And this is all in one worship service.  Yet, do we appreciate and understand this treasure?  “Traditional” worship can be done simply for the sake of tradition and nostalgia.  “Contemporary” worship’s horizon (specifically referencing music) spans a few short years (sometimes a decade or so) and often charts a path forward without turning around to see the mountains left behind.

Kantor Richard Resch from Concordia Theological Seminary has these rich thoughts:

You either treasure something, you live with and tolerate it, or you abandon it.  A significant part of Missouri Synod Lutheranism lived with something for decades without an understanding of what they had, and it was not treasured, except perhaps as an icon of stability. The result, then, was that they often went looking for ways other than Creeds, liturgies, and hymns for worship.

The solution to this situation comes through catechesis. It comes from leaders who know how to teach a subject that they understand and love. It comes from holding high the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all of the church’s catholic forms. Our church year, lectionary, liturgy, hymnody along with our doctrine require this kind of careful catechesis. (The Music of the Divine Service: Propers and Proclamation. 2001 Journal of The Good Shepherd Institute, pg 55.)

It saddens me to see both Traditional toleration and Contemporary abandonment of our worship heritage.  To go from toleration and abandonment to treasuring, as Kantor Resch wrote, requires catechesis.  That starts with leaders – pastors and kantors.  Last week Pastor Peters of Pastoral Meanderings wrote a very fine article (Wise Words) on teaching by your practice and piety.  It is well worth your time to read.  And lest I forget, take a look at Singing the Faith produced by the Good Shepherd Institute – another gift to the Church.  Treasures shouldn’t be forced upon people, but over time their value can be made apparent.

Since I certainly don’t have all the answers here, please share your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks for reading Worship Treasures: Past and Present.

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).

As a point of reference Resch quotes a selection from an article by Calvin Stapert entitled “Celebrating Bach’s Legacy to the Church: After 250 years, he still preaches powerfully through his music.” This is a worthwhile article to read — applying Bach and his philosophy and practice to our very day.

• Bach chorale harmonizations are without equal. We can make greater use of them than we do.
• Bach’s chorale preludes should be central to church organists’ repertoires. And they need not be limited to organ. Many of them can be arranged for instrumental ensembles.
• Although much of Bach’s vocal music is difficult, it includes movements that can be learned well by choirs of modest abilities.
• Those who compose new music for the church should study Bach’s music intensely. When Mozart first heard one of Bach’s motets, he exclaimed, “now, there is something one can learn from.” If Mozart could learn from Bach, then Bach has something to teach any composer.
• Not only composers can learn from Bach. We all can. Careful, devotional listening to his sacred vocal works–the cantatas, passion, and motets–can be wonderfully nourishing. No other composer wrote music that so vividly conveys the gospel and plumbs its depths of meaning.

Has this whetted your appetite for Bach? Well have the folks at the Good Shepherd Institute got something for you! The topic for this year’s conference is “Bach in Today’s Parish: Still the Evangelist”.

Before you finish reading, I’d like to share two of my favorite pieces from Bach. The first is the concluding chorale from the St. John Passion — Lord, Let at Last Thine Angel Come. The second is the organ chorale prelude on Wachet Auf (Wake, Awake). Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD5N0Ubpvns?t=8m58s

Thanks for reading J.S. Bach: Kantor for Today.

A brief excerpt:

Have you ever asked, “Why do we sing all these different hymns during church?” I have. Wouldn’t the service go much faster if we just started with the Invocation instead of singing all of the verses of some hymn before it? Do we really need a Hymn of the Day, doesn’t that just take up more time? I guess communion hymns are okay, they give us something to do while everyone else is receiving communion. Does Pastor really need to make the service even longer by having a closing hymn? What’s the point?

. . .

No, hymns aren’t there to keep us entertained. They are there to teach us. They are gifts to remind us of all that Christ has done for us and is doing for us.

Speaking of “long hymns”, the Hymn of the Day for September 21 is Salvation Unto Us Has Come.  If you don’t sing all 10 stanzas in LSB, take the time to read them.

Thanks for reading Higher Hymnody: The Gifts Christ Freely Gives.

I received my copy of the DVD this past weekend and am working my way through the videos and the study guide. Eventually I might write a review on Singing the Faith. If you’d like more information, surf on over to the Good Shepherd Institute website and view the introductory video – it’s only about 12 minutes +/-.

Thanks for reading Lutheran Hymnody Makes the Evening News.

Thanks for reading Dare to Be A Lutheran Choir.

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?

Thanks for reading Difficult Hymns That Are Not Difficult.

Without much fanfare (e.g., there was no mass media blitz or e-mails from CPH) and by accident, I discovered that the Good Shepherd Institute will soon be releasing their DVD project entitled Singing the Faith – Living the Lutheran Musical Heritage.

Their website says that Singing the Faith “is a study of the history of Lutheran congregational song.” The contributors to the DVD include an impressive array of Lutheran music and hymnody experts.

On their website you will find links to download a 12-minute sampler video. As a word of caution — I first downloaded the “Medium” file and the video froze half way through (right after Carl Schalk). I then downloaded the “Small” file and it worked great.

After only a 12-minute preview, I’m impressed and excited. I sense this will be an important resource to help people understand the richness of Lutheran music.

I close with a brief excerpt by Kantor Resch from the video describing his goal of Singing the Faith.

To help today’s church see and hear the rich theological and musical roots of Lutheranism . . . To show that this beautiful inheritance is not simply history, but it is alive. It is an ongoing sung confession of faith that serves Christ’s church — Yes . . . even today.

Thanks for reading Singing the Faith – Living the Lutheran Musical Heritage.

As I recall, Kantor Resch referred to the hymn introduction as an “Invitation to Sing.” If the introduction is “blah”, the singing will be “blah” as well. The “invitation” by the organist gives a foretaste of what is to come. One of the primary responsibilities of the organist is to engage God’s people in song.

Sometimes the introduction will be playing the entire hymn through once. Sometimes it will be the first and last music phrases. For me this can get a bit repetitive and rather uncreative. More often than not I will either improvise an introduction, use an introduction from one of the organ books in my library, or repurpose a portion of an organ piece from another composer.

The idea for this blog post came after a number of people from church over the last week complimented me on the introductions and accompaniments for a number of the hymns. I was told they were creative, engaging, and reflective of the texts. I can’t take credit for them all — some of them were my own improvisations, but a number of them came from the works of Carl Schalk, Jeffrey Blersch, and Kevin Hildebrand. If any of you organist’s out there do not have Hildebrand’s newest organ collection, Bethlehem’s Rose – 12 Easy Chorale Preludes, get it for the 2008 Christmas season.

P.S. I do not work for or get any commissions from Concordia Publishing House. I just happen to use a lot of the organ music that they publish.

Thanks for reading Invitation to Sing.