CROSSACCENT. Editorial Comment Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen. Lutherans and Monks Together Anthony Ruff

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1 VOL 25, NO 2 SUMMER 2017 CROSSACCENT is published three times per year by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Subscription is included with membership in ALCM. Libraries may subscribe at $60 per year by contacting the Business Office. Copyright 2017 Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. The views expressed on the pages of the journal are those of the authors and do not reflect official positions of the editorial board of the journal or of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. This periodical is indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, a product of the American Theological Library Association, 300 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60606, USA. atla@atla.com, ISSN Editor: Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen Music Editor: Lara West Book Editor: Paul Grime Copy Editor: Anne-Marie Bogdan Graphic Designer: Kathryn Hillert Brewer Editorial Office Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen, Editor 1127 Magazine Road Green Lane, PA crossaccent@alcm.org Editorial Board Kent Burreson Paul Friesen-Carper Joseph Herl Nancy Raabe Stephen Rosebrock Advertising Office Cheryl Dieter, Advertising Coordinator 810 Freeman St. Valparaiso, IN ads@alcm.org ALCM Business Office Cheryl Dieter, Business Manager Association of Lutheran Church Musicians 810 Freeman St. Valparaiso, IN office@alcm.org The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians is a service and professional organization that works to strengthen the practice of worship and church music of all North American Lutherans. Membership is open to any person or institution whose interests are in harmony with the Association s goals. Address all change of address, subscriptions, and business correspondence to the ALCM Business Office. CROSSACCENT JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LUTHERAN CHURCH MUSICIANS 2 PRELUDE Editorial Comment Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen 3 TAKENOTE Lutherans and Monks Together Anthony Ruff 7 Jesus 14 COUNTERPOINT Christ, der Herr Zebaoth: A Revisit to Ein feste Burg Michael Krentz How Does the Creature Say Praise? Appreciation for Lutheran Contributions to the People s Song in the Broader Christian Community C. Michael Hawn 22 CHORUS Re-Membering the Future Fred Niedner BOOKREVIEWS The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther s Wittenberg by Robin A. Leaver Paul Grime Worshiping with the Anaheim Vineyard: The Emergence of Contemporary Worship by Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier Clayton Faulkner Luther s Theology of Music: Spiritual Beauty and Pleasure by Miikka E. Antiilla Mark Bangert 31 SOUNDFEST New Music 44 POSTLUDE From the ALCM Executive Director Jim Rindelaub Cover art: Tower of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, photo by Michael Krentz. ALCM OFFICERS President: Julie Grindle President-Elect: Kevin Barger Secretary/Treasurer: Michael Krentz Directors at Large: Jeffrey Blersch, Omaldo Perez Region 1 (Northeast) President: Daniel Aune Region 2 (Southeast) President: Ryan Hostler Region 3 (Midwest) President: Linda Martin Region 4 (West) President: William Kuhn Summer 2017 CrossAccent 1

2 PRELUDE The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen Editor, CrossAccent As musicians in service to the gospel proclaimed in word and sacrament in worship, we set forth the power of God in song. Whether we are singing, directing, playing the pipe organ, or simply breathing deeply in moments of silence, our actions release the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we free an old hymn into a new time with a new perspective. Other times, new voices renew us by showing us our gifts from a different perspective. Again and again God s creating and redeeming word sings our souls into life and hope. In this issue s TakeNote, Anthony Ruff offers a reflection on the Lutheran Roman Catholic evening prayer service that was part of ALCM s biennial conference, RISE: Remember Well the Future, which took place July 10 13, 2017, in Minneapolis, MN. Ruff, a Roman Catholic, articulates a sense of unity and reconciliation as the songs simultaneously reached back into our shared history and dreamed forward into a new future. A glimpse of the reign of God breaks forth in song. Michael Krentz begins a new series revisiting familiar chorale texts, renewing translations and helping us look at cherished hymnody with a fresh perspective. He begins the series in this issue with a fresh look at the translation of A Mighty Fortress just in time for our celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Michael Hawn s address from the Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music at Concordia University Chicago in October 2016 extolls the gifts of Lutheran hymn writers to the ecumenical community. From his ecumenical perspective, we can see our own hymn writers gifts with new eyes. Within his list of Lutheran hymn writers who are being noticed in the ecumenical community is the invitation to rediscover the gifts of our own tradition. Finally, the Chorus section includes Fred Niedner s sermon from the ALCM conference closing worship. Imagining Jesus words to Lazarus as he was called out of the tomb as the first line of a song, Neidner reminds us again of the unloosing power of song in the midst of God s people. In the time-collapsing truth of the gospel, we remember well the future by our songs of lament, praise, and hope. In the next issue of CrossAccent, watch for the plenary addresses from the biennial conference and a continuation of Krentz s series examining beloved hymns. Even here, we look back and remember a powerful experience of a conference concluded and look forward to fresh perspectives. In all, God s transformative love will surprise, challenge, and delight us, God s beloved. Hymnal Abbreviations: ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship LSB: Lutheran Service Book CW: Christian Worship 2 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

3 TAKENOTE Lutherans and Monks Together by Anthony Ruff Editor s Note: This text first appeared on and is reprinted with permission of Pray Tell blog in Collegeville, MN. It is a reflection about the Wednesday evening worship at the recent ALCM biennial conference in Minneapolis, MN, on July 12, The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians wished to worship jointly with Catholics in 2017, the anniversary year of the Reformation. And so it came to be, during their convention in July in Minneapolis, that they made pilgrimage to Saint John s Abbey Wednesday for evening prayer with the monks and other guests. ALCM s time at Saint John s was to begin with an informal plenary in the abbey church with me and art historian Br. David Paul Lange, OSB. But alas, it seems that two buses lost their way or somehow got delayed. What to do while waiting 20 minutes? The Lutherans had a solution and they didn t need hymnals in hand for it: they sang hymns. When they struck up How Great Thou Art, I couldn t resist hopping on the organ bench and playing along from memory. The evening prayer service itself was to be ecumenical. But we planners were aware that the Lutherans were not coming to St. John s to experience typically Lutheran worship they already know that and it was perhaps more hospitable for St. John s to offer characteristically post-conciliar monastic worship with a Lutheran accent. The bulletin is available at lutherans-and-monks-together/. We allowed ourselves to begin the service with a bit of history from the sixteenth century, Summer 2017 CrossAccent 3

4 TAKENOTE SAINT JOHN S ABBEY, COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. while conscious that the service could not be entirely traditionalist and that it also needed to look forward at some point. As a prelude, a schola of monks sang the pre-reformation Latin chant office hymn Rerum, Deus, tenax vigor, set as it is in the Liber Hymnarius to the melody Veni, redemptor gentium during Advent. This chant hymn was selected because Luther employed it as the basis for his great hymn Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort ( Keep us steadfast, Lord, in your word ), which served as the opening hymn. Lutheran organist Wayne Wold did a masterful job leading the hymns, with me playing the service music meaning rapid jumping on and off the bench for both of us. As the strong, modal strains of Erhalt uns, Herr began to fill the church, and full-throated singing of Lutherans and Catholics filled the space Lord, keep us steadfast in your word tears welled up for me. I hadn t anticipated how emotionally moving this service would be. The first two office psalms were sung in the hallowed, medieval monastic style of a psalm tone with alternating choirs, but it was more practical to have alternation in this case between a small group of monks and the entire congregation. And the decision had been made that monks and guests would be seated mixed together in the nave of the church. (A decision never made without just a bit of grumbling in the cloister from one or the other monk about loss of our monastic identity and disruption of our daily rhythm. But it was the right decision, I and most monks are convinced.) The format of the psalmody was medieval, but the harmonies were decidedly modern as set by Fr. Jerome Coller, OSB, who did his doctorate in composition at Columbia University. Above is the accompaniment to the first two psalm tones. The third psalm was responsorial, allowing for leadership from a Lutheran schola of women and men to complement the schola of monks. I printed the Isele refrain in parts, knowing that this congregation would delight in that, while the schola sang Isele s verses in parts. As organist I anticipated with relish being able cut back the organ on the refrain at times, and even drop out entirely, as the congregation took over. It s not our typical monastic practice to sing the Magnificat as a metrical strophic hymn, but it s not unheard of either, and so we were ready for the hymn tune by the great seventeenth-century Lutheran composer Heinrich Schütz as found in ELW 573 ( My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord ). More part-singing by the congregation. I don t know how many Lutheran guests noticed, but some monk involved in the planning switched out the text of the final, doxological stanza as 4 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

5 TAKENOTE found in ELW so as to employ traditional Father, Son, Spirit language. (Was that a bit overly assertive of me?) Of the five stanzas of the Magnificat, men sang stanza 3 alone, women stanza 4. Such alternation is always striking, and I find it more effective to have men sing alone first so as to set up the contrast with the higher voices. I had a little pang of conscience that this meant the men sang Your arm is strong while the women sang You feed the hungry. Some might question the gender stereotyping. At first I said that the problematic association was worth it for the gain in musical effect. But upon reflection I realized that there is a better way to look at this issue. Spiritually, everybody sings every verse some with their voices, some in their hearts. We are members of one another in the body of Christ. Otherwise, monks singing antiphonal office psalmody for the last 1,250 years would have thought to themselves, This week I m praying the odd verses of the psalter since I m in the west choir; next week when the choirs rotate I ll be praying the even verses, which I m ignoring this week. Singing the Lord s Prayer was a bit of a challenge, because Catholics and Lutherans each have their melodic versions based on the old Latin chant very similar in general melodic shape, but just different enough to throw one off. Since the Lutherans are note readers, it was easy enough to use a contemporary version by Robert LeBlanc entirely unknown to them, but well known to monks who use this setting as a festive tone on solemnities. It worked. The monastic office does not end with a hymn. But both Lutherans and St. John s monks are big-time hymn singers and relish the historical, ecumenical hymn heritage that continues to grow, so we let ourselves conclude with a hymn on this occasion. Pastor Craig Mueller proposed O Praise the Gracious Power (Christpraise Ray by Thomas Troeger and Carol Doran; ELW 651). The hymn was perfect for this moment. Persistent truth that opens fisted minds inclusive love tide of grace. Your cross has made us one! More tears for me. At one point the plan had been for Abbot As the strong, modal strains began to fill the church, and full-throated singing of Lutherans and Catholics filled the space, tears welled up for me. I hadn t anticipated how emotionally moving this service would be. John Klassen, OSB, to preside, and he would invite a Lutheran pastor forward to join him in bestowing the final blessing. But that wasn t the right symbolic statement. So Pastor Kristine Carlson of Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis was invited to co-preside she in alb and stole, he in monastic habit. Pastor Carlson spoke of this opportunity as a high point in her Christian life. The texts for the introductory comments, litany, and blessing were taken from the volume From Conflict to Communion, produced jointly by the Lutheran World Federation and The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. And so we heard Pastor Carlson read: For over 50 years [of Lutheran Roman Catholic dialog] Lutherans and Catholics have been on a journey from conflict to communion. When Lutheran Christians remember the events that led to the particular formation of their churches, they do not wish to do so without their Catholic fellow Christians. In remembering with each other the beginning of the Reformation, they are taking their baptism seriously. 1 Co-planner Bob Farlee, longtime editor at Augsburg Fortress, read the litany. He said he was especially moved reading the last intercession of the litany, as was I: God our sustenance, bring us together at your eucharistic table, nurture within and among us a communion rooted in your love. Your mercy endures forever! 2 Summer 2017 CrossAccent 5

