His Voice - Volume 2, Number 2 by Concordia Theological Seminary

HIS

Volume 2 - Number 2

August 2007

VOICE From Co-Director

Arthur A. Just Jr.

Over the past seven years, the Good Shepherd Institute has combined worship, music, and papers around a single theme at each of our annual conferences. Although we publish these papers in our annual Journal of The Good Shepherd Institute (and they have been very well received), it is the worship and music at the GSI conferences that is most memorable for our attendees. Last year our theme was Lutheran Service Book, as we attempted to get at the story behind the story. But it was using the liturgies and singing the hymns of LSB in our Choral Vespers, daily chapel services, and Hymn Festival that received the most comment.

It is the firm belief of the GSI that text and music go together, so that, like the Word and Sacrament in the Divine Service, one does not trump the other. An important symbiosis exists between text and tune, and the church’s treasury of great hymns reflects this marriage between texts that proclaim and nourish the faith, and music that supports these texts and glorifies God. Rich hymn texts set to cheesy music are as disastrous as combining sacred music and trite texts. The discerning church raises up those hymns and those tunes that are reverent to Christ’s presence and faithful to the means by which this presence comes among us. This is why the GSI has always attempted to balance reverent worship with stimulating papers around a central theme. Now that Lutheran Service Book has been successfully launched in the church, we felt we needed a break from matters liturgical, thus we turn to the hymnody of the church. This year we were afforded a marvelous confluence of events in the history of Lutheran hymnody—the 400th anniversary of Paul Gerhardt’s birth (1607–1676) and the 100th anniversary of Martin Franzmann’s birth (1907–1976). Both of these pastors left their mark on the church’s life through their hymnody, although the circumstances of their hymn writing were completely different. The pathos of Gerhardt’s time with the death and devastation of the Thirty Years’ War produced hymns that were deeply

pastoral, sublime in their comfort in the midst of suffering. What could be more comforting than the final verse of “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me” (LSB 683, v. 4): In suff’ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow’r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide And draw me safely to Thy side!

Franzmann wrote in the context of two World Wars and during the turbulent 1960s in our country. The poetry and imagery of his hymns are so rich that sometimes students who hear these hymns for the first time are baffled by such lines as “Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess” (“Thy Strong Word,” LSB 578, v. 3) or “The sower sows; his heart cries out, ‘Oh, what of that, and what of that?’” (“Preach You the Word,” LSB 586, v. 4). And yet, as one wraps one’s mind around these words, the imagery his texts evoke in our imaginations and the beauty of his language take us to depths of understanding that could not be achieved without such gorgeous hymns. How could one not be moved by these words of Franzmann in “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth” (LSB 834, v. 3): continued on next page

THE GOOD SHEPHERD I

Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church

continued from previous page

Thou camest to our hall of death, O Christ, to breathe our poisoned air, To drink for us the dark despair That strangled our reluctant breath. How beautiful the feet that trod The road that leads us back to God! How beautiful the feet that ran To bring the great good news to man!

Our lineup for this year’s institute features six esteemed guests: Christopher Boyd Brown of Boston University, offering his insights on “Paul Gerhardt in Context: The Second Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War”; the beloved Carl F. Schalk on Gerhardt’s hymns; Richard Brinkley, author of Thy Strong Word: The Enduring Legacy of Martin Franzmann, who, with Constance R. Seddon, daughter of Walter E. Buszin, will present on Franzmann’s life; and two parish pastors, Philip Meyer of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Terre Haute, Indiana, and Peter Lange of St. John Lutheran Church, Topeka, Kansas, who will offer comments on “Gerhardt’s Hymns as Day-to-Day Pastoral Care.” From our faculty we are led by Kantor Richard C. Resch, who will address a topic near and dear to his heart, “The Theology of the Cross in Paul Gerhardt’s Hymns”; Lawrence R. Rast, our new Academic Dean, who will offer a paper on “The Image of God, Sacraments, and Other Themes in Gerhardt Hymns at the Onset

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of Pietism”; our new Dean of the Chapel, Paul J. Grime, former Executive Director of the LCMS Commission on Worship, who will offer a sectional on “Gerhardt and Franzmann—Organ and Choral Settings”; and I will explore the sermons and hymns texts in the context of our lectionary for preaching and teaching. And, of course, there will be worship and music: an organ recital by Craig Cramer of the University of Notre Dame; our annual All Saints’ Choral Vespers; and another Choral Vespers featuring the St. Paul’s Childrens Choir, led by director Barbara J. Resch, a service that will premiere a new two-part work by Kevin Hildebrand written for this occasion, based on the Gerhardt text “Cloudless, Serene, and Splendid.” And finally, our annual Hymn Festival, this year featuring the hymns of Gerhardt and Franzmann, led by Associate Kantor Kevin Hildebrand and the seminary Kantorei. Please join us this year for this rich feast of text and tune.

Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676)

Martin Franzmann (1907–1976)

Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES by JOHN PLESS

Gerhard Forde, The Preached God: Proclamation in Word and Sacrament, ed. Mark C. Mattes and Steven D. Paulson (Eerdmans, 2007), 329 pp. [$32.00]

This is the third book in the outstanding Lutheran Quarterly Book series devoted to collecting the occasional essays and sermons of the late Gerhard Forde (1927–2005). Forde’s work was dedicated to the proposition that theology is for proclamation. In fact, his 1990 book bears that title: Theology Is for Proclamation (Fortress, 1990). The essays in this present volume are all variations on that central theme arranged under three headings: (1) God Preached and Not Preached; (2) Doing the Word; and (3) Called to Freedom. Editors Mark Mattes and Steven Paulson have provided a lengthy and helpful introduction to the work of their teacher. A concluding anthology of fourteen sermons and chapel homilies rounds out the book, amply demonstrating that Forde preached as he taught, giving voice to the God who elects the ungodly.

The editors serve up a rich fare of Forde’s writings, which are sure to challenge, edify, and provoke. Forde demonstrates his craft as a Luther scholar in “When the Old Gods Fail: Martin Luther’s Critique of Mysticism,” while at the same time showing Luther’s helpfulness in an age such as ours that is launched on a seemingly unending quest for spirituality. His ability at making the crucial distinction of the Law from the Gospel is evident in “Fake Theology: Reflections on Antinomianism Past and Present.” Addressing debates on homosexuality in his own church body (ELCA), Forde reveals a necessary polemical edge. “The Lutheran View of Sanctification” argues that “Sanctification, if it is to be spoken of as something other than justification, is perhaps best defined as the art of getting used to the unconditional justification wrought by the grace of God for Jesus’ sake” (p. 226). An essay on “Lutheran Faith and American Freedom” is must reading for pastors who are tempted to contextualize Lutheran theology and practice by adapting the “style” of American Evangelicalism.

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As the subtitle suggests, this is a book that tends to proclamation in Word and Sacrament. “Preaching the Sacraments” is a welcome aid in assisting preachers in moving beyond preaching about the Sacraments to understanding preaching itself as God speaking and bestowing His gifts in the earthly voice of the preacher. “Preaching is doing the text to the hearers” (p. 91), not merely explaining or describing liturgical activity. “Something to Believe: A Theological Perspective on Infant Baptism” is a carefully nuanced apologetic for the “evangelical necessity” of baptizing infants. An article on the Sacrament of the Altar, “The Lord’s Supper as the Testament of Jesus,” is a systematic treatment of the conceptuality of the “last will and testament,” and hence the Gospel character, of the Lord’s Supper. “Absolution: Systematic Considerations” argues that “The only solution to the problem of the absolute is actual absolution” (p. 152). Forde writes: “It is the purpose of theology, therefore, to lead us to see that and to drive us to do the absolution authorized by the crucified and risen one, actually to break the silence of eternity and say it: Your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake” (p. 162). The Preached God: Proclamation in Word and Sacrament will take its place with two other Forde books, On Being a Theologian of the Cross (Eerdmans, 1997) and The Captivation of the Will (Eerdmans, 2005) for use in the classroom here at Concordia Theological Seminary. It is highly recommended as a refresher for seasoned pastors as well. _______________________________________

Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES Lutheran Service Book: Pastoral Care Companion

(Concordia Publishing House, 2007), 736 pp. [$36.00]

