His Voice - Volume 1, Number 2

HIS

Volume 1 - Number 2

August 2006

VOICE From Co-Director

Arthur A. Just Jr.

Over twenty-five years ago many of us were caught up in the excitement of a new hymnal. Two new Lutheran hymnals sputtered forth from the contentious seventies into a context where many were ready for a change in worship, and many others were convinced that a new hymnal was the work of the devil. So much has happened in the liturgical life of our church during these past twenty-five years that none of us could ever have guessed that we would be where we are today. We know more today about the history and development of Lutheran worship, as well as that of all major liturgical traditions, than at any other time in history. But this was not always the case. The last twenty-five years have produced scholars, pastors, musicians, and laypeople who are interested and informed about what it means to worship God rightly, and talk of the Divine Service and a proper understanding of worship is a regular part of the conversation of the church. Worship is a hot topic not only in our church, but in denominations across the country.

A historic moment is upon us. This month our church will unveil Lutheran Service Book, the newest “new hymnal” for The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. The faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary has been an active part of the process of producing this fine new resource for the church’s liturgical life. It was my privilege to serve on the steering committee in my capacity as chairman of the lectionary committee; Kantor Resch was deeply involved in the hymnody committee under the able leadership of Stephen Starke. Other faculty members served on various committees: Timothy Quill and Naomichi Masaki on the liturgy committee, and John Pless on the agenda committee. Gene Edward Veith, now associated with our Seminary through the Cranach Institute, was chairman of the translations committee. As a result, our Seminary was represented on all five committees (lectionary, hymnody, liturgy, agenda, and translations) that formed the steering committee for Lutheran Service Book.

In recognition of this significant milestone in the life of our church the theme of the seventh annual conference of The Good Shepherd Institute is entitled “The History and Practice of Lutheran Service Book.” We are honored that both Paul Grime and Jon Vieker will be

keynote speakers on the first day of the conference, and every faculty member who worked on the new hymnal will be a sectional presenter, along with Kent Burreson, our colleague from St. Louis and a member of the agenda committee, and Stephen Starke, hymnwriter and chairman of the hymnody commitee. Once again, in Jeffrey Blersch and Janet Muth, we are blessed with fine musicians to accompany our worship and song. Kantors Resch and Hildebrand, along with the Kantorei and Daniel Zager as hymn commentator, will delight us with what has become a highlight of our conference—a hymn festival dedicated to the hymnody of Lutheran Service Book.

The purpose of our conference is not to outline the contents of Lutheran Service Book. We intentionally entitled the conference “The History and Practice of Lutheran Service Book” because we want to delve into the theological and liturgical rationale behind the process of producing this excellent worship book. What we hope to accomplish is the telling of the story behind the story of LSB. We are so pleased to participate in the introduction of Lutheran Service Book through this year’s Good Shepherd conference, one that marks such a kairotic event in the life of our church and Seminary.

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Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church

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Singing the Faith

A DVD on LIVING THE LUTHERAN MUSICAL HERITAGE

by Co-Director RICHARD C. RESCH

We are very pleased to announce that virtually the entire narrative portion of this project has now been videotaped. In that footage the following people tell the story of Lutheran congregational singing: Carl Schalk, Robin Leaver, Daniel Zager, Martin Jean, Stephen Starke, Christopher Boyd Brown, and Richard Resch. Recent filming has taken us to Indiana University, Bloomington, for a reenactment of a 1625 Lutheran Vespers. We traveled to Pastor Stephen Starke’s parish in Michigan to capture his thoughts on hymn-writing in our time. In July we taped Martin Jean at First Lutheran in Boston on the stunning Richards and Fowkes organ; Martin played organ settings of some of the hymns chosen to tell the story of the Lutheran musical heritage.

Kevin Hildebrand’s amazing chamber orchestra setting of “Mit Fried und Freud” has been professionally recorded for this DVD, as have other vocal, choral, and congregational renderings of the hymns presented in this story.

At this point GSI is seeking permission to film a special worship service at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig next spring, that service being a liturgical and musical re-creation of the Gottesdienst as Johann Sebastian Bach would have known it ca. 1725.

We are currently engaged in producing a ten-minute version of the video for our sponsors and for promotion.

Everyone at GSI is excited about this project, and we hope for a release time of one year from now for the complete DVD and a four-week study guide for educational use in the parish.

Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES

by JOHN PLESS

Klemet I. Preus, The Fire and the Staff: Lutheran Theology in Practice

(Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 479 pp.

[CPH 15-5060, $26.99]

At a time when American Lutherans of all stripes seem to be seeking paradigms for pastoral practice and ecclesial life from sources as diverse as Eastern Orthodoxy and American Evangelicalism, Klemet Preus makes the case for the inextricable link between Lutheran doctrine and practice. Contrary to his fellow-Missouri Synod Lutheran, David Luecke, Preus argues that confessional doctrine yields confessional practice. There is no dichotomy between substance and style. What Lutherans teach shapes the way they worship, preach, catechize, evangelize, and live together as pastor and laity in the congregation.

Preus has considerable acumen both as a pastor and theologian. He shows himself to be at home in the Lutheran Confessions and in classical Lutheran theologians, especially those of the Missouri Synod (Walther in particular, but also his own father, Robert Preus). This well-documented volume shows that Preus has read widely in the literature of the “church growth movement” as well as the advocates of what is generally termed “alternate worship.” In the best sense of the word, The Fire and the Staff is a polemical piece as the author aims to demonstrate the incompatibility of traditional Lutheran theology with the methods and modes of church life shaped by American Evangelicalism. Preus shows how past chapters in Lutheran history, such as the controversy between Samuel Schmucker and Charles Porterfield Krauth, are at least to some extent being replayed today. Yet The Fire and the Staff is more than a polemic; it is a well-argued apologetic for church practice shaped by the distinctive Lutheran teaching of justification by faith alone. Preus skillfully shows how the Gospel both drives church practices and how the

HIS Voice • August 2006

Gospel is itself at stake when inconsistent practices take hold. Working with classical themes such as the relationship between Word and Spirit, the theology of the cross, faith and good works, and the office of the ministry and the royal priesthood, Preus engages the question of what it means to be Lutheran in the context of North American Christianity.

Preus enters into the so-called “worship wars” as one who sees liturgy as the place where the Gospel is either made plain or obscured.

Lutherans, he contends, are liturgical not because of some innate traditionalism but because of the evangelical impulse to have the Gospel shine in all of its truth as a word from God for the forgiveness of sinners. A substantial section of the book is devoted to a contrast between Reformation hymnody and the praise songs that have come to dominate contemporary Christianity.

The book itself is built around the imagery of “fire” and the shepherd’s “staff.” Preus explains: “Doctrine is like a fire. It lights our way and warms us. The evangelical Lutheran doctrine gives us our identity and attracts others to the Lutheran church.

Practice, by which I mean the regularly accepted actions of a church body, a congregation, or an individual, is a staff that points to our doctrine and reinforces it” (p. 14). Both the warmth of the Gospel flame and the discipline of the shepherd’s staff are needed in a faithful church.

One might call The Fire and the Staff an exercise in conversational confessionalism as the author makes a generous use of personal stories to illustrate his theological or pastoral point. The winsome, conversational tone of the book along with the discussion questions that accompany each chapter combine to make this a stellar resource for adult forums or lay leadership groups in the parish. _______________________________________

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Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES Gerhard O. Forde, The Captivation of the Will: Luther vs. Erasmus on Freedom and Bondage, ed. Steven Paulson (Eerdmans, 2005), 118 pp. [$20.00]

This is a must-read book for pastors. While it is not a book about preaching, liturgics, or pastoral theology per se, it has immense implications for all of these ministerial disciplines. Authored by the late Gerhard Forde and published just a few months before his death in August 2005, The Captivation of the Will represents the fruit of a lifetime of work by one of American Lutheranism’s most eminent theologians. The contributions of two of Forde’s former students and colleagues, Steven Paulson and James Nestingen, are also included in this volume.

Paulson succinctly demonstrates how Luther’s battle with Erasmus makes a difference for preaching, while Nestingen lays out the historical context for the debate.

Forde sees Luther’s Bondage of the Will as a fourfold argument about Scripture, God, the human will, and the gift of salvation. He traces Luther’s theological moves with crispness and clarity. But The Captivation of the Will is more than a historical-literary commentary on one of Luther’s most significant works. It is a finely honed and passionate apologetic for preaching that asserts Christ crucified. Ten of Forde’s own sermons are included in the volume giving evidence that the author knows that good theology cannot but result in proclamation. The Captivation of the Will is a fitting sequel to the author’s classic little text on the theology of the cross, On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 (Eerdmans, 1997).