6 TAKENOTE Spiritually, everybody sings every verse some with their voices, some in their hearts. We are members of one another in the body of Christ. After the service, the ALCM convention schedule called for a brief dialogue between Catholic priest and theologian J. Michael Joncas and liturgical leader Pastor Susan Briehl. I will note two striking things from the wide-ranging, interesting, collegial conversation. First, Briehl expressed her anguish and disappointment that the Roman communion abandoned Englishlanguage worship texts shared in common with other traditions and went its own way with its 2011 Roman missal. (Let s all pray that the pope s commission to review the whole translation issue bears fruit!) Second, as Pastor Briehl was expressing her admiration and gratitude for the ministry of Pope Francis I believe this was in relation to his encyclical Laudato Si it did not go unnoticed that she referred to our pope, with just enough understated emphasis on the possessive pronoun to highlight the ecclesiological bit of dynamite she was dropping. A far cry from the whore of Babylon, Abbot John commented. Indeed. Soli Deo gloria! In omnibus glorficetur Deus! Ut unum sint! Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John s Abbey and professor in the master s degree in liturgical music degree program at St. John s University. He is founder of the National Catholic Youth Choir summer camp program. I N S P I R AT I O N Riedel enhances the worship experience by inspiring the dynamic expression of speech and sound. By blending art, science and skill, we help enrich the fullness, presence and clarity of speech and music, as well as silence unwanted noise. Notes 1. From Conflict to Communion, Lutheran Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017: Report of the Lutheran Roman Catholic Commission on Unity (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2013), paragraph Robert Farlee, ed., Reformation 500 Sourcebook: Anniversary Resources for Congregations (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2016), 61. The text is by the Liturgical Task Force of the Lutheran Roman Catholic Commission on Unity. SCOTT R. RIEDEL & ASSOCIATES, LTD. 819 NORTH CASS STREET MILWAUKEE, WI consult@riedelassociates.com hear the difference. Acoustical Design & Testing Organ Consultation & Inspection Organ Maintenance & Tuning Sound & Video System Design, Evaluation & Training 6 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

7 COUNTERPOINT Jesus Christ, der Herr Zebaoth A Revisit to Ein feste Burg by Michael Krentz MICHAEL KRENTZ Paul Westermeyer writes: [ A Mighty Fortress ] may have been written about, sung, and translated as much or more than any other hymn in the church s history. 1 It can be sung in some 200 languages, with close to 100 translations into English. 2 We know something about its early history, although its exact origins are unknown. And much has been written about its reception and how it has been understood and used through the ages. 3 Why then should we revisit Luther s hymn in 2017? Growing up in the 1960s, I remember that Ein feste Burg/ A Mighty Fortress was deeply Summer 2017 CrossAccent 7

8 COUNTERPOINT connected to the yearly celebration of Reformation Day in our Lutheran congregation. I remember it as one of the ways we defined ourselves as not Catholic : we Lutherans sang A Mighty Fortress, those Catholics did not. It was a sort of battle hymn for us, against evil, sin, and darkness. These might be ill-remembered thoughts from 50+ years ago. Nevertheless, it is true that Luther s great hymn has been used as a battle song. It was reportedly sung by the Swedish army, led by Gustavus Adolphus, as they went into battle at Lützen against the Catholic army in In the 1890s the opening line was inscribed around the top of the tower at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, where Luther and Melancthon are buried; the top of the tower was built to resemble a Prussian army helmet. During the First World War, Martin Luther was made a German hero, and his hymn became a rallying cry for the German nation. 5 A simple internet search reveals many pages where A Mighty Fortress is called the battle hymn of the Reformation. So, a revisit of this hymn is certainly in order. Did Luther intend a hymn calling us to battle? How should we understand this hymn today, and in what spirit should we sing it? To answer these questions, a look at Luther s German text is critical. I The title for Ein feste Burg in the 1533 hymn book Geistliche Lieder aufs neue gebessert zu Wittenberg, printed by Joseph Klug, reads Der xlvi. Psalm / Deus noster refugium et virtus / etc. Martinus Luther ( The 46th Psalm / God is our refuge and strength / etc. Martin Luther. ) 6 The hymn is based on Psalm 46, although it is not a paraphrase of the psalm in the manner of the poets writing French psalm paraphrases in Strasbourg and Geneva. Rather, it is a commentary on the psalm from a professor of the Hebrew Scriptures but with a Christological focus. Luther s well-known opening lines are taken directly from Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 7 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, Ein gute Wehr und Waffen; Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, Die uns jetzt hat betroffen. 8 A strong fortress is our God, a good defense and weapon; he helps free us out of all the distress that now has afflicted us. These lines serve as a topical sentence for the entire hymn; that is, they summarize what Luther (and the psalmist) say about who God is and what God does. Luther goes on to state the presenting problem, or the cause of our distress (and it is indeed high praise of the old, evil enemy ): Der alt böse Feind, Mit Ernst ers jetzt meint, Groß Macht und viel List Sein grausam Rüstung ist, Auf Erd ist nicht seinsgleichen. The old evil enemy now plots with severity against us, great power and much trickery are his fearsome weapons, on earth there is not his equal. II At the beginning of stanza 2 Luther recapitulates the problem he presented at the end of stanza 1, and then turns to the solution, making a strong Christological creedal statement in the process. Mit unser Macht ist nichts getan, Wir sind gar bald verloren. By our own power nothing is accomplished, we are very soon absolutely lost. Es streit für uns der rechte Mann, Den Gott hat selbst erkoren. There fights for us the right[-hand] Man, whom God-self has elected. Singers here might recall the Exodus story, when the people of Israel questioned Moses as they saw the army of Pharaoh approaching. Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still (Exodus 14:13a, 14). This same idea appears in Psalm 46:10a: Be still, and know that I am God! Luther expands the scriptural references 8 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

9 COUNTERPOINT LUTHER HOUSE MUSEUM, WITTENBERG/MICHAEL KRENTZ Martin Luther, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott in Klugsches Gesangbuch, Wittenberg,1533 The earliest printing of Luther s hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, written in autumn 1527, was included in the first edition of Joseph Klug s hymnbook from No copy of this edition is known to exist. In 1932 the Luther house acquired the only-known copy of the second edition from by introducing an image from medieval chivalry. God has selected the right-hand Man as our champion, our knight in shining armor, who will fight on our behalf. But even more stands behind this language. Jesus says, in Mark 14:62, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. This language of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God is found in many other places, in Acts and the Epistles. In Romans 8:34 Paul writes, Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Luther takes the one who is seated at God s right hand in order to pray for us and names him as an active person the champion in our lives. The Christ does not just sit far removed from us, praying to be sure. Our champion is a very present help in trouble, close at hand, in all our struggles of life. Then, to drive home the point about the identity of our champion, Luther writes this tour de force, the central lines of A Mighty Fortress : Fragst du, wer der ist? Er heißt Jesus Christ, Do you ask who it is? He is named Jesus Christ, Der Herr Zebaoth, the Lord of Sabaoth [hosts], Sabaoth comes from Hebrew and means hosts [of heaven]. 9 The immediate reference is to Psalm 46:7, The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Luther uses Der Herr Zebaoth for The Lord of hosts in his translation of the Old Testament. With these three words, he brings us also into the world of Isaiah 6, where the prophet has a vision of God seated in heaven, surrounded by a host of seraphim, who cover their faces and their feet in the presence of God and who sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts/heilig, Heilig, Heilig ist der Herr Zebaoth. This also brings us into the world of the eucharist, where in the Sanctus we sing Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might. Luther also used this Hebrew/Latin word in his German hymn on the Sanctus, Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah, which has the seraphim singing Heilig ist Gott, der Herre Zebaoth three times. When I was growing up, our English version of the Sanctus still included the word Sabaoth. So in Ein feste Burg Luther would have us understand that our champion, who fights for us, is the God of Psalm 46 and Isaiah 6 and is Summer 2017 CrossAccent 9

10 COUNTERPOINT the same God who comes to us in the eucharist. To drive the point home, Luther writes: Und ist kein andrer Gott, Das Feld muß er behalten. and there is no other god, He must hold the field [of battle]. A more colloquial translation would read: and there is no how, no way, don t even think about it, any other God. Thus in stanza 2 of this hymn, in six short lines, Luther puts a strong claim about the divinity of Christ into our mouths. We sing these words to each other as a sort of creed. Here we must criticize some English translations of Luther s hymn. In the English version that first appeared in Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW), and then in Lutheran Worship (LW), Christian Worship (CW), Lutheran Service Book (LSB), and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), the lines Er heißt Jesus Christ, Der Herr Zebaoth, Und ist kein andrer Gott, are translated The Lord of hosts is he! Christ Jesus, mighty Lord, God s only Son, adored. The link to Isaiah 6 is there, but I (and many others, I think) experience God s only Son as a distinct demotion from and there s no how, no way, don t even think about it, any other God. Further, the link to the eucharist is lost, because our current translations of the Sanctus refer to the God of power and might, not the God of Sabaoth or its English translation, hosts. To their credit, LW, CW, LSB, and ELW all have an additional translation. The first three use the translation from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941), which is very good at these central lines but suffers from archaisms and heavily gendered language (LW 297; CW 200, 201; LSB 656). (To its credit, the CW translation is updated quite wonderfully). ELW uses the translation of Frederick H. Hedge, a translation with wide provenance in many other books. It too is better at the end of the second stanza, with this translation: You ask who this may be: Christ Jesus, it is he, the Lord of hosts by name. No other God we claim! (ELW 505) The appearance of No other God is good, but it seems conditional on us making a claim. If we do not claim Jesus as no other God, then what? Luther is clear: there is no other God than Jesus Christ, whether we claim it or not. It does not depend on us. The editors of ELW have also given this translation second-class status, by printing it without musical notes, which lessens its potential to actually be used by congregations. This is unfortunate. III At the beginning of stanza 3, Luther returns to Der alt böse Feind, moving from a singular evil foe to a whole world filled with devils. Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär Und wollt uns gar verschlingen, So fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr, Es soll uns doch gelingen. And if the world were full of devils and they wanted to devour us, then we would not be so very afraid, we would still be successful. Luther s we would not be so very afraid is wonderfully honest! We surely would be afraid, because we are human. He does not claim that we could stand totally unafraid. Luther follows this with a put down of the power of the Prince of this world: Der Fürst dieser Welt, Wie saur er sich stellt, Tut er uns doch nicht. The Prince of this world, however grimly he presents himself, can do nothing against us. Here I picture some of the gargoyles and demons found on medieval cathedrals, with their distorted, scowling, angry faces. This is the worst the Prince of this world can do to us? Screw up his face, and look at us with an angry, ugly demeanor? IV Then, at the end of stanza 3 and the beginning of stanza 4, Luther uses stunning language to bring in one more aspect of Jesus Christ, our champion. 10 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

