June newsletter article: "Name That Tune"

Name That Tune
(originally published in the June 2016 church newsletter)

Have you ever taken a glance through the hymn tune index beginning at page 999 of the red hymnal? The next time you find yourself with a few spare minutes, it might prove an interesting diversion. (Not during a sermon, of course!) Each piece of music in the book is given a name, so that it can be identified independently of its text. This allows congregations to mix and match texts with different tunes (such as we sometimes do). But have you ever noticed that some of the tunes bear awfully strange names? Sometimes the connection between the hymn and the tune name is obvious, such as Crucifer for ‘Lift High the Cross’. In other cases, there’s no apparent link at all.

So who picks these weird names, anyway? Generally the composer of the music has that honor, although for older music of unknown authorship, the name has been bestowed by subsequent generations of musicians. Most tune names fall into several broad categories:

▪ Some are from historic Psalters of the Reformed churches, identifiable by the word ‘Genevan’ or ‘Old’ followed by a number. For example, Old 124th is the tune used with Psalm 124 in the Genevan Psalter of 1551.

▪ Some are the original titles of texts translated from other languages. Most common are Latin hymns (Adeste Fideles, Veni Emmanuel), German Lutheran chorales (Wachet Auf, Christ Lag in Todesbanden) and carols of other lands (W Żłobie Leży from Poland is particularly hard on the tongue).

▪ Some are places of significance to the composer. For example: Caithness, Dundee, and Truro are cities, while Regent Square and Duke Street are specific neighborhoods. Slane is a hill in Ireland. St Anne, St Bride, and St Magnus are all churches in London, and Union Seminary is in Manhattan.

▪ Some are people: Mendelssohn, Converse, Bradbury. My favorite is St Kevin!

A few stand out for their peculiarity, but have logical explanations:

▪ Cwm Rhondda refers to the Rhondda Chapel in Glamorganshire, Wales. John Hughes composed the tune for a singing festival held there in 1905.

▪ Redhead 76 could pass for a shade of hair dye, but it’s actually the 76th item in an 1853 collection of hymn tunes by Richard Redhead.

▪ Gonfalon Royal refers to the heraldic banner, or gonfalon, that a medieval king’s army might have carried in battle. This makes sense when the tune is paired with its original text, which begins “The Royal Banners Forward Go”.

▪ PCOCS is not a bird, but the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song.

As for Bourbon: well, I’ll let you take your own guess.

Until next time,
Kevin

Ascension Day service

An Ecumenical Service of Worship for the Feast of the Ascension

with the participation of choirs from Meadville churches:
Stone Methodist
First Presbyterian

and organists:
James Ross
Patrick Bier
Kevin Dill

Thursday, May 5, 7:30 PM
Trinity Lutheran Church, 649 Park Avenue, Meadville
Rev. Benjamin Travis, pastor

April music list

Music list for choral services (11:00 AM unless otherwise noted)

Apr. 3 – 2nd Sunday of Easter
Chancel Choir
Introit: Glorious Jesus (William Billings, 1746-1800)
Anthem: Sing Unto the Lord (Henry Purcell, 1659-1695)

Apr. 10 – 3rd Sunday of Easter
Chancel Choir
Introit: If God Be For Us (Clifford McCormick, 1923-1986)
Anthem: Is Any Afflicted, Let Him Pray (William Billings, 1746-1800)

Apr. 17 – 4th Sunday of Easter
Liberty Bells
Prelude: Reflection (Kevin Dill, 2014)
Offertory: Carillon (Kevin Dill, 2014)

Apr. 24 – 5th Sunday of Easter
Chancel Choir
Introit: Steal Away to Jesus (Spiritual, arr. Nathaniel Dett, 1882-1943)
Anthem: A Jubilant Song (Mary Lynn Lightfoot, b. 1952)

March music list

Music list for choral services (11:00 AM unless otherwise noted)

Mar. 6 – 4th Sunday in Lent
Saint Hildegard Choir
Introit: Hanacpachap (anonymous Peruvian, 17th century)
Offertory: Agnus Dei, from Missa Tribus Vocibus (Christoph Dalitz, b.1967)

Mar. 13 – 5th Sunday in Lent
Chancel Choir
Introit: Thou Judge of Quick and Dead (Kevin Dill, 2016)
Anthem: Only Love Can Answer Why (John Carter, b.1930)

Mar. 20 – Palm Sunday
Liberty Bells
Prelude: Fanfare (Mary McCleary, b.1924)
Offertory: Ride On, King Jesus (Spiritual, arr. Sharon Rogers, b.1953)

Mar. 24 – Maundy Thursday Communion Service (7:30 PM)
Women of the Chancel Choir
Introit: Agnus Dei, from New Plainsong (David Hurd, b.1950)
Anthem: He Was Despised, from Messiah (G. F. Handel, 1685-1759)

