Just last year BBC broadcast a new documentary on the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach entitled Bach: A Passionate Life. Written and presented by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, one of the greatest and most influential Bach interpreters of this age, it is 90 minutes long and was first broadcast on the Easter weekend of 2013. Besides being an interesting overview of Bach’s life, it also provides some new… Read More »
The Sussex Carol was one of the many English folk songs collected for posterity by Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958). This arrangement is a relatively easy, but boisterous arrangement for SATB choir with piano or harp and optional handbells. It is published by Walton Music (WW 1243) and available from GIA or your favorite music retailer. For a complimentary review copy, please send us a note via our Contact Us page.… Read More »
Did you know that Handel’s Messiah sets 81 Scripture passages to music? It is one of the most amazing and most performed works of all sacred music. Singing or listening to it is a great way to be immersed into Scripture and the story of salvation. To enter more deeply into this story, click here for a Text Study of Handel’s Messiah. I hope that you find this study as interesting… Read More »
I would like to offer a sincere thank you to all those who were involved in last evening’s Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Trinity. From those who prepared the Sanctuary to the Lectors and to all the musicians and thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit, the proclamation that occurred was incredibly strong, wonderfully heartfelt, and truly beautiful. For me there were many, many favorite moments. Besides… Read More »
A week ago I conducted the American Kantorei in their December 2013 concert (click here for photos). I would like to thank both the choir and the orchestra “aus Herzens Grunde” (“from the bottom of my heart”) for their glorious, incredibly beautiful, and heartfelt proclamation of the Christmas story last Sunday. It was a great thrill and honor to work with them once again. Their music was stunningly beautiful and… Read More »
A few Sundays ago, I had the privilege of singing three settings of the Te Deum – that great text of proclamation, praise, and thanksgiving – with the Bradley Community Chorale accompanied by the Bradley Orchestra. What a great experience and great opportunity to enter deeply into that great text of Christendom and into the minds of three great composers. The settings we sang were by Franz Josef Haydn, Antonín… Read More »
Our thoughts and prayers this week are with all those who lost a loved one or their homes and belongings in the recent tornados that passed through Central Illinois. We pray in this difficult time for their healing in body, mind, and soul and that the Lord will show us how we can help in the best possible ways. This is also perhaps a good time to mention that several… Read More »
“When Morning Gilds the Skies” was originally the German hymn “Beim frühen Morgenlicht” (literally “By the Early Morning Light”) that first appeared around 1744. In the mid 1800s, an English translation was made by the Reverend Edward Caswall (1814-78), an Anglican priest and in 1899 another appeared by the famous poet and playwright Robert Bridges (1844-1930). The original hymn has 15 stanzas, only five of which are included in our… Read More »
Although this year we are celebrating All Saints’ Day on Sunday, November 3rd, the actual feast day is November 1st every year. This past week we celebrated the 496th anniversary of the Reformation (the actual feast day for the Festival of the Reformation is October 31st every year). So, how are the two connected? Well, Frederick the Wise, ruler of Saxony during the time of the Martin Luther, was a… Read More »
In many cases, key thoughts and insights are lost in translation. This is especially true when translating poetry while at the same time trying to maintain the original poem’s meter and rhyme scheme. A case in point is Martin Luther’s popular Reformation hymn “A Mighty Fortress,” of which there are numerous English translations. The first line is fairly easy to translate into English: “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” literally… Read More »