With the publication of Lutheran Service Book come a number of accompanying volumes, including The Pastoral Care Companion. Like Lutheran Worship-Little Agenda, it is compact, easily fitting into the pocket of the pastor’s suit coat, but, unlike its predecessor, the new volume is packed with much more content. Key services and rites are included from the LSB Agenda along with resources for dozens of situations where the pastor might be called upon to minister. These circumstances are arranged under eight headings: (1) At the Time of Birth, (2) Ministering to the Sick, (3) At the Time of Death, (4) Times of Spiritual Distress, (5) Home and Family, (6) Vocation, (7) Times of Celebration, and (8) Miscellaneous Situations. Each circumstance includes a theological/pastoral overview designed to help focus the pastor’s attention on crucial dimensions of spiritual care, texts of key psalms and biblical readings (with a listing of additional psalms and texts), prayers, and hymn stanzas (with a listing of additional hymns). The Pastoral Care Companion also includes the Introduction from the LSB Agenda, which provides an overview of pastoral theology. Prayers of preparation for the pastor are included, making The Pastoral Care Companion a devotional resource for the pastor as well as a tool for ministry. _______________________________________

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continued

Holger K. Sonntag, “In Praise of a Specific Preacher: Paul Gerhardt,” in Concordia Pulpit Resources

(Pentecost 15–Last Sunday in the Church Year, 2007), 3–5.

This short article in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of Lutheran preacher and hymn writer Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676) provides a very helpful introduction to Gerhardt’s life and thought, focusing especially on how Gerhardt’s hymnody reflects a concrete preaching of Christ Jesus in situations of great human turmoil and distress. Sonntag contends that Gerhardt’s profound knowledge of Lutheran doctrine guarded him from becoming impersonal, shallow, or generic in his preaching of Christ for sinners. As Lutheran congregations observe the Gerhardt anniversary year (some with a Reformation or Advent hymn festival) this article will provide a good and welldocumented overview of the man and his theology. _______________________________________

Fred J. Gaiser, “‘I Come with Thanks Most Grateful’: Paul Gerhardt and Psalm 111 on Studying God’s Works” and “‘Go Forth, My Heart, and Take Delight’: Paul Gerhardt’s ‘Summer Song’” Word & World 27 (Summer 2007): 325–37.

Fred J. Gaiser of Luther Seminary in St. Paul has been busy translating and providing commentary on several of Gerhardt’s hymns for his seminary’s theological journal, Word & World. Previous issues have included “‘I Sing to You and Praise You’ (Psalm 30): Paul Gerhardt and the Psalms” (Spring 2007) and an essay by Gaiser “Translating Paul Gerhardt’s Hymns,” which also includes his translation of a hymn based on Hosea 11 “How Can I Give You Up, My Child?” (Winter 2007). Gaiser provides tunes from current Lutheran hymnals for his translations. The translations of these gems from Gerhardt’s pen, along with Gaiser’s insightful commentary, are welcome contributions for pastors and church musicians in search of material for use in worship and study in this anniversary year. _______________________________________

Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES God Grant It: Daily Devotions from C. F. W. Walther, trans. Gerhard P. Grabenhofer and comp. August Crull

(Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 928 pp. [$19.99]

Arranged according to the historic lectionary, these daily readings from the first president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod have been drawn from his sermons and skillfully translated so that contemporary Lutherans might draw strength and wisdom from C. F. W. Walther’s confession of the Gospel. Intended as a book of daily devotions for the laity, this volume will also provide evangelical insight to pastors who preach on texts from the LSB one-year lectionary. _______________________________________

Vilmos Vajta, Luther on Worship: An Interpretation

(Wipf & Stock, 2006), 200 pp. [$24.00]

Thanks to Wipf & Stock Publishers, this classic study of Luther’s theology of worship, originally published in 1958 but long out-of-print, is once again available. Vajta works out Luther’s theology of worship in light of the First Commandment and around the distinction between beneficium and sacrificium. _______________________________________

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continued

Robin A. Leaver, Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Eerdmans, 2007), 485 pp. [$32.00]

This massive study by the noted professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir College, and frequent lecturer at Concordia Theological Seminary, is yet another installment in the Lutheran Quarterly Book Series. Leaver provides a substantial introduction to Luther’s musical background and his theological understanding of music. A good portion of the book is devoted to Luther’s “musical catechesis,” where Leaver provides commentary on Luther’s catechism hymns. Other sections of the book treat Luther’s liturgical hermeneutics and musical pedagogy. Leaver examines liturgical and musical forms in Luther and traces Luther’s influence in later Lutheranism, including the trajectory of the Deutsche Messe from Luther to Bach. _______________________________________