11 COUNTERPOINT WIKIPEDIA COMMONS/TIM GREEN Das macht, er ist gericht, Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen. it is done, he is [already] judged, a little word can fell him. [Stanza 4] Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn Und kein Dank dazu haben. The Word they shall allow to remain And have no thanks for it [that is, they have no choice]. Luther s Ein Wörtlein Das Wort is an example of anadiplosis, the poetic device of using a word or phrase at the end of a stanza to begin the next stanza, in order to make a special point or to give emphasis. Luther hardly makes use of poetic devices in his hymns. So when one appears, we should definitely pay attention! It is not just any old little word/wörtlein that can do away with the Prince of this world. No, it is The Word/ Das Wort that can do it the word that they will have to let stand, having no choice in the matter. But what is Das Wort? That becomes clear in the next lines: Er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan Mit seinem Geist und Gaben. He is indeed with us on the plain [the field of battle] With his Spirit and gifts. Here Luther makes what looks like a grammatical error. Wort, in German, is a neuter noun, hence Das Wort. But the pronoun Luther uses to refer back to it is not es, but er not it, but he. This is the worst the Prince of this world can do to us? Screw up his face, and look at us with an angry, ugly demeanor? What s going on? Luther s grammar makes it clear that Das Wort is not a what, but a who. He brings the beautiful opening of the Gospel of John into view: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1:1, 14b). The translation in LBW misses this entirely. It reads God s Word forever shall abide, no thanks to foes, who fear it; for God himself fights by our side with weapons of the Spirit. There are multiple issues with this translation. First, God s Word sounds like a reference to the Bible, more than a reference to Jesus. Jesus is not God s Word, Jesus is The Word. Then, presumably in fear of using a male pronoun in the third line, a second opportunity to make it clear that Luther is here referring to Jesus Christ the Word as John 1 tells it is lost. Next, the use of fights by our side needlessly Gargoyle at St. Mary, Castlegate, York, UK Summer 2017 CrossAccent 11

12 COUNTERPOINT Jesus is not God s Word, Jesus is The Word. heightens the battle language. Much better if the translation read The Word forever shall abide, no thanks to foes, who fear it; for he himself is by our side with his good gifts and Spirit. Which brings us to LBW s with weapons of the Spirit. Gifts have become weapons. The use of weapons is simply not there in Luther! Gaben/gifts, in Luther, are not weapons but the loving self-giving of God to us humans. Luther expresses this thought in the explanation to the third article of the Creed: the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel [that is, the word and sacraments], and enlightened me with his gifts. 10 In speaking of the role of the Spirit in this giving, Luther wrote in Confession Concerning Christ s Supper (1528): The Holy Spirit comes and gives himself [sic] completely to us as well. He teaches us how to recognize such a wonderful blessing of Christ, which is shown to us, helps us to receive it and to hold onto it, shows how to use it profitably and how to give it to others, to multiply it and to advance it. He does this for us both inwardly and outwardly: inwardly through faith and other spiritual gifts, but outwardly through the gospel, through baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar, by means of which he comes to us as if through three means or manners, and works the suffering of Christ in us and lets it serve to give everlasting bliss. 11 So the Word, that was in the beginning with God, is with us, with his Spirit and gifts, gifts both inward (faith and other spiritual gifts) and outward (word and sacraments). What we have in Ein feste Burg, then, is a rich and complex statement of belief in Jesus Christ, both who he is and what he does. By referring to Isaiah 6, John 1, and the eucharist (in addition to Psalm 46, with which he began), Luther makes clear this truth: no matter If they take our house, goods, fame, child, or spouse, This page from the 1545 Spangenberg book shows Ein feste Burg following the epistle reading for Lent 1. wrench our life away, they cannot win the day. (LBW 228, st. 4) With our own power we can do nothing. Rather, Jesus Christ, our champion, protects and defends us. This he does through the Spirit, through preaching of the gospel and the celebration of baptism and the eucharist in the church. This is indeed a hymn of comfort, a hymn that can sustain us when we face illness, suffering, or death itself. With the psalmist we can sing: Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Psalm 46:2 3) How then shall we sing A Mighty Fortress, a great hymn of comfort in time of all that the world, and sin, and the devil can throw at us? We should continue to sing it as the Hymn of the Day for the First Sunday in Lent, when the appointed gospel reading is the BAYERISCHE STAATSBIBLIOTEK DIGITAL LIBRARY 12 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

13 COUNTERPOINT temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. (This tradition dates back to 1545, when Johann Spangenberg published his Cantiones ecclesiasticae latinae / Kirchengesenge Deudtsch [Latin Songs of the Church / German Church Songs.] In this book with Latin and German propers and hymns for various Sundays and festival days, Spangenberg gives Ein feste Burg as the gradual hymn, the hymn to be sung between the epistle and gospel readings, on the First Sunday in Lent.) 12 Perhaps we should sing it when a diagnosis of terminal illness is given, or at the bed of a person in hospice care. Perhaps it should be one of our principal funeral hymns, with its strong claim of Jesus victory over death. 13 Perhaps we should forego the trumpets, loud organ, and descanting choir. Perhaps we should sing the rhythmic version of the tune, and take it in a way that makes it a lilt. Perhaps we should sing it as a communion distribution hymn, restoring the eucharistic relationship, as we eat and drink Jesus Christ, der Herr Zebaoth Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts the one who comes to us in the eucharist. There is no other God. Soli Deo Gloria! Michael Krentz is a member of the faculty at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and is a deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He serves the seminary as lecturer, chaplain, and director of music ministries/seminary cantor. Michael is also the director of music and organist at Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown, PA. Notes 1. Paul Westermeyer, Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2010), Raymond F. Glover, ed., The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (New York: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), A good summary is found in an article by Susan Palo Cherwien, Trutzlied [song of defiance] or Trostlied [song of comfort]? A Hymnist Looks at Martin Luther s Ein feste Burg, Word and World vol. 34, no. 4 (Fall 2014): Ernest Edwin Ryden, Story of Our Hymns: A Hymn Made Famous on a Battle Field, The battle was a Protestant victory, although King Gustavus Adolphus lost his life in the fighting. 5. Cherwien, 389ff. 6. The single surviving copy of this book is in the Luther House museum in Wittenberg. The hymn is thought to have been in the 1529 edition of the same book, but no copies of that edition survive. Joseph Herl reports (in an dated 07/18/2017) that the hymn appears in a 1529 book compiled by Jacob Dachser, Form und Ordnung Gaystlicher Gesang und Psalmen (Augsburg, 1529), a copy of which is in the Russian State Library. There is a facsimile of the hymn in Johannes Kulp, Luthers Leben im Spiegel seiner Lieder (Leipzig, 1935), 46. The heading reads Der. 46. Ein trost Psalm. / In seiner aygnen weyß ( The 46th. A consolation psalm. In its own manner. ) 7. All scriptural quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version. 8. The chorale is given with spellings as in Martin Luther, Geistliche Lieder (Munich: Raiser, 1950), A synonym for hosts would be armies. So when a multitude of the heavenly host shows up in Luke 2, it is not a group of choir singers but an army. But that would be the subject of another article. 10. Martin Luther, Small Catechism, ELW, Confession Concerning Christ s Supper (1528), in LW 37:366; WA 26:505, , I thank Joseph Herl for pointing this out. The complete book may be viewed in digital format online; the page showing Ein feste Burg between the epistle and gospel for Lent 1 is here: digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/gotopage/ bsb html?pageno= See Luther s great Easter hymn, Christ Jesus Lay in Death s Strong Bands, for a similarly vivid description of the battle between life and death, and the victory won. Summer 2017 CrossAccent 13

14 COUNTERPOINT How Does the Creature Say PRAISE? Appreciation for Lutheran Contributions to the People s Song in the Broader Christian Community by C. Michael Hawn Editor s note: This keynote address was given on October 24, 2016, at the Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music at Concordia University Chicago. The 2016 lecture series was the second year of a three-year cycle leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. The final lectures of this three-year cycle will be October 22 24, Sola Gratia, Sola Fides, Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria The people s song is in the DNA of the Christian church. Even during those times when congregational singing did not take place in liturgy e.g., the church in the Middle Ages there was a robust tradition of singing in the community, i.e., the carol tradition in its many forms. You can rarely stop the people from singing. Zwingli tried, but his brand of spoken worship did not ultimately carry the day among the various reformers. Whether Anabaptist martyr hymns, Lutheran chorales, Genevan psalter, the Wesleys in open fields, African American secret services in secluded places, Baptist revivals in open tents, the repressed Russian Orthodox Church under Communism, or current-day Syrian church under the threat of extinction, you simply cannot suppress the urge of the people to sing. Luther knew this both theologically and instinctively. You simply cannot suppress the urge of the people to sing. Each congregational song (text and music) begins as someone s witness to their faith at some time, some place, and some cultural context on the earth. Even if a paraphrase of Scripture, a creed, or confessional statement is the source of the song, the passage spoke to someone in some way. A person s culture, social location, ecclesial tradition, and personal circumstances affect this witness. The church universal and the church as represented in a specific faith tradition then must decide through some process formal or informal which of these many individual sung witnesses is appropriate for the body of Christ, the gathered church in a particular tradition. Not all individual witnesses, regardless of the authenticity and spiritual insight of the source, are appropriate for the gathered church in worship. For example, Isaac Watts did not feel that all psalms were appropriate for Christian worship, and much of the psalter that he chose he very carefully Christianized. What we have then in a given hymnal is according to the historical, liturgical, cultural, 14 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

15 COUNTERPOINT and confessional nature of a tradition the result of a sifting process by some appointed body that says in putting a collection together: this is where we have come from, this is who we are, and this is who we want to become. The relative weight of each of these depends on the particular faith tradition. Those collections that only address who we are at the present moment are usually what we call trade books, designed for the most part by publishers to get the current music to the people quickly and, I think it is fair to say, to make some money. In the United States, such trade books had a life in the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century gospel song collections published inexpensively and ephemerally, so that new editions came out almost annually. While these may have their place, I am more interested in how a particular faith tradition transmits its identity, heritage, and hopes in a particular collection. I am also interested in how the identity, heritage, and hopes of a particular tradition Each generation needs to add its stanza to the great hymn of the church. relate to the church universal. Are there points of shared Christian witness? Are there points of shared Christian identity? Are there points of shared Christian hope? United Methodist bishop Joél Martínez introduced the United Methodist Spanishlanguage hymnal, Mil voces para celebrar (Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 1996), about 20 years ago at a conference. He noted in a sermon something like this: Each generation needs to add its stanza to the great hymn of the church. I love this metaphor. If we look at the heritage of congregational song throughout Judeo-Christian history, then each generation adds another stanza to the great hymn that will continue to eternity. Perhaps this is our challenge today: maybe there are some congregations who want to start on the last couple of stanzas and ignore the earlier ones; or maybe some congregations may want to stop on stanza 3 of a 6-stanza hymn. In the first case, this is tantamount to saying that the Holy Spirit just arrived. In the latter case, one is saying that the work of the Holy Spirit stopped some time ago and isn t doing much today. I imagine that there are those in your congregations that revered The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) or Service Book and Hymnal (1958). ISTOCK/HIGHWAYSTARZ PHOTOGRAPHY Summer 2017 CrossAccent 15

