Second Sunday of Easter: Celtic Hymnody

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Second Sunday of Easter 

Celtic Hymnody

We sing two hymns today that have origins in Ireland.  However, these are sung not simply because they are Irish; the texts expand the focus of the sermon this morning.  Professor Deborah Goodwin, our guest preacher, notes that both sermon and hymns explore themes of incarnation, sacrament, and the Earth as metaphor for the body of God.  

Our Hymn of the Day is “I Bind Unto Myself Today,” which is also known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate.  At communion, we sing “Be Thou My Vision.”  Both hymns have deep roots in the Irish monastic tradition, reaching back to the 7^th and 8^th centuries.  And, both have some connection (by legend) to Patrick, Bishop of Ireland.  Paul Westermeyer notes that both hymns are examples of a lorica, or breastplate.  This type of text is something that was chanted as a prayer for protection against spiritual enemies while arming oneself (literally putting on armor) for battle or travel.  By definition, lorica is a protective sheath.[1] 

With regard to “I Bind unto Myself Today,” Westermeyer warns against envisioning any sort of magical power the lorica might provide.  Rather, he emphasizes the aspect of remembrance and confidence we experience when we proclaim ourselves bound to the powerful work of the Trinity, through the church and in creation.  I find that the beautiful middle section of the hymn (“Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ beside me . . .”) is a lovely statement of faith and evocation of the unceasing presence of Christ.  This great hymn, with its robust and energetic first melody that supports the ecstatic praise of creation (“the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks”), and the calm and graceful second melody, is a joy to sing!

Be Thou My Vision is a particularly popular hymn, set to a lovely Irish folk tune that expresses the peacefulness of the text.  The tune, SLANE, receives its name from the hill where, as legend tells, Patrick defied his king by lighting the Easter Vigil fire.[2]  Although this hymn is also a lorica, Paul Westermeyer notes that “it functions more accurately for Christians as a prayer for the indwelling of Christ with his attributes.” 

One last note:  The English translation of “I Bind unto Myself Today” was written by Cecil Frances Alexander, a nineteenth-century Irish writer who created several well-known hymns.  Three of her hymns were created to accompany phrases of the Apostles’ Creed.  “All Things Bright and Beautiful” corresponds to the phrase “maker of heaven and earth,” while “Once in Royal David’s City” comments upon the statement “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”  Last, “There is a green hill far away” reflects upon the crucifixion.[3]

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[1] Westermeyer, Paul, Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship  (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2010), 276.

[2] Ibid., 628.

[3] Ibid., 43.

Passion/Palm Sunday: Musical settings of the Passion

Passion/Palm Sunday:  Musical settings of the Passion

April 13, 2014

This week we begin our observance of Holy Week and the Triduum with the festive and solemn worship of Passion/Palm Sunday.  One of the central activities on Sunday is the reading of the account of the Passion from the Gospel of Matthew.  In our practice, we read the gospel in a responsorial manner, so that the individual characters of the story are given voice by different readers.  The gathered congregation reads the part of the crowd, so that we in a real sense own the words “Crucify him!”

This active engagement with the text reflects a centuries-old tradition of setting the Passion story musically.  The best known musical settings are the two Passions by John Sebastian Bach.  These two masterpieces are the pinnacle of the tradition, in which the actual story is given exegesis (fleshed out with commentary) by the addition of arias, chorales, and instrumental accompaniment.  Yet, these two settings also maintain some of the primary elements of the tradition:  separating the characters by voice part (the high-voiced tenor sings the part of the Evangelist, or narrator, which the low-voiced bass sings the part of Jesus) and portraying the crowd portions polyphonically (or in four-part harmony).  One notable attribute, that may be particular to Bach, or at least a Baroque practice, is the accompaniment of the voice of Jesus by a shimmering string chorus.

Curiously, one source cites Martin Luther as critical of the dramatic recitation of the Passion, with his admonition being "the Passion of Christ should not be acted out in words and pretense, but in real life."  I haven’t had the time to do my homework, so this may or may not be truly attributable to him.  But, if so, his dislike of the theatrical aspect of the Passion tradition presents a curious juxtaposition:  an activity that Luther did not favor eventually yielded one of the most dramatic and lengthy versions of the practice (the St. Matthew Passion lasts nearly three hours) created by the most revered “Lutheran” composer, Bach.

The tradition includes many wonderful settings of the Passion by composers other than Bach.  A few that you might choose from this week:

16^th century         (short)

Tomas Luis de Victoria:  Passion according to Saint John     youtube (in English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HSOBILgYAA

17^th century

Heinrich Schütz:  Three Passions (John, Matthew, Luke)           youtube (Luke, in German):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TEUhT8EBzM

20^th century           (anguished)

Krzysztof Penderecki: Passion according to Saint Luke              youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkqydMUOoEs#aid=P-xZns3_bUY

20^th century           (stunningly beautiful)

Arvo Pärt:  Passio                youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0lt6R2PTPg

Fifth Sunday in Lent: Psalms, Martin Luther, and Hymn Paraphrases

Sunday, April 6, 2014 

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Psalms, Martin Luther, and Hymn Paraphrases

The appointed psalm in the lectionary for today is Psalm 130, which begins “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice!”

This morning, I had planned for you to hear a prelude by Felix Mendelssohn – the first movement of his Sonata for Organ, No. 3 in C.  This movement incorporates the melody of the great hymn by Martin Luther, Aus tiefer Not, in the pedal line of the fugue.  However, the piece is difficult, and so you will have to wait until another time to hear it!

Still, it is worthwhile to consider the hymn that Luther composed.  Luther created this hymn as a paraphrase of Psalm 130 – a poetic version of the psalm text in his vernacular German.  One key aspect of Luther’s reforming goals was to allow the congregation to participate more fully in worship.  Placing the words of scripture and liturgy into the spoken language of the people was one way to do this.  Naturally, the Psalms, being the hymns of our Hebrew ancestors in faith, were a ready source for translation by Luther and other sixteenth-century reformers. 

In the introduction to the Psalms in the Lutheran Study Bible, Rolf Jacobsen writes:

Martin Luther wrote that the book of Psalms “might well be called a little Bible.  In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible.  It is really a fine enchiridion or handbook. . . so that anyone who could not read the whole Bible would here have anyway almost an entire summary of it, comprised in one little book”

By this Luther obviously did not mean that the Psalms teach Christian beliefs, since they were all written before the time of Christ.  Rather, Luther was referring to the fact that the Psalms explore the highs and lows of the life of faith.  They sing with joy and trust from the mountaintop moments and cry out with pain “out of the depths” (Ps 130:1).  The Psalms week with those who suffer, laugh with those who celebrate, and teach all of us about the long journey of faith.

Luther considered Aus tiefer Not one of his favorite psalm hymns and intended it as a funeral hymn.  Take a look at the text of the hymn in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW 600).  Meditate upon how its language explores the depth of sorrow and the fervor of hope that one experiences when a loved one dies.  This is a great hymn and we would do well to sing it often!

One additional musical note for the morning:  the postlude is a setting of the hymn tune Aus tiefer Not, by Max Drischner.  Set as a chaconne, or ground bass, the music repeats the opening phrase of the hymn tune in the pedal line over and over.  This musical form conveys the sense of supplication that is mentioned in the hymn text, and the desire of the litany gains fervor as the musical accompaniment in the hands increases in intensity. 

As you ponder the hymn and the psalms this week, can you think of another psalm paraphrase by Luther?  (Perhaps his most iconic hymn!)