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The scriptural realism of Luther’s arguments is asserted with full and invigorating force in Forde’s masterful exposition. Forde does not hesitate to let Luther engage and critique contemporary assumptions. For example, he writes: “I heard a rabbi in one of the memorial ceremonies for the destruction of the two World Trade Towers declaim that nothing or no one could convince us that God somehow willed the terrible tragedy with all its attendant suffering and loss of life. But the problem is that such declamations, alas, do not hold. When all is said and done, the pain and the sorrow and mourning continue. The cry goes up nevertheless, Why? As Luther could put it, ‘The arrow of conviction remains stuck fast in the human heart’ (Packer, 218). All such declamations accomplish is to throttle the preaching of the gospel. They substitute lame explanations and shallow comfort where there should be proclamation” (pp. 44–45).

Real proclamation is the preaching of Jesus Christ crucified. The only answer to the hidden God is the God who is revealed in Christ. For Luther, Forde argues, this means preaching must be categorical, unconditional in its declaration of the absolution, forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake alone. “Preaching, however, seems to have gotten off the track here lately. And when that is the case preaching degenerates into telling cute stories with the preacher taking over as the primary narrator.

The preaching then either gives anecdotes or talks about personal experience. Instead, the kind of categorical preaching that Luther describes gives a God who is truly preached” (p. 78). This God who is truly preached is the God who “did not spare his Son but gave him to captivate our bound wills, drawing all to himself” (p. 79). Pastors, make sure you read this book before you preach this Reformation Sunday! _______________________________________

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Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES Kenneth W. Wieting, The Blessings of Weekly Communion

(Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 304 pp.

[CPH 15-5068, $23.99]

The frequency of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper has been on the increase for the last three decades. Congregations with an every-Sunday celebration of the Sacrament are no longer an oddity in American Lutheranism. Kenneth Wieting, pastor of Luther Memorial Church in Shorewood, Wisconsin, launched a study of communion practices among LCMS pastors and congregations that was both extensive and intensive as his doctoral project in the Doctor of Ministry program at Concordia Theological Seminary. The Blessings of Weekly Communion puts the harvest of his research in book form. Easily readable, the book is accessible both to pastors and laity. Study questions at the conclusion of each chapter suggest that the book might find use in an adult Bible class.

The book is an unabashed apologetic for weekly communion in Lutheran parishes, argued not only from historical precedent but also from theological rationale and spiritual need. That is to say, the title captures the pastoral aim of the book as the author lays before his readers the blessings that Jesus Christ bestows on His people in the gift of His body and blood. This book promises to enrich not only sacramental practice but also preaching and teaching. A fine bibliography enhances the usefulness of this volume. _______________________________________

Steven D. Paulson, “What is Essential in Lutheran Worship?”

Word & World 26 (Spring 2006): 149–61.

Don’t let the reductionistic sound of the title deceive you! Steven Paulson goes directly to the heart and center of Lutheran worship: the forgiveness of sins. Lutherans are concerned with liturgy not as romanticists with a flare for aesthetics or archaeologists in search of some pristine form, but as evangelical Christians who have been given a word of absolution to speak. We have a “preached HIS Voice • August 2006

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God” who gives Himself to us with a word of promise and the testament of His body and blood.

There is plenty to this short article to cause Lutherans who see their identity as imitators of either Willow Creek or Rome to grimace. Far more than the niceties of rubrics or the preference of style is at stake when it comes to worship.

Worship is not a matter of taste. It is, as Paulson argues—paraphrasing Luther, about God’s speaking and doing and our receiving and responding.

Paulson, a professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary, who also teaches liturgics at the same school, traces what he calls “two competing pieties.” One piety is presented in Luther and the Lutheran tradition. It is grounded in the forgiveness of sins. In this piety, God is the Giver and sinful human beings receive. The other piety is exemplified by Wolfhart Pannenberg’s 1977 lectures at Yale, subsequently published under the title Christian Spirituality (Westminster, 1983). This piety is about the sensuality of human experience. It is affirming and celebratory. It represents a theology of glory rather than a theology of the cross.