Naomichi Masaki, Community: We Are Not Alone; Chad E. Hoover, Vocation: God Serves through Us (Concordia Publishing House, 2007). [$8.99 each]

These monographs are the latest entries in Concordia Publishing House’s Lutheran Spirituality Series. In Community: We Are Not Alone Naomichi Masaki (Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne) uses Article VII of the Augsburg Confession to guide readers into the gifts of Christ Jesus in sermon and sacrament that establish the church. Pastor Chad Hoover (Trinity Lutheran Church, Traverse City, Michigan) gives exposition to key Lutheran themes of the doctrine of vocation in Vocation: God Serves through Us. Written in a Bible study format in six sessions, these two books would be excellent for individual or group use in the congregation. _______________________________________

Recommended

PASTORAL RESOURCES

continued

Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Church: Volume 6—The Modern Age (Eerdmans, 2007), 984 pp. [$50.00]

Beginning with the late eighteenth century and continuing through 1960, the Reformed liturgical scholar, Hughes Oliphant Old (in volume six of a projected seven-volume series) gives selective snapshots into the life of preachers and the nature of preaching in the modern period. Lutherans will find especially interesting his coverage of Wilhelm Loehe, Claus Harms, F. C. D. Wyneken, C. F. W. Walther, Wilhelm Sihler, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Helmut Thielicke. This is a long book—just shy of one thousand pages, but Old is an engaging writer and he generally does a good job of telling the story of representative preachers and their preaching. _______________________________________

Steven D. Paulson, “Essential Lutheran Worship”

(CTS Convocation Lecture on March 21, 2007)

In this convocation address delivered at Concordia Theological Seminary on March 21, 2007, Steven Paulson, professor of systematic theology at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, contrasts Lutheran worship centered in Christ’s gift of the forgiveness of sins with two other competing models—worship as celebration, and worship geared toward conversion. He traces the roots of the celebration model to an essay on Christian spirituality by Wolfhart Pannenberg, and the conversion model to American revivalism. Audio and video recordings of this presentation are available on the Concordia Theological Seminary website (www.ctsfw.edu/ resources/media/index.php#convos)

Dr. Paulson’s convocation presentation, along with his article “What Is Essential in Lutheran Worship?” Word & World 26 (Spring 2006): 149–61, would be excellent for use at a circuit pastoral conference to get to the heart of current controversies relative to the nature of liturgical worship. _______________________________________ HIS Voice • August 2007

Recommended

CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC by KEVIN HILDEBRAND

This installment of choral music recommendations includes music from MorningStar, Concordia Publishing House, GIA, and Augsburg Fortress. The first half includes many ideas for Advent and Christmas. The recommendations from Concordia Publishing House are all unison or two-part choir settings. Many small parish choirs find this texture exceedingly useful. However, even larger choirs, which typically sing SAB or SATB settings, can—and should—use such settings as well. Joseph Herl MorningStar MSM-80-801 SATB or Unison and Keyboard $1.50

Advent Alleluias

Joe Herl has arranged a very practical and accessible set of Advent alleluia verse settings. Several musical options for the alleluias are provided, including one from Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service Setting One, as well as original settings by the composer. The verse settings are straightforward and require minimal rehearsal: one particularly notable setting is for Advent 3, which takes the form of a four-part canon. If your parish does not regularly use the appointed verse of the day sung by a choir, these settings could be a good introduction to this practice. _______________________________________

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O Come, All Ye Faithful and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hal H. Hopson MorningStar MSM-50-1206 and MSM-50-1308, respectively SATB, Congregation, Flute and Organ (opt. Handbells, Strings, Harp) $1.90 / $1.75

Since many choirs know and love the famous David Willcocks settings of these carols, it is difficult for a composer to craft a different harmonization without jarring the ears. However, Hal Hopson’s settings are well done, with enough predictability to make them comfortable, and the right amount of fresh sounds as well. The flexibility of these settings also makes them ideal: the flute part is obbligato, but optional handbells, strings, and harp can also be added to complement the organ writing. Also, some slight text and stanza modifications may be necessary to adapt them to your church’s hymnal (e.g., stanzas 3 and 4 are swapped in “O Come, All Ye Faithful”). By all means, if you know the Willcocks settings, keep using them, but Hopson’s settings are very much worth throwing into the mix too. _______________________________________

