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His Voice – Newsletter of Good Shepherd Institute

His Voice - Good Shepherd Institute

I’ve been waiting for some to write this blog post, but was waiting for the new semi-annual installment of His Voice to be published by the Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary. I knew it had to be coming in either March or April and it was posted on the GSI website today. Definitely visit their website and download the latest version (in PDF). For that matter, why not download all five issues (current and the last two years)?

His Voice is a wonderful resource for those interested in the current events of the Good Shepherd Institute and provides:

  • Recommended Pastoral Resouces – Reviews by John Pless
  • Recommended Choral and Organ Music – Reviews by Kevin Hildebrand
  • Recommended Reading and Listening Resources – Reviews by Daniel Zager

I have a great amount of respect for the GSI and take their recommendations seriously. My personal library is a reflection of this.

Highlights from the April 2008 edition include the topic of the 2008 Annual Conference, notification of the release of the “Singing the Faith: Living the Lutheran Music Heritage” DVD, and comprehensive music suggestions for Pentecost and Trinity 2008 by Kevin Hildebrand.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church, it is “dedicated to hearing and discerning the clear voice of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, through preaching, historic liturgies, substantive catechesis, and hymns that communicate faith in Christ in the church’s trinitarian teaching and worship.” You can learn more about their mission and vision by going here.

They have a number of resources available including published journals from their annual conferences and a book on the life of Walter Buszin.

The Good Shepherd Institute is a blessing to the church. Thank You!

2008 Organist Workshops

Kramer Chapel OrganAre you a Lutheran organist wanting to become a better musician AND learn some Lutheran theology AND meet some other organists? If so, take a look at attending one of the 2008 Organist Workshops at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. They have recently posted their 2008 schedule on their website. This summer they are offering Organist Primer and Level 1. You don’t have to be an organ savant to attend – Kantor Resch and Kantor Hildebrand work with you at your current skill level.

If you’re wondering what it’s like, read my review here. If you’re a pastor or leader in your church, why not suggest that your organist attend? Why not offer to pay their way?

Kantor Resch put it this way in a paper he wrote for the 2001 Good Shepherd Institute’s conference on Christ’s Gifts in Liturgy: The Theology and Music of the Divine Service.

Parishes should encourage their church musicians to take full advantage of these opportunities for growth and offer significant financial support. Such an educational benefit for a valued member of the staff is not an extra, not a fluff benefit. I have seen the results of such continuing education every summer for twenty years on this campus. Annually about forty-five organists come, see, hear, learn, and are immersed in something that for most of them is new. After five days of being immersed in theology and practice, students leave with insights that make them different church musicians, able to understand more fully–and put into practice more effectively–their responsibilities in proclamation and teaching. (The Music of the Divine Service: Propers and Proclamation pg 49 in the 2001 Journal of the Good Shepherd Institute)

Walter E. Buszin – Wise Counsel for Today

Buszin BookI was unfamiliar with the name Walter Buszin until the summer of 2007 when I discovered that one of the most enduring choral collections of the 20th century – 101 Chorales Harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach – was edited by Buszin. Prior to this, I had a dear friend from church who had told me on a number of occasions about a treasured book from her younger choral years – a book of Bach chorales. She evidently was talking of the Buszin edition.

Over the last two weeks I have been reading “Music for the Church: The Life and Work of Walter E. Buszin” by Kirby L. Koriath with 10 essays by Walter E. Buszin. As a brief summary, Buszin (1899-1973) was a Lutheran theologian, church musician, music editor, hymnologist, teacher, and liturgical scholar whose scholarly output is quite amazing. In some respects his work was more widely known outside of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) despite being a professor at Concordia Seminary, music editor at Concordia Publishing House, and being on the Synod’s Commission on Worship, Liturgics, and Hymnology for 26 years.

This book presents today’s generation of pastors and church musicians with wise counsel on church music and liturgy. Buszin’s life shows a “mission of restoration and renewal in Lutheran church music and worship” (pg 27). He was deeply concerned that his church, the Lutheran church, had abandoned its fine heritage and replaced it with an unworthy and substandard successor. His life and words are still timely because he dealt with many of the same issues we encounter today – quality of hymnody, liturgy, choral and instrumental music.