There are some real gems in Paulson’s article. For example, he has this to say about those who trim worship to fit a particular demographic group: “So, your local worship committee has a tall order: How does one get dead people to worship God and give God his due? How indeed, when they are actively deluding themselves that they are alive and getting somewhere? What would ‘bring them in’ and ‘church’ them, as we say today?

What after all, do the dead like to do? We tend toward activities like teaching people, influencing them, opening up their imaginations, exhorting them, disciplining them, shepherding them, dialoguing, communicating, inspiring, and even uniting them into one mystic communion. But what is really relevant and useful to the dead is resurrection. If it could be done, one would think that it would be quite attractive—at least to the dead. If humans are really bound, unable to do anything more before God, dead in themselves and so without a future, and all the while blind to their plight by the wiles of Satan himself, then, what they

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Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES need on any Sunday—or holy day—is resurrection from the dead” (p. 155). This article will be on my required reading list when I teach Liturgics I again this winter quarter. Paulson provides a sure-footed way to talk about the liturgy as a Lutheran. _______________________________________

Gracia Grindal, “The Rhetoric of Martin Luther’s Hymns: Hymnody Then and Now,” Word & World 26 (Spring 2006): 178–87.

Gracia Grindal is a scholar of hymnody and teacher of rhetoric on the faculty of Luther Seminary. She notes that for Luther the hymn was a sung sermon, proclaiming the word of promise for the sake of Christ Jesus. In this essay, Grindal examines how Luther’s hymns function rhetorically. She focuses on Luther’s catechetical hymn on the Lord’s Supper, “Jesus Christ, Our God and Lord,” pointing out how this hymn offers a classic statement of the Lutheran doctrine of the Sacrament of the Altar and addresses the communicants in their use of the Sacrament. If Luther’s hymn is something of a template for good Communion hymns, how do contemporary hymns on the Lord’s Supper measure up? For Luther, the Lord’s Supper was not primarily “the Eucharist,” for that speaks of the human activity of giving thanks; rather, the Supper is Christ’s testament, His gift. Hence, Luther writes that it is the Lord’s Supper, not the Christian’s supper (see AE 37:142). Grindal observes that much of current hymnody misses the evangelical point made by Luther’s hymn and instead focuses on thanksgiving, the act of eating and drinking, or the communal nature of the Supper. This article will be helpful for pastors and worship planners in evaluating hymnody for use in the Divine Service. _______________________________________

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Blessings & Prayers for College Students: A Devotional Companion, ed. Scot A. Kinnaman (Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 207 pp.

[CPH 12-4267, $4.99]

Here is a well-crafted prayer book that pastors would do well to put into the hands of their students who are heading off to college this September. This little volume is more than a collection of prayers for various situations that might confront the Christian student; it is a manual of genuine Lutheran piety shaped by the Holy Scriptures, the catechism, and the hymnal. In addition to daily prayers, hymn texts, psalms, tables of biblical readings, and prayers that reflect college life, the book contains an essay on prayer

by John Pless and devotional excerpts from C. S. Lewis, Herman Sasse, Kenneth Korby, Wilhelm Loehe, Henry Hamann, Harold Senkbeil, Adolph Koerbele, Martin Franzmann, G. K. Chesterton, and Bo Giertz. _______________________________________

Mary Jane Haemig, “The Origin and Spread of the Advent Wreath,” Lutheran Quarterly 19 (Autumn 2005): 332–43.

Mary Jane Haemig, professor of church history at Luther Seminary, traces the development of what has become a popular Lutheran custom in church and home, the Advent wreath. She demonstrates that the use of the Advent wreath developed in nineteenth-century Germany and entered into American Lutheran practice relatively recently.

This is an article pastors will want to read before writing newsletter articles that make claims for the Advent wreath as an “ancient practice” of the church!

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Organ Resources for

HYMN PLAYING

by KEVIN HILDEBRAND

Skillful hymn playing is arguably the organist’s most important task. The art of hymn playing merits constant cultivation and evaluation as organists enliven and enrich the song of the church. A wealth of resources is readily available to supply intonations/introductions and alternate settings for congregational singing. Note that well-crafted and resourceful materials are not necessarily elaborate or difficult. _______________________________________

The Art of Hymn Playing: 250 Preludes, Introductions, Free Accompaniments, and Alternate Harmonizations Charles Callahan MorningStar, MSM-10-597 $35.00

Charles Callahan’s volume is accessible for organists of all ability levels. Callahan’s writing exemplifies that which is simple, yet not simplistic. Twopart and “manuals only” settings abound, yet even accomplished organists should not overlook these well-written examples. For each of the tunes included, one or more settings (often two or three) are provided to serve as introductions, preludes, or alternate accompaniments.