16 COUNTERPOINT You may know some folks who had difficulty letting them go and adding the new stanzas found in Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW; 1978) or Lutheran Worship (LW; 1982). Just as some are embracing the new stanzas of LBW and LW, then comes even newer stanzas of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) and Lutheran Service Book (2006). I certainly don t need to tell this group that semper reformanda is integral to our work as those who lead the people s song in worship. The assignment that was given to me for this keynote was to address the ecumenical impact of Lutheran hymnody and hymnists. I realized that the scope of this assignment was very large. One could spend the entire session on Luther, Gerhardt, and other major historical figures, since their influence in the ecumenical community is broad and in some cases deep. Therefore, I will focus on our most recent stanzas of the last 30 to 40 years. What follows is an outline of late twentieth/twenty-first century LCMS and ELCA hymn writers who have made an impact ecumenically to one degree or another according to hymnary. org. I also note a few Lutherans who had an impact who were not in LSB. The faith heritage we share with these witnesses as contained in a hymnal remains alive as we give hymns breath and sound in our voices. They become present NOW not just in our memories but also in our current struggles and hopes. Past, Present, and Future When we speak of the sacraments, the terms anamnesis and prolepsis are often used to describe the mystery of the eucharist. In anamnesis we do not just remember but relive the witnesses that have gone before. In prolepsis we are reminded that we are stewards of the people s song but for a brief time. There are those visionary poets who help us imagine what we might become and live into that future hope today. Assuming that we have some idea of where we have been anamnesis reliving the past in the present, I will focus on hymns that tell us a bit about where we are and perhaps even where we should be going the latter being prolepsis, living the future hope now. Let me expand briefly on the witnesses from the past and their role in our sung faith today. The faith heritage we share with these witnesses as contained in a hymnal remains alive as we give hymns breath and sound in our voices. They become present NOW not just in our memories but also in our current struggles and hopes. Perhaps the best example of this is the canticle of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. Here is the preparation for this song from the previous chapter (vv ): The Lord said to Moses, Soon you will lie down with your ancestors. Then this people will begin to prostitute themselves to the foreign gods in their midst, the gods of the land into which they are going; they will forsake me, breaking my covenant that I have made with them. My anger will be kindled against them in that day. I will forsake them and hide my face from them; I will forsake them and hide my face from them; they will become easy prey, and many terrible troubles will come upon them. In that day they will say, Have not these troubles come upon us because our God is not in our midst? On that day I will surely hide my face on account of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods. Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the Israelites; put it in their mouths, in order that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I promised on oath to their ancestors, and they have eaten their fill and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, despising me and breaking my covenant. And when many terrible troubles come upon them, this song will confront them as a witness, because it will not be lost from the mouths of their descendants. For I know what they are inclined to do even now, before I have brought them into the land that I promised them on oath. That very day Moses wrote this song and taught it to the Israelites (NRSV; emphasis added). Yes, those songs from earlier generations must be kept alive as they provide a witness of our 16 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

17 past that we forget at our own peril. The Lutheran tradition does this very well that is, if we will not forget it. Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt, Johann Franck, Johann Walter, Philipp Nicolai, Georg Neumark, Erdmann Neumeister, Martin Rinckart, and many others keep whispering in our ears they keep confronting us as witnesses of faith. Indeed, we relive their witness anamnesis if we are willing, every time we sing them. But as valid as their witness is, we live in different times. We need more poets who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, continue to speak to us out of our reality. Given the growth of the church worldwide and the delivery systems available to us through modern technology, the stanza of our generation is considerably more diverse. Never before have church musicians and congregations had so many witnesses at our fingertips so many voices vying for our attention. These voices do not just speak to us from our current age but ask us to consider what we might become. When I serve on a hymnal committee or am asked to be a consultant for a project, I am interested in two questions: anamnesis: what witnesses remind us where we have been and keep us true to our faith? prolepsis: where should our faith tradition be going in the next 20 or 25 years, and what visionary witnesses should we be listening to that will help us sing ourselves toward this future hope? What I often find, however, is a preoccupation for what is relevant now. Indeed, some hymnal committees consist of wonderful people who each see themselves as representatives of a constituency that wants their current favorites in the book. This is not wrong, but I think that such a book is DOA (dead on arrival). The longerlived and harder questions are, where have we been? and where are we going? The present hits will take care of themselves when we relive the past witnesses and look for the visionaries to guide us to a faithful and fulfilling future as the gathered body of Christ. Another way to understand a given tradition is to place it alongside the witness of the church universal. If none or few of the congregational COUNTERPOINT songs are being sung in the broader church, then a tradition runs the risk of being a sect. For example, many years ago in graduate school I did research on the Kentucky Shaker tradition. The songs of this peculiar utopian group certainly helped to establish its identity, but they were not transferable to any other group thus they were a sect. Of course, each tradition has its favorite writers whose hymns are sung primarily perhaps even exclusively in a particular tradition, but the varying degrees to which we share our sung faith signifies the vitality of a given tradition. And one more issue: regardless of the quality of the compilation you have, those who chose the people s song for a specific congregation are part of the editorial process. You can either limit or expand your congregation s sung faith. You can sing only with the past saints or only with the current voices. A good editor is going to cultivate a sung faith rooted in the witnesses of the saints and reaching for the visionary voices of our day. So, let s look at the current Lutheran stanza and how it is influencing the church universal. In the list of hymn writers and hymns that follows, several observations emerge as commonalities for Lutheran hymn writers who proclaim anamnesis and prolepsis for the sake of the church universal. strong biblical influence (sola scriptura): music as proclamation of the word; heritage of catechesis through song; lectionary-based hymnody; sacramental emphasis; christological focus; Regardless of the quality of the compilation you have, those who chose the people s song for a specific congregation are part of the editorial process. You can either limit or expand your congregation s sung faith. appreciation for the heritage (especially in the number of translations of historical texts by recent writers); Summer 2017 CrossAccent 17

18 e COUNTERPOINT incipient interest in the global church, especially where Lutherans have mission efforts, seen primarily in selected translations; and good examples of musical innovation within the tradition. In any congregational song compilation, one can discern the identity and mission of a given faith tradition. Within the body of hymn writers who compose from inside that tradition, there are those who compose well within the historical principles of that group (e.g., Stephen Starke) and those who challenge the existing metaphors (e.g., Herbert Brokering and Susan Palo Cherwien); those who capture and reinforce the ethnic origins of a tradition (e.g., F. Samuel Janzow) and those who take the tradition beyond its ethnic origins to broader cultural contexts (e.g., Gerhard M. Cartford and Howard S. Olson); and those who paraphrase Scripture in sung forms (e.g., Gracia Grindal) and those who base their hymns firmly in biblical tradition while offering! " #! $ % & ' ( ) ( * +,, -. / * 0 1, * * / : 8 0. / 7 + / 4, - 0. ; < = > A B D? D E C F G H I J K L M N O P Q : R +., S : 4 7 < = T U > < = V < W X < = V < W X < = T U > < W T X > Y Z [ \ \ ] ^ _ ` < = T > > a 2 + b 4 *, c d : / 6 +., e f g h f i e h j e k g l f e k g l f m n o p q r s t u v w x y v x z { } x ~ } } ƒ ƒ w } y e k g f f e f g l f m o r s h t g u f m p o r s t u ˆ Š Œ Ž Š Š Š Ž Š š Ž Š œ Š ž Œ Ÿ Š Hymns not only provide theological commentary but they are also art. a strong hermeneutical interpretation for our day (e.g., Herman G. Stuempfle and Jaroslav J. Vajda). Even within a given faith tradition, one size does not fit all; broad variety exists. Hymns not only provide theological commentary but they are also art. The role of the church musician and pastor is to participate in the theological and artful creation of authentic worship. It is my hope that a careful study of the hymnwriters that follow will not only add a more nuanced understanding of recent voices in the Lutheran tradition but also clarify the contributions of the Lutheran tradition to the broader church. The vitality of the Lutheran witness is thus indicated in the vibrancy of newer writers within the Lutheran context and their cross-pollination to the ecumenical community. The following list includes hymn writers, their denominational affiliation, vocation, and the hymns and songs that exhibit the characteristics of anamnesis and prolepsis for the sake of the church universal. The first number after the hymn title is the number of times that this hymn appears in recent hymnals according to hymnary.org. Numbers in parentheses are the page in LSB, followed by ELW and CW numbers, where applicable. An asterisk (*) indicates that this hymn was sung at this conference. Herbert Brokering ( ); ELCA Luther Seminary: Christian education Earth and All Stars 27 (LSB 817, ELW 731, CW 247) Alleluia, Jesus Is Risen 10 (LSB 474, ELW 377) Stay with Us, Till Night Has Come 6 (LSB 879) Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise 4 (LSB 680, ELW 826) 18 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

19 Gerhard M. Cartford ( ); ELCA Texas Lutheran, Luther Northwestern; general editor, Libro de Liturgia y Cántico (1998) Cantad al Señor/O Sing to the Lord 17 (LSB 808, ELW 822) (trans. from Brazilian trad.) *Enviado soy de Dios/The Lord Now Sends Us Forth 4 (ELW 538) Hamba nathi mkululu wethu/come, Walk with Us 2 (trans. from South African trad.) Susan Palo Cherwein (b. 1953); ELCA poet O Blessed Spring, Where Word and Sign 10 (LSB 595, ELW 447) Day of Arising 5 (ELW 374) In Deepest Night 4 (ELW 699) Rusty Edwards (b. 1955); ELCA pastor Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness 14 (LSB 849, ELW 843, CW 353) *We All Are One in Mission 13 (ELW 576, CW 566) *By Grace We Have Been Saved through Faith 4 Martin Franzmann ( ); Wisconsin Synod/LCMS Concordia (St. Louis) Thy Strong Word Did Cleave the Darkness 16 (LSB 578, ELW 511, CW 280) *Weary of All Trumpeting 11 In Adam We Have All Been One 10 (LSB 569, CW 396) With High Delight Let Us Unite 8 (LSB 483, ELW 368, CW 168) (trans. of text by G. Vetter) O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth 7 (LSB 834, CW 400) Preach You the Word 4 (LSB 586, CW 544) Our Paschal Lamb, That Sets Us Free 3 (LSB 473) Gracia Grindal (b.1943); ELCA Luther College/Luther Seminary; Scandinavian tradition *To a Maid Engaged to Joseph 11 Fling Wide the Door, Unbar the Gate 5 (ELW 259) (trans.) Lo, How a Rose Is Growing 4 (trans.) Out of the Depths I Cry to You; O Lord, Now Hear Me Calling 4 (trans.) O Blessed Light, O Trinity 2 (LSB 890) (trans. sts. 2 3; attr. Ambrose of Milan) The role of the church musician and pastor is to participate in the theological and artful creation of authentic worship. COUNTERPOINT Per Harling (b. 1948); Church of Sweden (Lutheran) pastor, songwriter *You Are Holy, You Are Whole 5 (ELW 525) Robin Mann (b. 1949); Lutheran Church of Australia composer, church musician Feed Us Now, Bread of Life 3 Little Children, Come to Me 3 Father Welcomes 1 (LSB 605) Howard S. Olson ( ); ELCA missionary to Tanzania; N.T. scholar Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia 12 (LSB 466, ELW 364) (trans. Bernard Kyamanywa) *Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading 7 (ELW 401) (trans. Wilson Niwagila) Jesus Gave His Mandate 7 (trans. from Tanzanian trad.) Listen, God Is Calling 2 (LSB 833, ELW 513) (trans. from Kenyan trad.) Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. ( ); ELCA professor, dean, president, Lutheran Theological Seminary *Jesus, Tempted in the Desert 9 For All the Faithful Women 6 (LSB 855, ELW 419) Prepare a Room for Me 6 Earth, Earth, Awake! Your Praises Sing 5 Deliver Us, O Lord of Truth 4 O Christ, Who Called the Twelve 4 (LSB 856) Voices Raised to You We Offer 4 (LSB 795, ELW 845) Where Armies Scourge the Countryside/Bring Peace to Earth Again 4 (ELW 700) Would I Have Answered When You Called 4 How Wide the Love of Christ 3 (LSB 535) Summer 2017 CrossAccent 19