Recommended

CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC Georg Gottfried Wagner, ed. Karle Erickson MorningStar MSM-50-5001 SATB, opt. Brass, Strings, Keyboard $1.75

continued

Kevin Hildebrand MorningStar MSM-50-5102 SATB and Organ $1.50

Praise and Honor and Wisdom and Thanks

Abide With Us

This little motet on Revelation 7:12 and Psalm 34:1 was at one time attributed to J. S. Bach (BWV Anh. 162), now correctly ascribed to Georg Gottfried Wagner (1698–1756). The first twentysix measures are intended to be sung as a double choir motet, but flexibility abounds here. Keyboard, brass, or strings (or any combination) could double the choral parts, or Choir II could be sung by a quartet. It would also be possible to perform it with one choir singing everything (Choir II never sings at the same time as Choir I). The last fifty measures are written as a (single choir) fugue on “Hallelujah, amen.” The fugue is more challenging and will require confident leadership in all four voice parts. _______________________________________

Many parishes are discovering this beautiful Collect, as included in the Office of Compline (Lutheran Service Book, p. 257), for the first time. This musical setting seeks to frame this prayer in a reflective, rich, and expressive manner. Although SATB writing predominates, some unison, two-part, and SAB textures also occur. This setting would be appropriate for evening services and funerals. _______________________________________

Gabriel Fauré, ed. Marie Stultz MorningStar MSM-50-6403 SA(A) and Organ or Piano $1.50

Agnus Dei

This wonderful setting is from Fauré’s Messe Basse, and is highly recommended as a beautiful, high-quality piece for children’s choirs (or high school or adult women’s choirs too!). The lyrical melody has ample stepwise motion, making the occasional leap soar beautifully. If unison singing is the norm for your choir, don’t let the three-part classification prevent you from teaching this composition. It is possible to sing this setting in unison throughout, letting the organ take the harmonies in the three-part section. Or the editor suggests having the women from the adult choir sing the harmony while the children continue with the melody. The text is given in Latin and English, although the English translation sometimes varies from what is customary. No matter . . . the Latin is very accessible. If you are teaching this to children, Latin is no problem for them! (And tell the adults that it’s only ten different Latin words . . . they can handle it too!) _______________________________________ HIS Voice • August 2007

Walter L. Pelz Augsburg Fortress 0-8006-2017-8 SATB, Organ, Oboe $1.75

And the Word Became Flesh

This familiar text is given colorful treatment by Walter Pelz: from an ethereal, mysterious harmonization to open and close the piece, to a sparkling and majestic central section, the text is painted vividly. Commissioned for a church anniversary, this setting includes an oboe part that quotes OLD HUNDREDTH. A good organist is required, and the choir will be on its toes with ample accidentals (although the harmonies remain fairly straightforward) and some moderate rhythm changes. This could be breathtaking on Christmas Eve or Day . . . then get more mileage out of it by using it throughout the Epiphany season as well. _______________________________________

Recommended

CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC Richard Proulx GIA G-6463 SATB $1.85

continued

Stephan Casurella CPH 98-3931 Two-Part Mixed, Organ $1.50

Six A Cappella Christmas Carols

Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me

Four of the six carols in this collection are in LSB: “Infant Holy,” “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” “Gabriel’s Message,” (aka “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came”), and “What Child is This.” The harmonizations are comfortable and fit the voices well, especially encouraging for Christmas season choir recruitment. Some hymns include a stanza with melody in the tenor. These settings could well be used as choral stanzas during the singing of a hymn, or used as independent choral pieces or caroling repertoire. _______________________________________

It is difficult to write a new tune for a hymn that is so strongly associated with a traditional tune in the hymnal. However, the composer has succeeded with this lovely musical setting of this familiar text. A lyrical, flowing tune maneuvers some wellplaced harmonic changes before returning to its original key. The easy writing makes rehearsing a delight: the two-part writing is in stanza three only. The simplicity (without being simplistic) makes this setting ideal for choirs of any size. _______________________________________

David von Kampen CPH 98-3925 SA, SAB, or Two-Part Mixed, Piano, Flute $1.50

Be Still, My Soul, before the Lord

As far as this reviewer knows, this is the first published choral setting of this new hymn found at Lutheran Service Book 771. David von Kampen sets Marty Haugen’s gentle tune (SHANTI) and Herman G. Stuempfle’s placid text in a very flexible arrangement. Practically any size choir can adapt this piece to work for them (which also makes it ideal for summer choirs or high school ensembles). This hymn is worth learning, and the choir can begin teaching it to the congregation by singing this composition. _______________________________________