Of the 115 tunes represented, only a handful are not found in Lutheran hymnals, making this collection very practical. The discerning organist must be careful with some examples where there are rhythmic and melodic variations at odds with the hymnal settings (see VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN and MIT FREUDEN ZART). However, these alternate settings can easily be modified to work with the hymnal in your congregation.

Other “not-so-new” publications that are recommended for hymn introductions and accompaniments include the following:

Sonus Novus: Hymn Intonations and Harmonizations Concordia Publishing House Vol. 1, 97-7043 (Kenneth Kosche) Vol. 2, 97-7011 (Faythe Freese) Vol. 3, 97-7044 (Chris Loemker) Vol. 4, 97-7080 (Charles Callahan) Vol. 5, 97-7085 (Kevin Hildebrand) $15.00 per volume

This series from CPH includes a one-page intonation (introduction) followed by a one-page (usually) alternate harmonization to be played during congregational singing of a hymn stanza. The pedal writing is moderately easy. Some settings specify a particular hymn stanza to be sung with the harmonization, as the music expressly reflects the text. _______________________________________ Bruce Backer Northwestern Publishing House, NPH 27N0015 $13.50

Ten Hymn Intonations for Organ

These one- or two-page compositions can serve as hymn intonations (introductions) or as service music. The pedal writing is easy. _______________________________________

Also included are a few tunes that are new to Lutheran Service Book (not found in TLH, LW, or HS 98), such as MCKEE and MERTON. Also, settings of LLANGOFFAN (already in HS 98) and RENDEZ A DIEU (already in TLH and HS 98) appear. There are precious few settings of these tunes currently available; Callahan’s volume begins to fill that void. _______________________________________ HIS Voice • August 2006

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Organ Resources for

HYMN PLAYING Nine Easy Hymn Preludes and Hymn Settings for Organ Edward H. Meyer Northwestern Publishing House Book One, NPH 27N006 Book Two, NPH 27N007 Book Three, NPH 27N0020 $14.50 per volume

Each tune in this series includes a prelude in trio texture (one part on each manual, plus an easy pedal line). Also, a three-part congregational hymn setting is included. Pedal is optional for the hymn setting. A three-part texture can provide welcome variety in hymn playing. _______________________________________

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John Ferguson, editor Augsburg-Fortress, AFP 11-10810 $35.00

A New Liturgical Year

This collection of hymn tunes for the church year contains hymn preludes as well as introductions and harmonizations. The preludes are by various twentieth-century composers and range from easy to difficult. Perhaps most accessible is the historical information, introductions, and harmonizations

by Ferguson that precede each prelude.

The Creative Hymnodist: Christmas and Epiphany

Kenneth Kosche Northwestern Publishing House, NPH 27N0026 $18.00

This collection contains twenty easy hymn settings for keyboard and optional instruments. Each setting includes a short (2–5 measures) introduction, one harmonization for keyboard only, and one harmonization with optional instrumental descant. C- and B-flat-instrumental parts are included. Other volumes in this series present Kosche’s settings for Advent and Christmas (27N0008, $18.00); Lent and Easter (27N0016, $18.00); and Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost (27N0037, $18.00). _______________________________________

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Recommended

CHORAL MUSIC

by KEVIN HILDEBRAND

Carl Schalk SAB and Organ MorningStar MSM-50-6204, $1.50

O How Amiable Are Thy Dwellings

Choirs can never have too many psalm settings, and this accessible and reflective arrangement by Carl Schalk will be a welcome addition to a choral library. About 25 percent of the writing is for SAB, the remainder being a mixture of unison and 2-part.