20 COUNTERPOINT I Lie, O Lord, within Your Care 3 (LSB 885) (trans. J. Klepper) O Christ, Who Shared Our Mortal Life 3 (LSB 552) The Night Will Soon Be Ending 3 (LSB 337) Who Are You Who Walk in Sorrow 3 (LSB 476) Away from Us! the Demon Cried 2 (LSB 541) Be Still, My Soul, Before the Lord 2 (LSB 771) Come, Join in Cana s Feast 2 (LSB 408) Lord, Help Us Walk Your Servant Way 2 (LSB 857) O Christ, You Walked the Road 2 (LSB 424) The Temple Rang with Golden Coins 2 (LSB 787) Wide Open Stand the Gates (LSB 639) (trans. J. K. Loehe) Jaroslav J. Vajda ( ); LCMS pastor, Concordia Publishing House, Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, hymns from Slovakia Now the Silence, Now the Peace 22 (LSB 910, ELW 460) *God of the Sparrow 14 (ELW 740) Go, My Children, with My Blessing 14 (LSB 922, ELW 543, CW 332) Now Greet the Swiftly Changing Year 14 (LSB 896) (trans. Cithara Sanctorum) Peace Came to Earth at Last that Chosen Night 7 (ELW 285) Up through Endless Ranks of Angels 7 (LSB 491, CW 172) See This Wonder in the Making 5 (LSB 593, CW 300) Where Shepherds Lately Knelt 5 (LSB 369, CW 54) Let Our Gladness Banish Sadness 4 (LSB 371) (trans. J. Tranovský) Make Songs of Joy 4 (LSB 484) (trans. J. Tranovský) Your Heart, O God, Is Grieved (O God, Father in Heaven) 4 (LSB 945, ELW 602) (trans. J. Tranovský) When You Woke that Thursday Morning 3 (LSB 445) John Ylvisaker ( ); ELCA songwriter, recording artist, performer I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry 12 (ELW 732) Alabaré 6 (799) (trans. José Pagán) (LSB 799, 800) We Were Baptized in Christ Jesus 6 The True Light that Enlightens Man 4 LCMS hymn writers who deserve more ecumenical use: F. Samuel Janzow ( ); LCMS Concordia University Chicago Let All Together Praise Our God 7 (LSB 389) (trans. N. Herman) Entrust Your Days and Burdens 3 (LSB 754) (trans. P. Gerhardt) In Peace and Joy I Now Depart 3 (LSB 938) (trans. M. Luther) Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior 3 (LSB 627) (trans. J. Hus/M. Luther) Lord, When You Came as Welcome Guest 3 (LSB 859) (author) Our Father, Who from Heaven Above 2 (LSB 766) (trans. M. Luther) The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us 2 (LSB 514, CW 10) (trans. J. Walter) Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide 1 (LSB 585) (trans. P. Melanchthon) Savior of the Nations, Come 1 (LSB 332) (trans. Ambrose/M. Luther) These Are the Holy Ten Commandments 1 (LSB 581) (trans. M. Luther) We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth 1 (LSB 382) (trans. M. Luther/G. J. Wismar) 20 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

21 Stephen Starke (b. 1955); LCMS pastor, hymns on the Christian year All You Works of God, Bless the Lord 5 (LSB 930) Christ Sits at God s Right Hand 4 (LSB 564) Jesus Sat with His Disciples 4 (LSB 932) Scatter the Darkness, Break the Gloom 4 (LSB 481) The Tree of Life with Ev ry Good 4 (LSB 561) Consider How the Birds Above 3 (LSB 736) Holy Spirit, the Dove Sent from Heaven 3 (LSB 502) (trans. Philip Blycker) Jesus, Greatest at the Table 3 (LSB 446) Jesus, Once with Sinners Numbered 3 (LSB 404) Lord, Support Us All Day Long 3 (LSB 884) My Soul Rejoices, My Spirit Voices 3 (LSB 933) O Gracious Lord, I Firmly Am Believing 3 (LSB 635) (trans. from Spanish) O Gracious Lord, with Love Draw Near 3 (LSB 599) Sing Praise to the God of Israel 3 (LSB 936) There Is a Time for Everything 3 (LSB 762) All for Christ I Have Forsaken 2 (LSB 753) (trans. Calvin Chao) All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding 2 (LSB 462) Gracious Savior, Grant Your Blessing 2 (LSB 860) Greet the Rising Sun 2 (LSB 871) (trans. Zhao Zichen) Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying 2 (LSB 827) (alter. Daniel March, sts. 2 4) Lift Up Your Heads, You Everlasting Doors 2 (LSB 339) Light of Light, O Sole-Begotten 2 (LSB 914) O Sing of Christ 2 (LSB 362) Saints, See the Cloud of Witnesses 2 (LSB 667) Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying 2 (LSB 597) We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God 2 (LSB 941) (versified Te Deum) What Hope! An Eden Prophesied 2 (LSB 341) As Rebels, Lord, Who Foolishly Have Wandered 1 (LSB 612) In the Shattered Bliss of Eden 1 (LSB 572) Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior, Thee 1 (LSB 640) (trans. T. Aquinas, sts. 2a, 3) Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me? 1 (LSB 756) (trans. P. Gerhardt, sts. 1 3) COUNTERPOINT Michael Hawn is university distinguished professor emeritus of church music and director of the doctor of pastoral music program at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX. He joined the faculty in 1992 after teaching for 15 years in two Southern Baptist seminaries and serving as minister of music in Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. His publications include over 400 articles and books. In 2006, Hawn was the music director for the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Church Year in Limericks Christopher M. Brunelle This book is the result of the author s desire to start choir rehearsals in a new way; to find something that would engage the choir s attention and provide a comment on the day s music or the week s activities $15.00 Vox Humana Essays about the World of the Pipe Organ and Those Who Play It Haig Mardirosian An essential read for those searching for perspective or new ideas, as well as those looking for understanding, nostalgia, or a bit of humor $17.00 Living Voice of the Gospel The Hymns of Martin Luther Michael Burkhardt Settings and improvisations on hymns associated with Martin Luther. Written, edited, and compiled in honor of the 500th celebration of the Reformation $35.00 NEW FROM Summer 2017 CrossAccent 21

22 CHORUS Re-Membering the Future by Fred Niedner Editor s note: This sermon was preached during the ALCM conference closing eucharist, July 13, 2017, at Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN. Texts: Ezekiel 37:1 14, Life to dry bones Psalm 30, You restored me to health Romans 8:6 11, The Spirit is life and peace John 11:1 45, The raising of Lazarus Mary and Martha were much aggrieved that Jesus had stuck with his leisurely travel itinerary and even prolonged it some despite their urgent call, which left Lazarus lying in a tomb for four days by the time Jesus arrived in Bethany. For more than 40 years, we three-year-lectionary devotees have behaved even more questionably, perhaps, calling Lazarus forth from his tomb only once every third year, on the 5th Sunday in Lent, then quickly forgetting about him. So, we thought we d see what would happen if we let him out and unloosed his grave-clothes in the summertime, part-way through Pentecost, and then watched as a risen-from-the-dead guy roamed among us even as Jesus preaches in the pages of Matthew about a generation that will neither dance nor mourn and about seeds, weeds, and buried treasure. [See the Year A Sunday lectionary texts of July 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2017 Ed.] If what transpired in Bethany happened today, Lazarus would surely make the rounds of the morning TV shows, and everyone would ask him if he felt a flood of peacefulness and saw the white light. Some might ask, Did you see God? What is God like? Back in the 1960s, seminarians loved to tell an old joke about the startled onlookers in Bethany pestering Lazarus with just those questions, until Lazarus reluctantly answers, Well, if you must know, for one thing, she s black. But this isn t that kind of story. It s not about what it s like to leave one s body to go on a tour of the underworld, or the outer world, and then return to dazzle friends and family with the ultimate travel narrative. We already know far too well what it s like to be dead and bound up in grave-clothes. We have so much practice. We work so hard at not dying that we end up scared to death, paralyzed and numbed in our addictions, entombed in selfish, stubborn aimlessness, and far too smart to risk our lives or hearts by believing in anything or anyone. More often than we let ourselves admit, whole communities of us lie about like the bleached bones in Ezekiel s vision, the skeletons of people who could not give up the vision of who they thought they were, in the life they thought they deserved and by all rights should have been living. So we lie here in the valley, with no breath even to sing, no good to anyone, waiting for an imagined future that will never come. Oddly enough or as our tribe says, paradoxically if that s where you find yourself, you re in the best possible place. Whether our tombs are self-imposed locked rooms where, despite the stunning news we ve heard, disciples like us hide for fear of the Jews and everyone We work so hard at not dying that we end up scared to death, paralyzed and numbed in our addictions, entombed in selfish, stubborn aimlessness, and far too smart to risk our lives or hearts by believing in anything or anyone. 22 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

23 The Holy Breath sings, blows through all manner of tubes and pipes and sets all the air to vibrating with song, music, life. ISTOCK/ALEX POTEMKIN else, or the kind of grave we share with Lazarus, felled too young by illness, the only way out is to be really, truly dead. For only then, from inside our tombs, can we hear the voice of the one who calls, Lazarus, Susan, Robert, Cheryl, come forth! We hear that voice. We know that voice. Not only because that one knows our names. We know that voice because it s the voice of the one on his way to Jerusalem to lay down his life for the sheep. All of them. And he pauses here, to gather us, and take us along. Never mind that we re dead. That does not stop him. Come with me, he says. We re on our way to Jerusalem, where we ll give away our lives. No one can take them from us, but we give them, lay them down. Which is John s way and ours of seeing what likely became of Lazarus after that astonishing day in Bethany. John tells us a bit later that the enemies of Jesus vowed to kill Lazarus, too. It was one thing to have a once-blind beggar walking about with new eyes that could see right into you. But a dead guy come back to walk among us? That mocks everything we believe and know. He must die. And he will, Jesus knows, but he ll give his life, not have it stolen. Which means he must first be rid of that grave-cloth wrapped tightly around him. Unbind him, let him go, Jesus bids those with him. Only then can he walk the walk of those no longer afraid of dying. And here s another place where we find ourselves in this story. We keep trading places somehow. One day we re the dead guy, the next we re the unbinders and loosers, the people who do the work of forgiving, freeing, and letting go of all that keeps us from walking, living, truly living, giving our lives away for love. Every baptized person s vocation is somehow or another the work of unbinding and loosing, Summer 2017 CrossAccent 23