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Timothy Shaw CPH 98-3928 Two-Part Mixed, Keyboard $1.50

Psalm 117

Plenty of unison writing and repeated phrases between sections make this setting very accessible, especially for developing choirs. The quiet setting is also a nice change of pace for this psalm, which is often treated with large and majestic writing. The long phrases in a piano dynamic level will afford good vocal teaching opportunities for any level choir. Because the setting is written in D-flat major, a skilled accompanist is an important consideration. _______________________________________

Recommended

CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC Charles Callahan Unison or Two-Part, Keyboard, opt. Handbells CPH 98-3865 $1.50

Psalm 67

This plaintive setting will work equally well with adult or children’s voices. An optional canon provides a “part II,” allowing flexibility in voice parts. The text is actually a Scripture paraphrase by Henry F. Lyte and would be useful in Advent, Epiphany, or at Thanksgiving. The optional handbell part uses only seven bells and could be played by the singers, so no separate handbell ensemble is necessary. _______________________________________

In Adam We Have All Been One / The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns John A. Behnke Two-Part Mixed, Organ CPH 98-3886 $1.50

Two different texts are provided with this setting (found at LSB 569 and 348, respectively), providing multiple opportunities for use, both during Advent and throughout the year. In this centennial year of Martin Franzmann’s birth, his text “In Adam We Have All Been One” is especially appropriate, although it is set to the tune CONSOLATION (not THE SAINTS’ DELIGHT, as found in LSB). The easy twopart mixed writing is ideal for choirs that are busy with extra rehearsals in Advent, or struck with low attendance on a snowy Sunday!

continued

NEW ORGAN RESOURCE FOR BEGINNING IMPROVISATION Donald Rotermund MorningStar 90-33 $38.00

Off the Page

Donald Rotermund’s new manual on beginning improvisation takes away any fear or trepidation of exploring this craft. The emphasis of this volume is to begin with material that is right in front of you in the hymnal, using easy techniques to begin to move “off the page.” Generous examples are given to demonstrate the ideas in an encouraging manner. The average Sunday morning organist is the musician the author had in mind when compiling the material! Concordia Theological Seminary is proud to have participated in the development of this resource, as a draft of the book was “fieldtested” in our “Beginning Improvisation” week of the summer Organist Workshops. Input from our workshop participants was taken into consideration for the final edition! I can vouch for the usefulness and friendly approach in this manual, and I encourage anyone who is interested in trying their hands (and feet) at beginning improvisation to explore this book . . . as well as our summer workshop on the same topic.

Augsburg Fortress www.augsburgfortress.org

Concordia Publishing House www.cph.org GIA Publications www.giamusic.com

MorningStar Music www.morningstarmusic.com

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Recommended

READING AND LISTENING by DANIEL ZAGER

Robin A. Leaver, Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications

Kerala J. Snyder, Dieterich Buxtehude: Organist in Lübeck, rev. ed.

Here is a book that is well worth citing twice in this issue of the GSI newsletter! The intellectual content of this volume is at the heart and core of “pastoral theology and sacred music for the church”—words chosen purposefully by the GSI Co-Directors to define the overarching purposes of the Good Shepherd Institute. When we consider questions of pastoral theology, sacred music, worship, and liturgy we do well as Lutherans to go back to Luther, and that is precisely what Leaver’s study of Luther’s liturgical music helps us to do. Recall what Arthur Just wrote in his introduction to this newsletter: “It is the firm belief of the GSI that text and music go together, so that, like the Word and Sacrament in the Divine Service, one does not trump the other.” Leaver’s volume on Luther explores this same theme “that text and music go together,” or, as Luther wrote, “Music is next to theology” (cf. Leaver, p. 65 and p. 373, note 1), and “[the prophets] held theology and music most tightly connected, and proclaimed truth through Psalms and songs” (p. 65 and p. 373, note 2). While chapters 4 through 18 were previously published, they have been revised and updated here. Chapters 1 through 3 were newly written for this volume, and chapters 2 (“Luther as Musician”) and 3 (“Luther’s Theological Understanding of Music”) are fundamental to understanding Luther and music. This book is an essential study for all who care about Lutheran theology and music. _______________________________________