Although choirs with very limited resources will find this useful, even larger choirs should consider such well-written SAB music. The lush key of D-flat major pairs with some interesting harmonic progressions throughout the piece. _______________________________________ Felix Mendelsson, arr. Hal Hopson Two-part Mixed and Keyboard MorningStar MSM-50-7306, $1.50

How Lovely Are the Messengers

Hal Hopson continues to contribute accessible arrangements of solid repertoire in this edition of Mendelssohn’s setting of Romans 10:15,18 from the oratorio St. Paul. A healthy amount of echoed and imitative phrases as well as musical sequences help with the learning process. This anthem would be useful for ordinations and installations of pastors. Or use it in connection with Matthew 28 (Holy Trinity A), Saints’ days, mission festivals, or actually any choral response to a lesson. Look beyond the title: the emphasis is not solely on the “lovely messengers,” but the message itself, which makes them “lovely,” that is, “the gospel of peace.” _______________________________________ Henry V. Gerike Unison Choir or Soloist and Organ (with opt.

Congregation and String Quartet) MorningStar MSM-80-860, $1.50

Psalm 100

Psalm 100 is intertwined with an antiphon from Psalm 67:1, which can be sung by the congregation using the reproducible congregational page. If you have string players, use them here. The verses are sung by unison choir or by a soloist. An enterprisHIS Voice • August 2006

ing director could even assign the verses to various sections of the choir or small ensembles, with the entire choir joining on the antiphon. This is especially recommended for children’s choirs, even very young children, with the children singing the antiphon (they could learn it in one rehearsal!) and a soloist or older children or adults singing the verses. Give children quality music like this to sing! _______________________________________ Kenneth T. Kosche Two-Part Voices and Keyboard MorningStar MSM-50-6302, $1.50

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place

Since it has already been stated above that choirs can’t have too many psalm settings, here is yet another setting of the same psalm text. This gentle and lilting setting by Ken Kosche is set for two-part voices, ideally children’s voices, but could also be used by any two-part combination (even a men’s ensemble). Set in triple meter and ABA form, there is an especially nice section of three ascending phrases on the text “how lovely” in the A section. _______________________________________ Mark Shepperd SATB (a cappella or with Handbells) MorningStar MSM-50-0041, $1.50

Come, O Precious Ransom

This hymn text by Johann Olearius will be familiar to many (LW 34, TLH 55), although here not sung to the hymnal tune, but in a through-composed setting. The first and fourth stanzas of the text are set in a quasi-chant, quasi-motet format. Harmonies are predictable, though without losing musical interest, and the D-flat major tonality provides richness.

There are five measures of a six-voice divisi texture, but not outside the grasp of choirs that have adequate numbers of voices to cover the parts. The use of handbells is minimal and judicious (only five bells total). At only forty-five total measures, this composition could be very useful during Advent, when rehearsal time is exceedingly precious!

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Recommended

READING AND LISTENING

by DANIEL ZAGER

Mary E. Frandsen, Crossing Confessional Boundaries: The Patronage of Italian Sacred Music in Seventeenth-Century Dresden

(Oxford University Press, 2006), 514 pp. [$49.95]

The Lutheran court at the Saxon capital of Dresden was renowned in the seventeenth century as one of Europe’s finest musical establishments.

Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) spent virtually his entire musical career serving as Kapellmeister at the Dresden court, enjoying a particularly large musical establishment prior to the debilitating effects of the Thirty Years’ War in Saxony (especially from the mid-1630s). Frandsen (University of Notre Dame) focuses, however, not on Schütz but on the next chapter in the history of the Dresden court—the dominance of Italian composers and musicians under the guidance of Elector Johann Georg II (r. 1656–1680).

Frandsen’s last two chapters, “Johann Georg’s Vision for Worship” and “Musik im Gottesdienst: The Liturgical Year at the Dresden Court,” are of particular relevance to those interested in the history of worship, liturgy, and music in seventeenth-century Germany. _______________________________________

Alfred Dürr, The Cantatas of J. S. Bach, with Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text, rev. and trans. Richard D. P. Jones

(Oxford University Press, 2005), 967 pp. [$325.00 hardback; $74.00 paperback announced for September 2006]

Alfred Dürr’s study of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas was first published (in German) in 1971.

Richard D. P. Jones provides a complete English translation of Dürr’s work and adds English translations of the cantata librettos, translations that are noteworthy for their quite literal approach, thus allowing close comparison with the German original, which is printed line-by-line alongside the translation. (The interested reader might compare Jones’s translations of the cantata librettos with those of Richard Stokes, Johann Sebastian Bach: HIS Voice • August 2006

The Complete Church and Secular Cantatas [Scarecrow Press, 2000] and with those of Melvin P. Unger, Handbook to Bach’s Sacred Cantata Texts: An Interlinear Translation with Reference Guide to Biblical Quotations and Allusions [Scarecrow Press, 1996].)

