This setting of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is an attempt to musically portray a great victory parade to see the Christ Child (see the post Thoughts on “O Come, All Ye Faithful”). The choral arrangement begins with a soloist inviting the faithful to join in a great, joyful, and triumphal procession to Bethlehem. The full choir joins by… Read More »
This piece is a short Hymn Intonation for pipe organ on the tune CONSOLATION written for the Advent hymn “The King Shall Come.” It features a pedal ostinato and a quasi-canon at the unison. To obtain a copy, click on the picture below. Jubal’s Lyre Music Shop for music by Jubal’s Lyre Music Publishers on www.sheetmusicplus.com.
In these past few weeks we have celebrated the lives of quite a few members at Trinity, including this past weekend the all too short earthly life of Avonlea Warner. Hymns and songs take a whole new meaning in the context of a funeral. I was especially touched by the ones we sang last Saturday: “Father Welcomes All His… Read More »
One of the best ways to pass our faith along is to involve children in the ministry of the church, and one of the best ways to do that is to involve children in the proclamation of the Music Ministry as much as possible. This Sunday morning at Trinity could be called Youth Music Sunday because close to… Read More »
On Thursday evening our choir rehearsed the great Martin Franzmann hymn “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth” for Reformation Sunday. Among the many powerful phrases and metaphors are these lines drawn almost directly from Scripture: How beautiful the feet that trod the road that leads us back to God! How beautiful the feet that ran to bring… Read More »
When we are given a great treasure, we are also given great responsibility. Whether the treasure we receive is of an earthly or of a heavenly nature, it always comes with a responsibility to first cherish the gift and thank the giver; to then protect, grow, and nurture the gift; and then finally to share the gift with… Read More »
Most people know about the “Love Chapter” of the Bible, but few people know about the “Resurrection Chapter.” 1 Corinthians 13 is the “Love Chapter,” but only two chapters later you will find what I like to call the “Resurrection Chapter.” Some parts of 1 Corinthians 15 may be familiar to you, especially if you frequently listen to or have… Read More »
Fuga 4 a 5 from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier, Book I (WTC I) is not only an amazing piece of music, but also appears to be a powerful statement by Bach of his personal faith. Watch the video below to hear this fugue and see it unfold. One would not expect to find statements of faith… Read More »
The hymn “My Song is Love Unknown” features a text from the 1600s coupled with a melody composed in the early 1900s by the English composer and church musician John Ireland (1879-1962). This haunting and beautiful melody was apparently composed casually one day over lunch at the suggestion of fellow church musician and composer Geoffrey Shaw (1879-1943). The… Read More »
In this Lenten season, it is good for Christians to realize that our world, including our religious world, is a highly sanitized one, especially when compared to past civilizations. We gather in beautiful churches and finely decorated homes and speak, sing, and pray of sacrifice, but we tend to forget that sacrificial laws of the Old Testament were… Read More »