The February 2007 issue of this newsletter brought Kevin Hildebrand’s very helpful suggestions for exploring the organ works of Dieterich Buxtehude (ca. 1637–1707). Because 2007 is the 300th anniversary of Buxtehude’s death, there is a special emphasis this year (by means of symposia, festivals, publications, and recordings) on the music of this North German, Lutheran composer (with whom the young Johann Sebastian Bach studied for three months in 1705–1706). The fundamental scholarly work on Buxtehude is Kerala Snyder’s 1987 monograph, which, in this anniversary year, has now appeared in a revised second edition. Snyder’s chapter on St. Mary’s church in Lübeck provides fascinating information on seventeenth-century liturgical practices in this particular Lutheran church, and her chapter on Buxtehude’s keyboard works provides illuminating commentary on the organ chorale preludes. Unlike the earlier edition, this revised edition includes a compact disc recording with sixteen tracks providing first-rate performances of selected vocal, keyboard, and chamber works of Buxtehude. _______________________________________

(Eerdmans, 2007), 485 pp. [$32.00]

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(University of Rochester Press, 2007), 554 pp. [$75.00]

Dieterich Buxtehude and the Mean-Tone Organ, volume 1

(Hans Davidsson, organist) [2007, Loft Recordings LRCD 1090/1091, 2 CDs] www.gothic-catalog.com

This two-CD set is the first of three volumes in which Hans Davidsson (Eastman School of Music) will record all of the organ works of Buxtehude. Volume 1 includes a varied cross-section of both the free works and the chorale preludes, with such familiar compositions as the two settings of “Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist” (LSB 768) and “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (LSB 395). Davidsson performs on the stunning North German baroque style organ, inaugurated in 2000, in the Örgryte nya kyrka in Göteborg, Sweden. This scientific reconstruction and research project was modeled on Arp Schnitger’s 1688–1693 organ at the St. Jacobi church in Hamburg, and provides a most appropriate instrument for 11 exploring the organ works of Buxtehude. _______________________________________

Recommended

READING AND LISTENING Peter Williams, J. S. Bach: A Life in Music

(Cambridge University Press, 2007), 405 pp. [$35.00]

Peter Williams notes that his most recent book on Johann Sebastian Bach “grew from a short volume in the Cambridge University Press series Musical Lives,” that earlier volume being his The Life of Bach (2004). Williams structures his most recent study around an invaluable primary source document written in 1750 and published in 1754— the obituary written by Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel and his student Johann Friedrich Agricola. Williams notes that he uses “the Obituary (Nekrolog) in newly translated excerpts, as a thread leading through the maze of fact and conjecture” about J. S. Bach. _______________________________________

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John D. Witvliet, The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship: A Brief Introduction and Guide to Resources (Eerdmans, 2007), 169 pp. [$16.00]

John D. Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, observes in the preface to this volume that “there is a relatively tepid enthusiasm for the Psalms in worship throughout vast stretches of North American Christianity. . . . I often find enthusiasm for a particular musical or dramatic setting of a Psalm, but relatively little interest in a sustained attempt to pray the Psalms over time (though there are notable exceptions). Many churches do use lectionary-based Psalms each week, but often they are rendered without enthusiasm or understanding” (p. xiii). Witvliet goes on to explore the Psalms under two large topics, his Part I entitled “The Psalms and the Basic Grammar of Christian Worship,” and Part II “Praying the Psalms in Christian Worship.” Within this second part of the book there is a particularly useful subsection entitled “Realizing the Psalms: Options for Singing and Speaking,” which surveys topics such as “Psalm Tones and Pointed Text,” “Anglican Chant,” “Gelineau Psalmody,” “Plainchant,” “Responsorial Psalmody,” “Metrical Psalmody,” and various other possibilities. Throughout this subsection Witvliet offers listings of resources—both published music and recordings—from a broad range of denominations and publishers. Witvliet notes that he attempted “to write this volume with an awareness of a broad ecumenical range of practices” (p. xvi); thus, the Lutheran church musician may well find some of these practices more useful and attractive than others. But, in the end, a decided strength of Witvliet’s volume is his inclusion of so many different Christian traditions of praying and singing the Psalms. One suspects that his goal for this volume, “to be a catalyst for a renewed engagement with the Psalms in the context of public worship” (p. xiv), will be met as this volume plays its part in drawing pastors and church musicians into a more sustained engagement with the Psalms in worship.