24 CHORUS but here s how we do it, how you do it. Risen daily with the Christ into whom you are baptized, your breath becomes the very breath of the Holy Breath, the Holy Ruach, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost and Holy Gust the one that breathed over the formless void before there was ever such a thing as things, or even time. In every generation, that one breathes over the valley of dry, bleached, dispirited bones. And we know, of course, that the Holy Breath, the Holy Gust, doesn t just whooooosh. No, the Holy Breath sings, blows through all manner of tubes and pipes and sets all the air to vibrating with song, music, life. Awake, O sleeper, rise from death, and Rise, shine, you people! sings the Spirit. And sure enough, the grave-clothes fall away. The valley begins to hum, and then it sings, Us bones, us bones, us dry bones, we hear the song of the Lord. As long as we have Lazarus running around loose this morning in the lectionary year of Matthew s gospel, I ll remind you that in Matthew, it s precisely when Jesus sings that song of lament, the one we call Psalm 22 (no, he did not recite only the first line, but sang the whole thing), and then he sent out his spirit, says Matthew, then the Mount of Olives shook, the graves opened, and the saints came marching in to the holy city. Songs have unbinding and loosing power, even when they re sighing songs, too deep for words, power that comes straight from the heart of God. Which makes me wonder if maybe, just maybe, Lazarus, come forth, isn t in truth the first line of a song. We could stretch that line into an aria, right? But after hearing Mel Bringle s comments yesterday about certain kinds of music we have mostly shied away from, it occurred to me this might have been history s first rap song. Come out, Lazarus / there s lots to do. / When my hour comes / I m gonna need you! But it got lost somehow, which is why we have to keep writing and composing new ones Songs have unbinding and loosing power, even when they re sighing songs, too deep for words, power that comes straight from the heart of God. We can t see the future. We only stumble or dance into it blindfolded, our eyes mercifully covered by God s own hand as we hide in the cleft, the riven side of The Rock, here in wilderness. for this raising and unbinding work with which we re entrusted. John s gospel doesn t say exactly what became of Lazarus, which means, I think, he walks among us still, no longer dressed in graveclothes, but in your clothes. Together, we walk into the future of our lives, of the church, of the world and all the living and dying that awaits us. We can t see the future. We only stumble or dance into it blindfolded, our eyes mercifully covered by God s own hand as we hide in the cleft, the riven side of The Rock, here in wilderness. But we remember it, as yesterday s and today s mercies pull us forward in hope, and as the Spirit re-members us (with a hyphen), one limb at a time, so that we embody the future now, sharing the peace of the Lord, and gathering for this foretaste of a remembered, future feast, all for the sake of this broken world that God so loves. Fred Niedner is senior research professor in theology at Valparaiso University (IN). He regularly leads workshops at Valparaiso s Institute of Liturgical Studies, serves in the preaching rotation of the Chapel of the Resurrection, and writes a fortnightly column on contemporary religious and cultural issues in the Chicago Tribune s northwest Indiana edition, the Post-Tribune. 24 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

25 BOOKREVIEW Robin A. Leaver. The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther s Wittenberg. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, xiv, 206 pp. ISBN-13: $22.00, paperback. Robin Leaver has done it again. In this 500th year of the Reformation, Leaver marshals his considerable research talents to shed new light on the development of congregational song in the earliest years of the Lutheran Reformation. The result is unquestionably the most comprehensive study to date in English regarding the origins of Lutheran hymnody, a topic that readers of this journal certainly hold dear. Leaver s thesis, very simply, is that vernacular congregational song in Wittenberg was an active concern from 1523 onward (162). To some degree he takes issue with recent scholarship that has suggested otherwise scholarship Leaver himself adhered to in the past that was based mainly on the assumption that an actual congregational hymnal was not printed in Wittenberg until In support of his thesis, Leaver goes to great lengths to demonstrate that a hymnal for the laity may have already been printed in Wittenberg in 1524, with slightly expanded versions appearing in 1525 and Carefully comparing the additions in each succeeding publication, Leaver draws insightful conclusions concerning the goals of Luther and others chiefly Johann Walter to put the word of God into song in order to further the Reformation teaching. While Leaver works methodically in support of his thesis, his study does far more than focus on the publication of hymnals. Chapter 2, for example, covers the topic of pre-reformation vernacular song. While most of us probably have a general sense of how this genre influenced Luther and the early hymn writers, Leaver s fresh look at the sources will open our eyes to the rich tradition that stands behind the burgeoning hymn tradition. Included here is a helpful description of the poetic form of the Meistersingers known as the bar form (15 18, 79 80). Leaver s examples further our understanding of how this emerging form influenced early Reformation hymnody. Leaver provides a similar deepening of understanding in regard to the reform of worship that took place in Wittenberg in those fateful years following the Diet of Worms in This includes a fresh look at the impetuous reform efforts of Luther s colleague, Andreas Karlstadt, as well as the resistance that Luther faced from the teaching. Allerheiligenstift, the consortium of clergy and musicians who were responsible for the more than 1,000 masses that were annually conducted in the Wittenberg churches prior to Luther s reforming efforts. Finally, what would a study of early Lutheran hymnody be without an examination of the types of hymns that developed in those early years? In addition to pre-reformation folk hymnody, for example, Luther drew upon other Leaver draws insightful conclusions concerning the goals of Luther and others to put the word of God into song in order to further the Reformation Summer 2017 CrossAccent 25

26 BOOKREVIEW sources and models, including translations of Latin hymns, psalm paraphrases, and liturgical hymns, and he also wrote original hymns that were not dependent on any one model. After reviewing these sources, one might conclude that the enduring legacy of Lutheran hymnody was due in part to the reformers utilization of so many sources, giving the tradition a breadth that could inspire unparalleled development in succeeding generations. A word of caution to those who enjoy reading footnotes. The level of detail that Leaver provides may leave your head spinning. That, of course, is not a criticism, nor is it simply an acknowledgment that the author has done his homework. What Leaver has provided, in essence, are the bread crumbs that future researchers will find invaluable as they pursue any number of related topics. That will be the true legacy of Leaver s impeccable research, as we continue to deepen our knowledge of this vast treasure that has been bequeathed to us, all for the sake of continuing to sing a new song to the Lord. Paul Grime Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, IN Andy Park, Lester Ruth, and Cindy Rethmeier. Worshiping with the Anaheim Vineyard: The Emergence of Contemporary Worship. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, xiii, 148 pp. ISBN-13: $25.00, paperback. Perhaps your view is that the emergence of contemporary worship is not a good thing or is even a very depraved thing. You might also believe that the less Lutheran worship has to do with contemporary worship the better. But I would be remiss if I didn t remind you about #801 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship ( Change My Heart, O God, with text and music by Eddie Espinosa, musician at the Anaheim Vineyard). That simple song of praise originated from the church that is the subject of this book. The Anaheim Vineyard, and contemporary worship, has already influenced Lutheran worship and will continue to do so. Perhaps Lutheran worship has something to gain from their origin story. This congregation was influential in developing the way worship is approached in a vast number of churches in the United States today. We will have to accept the fact that the use of the descriptor contemporary in categorizing worship is not helpful. The authors, in using this terminology, have propagated a mindset that at the very least lacks clarity. Other authors have attempted to bring more definition and nuance to the varieties of music created by the church in the last century. C. Michael Hawn has articulated seven distinct streams of congregational song, 1 of which the Anaheim Vineyard s music would fall into the sixth stream, called Pentecostal song (tracing its roots all the way back to the Azusa Street Revival of 1906). Worshiping with the Anaheim Vineyard chronicles the Anaheim Vineyard church as it swelled in growth through the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the components that are considered today to be the backbone of contemporary worship were synthesized at this church, such as a continuous set of songs that would become equated with the worship portion of a gathering; intimate, God-directed language; openness to God through music, etc. Interestingly, many of the founding members of the Anaheim Vineyard, including pastor John Wimber, were previously involved in the Quaker church. The Quakers dependence on the leadership of the Holy Spirit was an influential idea in the Vineyard s theology of worship; they valued the Holy Spirit being active and present. The desired outcome of the Holy Spirit s leadership in worship was intimate communion with God but not in a sacramental sense. Music had replaced the eucharist as a sacramental vessel, more inwardly experienced through singing rather than tangibly experienced 26 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

27 in bread, wine, and water. As I read the book, the one thing I was struck by was what many Lutheran churches have left by the wayside in their adoption of contemporary worship practices: the work of the Holy Spirit. The Anaheim Vineyard was a Pentecostal church with the gifts of the Holy Spirit on display in their worship. Speaking in tongues, prophetic words, healings, and other charismatic signs were regular parts of their worship. Participants would show up to church an hour before the service in expectation for God to move. I m left wondering if we are missing something. My impression is that, for the most part, Lutheran churches that employ contemporary worship practices have taken the meat and spit out the bone of the Anaheim Vineyard expression of worship (or maybe we just kept the bone). We have hijacked the parts of their worship that we think will attract people and cause them to encounter God. Then we tossed out the questionable parts that don t jive with our theology or that make us squirm. It reminded me of 2 Timothy 3:5, They will keep up the outward appearance of religion but will have rejected the inner power of it (NJB). (Forgive me for pulling a sentence out of context.) What is the inner power of contemporary worship? What is the inner power of any worship? If the church is not filled with the breath of God s Spirit as it worships, regardless of the style, there can be no inner power. This volume is the fifth in the series titled The Church at Worship: Case Studies from Christian History, edited by Lester Ruth, Carrie Steenwyk, and John D. Witvliet. Lester Ruth, as co-author of three of the five in the series, is earning his recognition as one of the foremost worship historians of our time. His contributions in the area of contemporary worship s historical development are of particular interest. He also has another recent publication, with Lim Swee Hong, Lovin on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2017). The contemporary worship movement is over 50 years old and due for research in legitimate academic endeavors. This book is organized well and contains interesting details about the earliest years in the Vineyard worship movement. Details of the BOOKREVIEW The desired outcome of the Holy Spirit s leadership in worship was intimate communion with God but not in a sacramental sense. Music had replaced the eucharist as a sacramental vessel, more inwardly experienced through singing rather than tangibly experienced in bread, wine, and water. liturgical landscape, geographical landscape, discussion questions for small group study, suggestions for why different disciplines might study this subject, and a glossary are all welcome inclusions in this volume. Scattered throughout the volume are source elements, including photographs, interviews from participants, and original documents from the church. I was left wanting more of these artifacts, especially considering that the historical time of the subject of this volume is right around the advent of home video recording technology. So much of the experience of contemporary worship doesn t translate into words on a page. Attempting to replicate any assembly at worship is not easily done. What you hear, see, and feel is just as paramount as what is verbalized. My desire would be for a book such as this to be accompanied by a website or another medium that includes many of the audio and visual resources that exist from this church s history. Anyone who designs services that employ contemporary worship music should consider adding this book to their library. It is helpful to consider the originating circumstances of one of the churches that became an important source of this genre of church music. Clayton Faulkner Faith Lutheran Church Bellaire, TX Note 1. Greg Scheer, Shout to the Lord: Praise & Worship from Jesus People to Gen X, in New Songs of Celebration Render: Congregational Song in the Twenty-First Century, comp. and ed. C. Michael Hawn (Chicago: GIA, 2013), 178. Summer 2017 CrossAccent 27