Dürr arranges the cantatas according to the church-year calendar: from Advent to Trinity Sunday and then from the First to the TwentySeventh Sundays after Trinity. Cantatas for other feasts and occasions follow this main sequence.

The advantage to the church musician is obvious—one sees at a glance (in the Table of Contents) what cantatas are available for a particular day in the church year, and then one can study them as a group, e.g., the three cantatas for the First Sunday after Epiphany (BWV 154, 124, 32). The Epistle and Gospel lessons are specified for each liturgical occasion, and the cantata text in parallel German and English precedes Dürr’s brief (1–2 pages) and useful commentary on each cantata. This book is a useful companion for the listener and for the church musician who wishes to study a cantata in order to utilize part or all of a cantata within its appropriate liturgical context today. _______________________________________

Daniel R. Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions

(Oxford University Press, 2005), 178 pp. [$24.95]

This fascinating book explores J. S. Bach’s passion settings and considers the broader problem of how we hear this music: “distantly removed from their original contexts. Bach wrote them for a particular liturgical event at a specific time and place; we hear them hundreds of years later, often a world away and usually in concert performances” (p. v). Melamed (Indiana University) writes “for people who want to know more about Johann Sebastian Bach’s passion settings . . . and about what it means to listen to this music today. . . .

The essays are aimed at the general reader and assume no technical musical knowledge” (p. vi). _______________________________________ 10

Recommended

READING AND LISTENING [2005, cpo 777 143-2, 1 CD]

Georg Böhm, Four Cantatas Georg Böhm (1661–1732) spent the bulk of his career as organist at the Johanniskirche in Lüneberg. J. S. Bach would have encountered Böhm during the period from 1700 to 1702 when Bach studied at St. Michael’s school in Lüneburg.

In reflecting on his father’s life, C. P. E. Bach wrote that his father carefully studied Böhm’s chorale preludes. Indeed, Böhm is known to us today largely through his organ music. Nine cantatas by Böhm have come down to us, four of which are presented on this recording: Das Himmelreich ist gleich einem Könige (Mt 22:2–14); Ach, Herr, komme hinab (Jn 5:46–54); Mein Freund ist mein (Song of Solomon 2:16); and Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Ps 84). With the exception of Dieterich Buxtehude’s (c.1637–1707) cantatas, the repertory of sacred German cantatas preceding those of J. S. Bach is too little known. This compact disc presents first recordings of these marvelous cantatas by Böhm, providing us a window on the type of cantata Bach might have heard in his youth. The cantata Das Himmelreich ist gleich einem Könige is noteworthy for its incorporation of all three stanzas of Philipp Nicolai’s chorale “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme.”

Beautiful music, very well performed! _______________________________________

Johann Sebastian Bach, The Leipzig Chorales

[2005, Loft LRCD 1078/79, 2 CDs]

Organist Christa Rakich performs the so-called “Great Eighteen” chorale preludes on two distinguished instruments in this country: nine of the chorale preludes on the path-breaking C. B. Fisk organ (Opus 55, 1970) at Old West Church in Boston, and the other nine on the stunning organ

by Paul Fritts (Opus 18, 1998) at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. This disc captures wonderful playing of chorale preludes from the eighteenth century that continue to find their place in the Divine Service during the twenty-first century. _______________________________________ HIS Voice • August 2006

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Shine Like Stars: The Music of Carl Schalk [2005, GIA CD-660, 1 CD]

This compact disc is the third CD recording of music by Carl Schalk. Performers here are the Kapelle of Concordia University, River Forest, conducted by Charles P. Brown, organist Steven Wente, as well as a brass quartet and timpani. Of the nineteen settings recorded here, four are on texts by Jaroslav Vajda, whose rich poetry has often elicited hymn tunes from Carl Schalk. Some of the other poets included here are Herbert Brokering, Martin Franzmann, and Stephen P. Starke. As always, Carl Schalk’s music is wellcrafted and pleasing, and the performers do it justice. Kudos to Randall Sensmeier and GIA for making this disc possible! _______________________________________

Publishers represented in this issue: Augsburg Fortress www.augsburgfortress.org Concordia Publishing House www.cph.org Eerdmans Publishing Company www.eerdmans.com GIA Publications, Inc. www.giamusic.com Loft Recordings www.gothicrecords.com MorningStar Music www.morningstarmusic.com Northwestern Publishing House online.nph.net Oxford University Press www.oup.com/us/

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For the 2005 Good Shepherd Institute conference, Kevin Hildebrand (Associate Kantor, Concordia Theological Seminary) prepared this useful table of Martin Luther’s hymns as represented in LCMS hymnals.

