60% off sale on selected items and Gathered Guests (2nd Edition) by Timothy Maschke is on sale for $10.00 (normally $24.99).  The subtitle to the book is “A Guide to Worship in the Lutheran Church.”  It is a revision of the 1st Edition to reflect updated practices and reference the services in Lutheran Service Book.  At 600 pages, the book provides an overview of Lutheran worship and the church year, the liturgy and the services in LSB, the arts — vestments, music, and architecture, and planning resources.

The commentary on the LSB services (Divine Services, Daily Office, and the Occasional Services) are especially useful for the pastor and musician in worship planning.  One resource that I have found particularly helpful is Appendix B – Seasonal Suggestions for the Divine Service.  It is an expansion of a table in the Manual on the Liturgy for LBW (which is also a useful resource for service planning and the “how” of the service).  For each season of the church year there are suggestions of when and/or what “options” to use in the service like the Kyrie, Hymn of Praise, and Post-Communion Canticle and Collect.  This appendix provides an intentional usage of the options throughout the settings of the Divine Service.

Enjoy the exploration.  If you happen to come across any worship and/or music related resources that you find useful or would recommend, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading March Resources.

All of the information in these indexes is already in LSB — these indexes will just minimize some page flipping going back and forth to cross reference hymn numbers.  They answer two primary questions: What tune does a hymn use? What hymns use this tune?  Who knows, some of you might find these useful.  If you do, I’d be interested to know – please leave a comment.

1. LSB Hymn Names, Number, and Tune sorted by Hymn Name
2. LSB Hymn Names, Number, and Tune sorted by Hymn Number
3. LSB Hymn Names, Number, and Tune sorted by Hymn Tune
4. NEW FEATURE!: A spreadsheet with the LSB Hymn Names, Numbers, and Tunes

Thanks for reading LSB Resources: Additional Indexes.

Of particular note are 3 pages devoted to the published resources of GSI, most of which are part of my own library.  These resources have been formative and valuable in my growth and continuing education as a parish musician.  I return again and again to the timeless essays of Walter Buszin.  The journals provide opportunities for personal study in worship, hymnody, and liturgy.  The Singing the Faith DVD is the closest thing you’ll get to a confessional Lutheran music video.  My favorite video selections are Lord, Let at Last Thine Angels Come with the mural and Wide Open Stand the Gates from a hymn festival.

It has been a blessing to be part of the continuing “conversation”, if only through the words of the essays, journals, and DVD.  So, I say thank you to Kantor Resch and Dr. Just for their vision and making these resources available for the church at large, and in particular pastors and parish musicians.

Thanks for reading Good Shepherd Institute.

I’ve written about this in a previous post, but I think it bears repeating. Why do music publishers publish a book that will be put on a music rack that will not stay open on its own? It seems ridiculous to have to rebind the books before you can even use them.

P.S. I had my LSB Propers of the Day rebound just as a matter of convenience — so I’m not “unhappy” with CPH on that item. On the other hand, CPH could look at how they bind their Songs of the Gospel (preludes on Luther and Paul Gerhardt hymns) — those books were rebound as soon as I got them a few years back.

Thanks for reading Coil Binding! The Musician’s Friend.

So what did I learn from the video? That I should pull out the ladder to the organ chamber and go blow on some pipes! (The video did not explicitly suggest this, but I extrapolated it as a reasonable experience to get to know my organ better.)

Thanks for reading Pipe Organs: Q&A with Grime and Hildebrand.

Wanted: One Outstanding Church Organist.
Music adds much to our worship, but musicians can be hard to find. Well, look no further.

The reality is that many churches have a difficult time finding an organist or even someone who can play the piano for worship services. Enter CPH. They have created Concordia Organist, a 31-CD set of all the hymns in LSB which can be used to accompany hymn singing. CPH is having an “essay” contest (though the Official Rules say it will be a random drawing) to give away a free copy of the Concordia Organist (retail value: $699 with an introductory price of $499) to a LCMS or LCC congregation.

On the plus side, the hymns are played by the very capable Paul Grime, Kevin Hildebrand, and Richard Resch of Concordia Theological Seminary on the wonderful Schlicker organ in Kramer Chapel. Any congregation would be blessed to have either of these organists and/or the Kramer Chapel pipe organ. (As an aside: I have to remind myself to not covet my neighbor’s pipe organ.)

However, I’m a little unsettled on the use of a CD as a hymn accompaniment in congregational worship. I understand that for some churches the Concordia Organist may be the only way that they can have a “church musician” for worship. Singing to a recording, though, lacks the vibrancy of the relationship between the musician and the congregation. On some Sundays, my own hymn playing will take on a new dimension as a result of the energy of the hymn singing. And conversely, the congregation’s hymn singing can be energized by skillful hymn playing. I would hope that these CDs are a last resort and not a substitute for a “live” church musician if one is available.

And we need not forget the possibility of a capella singing. You never know when the organ might “blow up” just before the service begins and “Let my prayer rise before You as incense” takes on an entirely new meaning as electrical parts are burning. Singing without accompaniment can add a new dimension to worship that is often hidden when there is always background music.

I suppose, though, that the moral of the story is to encourage our young people to pursue church music – either as a profession or avocation. Our churches are always in need of faithful musicians with a passion for the church’s song. If we had sufficient numbers of church musicians, a product like Concordia Organist wouldn’t have much of a market.

Thanks for reading The Concordia Organist.

CPH is continuing its series “Musica Sacra” with Volume 7 by Donald Busarow. The Musica Sacra series is a great way to get some easier and quick pieces to prepare that are interesting. I have all 7 volumes and I consistently use all of them, but especially the volumes by Hildebrand, Kosche, and Culli. Just to be aware, I’d guess that roughly half of the compositions in Volume 7 are reprints of previously published pieces. I’m thinking that by the copyright date they are from the Concordia Hymn Prelude series which CPH is now slowly retiring.

The other selection I ordered was Kevin Hildebrand’s “Five Easy Easter Hymn Settings for Organ” . I know Easter is over and I won’t be able to use this set for another year — BUT it has a lovely setting of Duke Street which is appropriate for funerals throughout the year.

If you’re in the market for some sacred music, give the folks at CPH a try. They have an abundance of resources — especially for the Lutheran musician. But if you want Paul Manz, Michael Burkhardt, or some of Robert Hobby’s pieces, you’ll need to head over to MorningStar Music.

Thanks for reading New Music from CPH.

Both are excellent CD compilations of some of the finest Lutheran hymnody and a worthy addition to your audio library.

Thanks for reading CPH Goes MP3.

Thanks for reading Church Music Workshops.