28 BOOKREVIEW Anttila shows how joy and pleasure are related in Luther and how the two are what make music the gift that it is. Miikka E. Anttila. Luther s Theology of Music: Spiritual Beauty and Pleasure. Berlin: de Gruyter, vii, 227 pgs. ISBN e-isbn $140.00, hardback. Initiate a web search for Miikka Anttila and you will be introduced to a popular Finnish rally driver who has won races all over the globe. Buried among these references is also a concise notice identifying the author of this book a Finnish theologian and pastor, it reveals, but not much more. It is safe to assume, I think, that this volume is a dissertation written in English for a Finnish theological faculty, even though the author demonstrates more than amateur familiarity with music and with the history of music theory. Its posted price has undoubtedly kept it out of mainstream conversations on church music and Luther studies. His project, author Anttila advances, is meant to explain Luther s position on the theological significance of music, using pleasure as the key to achieving his aspiration. As with so many other concepts in the book, pleasure turns out under Anttila s guidance to be a factor richly laced with linguistic insight and theological depth. Anttila is, after all, a systematic theologian who describes his method as systematic analysis of the sources, in this case a few extant longer statements on music penned by Luther together with a number of shorter comments and references scattered here and there in a variety of the reformer s writings. Rather than viewing all the sources as a bundle of maxims to be mined for support of vested interests, Anttila weights the material by giving primary place to Luther s Preface (also referred to as Encomion musices) for Georg Rhau s 1538 Symphoniae iucundae (a collection of 52 motets), while minimizing those spicy but possibly untrustworthy comments gathered by disciples of the reformer in Table Talk. In several instances Anttila distinguishes between Luther s early opinions and those coming from the more mature theologian. With that he openly aligns himself with the current Finnish school of Luther interpretation, a project that privileges stages in Luther s development. Clearly, this is a serious and thorough theological study; one would look in vain for new evidence regarding sixteenth-century musical practice, though the book does help one comprehend the driving forces behind the seismic musical developments of the time. An introduction reveals the author s ample grasp of the multilanguage literature circling his project, these opening pages thus well serving any beginning study of theology and music. There follows a chapter on the pleasures of music as understood and explained by authors from antiquity and the Middle Ages. Behind his choice to lay this material out in some detail Anttila recognizes how such worthies as Boethius 28 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

29 and Aquinas lived on in textbooks from which Luther and his cohorts learned to value music. Then, taking his cue from Luther s favorite way to comprehend music (donum Dei, gift of God ), the author examines that phrase in depth by referencing Luther s use of those words in other contexts, thereby taking the reader to vistas that offer fresh, sometimes unsettling perspectives on music (e.g., the sacramental nature of music). Next, Anttila addresses Luther s convictions about the power of music, lifting this feature above its treatment by other authors. Then on to the theme of his study, as Anttila shows how joy and pleasure are related in Luther and how the two are what make music the gift that it is. The study concludes by considering Luther as a theologian of beauty, with the suggestion that Luther has an aesthetic bent in him that offers us the possibility of positing certain qualities in music that make it beautiful. At the end of the book one can find a list of abbreviations, a list of sources (Luther references by date, ancient and medieval authors), an extensive bibliography of modern sources, a subject index, and an index of names. While book catalogers assign this volume multiple headings in the fields of theology, music, and aesthetics, its significance for church musicians lies in its theological depth, prompting fresh self-awareness in the trenches. Permit an example of how that might work. Music as donum Dei is not new with Luther. But his handling of the concept, according to Anttila, created a grid of intersecting theological insights that offer fresh perspectives to church musicians. To begin with, it is the nature of God, Luther Gifts need receivers and, by receiving what God gives, humans become participants in the giving, making us one with the Giver. Music, as such a gift, offers us union with God. contends, to give. By definition, God is the Great Giver. But gifts need receivers and, by receiving what God gives, humans become participants in the giving, making us one with the Giver. Music, as such a gift, offers us union with God, a manner of being, not altogether incidentally, that Finnish Luther interpreters claim central to Luther s theology. Now, Luther not only calls music donum Dei, but he also calls it optimum Dei donum (the best gift of God ). Like the best gift ever? Only if you are looking for maxims. No, Anttila reads Luther more profoundly than that and perceives in the phrase this paradigm: music exemplifies how God does God s gifting and thereby schools humans in embracing the word of God. It s the best gift because it illuminates the word of God. Music and word of God, Anttila claims of Luther, share qualities: both are outward, physical phenomena; both are aural and auditory; both move human emotions; and both create joy and cheerfulness the best tools against sadness. Joy and cheer are inevitable results of the gospel and of music both; hence, proclamation and communal song are marks of the church, as Luther himself wrote in On the Councils (1539). Throughout this discussion Anttila reminds us that we hear Luther s excitement about word as an excitement centered in voiced word, im Schwang that is, in motion, existential, subject to the moment. It is that auditory liveliness that permeates Luther s understanding and experience of music as well. His most excited comments (if we are to trust the secondhand recorder-editors) came away from the dinner table around which he and others made after-meal music. Apparently in that music making he discovered God s giving presence, meaning in a broader sense that the significance of music for him did not reside outside of the event but in the musical act itself. When one realizes in such thinking the consistencies with his sacramental views (bread and wine are Christ s presence), then church musicians stand to be invigorated by the far-reaching implications of donum Dei. Anttila s concentrated, systematic conceptual inquiries, supported by generous and informative notes and translated quotes, get to BOOKREVIEW Summer 2017 CrossAccent 29

30 BOOKREVIEW In that music making he discovered God s giving presence, meaning in a broader sense that the significance of music for him did not reside outside of the event but in the musical act itself. the heart of Luther s theology of music. Conceptual inquiries by the author, however, are also for him stepping stones that lead to the garden of holy pleasure, as conceived by Luther. To encounter God is to experience pleasure, according to Luther, and since music results in God-given joy, human encounter with God in music provides holy pleasure. Unfortunately, not all music serves such a noble purpose, a factor acknowledged by Luther and one probably in need of more thorough analysis. But Anttila sets himself toward another goal: to name those qualities in music that produce holy joy and pleasure. In so doing he is not hesitant to venture into the thicket where such investigations lead, perhaps because Luther himself momentarily moved by motets of Fevin and Josquin risked aesthetic thistles by commenting on the particular skills of the two composers. Prompted by Luther, Anttila comes up with four qualities that can be desired in music: simplicitas ( communicativeness ), libertas ( freedom ), suavitas ( pleasantness ), and exultatio ( creative joy ). It must be said that the reader is not left to figure out how these qualities get translated into style and all the other factors that constitute musical event. This is an impressive book. Dissertations, or dissertation-like books, tend to be more tightly wound than volumes under less constraint and therefore reflect compromises and purposeful inclusion or elimination of material deemed worthy or not by a variety of people. For instance, since the field of aesthetics originated as a philosophical subcategory in the latter part of the eighteenth century, it seems incongruous to consider Luther as an aesthetic thinker. Anttila acknowledges as much but goes for it anyhow, likely because it served his purposes well. Nevertheless, Luther may have been better and more consistently served in this book simply as a theologian, for whom also beauty was something to be pondered theologically. Further, while introducing the range of literature similar to his project, the author notes and quickly dismisses the peculiar German habit of fussing over the relationship between word and music in worship what about music without text? The topic and attending issues yet beg for address; they are not solely Germanic. In North America, denominational and ethnic groups deal, consciously or subconsciously, with residual prohibitions against instrumental music. Christoph Krummacher (Musik als praxis pietatis [Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1994]), whom Anttila quotes favorably, has noted that champions of Luther repeatedly assume that his theology of music is really about texted church music, and that the opposite is in fact the case: the gift is music, period. One wishes that Anttila would have given more space to clarifying that, even naming the discomfort such a view might cause for any believer who takes it seriously. No matter your level of interest, you will come away the richer for reading this book. But that may be difficult since the apparently meager print run has created a scarcity of availability. Of the 121 higher education I-Share libraries in Illinois, for instance, only seven libraries hold the title and all seven are e-books. But persistence is worth it, and it will be rewarded. Mark Bangert Chicago, IL 30 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

31 SOUNDFEST INSTRUMENTAL ORGAN Michael Burkhardt. Living Voice of the Gospel: The Hymns of Martin Luther for Organ. MorningStar (MSM ), $35. This book contains settings of seven of Martin Luther s chorales. There are four settings included for each hymn tune, with the fourth one being an original setting by Burkhardt. Other composers found in this collection include J.S. Bach, Johann Heinrich Buttstedt, Johann Ludwig Krebs, Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Pachelbel, Samuel Scheidt, and Matthias Weckmann. The tunes in this collection are Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland; Vom Himmel hoch; Erhalt uns, Herr; Christ lag in Todesbanden; Komm, Heiliger Geist; Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott; and Vater unser im Himmelreich. The previously composed works are playable by the average performer. Burkhardt s original compositions are of a variety of difficulties. His Fantasia on Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott is the most challenging, including rhythmic chord clusters and an arpeggiated accompaniment in the left hand. Usable in worship or in concerts, this volume would be a good addition to your music collection for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. MS Michael D. Costello. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: Partita on Ein feste Burg. Concordia ( ), $10. This is the first in the Reformation Partitas series being published by Concordia in observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Costello makes use of both the rhythmic and isorhythmic versions of Ein feste Burg in the six movements of this partita. The opening movement, which would serve well as a decorated accompaniment to the rhythmic version of the chorale, contains numerous meter changes but is very playable. The second movement, based on the isorhythmic version of the chorale, is also useful as an alternate accompaniment. This setting includes the melody in the tenor line with easily played accompaniment in the right hand. The third movement, Tricinium, is based on the isorhythmic version of the chorale. It would serve well as an organ stanza during the singing of the hymn. The fourth movement is a meditative and playable Ayre, composed in 12/8 meter. The isorhythmic setting of the chorale tune in this meter makes use of some duple rhythm against the 12/8. The fifth movement is a short 34-measure manualiter Interlude in triple meter, with a suggested registration of an 8' flute. This leads into the final movement, a Fughetta. The opening of this fugue is based on the rhythmic version of the chorale, while the melody enters in the pedal at measure 8 in the isorhythmic form. This partita is quite well composed and carefully makes use of both settings of the chorale. The compositional style will be appealing to the listeners, whether they be a worshipping congregation or an audience at a performance. MS Summer 2017 CrossAccent 31

