In his book, Herl provides an interesting read with some unexpected conclusions on the worship life of the Lutheran church in Germany during the 16th to 18th centuries.  I was initially surprised to learn, that on the whole, during the time of Luther and for a number of years thereafter, the Lutheran church was not necessarily the “singing church” we may idyllically imagine.  The churches did not spontaneously erupt in congregational song — they had to be coaxed, prodded, and reprimanded to sing — and congregational singing, at least initially, was second fiddle to the choir.

Now to the hymn board.  Herl writes that ”In Lubeck, number boards were hung in 1701 because the hymns could no longer be recognized from the organ prelude.”  Evidently the organist’s hymn introductions had little semblance to the hymn tune.

It seems that hymn boards have become an unnecessary church fixture since bulletins are printed (or yes, even projected via Powerpoint).  But let the hymn board be a visual reminder to the church musician and the congregation:

• The church musician shall clearly introduce the hymn so as to invite the congregation to sing.
• The congregation shall kindly accept the invitation and sing vigorously since the hymn number is prominently displayed.
• If either the church musician or the congregation fails to do the above items, the other party is welcome to remove the hymn board and bring it to the other party as a reminder of the covenant between musician and congregation.

Thanks for reading Hymn Boards and Their Use in Early Lutheranism.

Up until recently I was puzzled why Concordia Publishing House had published so much of Paul Manz’s organ music in the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s and now MorningStar Music publishes all of the organ volumes (re-edited in topical editions). What would cause the transition of publishers? Especially given the quality of Manz’s music.

I learned the answer, or at least someone else’s explanation, after reading “The Journey was Chosen: The Life and Work of Paul Manz ” by Scott Hyslop and published by MorningStar Music. Hyslop writes,

“For reasons seemingly bizarre and politically motivated, Concordia Publishing House came to a decision that they would no longer print music written by Manz and then started to systematically put much of what he had written out of print. . . In the end the Manzes were able to purchase back all of the copyrights to Paul’s music and move those titles to Morningstar.” (Hyslop, 71)

Reading this biography provided a historical background to the theological and political issues in the American Lutheran churches during the 1960′s-1980′s. And Paul Manz was in the midst of this as he served as a composer, teacher, and performer. Since I was born in the tail end of the 70′s, this is all “history” to me.

I enjoyed this biography because it provided a glimpse into the challenging and creative life of one of the great organists of the 20th century. It adds a dimension of understanding as I practice and listen to his compositions.

When Paul Manz was asked to give one piece of advice to someone venturing into church music, he said, “Love the people you have been called to serve.” These are good words for any church musician.

Thanks for reading Paul Manz – A Life Revealed.