Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Indiana. All Saints Choral Vespers

Transcription

1 Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Indiana All Saints Choral Vespers 4 November :30 p.m. T In Nomine Jesu T Pre-Service Music Sonata No. 6 in d minor I. Chorale ( Our Father, Who from Heaven Above, LSB 766) II. Andante sostenuto III. Allegro molto IV. Fuga V. Finale Felix Mendelssohn Hymn 671 Sing with All the Saints in Glory The congregation stands at the conclusion of the hymn introduction. Opening Versicles

2 Psalmody Psalm 34:1 10 antiphon by Ralph Vaughan Williams The antiphon is sung by the soloist and then is immediately repeated by the congregation. The soloist and congregation sing the verses responsively, repeating the antiphon when indicated. I will bless the LORD at all times;* his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD;* let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me,* and let us exalt his name to- gether! I sought the LORD, and he answered me* and delivered me from all my fears. Antiphon Those who look to him are radiant,* and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him* and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,* and de- livers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!* Blessèd is the man who takes ref- uge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,* for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger;* but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Glory be to the Father and to the Son* and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the be- ginning,* is now, and will be forever. Amen. Antiphon Sit Psalmody He, Watching over Israel He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps Shouldst thou walking in grief languish? He will quicken thee. Psalm 121:4, 138:7 First Reading Isaiah 25:6 9 P O Lord, have mercy on us. C Thanks be to God. Felix Mendelssohn Choral Response I Am the Resurrection I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth in Me, yet shall he live, though he were dead, and whosever liveth in Me, shall never die. John 11:25 26 Heinrich Schütz Second Reading John 10:11 16, P O Lord, have mercy on us. C Thanks be to God. Stand Office Hymn 679 Oh, How Blest Are They

3 Sit Cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106) Johann Sebastian Bach Sinfonia Chorus Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit. In ihm leben, weben und sind wir, solange er will. In ihm sterben wir zur rechten Zeit, wenn er will. Aria (Tenor) Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken, daß wir sterben müssen, auf daß wir klug werden. God s time is the very best time. In him we live and move and have our being. In him we die at the right time, when he wills. Acts 17:28 Oh Lord, teach us to remember that we must die, so that we become wise. Psalm 90:12 Aria (Bass) Bestelle dein Haus; denn du wirst sterben und nicht lebendig bleiben. Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not remain living. Isaiah 38:1 Chorus Es ist der alte Bund: Mensch, du mußt sterben! Soprano: Ja, komm, Herr Jesu, komm! It is the old covenant: Man, you must die! Ecclesiasticus 14:17 Yes, come, Lord Jesus, come! Revelation 22:20 Aria (Alto) In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist; du hast mich erlöset, Herr, du getreuer Gott. Arioso (Bass) and Chorale Bass: Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein. Chorale: Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin In Gottes Willen, Getrost ist mir mein Herz und Sinn, Sanft und stille. Wie Gott mir verheißen hat: Der Tod ist mein Schlaf geworden. Into your hands I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. Psalm 31:5 Today you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 In peace and joy I now depart Since God so wills it. Serene and confident are my heart and mind, [They are] soft and quiet. For God has promised me That death has become my slumber. Chorus Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit Sei dir, Gott Vater und Sohn bereit, Dem heilgen Geist mit Namen! Die göttlich Kraft Mach uns sieghaft Durch Jesum Christum. Amen. Glory, praise, honor and majesty Be given to You, God, Father and Son, And to the Holy Spirit by name! May God s power Make us victorious Through Jesus Christ. Amen. Sermon Canticle Magnificat My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is His Name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him throughout all generations, He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. He remembering His mercy hath holpen His servant Israel, as He promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Charles Stanford Stand

4 Kyrie (LSB 944) The choir sings verse 1; the congregation sings verses 2 and 3. Lord's Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Salutation Collects After each collect, the congregation sings: Benedicamus Benediction

5 Hymn 880 Now Rest beneath Night s Shadow Stanza 1 All Stanza 2 All Stanza 3 All, in harmony Stanza 4 Choir, setting by Heinrich Isaac Stanza 5 All Postlude Prelude and Fugue in C Major (BWV 545) Johann Sebastian Bach T Soli Deo Gloria T A freewill offering for the future work of the Schola Cantorum will be received at the door. You are invited to become a donor of the Seminary s music programs or Good Shepherd Institute. Checks should be made out to Concordia Theological Seminary and earmarked Schola Cantorum, Seminary Kantorei, Good Shepherd Institute, Good Shepherd Institute Endowment, or The Rev. Roger M. Goetz Kantor Chair Endowment. Gifts, which are tax deductible, may be mailed to: Concordia Theological Seminary Music Department 6600 N. Clinton St. Fort Wayne, IN Acknowledgements Psalm 34:1 10 Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1953 Oxford University Press All rights reserved. Used with permission. One License no. A Office of Vespers from Lutheran Service Book 2006 CPH. Used with permission. Service folder was prepared using Lutheran Service Builder. Participants Preacher The Reverend Jon D. Vieker Senior Assistant to the President The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Officiant The Reverend Professor Paul J. Grime Dean of the Chapel Organist Kantor Matthew A. Machemer Director Kantor Kevin J. Hildebrand Soloists Katie Schuermann, soprano Ashlee Bickley, alto Jonathan Busarow, tenor Daniel Eifert, bass Instrumentalists Violin and Viola Joeline Mayes Emily Thompson Jason Thompson Cello Heather Scott Bass Jess Gaze Recorders Christopher Armijo Jeffrey Collier