Mar. 27 – Easter Sunday
French Creek Brass Quintet & Chancel Choir
Preservice Music: Chanson (Maurice Ravel, 1875-1937)
Introit: O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing (arr. John Ferguson, b.1941)
Gloria Patri: George Dyson (1883-1964)
Offertory: Easter Hymn Medley (arr. Arthur Frackenpohl, b.1924)
Postlude: Allegro Spiritoso (G. P. Telemann, 1681-1767)

March newsletter article: 'A Time For Silence'

A TIME FOR SILENCE
(Originally published in the March 2016 church newsletter)

Seeing as how my life’s work revolves around music, you may be surprised to hear that the topic of this month's article is silence. Isn't music the opposite of silence? Well, that’s up for debate: there are many different ways one can define music. One of the definitions I like best holds that music is a judicious mixture of both sound and silence. Consider the theme of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, a timeless work I’m sure everyone can recognize:

What is it that makes this opening statement so powerful? I submit to you that it's not just the four-note motives themselves that create drama, but also the silence between them: Beethoven deliberately uses it to heighten the tension and so draw the listener in. Indeed, one of my favorite moments of a symphony concert is that brief silence after the orchestra has finished its last note, but before the audience begins to applaud. In that split second, the air buzzes with a kind of electric energy that is beyond words.

The Hebrew scriptures frequently encourage silence as an appropriate response to the overwhelming majesty of God:

▪ ‘It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord’ (Lam. 3:26)
▪ ‘The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him’ (Hab. 2:20)
▪ ‘To everything there is a season…a time to keep silence, and a time to speak’ (Eccl. 3:7)
▪ ‘Be silent, all people, before the Lord; he has arisen from his holy dwelling’ (Zech. 2:13)

Some Christians do embrace communal silence: Quaker worship includes long periods in which believers wait for messages from the Holy Spirit. By contrast, Presbyterianism has always focused on teaching and explaining the scriptures. That in itself is a good thing, but its side effect is that our worship tends to be 'wordy', in that the congregation is not allowed much space to simply be in God's presence and listen for that ‘still, small voice’. As Rev. Jensen noted in his sermon on the first Sunday in Lent, prayer is defined as conversation with God...and it’s not much of a conversation if we do all the talking.

For this reason, the Worship & Music Committee has requested that during Lent we replace the choral call to prayer with time for silent personal prayer. And what if, instead of praying, your mind starts to wander? That's okay! Silent prayer is a discipline: just as with bodily exercise, one must attempt it over and over in order to become proficient. The important thing is that we start somewhere. After all, what do we have to lose?

Until next time,
Kevin

February music list

Music list for choral services (11:00 AM unless otherwise noted)

Feb. 7 – The Transfiguration of the Lord
Saint Hildegard Choir
Introit: Awake Up, My Glory (Michael Wise, c.1647-1687)
Anthem: Bound For the Promised Land (Southern Harmony, 1835, arr. K. Dill)

Feb. 14 – 1st Sunday in Lent
Chancel Choir
Introit: Out of the Night (Russian Orthodox Chant)
Anthem: Call To Remembrance (Richard Farrant, c.1525-1581)
Communion: Adoro Te Devote (plainsong, mode V)

Feb. 21 – 2nd Sunday in Lent
Liberty Bells
Prelude: Poor Wayfaring Stranger (Spiritual, arr. Doris Alman)
Offertory: I Ring My Praise to God (Howard Starks, b.1928)

Feb. 28 – 3rd Sunday in Lent
Chancel Choir
Introit: Let My Prayer Arise As Incense (Dmitri Bortnyansky, 1751-1825)
Anthem: What Wondrous Love is This (arr. William Witherup, b.1945)

January music list

Music list for choral services (11:00 AM unless otherwise noted)

Jan. 3 – 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Liberty Bells Quintet
Prelude: Laudes I (Kevin Dill, 2014)
Offertory: Laudes II (Kevin Dill, 2014)

Jan. 10 – The Baptism of the Lord
Gentlemen of the Chancel Choir
Motet: Veni Sancte Spiritus (Jacques de Bournonville, c.1675-1750)
Communion: Adoro Te Devote (plainsong, mode V)

Jan. 17 – 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
Liberty Bells
Prelude: Let My People Go (Spiritual, arr. Doris Alman, b.1944)
Offertory: Carillon for a Joyous Day (Douglas Wagner, b.1952)

Jan. 24 – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Chancel Choir
Introit: O Come, Let Us Sing (Hal Hopson, b.1933)
Anthem: Bless the Lord, O My Soul (Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, 1859-1935)

Jan. 31 – 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Chancel Choir
Introit: Come, Let Us Worship (Dmitri Razumovsky, 1818-1898)
Anthem: Benedictus (Brian Lewis, b.1970)