As I read the book, I realized how I, as a church musician, have been shaped by Buszin without really knowing it. Buszin promoted the use of the chorale in hymnody, choral music, and organ music and seemed to be instrumental in bringing the sacred works of the “Golden Age of Lutheran Music” (16th – 18th centuries) to light. Besides relying extensively on this era of music for my weekly service playing, I have been shaped by my favorite modern Lutheran composers who write music on the chorales — Benjamin Culli, Kevin Hildebrand, Jeffrey Blersch, Kenneth Kosche, John Behnke, Michael Burkhardt, and Paul Manz. And finally, the Organist Workshops and Good Shepherd Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary introduced me to the thoughts of Buszin and helped me better understand and live my vocation as a church musician.

I hope that I might reflect, if only a glimmer, the passion that Buszin had for Lutheran church music and worship.

Difficult Hymns That Are Not Difficult

As I was reading the Blessings of Weekly Communion today, I had a flashback to the Organist Workshop I attended last summer at Concordia Theological Seminary. One of the sessions we had with Kantor Resch was on the hymnody of Luther. During that hour we discussed a number of Luther’s hymns and ranked the relative difficulty of the hymn.

Not surprisingly, many of Luther’s hymns are not the easiest to sing. However, one of the hymns that should be moderately difficult to sing because of its rhythmic pattern turns out to be one that many congregations can sing quite well — Luther’s communion hymn “O Lord, We Praise Thee”. Because of it’s familiarity, some might even say that it is one of Luther’s easy hymns.

Why does it seem so easy? One clear reason is that it is sung frequently and is hence reinforced throughout the years and generations. The young and new people to the Lutheran faith learn from the leading of those around them.

Difficult hymns don’t have to remain difficult. By a careful and deliberate plan, difficult hymns can become beloved and familiar.

Are there any “difficult” hymns that your congregation does not find difficult? How do you introduce new hymns?

Improvisation for Organists

My previous post on hymn introductions (aka Invitation to Sing) got me to thinking about improvisation. To the average organist, it may sound like a daunting task or something that only “experienced” organists can do. You may be thinking, “I’ll stick to playing what’s on the page.” Let me tell you fellow organists: you too can improvise.

Jan Bender, in his book “Organ Improvisation for Beginners” offers the following on the benefits of learning how to improvise:

What is improvisation good for? There are many answers, and I will try to name some of them. The first one is very practical: One does not need to handle so many books. . . . Second: Improvisation is an outstanding discipline to develop and train memory as well as intelligence. . . Third, again a very practical reason: It is fun and very satisfying. Last but not least: When it is done well, improvisation contributes to the dignity of the worship service and to the praise of God.

Bender’s book, while good, requires a working understanding of music theory and harmony.

Off the PageA resource I received as a Christmas present is “Off the Page: Tips & Techniques for Creating Hymn-Based Organ Settings” ($38.00) by Donald Rotermund and published by MorningStar Music Publishers. If you can play a hymn from the hymnal, you can improvise. Rotermund shows you step by step a number of different techniques (e.g., Echo Phrases) that you can practice and use together to create things like a hymn introduction, prelude, or partita. There is even a CD that gives an audio demonstration of each technique. This is an extremely accessible and useful resource for the church organist.

What I find particularly satisfying about this book is how the musician is just using the music in front of them in the hymnal. The book assumes the reader has a limited background in music theory and keyboard harmony and little improvisational background, BUT the willingness and desire to spend some time practicing and becoming comfortable with the techniques. Rotermund also shows you how to mark your hymnal so you can recall your plan of action while at the organ console.

If you are really interested in learning to improvise, another resource is the Improvisation Organist Workshop at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by Kantor Kevin Hildebrand. His workshop covers many of the same techniques as in “Off the Page” — some of the material from “Off the Page” was field tested in Hildebrand’s workshops. If you have the opportunity to attend the Improvisation or another workshop, take advantage of it. You will learn a lot and meet some great people. Each summer has a different selection of workshops – you will need to check with the Seminary to see what workshops will be offered in 2008. You can read my “testimonial” here.

Best wishes as you serve God’s people through your service playing.