6 Seminary Schola Cantorum Soprano Emily Berning Maggie Casey Emily German Diane Lammert Olivia Oetting Anna Lisa Poganski Sara Pulse Ashlea Weston Alto Jamie Bartens Dcs. Carolyn Brinkley Brittni Brown Rebecca Cichocki Mary Durham Mary Magill Bethany Maronde Ruth Mussmann Andrea Schultz Valerie Smith Becca Souer Tenor Richard Bicknase Benjamin Cunningham Raymond Doubrava Joshua Dub Brendan Harris Gail Ludvigson Rev. Martin Moehring Neely Owen Rev. Ralph Schmidt Rev. Chad L. Smith Eric Souer Bass James Beltz Richard Brinkley Jonathan Casey Mark DeYoung Rev. James Fundum Mike Koeneman Timothy Magill Oscar Matter Roger Mullet Charles Nemec Ethan Stoppenhagen About Cantata 106 Oh Lord, teach us to remember that we must die, so that we become wise, is Luther s translation of Psalm 90:12, used by Johann Sebastian Bach in the compilation of texts for cantata 106. In this All Saints Tide, the Church commemorates the Lord s faithful departed, particularly those who have died in the past year since the last Good Shepherd Institute conference. Cantata 106 confesses rightly that we must die, yet for the Christian, this is a quiet confidence and confession of faith that death has become my slumber. The cantata displays a theological and musical maturity far beyond J. S. Bach s mere 22 years of age at the time of its composition in It lends itself to a Lutheran analysis of Law (the first half of the cantata) and Gospel (the second half). It is also musically unique in that it is scored for two violas da gamba (modern viola and cello substitute tonight), two recorders, and continuo (and no violins). Following a brief instrumental introduction, the first choir movement confess our mortality under God s Law. Some delightful text painting bring the words into better focus: at the text leben, weben, und sind wir (live, move and have our being), the notes flow animatedly and quickly. As the sopranos sing so lange er will, (as long as [God] wills), a long, steady pitch is sustained. And when the choir sings in ihm sterben (in Him we die), the music abruptly changes to striking diminished chords with chromatic harmonies. The tenor and bass solos continue the confession of mortality from Old Testament Scripture, followed by the choir text it is the old law: man, you must die. To under- score this old and unchanging truth, Bach even writes the music in the form of a fugue, an old musical style with rules that must be followed. But then the young composer Bach breaks the typical law of fugue writing and does two unique things. First, the strings play a portion of an old Lutheran chorale, Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt. This chorale did not even appear in the first German hymnal of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The following is a translation of its first stanza: I have left all that concerns me up to God Let him do whatever he wants with me. If I continue to live on here still longer, without striving against him. I will surrender myself to his will. Second, the soprano soloist sings over the choir a text from Revelation, Ja komm, Herr Jesu (Yes, come, Lord Jesus). This is a turning point in the cantata text, and is the prayer of every Christian who rightly confesses that death is his portion and resigns himself to God s will and looks for the coming of Christ. Then the Christian prays the same text that Jesus himself prayed at His own death, into your hands I commit my spirit. Following the alto solo on this text, the bass soloist returns with another of Christ s Seven Last Words, Today you will be with me in paradise. Bach often employs duets with a bass soloist singing the words of Christ. Here the trebles of the choir accompany Christ s words with Luther s hymn paraphrase of the Nunc Dimittis, Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin (In peace and joy I now depart). Text painting occurs again at the text sanft und stille (soft and quiet) and at Schlaf (sleep), when the choir simply rests on a long note for a while before moving on to the conclusion of the phrase. In contrast to its quiet beginning, the cantata concludes with a chorale, with the instruments echoing the first several phrases, then concluding with a fugue on the final phrase, durch Jesum Christum, Amen (through Jesus Christ, Amen). The final chorale (translation and tune) is stanza five of the hymn I Trust, O Lord, Your Holy Name (LSB 734).

7 Future Events November 5:00 p.m. Choral Evening Prayer Schola Cantorum of Our Savior Lutheran Church and School Grand Rapids, Michigan 5 November 7:30 p.m. Hymn Festival Seminary Kantorei 8 December 4:00 p.m. Advent Candlelight Choral Vespers *SATURDAY* The Choirs of Concordia Theological Seminary 13 January 4:00 p.m. Epiphany Evening Prayer Seminary Kantorei 16 January 5:00 p.m. Symposia Evening Prayer Seminary Schola Cantorum 17 January 4:00 p.m. Symposia Vespers & Organ Recital 17 February 4:00 p.m. Choral Vespers Seminary Schola Cantorum 20 March 11:00 a.m. Convocation Recital: Organ Music for Lent Faculty, Staff, and Students of CTSFW 28 April 4:00 p.m. Easter Evening Prayer Seminary Kantorei 17 May 3:00 p.m. Graduation Day Organ Recital Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, organist If you would like to be informed about the schedule of choral services and organ recitals in Kramer Chapel, please call or the Music Department ( , music@ctsfw.edu). 7