Section I: Luther’s Hymns Common to Most LCMS Hymnals Tune name / German Title Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir Christ lag in Todesbanden Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam Christum wir sollen loben schon Dies’ sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot/ In Gottes Namen fahren wir Ein’ feste Burg Erhalt uns, Herr Es woll’ uns Gott gnädig sein / Es wolle Gott uns gnädig sein Gelobet seist du

English Title(s)

Kirchengesangbuch (1847) O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold #166 From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee #214 Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands #99 To Jordan came the Christ, Our Lord #186 Now Praise We Christ, the Holy One/ #15 From East to West Here is the Tenfold Sure Command/ #180 That Man a Godly Life Might Live A Mighty Fortress #158 Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word #159 May God Bestow On Us His Grace #171

ELHB (1912) #278 #415 #224 #401 #148

TLH (1941) #260 #329 #195 —#104

LW (1982) —#230 #123 #223 #43

#391

#287

#331

LSB (2006) —#607 #458 #406/407 #385, sung to VOM HIMMEL HOCH #581

#273 #274 #480

#262 #261 #500

#298 #334 #288

#656/657 #655 #823/824

#35

We Praise, O Christ, Thy Holy Name/ All Praise to Thee, Eternal God

#21

#147

#80

God the Father, Be Our Stay O Lord, We Praise Thee Isaiah, Mighty Seer Jesus Christ, our Blessed Savior Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest/ Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord In Peace and Joy I Now Depart In the Very Midst of Life To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice

#145 #195 #147 #205 #132

#271 #431 —#441 #249

#247 #313 #249 #311 #233

#134 #65 #416 #136 #243

#257 #185 —#260 #310

#224 #137 #590 #231 #387

#154 #185 #265 #155 #353

Savior of the Nations, Come Our Father, Who From Heaven Above Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy Lord

#36 #185 #177

#141 #396 —-

#95 #458 —-

#13 #431 #219

Vom Himmel hoch Vom Himmel kam der Engel schar

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come From Heaven Came the Angels Bright

#41 #42

#150 #162

#85 —-

Wär’ Gott nicht mit uns Wir glauben all’ Chant: Christe, du Lamm Gottes (by Luther? see LW Vol. 53, p. 151) Chant:Gloria in excelsis (sung to All’ Ehr’ und Lob in post-Reformation)

If God Had Not Been on Our Side We All Believe in One True God O Christ, Thou Lamb of God

#162 #183 #69

#282 #394 In liturgy

#27 #251 #147+ p. 15

All Glory Be to God Alone

#142

—-

#238

Gott der Vater wohn uns bei Gott sei gelobet Jesaiah, dem Propheten Jesus Christus, unser Heiland Komm, Gott Schöpfer Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott Mit Fried und Freud Mitten wir im Leben sind Nun bitten wir Nun freut euch (also sung to Es ist gewisslich) Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland Vater unser Verleih uns Frieden

#382, translation is “We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth” #170 #505 #238 #617 #214 #960 #236/237 #627 #156 #498/499 #497 #938 #755 #768 #556

#332 #766 #777/778, also sung to Mendelssohn tune #36/37 #358 #52, to —PUER NOBIS ——#213 #953/954 #7+ D.S. I yes, in D.S. #210

#948

Section II: Uncommonly Used Hymns 1. “A New Song Here Shall Be Begun” appears in part in TLH #259, “Flung to the Heedless Winds,” sung to the tune DENBY. 2. Es spricht der Unweisen Mund (“The Mouth of Fools Doth God Profess”) and Der du bist Drei in Einigkeit (“Thou, Who Art Three in Unity”) appear in both the ELHB and Kirchengesangbuch.

3. These appear in the Kirchgesangbuch only: Jesus Christus, unser Heiland; Mensch, willst du leben seliglich; Was fürchtst du, Feind Herodes; Herr Gott, dich loben wir (Te Deum), and Luther’s Germany Litany.

HIS Voice • August 2006

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