32 SOUNDFEST Benjamin M. Culli. Thy Strong Word: Partita on Ebenezer. Concordia ( ), $10. This work, the fifth of Concordia s Reformation Partitas series, includes five contrasting movements. The first movement, Tune, also could be used as a hymn accompaniment or introduction. Meditation sets a reflective mood with string stops, melodic variation, key changes, and more frequent use of major chords. The brief Alla marcia, a trumpet solo with bold chordal accompaniment, uses ideas from the melody rather than quoting the complete tune. Scherzo has a lively 7/8 meter, played on a 4' flute without pedal. The concluding Toccata is the highlight of the suite, with lively interludes leading into the statement of the tune in the pedal. Accidentals, four-against-three rhythms, and one page of double-pedal playing will require concentrated practice, but it will be quite effective as a postlude or recital piece when played well. LW Kevin Hildebrand. Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice: Partita on Nun freut euch. Concordia ( ), $10. The third in Concordia s Reformation Partitas series, Hildebrand s piece starts with a simple harmonization of the hymn followed by an Intrada, a nice improvisatory fanfare utilizing the opening motif of the hymn. The Chorale and a perky Bicinium follow. The Allegro is of particular interest, with some interesting, bright figuration in the right hand against chordal material alternating with the cantus firmus in the left hand. The set concludes with a gentle Meditation and festive Gigue. Nun freut euch does not have as many settings available as some of the chorales, so this set is a welcome addition to the sacred repertoire. KO Ottorino Respighi. Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 1. Transcribed and ed. for organ by Kevin Uppercue. E. C. Schirmer (No. 8431), $20. Respighi reimagined this group of dances for lute by Simone Molinaro (1599) for large, modern orchestra in Uppercue has transcribed Respighi s transcription, making these charming pieces playable on the organ. Respighi was quite free in his orchestration. Uppercue is not. Virtually every pitch is faithfully included in the organ score except where figuration issues make passages unplayable. The result is quite appealing and fun. The four movements are Balletto detto Il Conte Orlando, Gagliarda, Villanella, and Passo Mezzo e Mascherada. Since these are secular pieces, dances no less, should they be played in church? Perhaps the answer is, Why not? They would present a nice break from more serious sacred repertoire. There is a long and honorable tradition of playing transcriptions at weddings, and these pieces would make a nice, fresh addition. KO David Sims. Joining in Glad Adoration. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $22. This useful volume contains 25 tunes, most of them wellknown. For each tune, Sims provides an introduction and one to three alternate accompaniments. When an introduction or harmonization is associated with a specific phrase or stanza of the text, Sims includes that information to aid the player in interpretation. He also includes registration suggestions as well as some dynamic and articulation markings. Several introductions creatively make use of metric variation, such as a few measures of 7/8 meter in the introduction 32 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

33 to Azmon. Among others, this volume includes settings of Cwm Rhondda; Foundation; Give Me Jesus; Holy Manna; Slane; Sonne der Gerechtigkeit; The Ash Grove; and Wie schön leuchtet. Ellacombe and Walton are each given in two keys. Appropriately described as Easy/Medium, these settings will add interest, meaning, and variety to hymn playing without requiring a great deal of practice. LW Jacob B. Weber. Reformation Mosaics. Concordia ( ), $22. As the Lutheran church celebrates the 500th anniversary of the first Reformation, this collection of arrangements of German chorales may be a practical addition to a Lutheran organist s repertoire. Weber includes such standard chorales as Ein feste Burg; Es ist das Heil; Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet; Herzlich lieb; Kirken den er et gammelt hus; and Nun freut euch. The title Reformation Mosaics aptly describes this collection that makes use of a variety of forms including a chorale prelude with the cantus firmus in augmentation in the melody line, fugue, and toccata. JRB PIANO Valerie A. Floeter. Piano Stylings, set 3. Concordia ( ), $24. This collection offers piano settings primarily of newer hymns found in Lutheran Service Book. It is thus useful as a means of making the melodies more familiar to the congregation and in adding to the literature available for modern hymns. There are two settings of hymns likely to be more familiar, one on Lamb of God (originally by Twila Paris) and the other on Love Unknown. The remaining hymn tunes are Ascended Triumph; Filter; Ich liege, Herr, in deiner Hut; Kirkwood; Lord of Life; and Preparation. There are two or three iterations of the tune in each setting, utilizing rhythmic and harmonic variation as well as stylistic influences from different musical eras. DR Thomas Keesecker. The Quiet Center: Piano Music for Advent and Christmas. MorningStar (MSM ), $ These arrangements are quite recent, having been written in late 2016 and finished in January of Keesecker writes, It was my way of seeking a quiet haven amidst the turbulence affecting our country, although I sincerely hope that by turning in, I can through my music reflect out. The piano solos are mostly introspective, suitable for the quietly joyful expectation of Advent and Christmas. Each is about three minutes, except O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which is about four. Some pieces combine two hymn tunes. Included are Aberystwyth; Christmas; Conditor alme siderum; Dona nobis pacem; Es ist ein Ros; Hyfrydol; Kingsfold; Mendelssohn; Morning Song; Motherless Child; Suo Gân; and Veni, Emmanuel. JG SOUNDFEST Summer 2017 CrossAccent 33

34 SOUNDFEST Jerry van der Pol. Endless Song: Accessible Piano Settings. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $19. This volume offers exactly what its title and subtitle suggest: accessible piano settings for use throughout the year. The seventeen pieces that make up this volume are easy but interesting and will be perfect for pianists with less well-developed skills as well as those with more advanced skills who want pieces that are easily accessible and require little preparation. All settings are hymn-tune based, some tunes that will be very familiar to listeners and others that may be new. Some of the tunes included are Aberystwyth; Bethany; Bunessan; Christ, Be Our Light; Det kimer nu til julefest; How Can I Keep from Singing; Nettleton; Pleading Savior; Restoration; Showalter; Slane; and St. Columba. With key changes and a variety of writing styles, this volume would also be helpful for piano teachers wanting to introduce their students to hymn-based piano repertoire. CD KEYBOARD AND INSTRUMENT(S) Théodore Dubois. Grand Chœur for Organ and Brass Quintet. Arr. by David J. Brockman. Organ, brass quintet. MorningStar (MSM ), $30. the brass alone, giving each player a chance to shine as that voice enters with the melody. The french horn part is the least melodically interesting, while the tuba part may be difficult to coordinate when it doubles the organ pedals in eighth notes. The brass parts are mediumdifficult, playable by good college students or professionals. Reproducible parts for the instrumentalists are included in the score. LW Lift Up Your Hearts: 5 Pieces for Solo Instrument and Organ. Transcribed by Charles Callahan. Organ, solo instrument. MorningStar (MSM ), $22. This is a book of five transcriptions by Callahan for solo instrument and organ. The composers include Gaston Dethier, Edward Elgar, Arthur Foote, John Ireland, and James H. Rogers. Reproducible instrument parts for flute, oboe, violin, and viola are included. B-flat clarinet parts are available as a complimentary download on the MorningStar website. The organ parts are easy-medium in difficulty. The five selections are all of a slower, more meditative tempo. This is an excellent collection of rarely performed pieces for solo instrument and organ. MS This arrangement of Dubois organ piece makes effective use of both brass and organ. It would work well for Reformation, Christ the King, or other festive occasions. The piece begins and ends with all the instruments playing together, the brass duplicating key voices of the organ part. At other times the two timbres alternate, creating a dialogue. The central imitative section begins with 34 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

35 Organ Plus One: Advent Christmas. Ed. by Carsten Klomp. Organ, solo instrument. Bärenreiter (BA 8501), (appox. $21.25). This volume of the Organ Plus One series focuses on Advent and Christmas music, arranged for organ and a solo instrument. As with other volumes in the series, the pieces based on chorales have been transposed into keys suitable for singing, and editor Klomp has provided an alternate harmonization and instrumental descant for each of those hymn tunes. The collection includes mostly historical works arranged by Klomp, along with a few of his own compositions. Many pieces were originally written for organ solo, meaning that the organ and instrument version is easier to play than the original. Length of the pieces varies from two lines to nine pages. Most of the volume is made up of chorale-based pieces by J. S. Bach, Georg Böhm, Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, along with other lesser-known composers. Also included are Christmas-themed works by Thomas Tallis, Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wely, Edvard Grieg, Charles Wesley, and Alexandre Guilmant. Removable instrumental part booklets are included in C, B-flat, E-flat, and F, all in treble clef; the parts are playable by amateurs. LW SOUNDFEST Summer 2017 CrossAccent 35

36 SOUNDFEST Sandra K. Tucker. Repeat the Sounding Joy: Five Christmas Tunes for Trumpet and Organ. Organ, trumpet. Concordia ( ), $28. This seasonal collection for Christmas includes such familiar tunes as Antioch; God rest you merry; Greensleeves; Irby; and Quelle est cette odeur agréable. Tucker artfully captures the spirit of each tune, from the joyous gigue on Antioch to the harp-like gentle character of Greensleeves. Dialog between trumpet and organ, embellished melodies, and appropriate key changes maintain interest and musical integrity. Tucker is sensitive to the range of the trumpet, making this collection appropriate for a broad range of skill levels. JRB HANDBELLS Alleluia! Let Praises Ring. Arr. by Brian J. Heinlein. 3 5 octaves handbells. Concordia ( ), $4.25. The repeating cascading tune in the treble bells would surely build the confidence of any beginning church bell choir. There are meter changes and key changes but plenty of shakes and a mart lift at the finale. This piece, based on Wie schön leuchtet, could be used throughout the church year. Level 2+. ML Kevin Uppercue. Meditation on a Melody by Martin Luther. Organ, violoncello. MorningStar (MSM ), $9. This is an arrangement of Luther s tune Christum wir sollen loben schon. The violoncello begins with a quiet statement of the opening measures of the tune. The composition contains a great deal of dynamic contrast, reflecting on the mood of the lyrics to this hymn. The composition is of medium difficulty. The violoncello part is in both bass clef and tenor clef. There is some meter changing throughout, but rhythmically it is fairly simple. This will do nicely in a meditative area of a service. A reproducible violoncello part is included. MS Michael Burkhardt. Four Reproducible Processionals. 4 octaves handbells, 2 octaves handchimes. MorningStar (MSM ), $15. Creative and quite flexible, these processionals are designed to be easily memorized. Each piece has a separate ringer assignment, according to ostinato patterns and melody. The purchaser may reproduce each page for their ringers. The hymns that are included are Hymn to Joy (Hymn to Joy), Holy, Holy, Holy (Nicaea), Ding Dong Merrily On High (Branle de l Officiel), and Tempus adest floridum (Tempus adest floridum). Level 2. ML 36 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

37 Michael Burkhardt. Variations on Hallelujah. 2 or 3 octaves handbells or handchimes. MorningStar (MSM ), $4.75. This composition, which introduces theme and variations form as well as canon, is a teaching piece intended to develop ringing and damping techniques. This is not for performance, and it is not reproducible. The tune Hallelujah is a traditional melody in the public domain. Level 1. ML Karissa Dennis. My Lord, What a Morning. 3 5 octaves handbells, 3 4 octaves handchimes. MorningStar (MSM ), $4.50. The African American spirituals Burleigh and Give Me Jesus are woven together seamlessly, even through a key change. The handchimes are not optional, and they add a nice blend of timbres. This would be a lovely piece for any time during the church year or for a concert. Level 2+. ML Four Advent Hymns for Twelve Bells. Arr. by Sandra Eithun. 3 octaves handbells or handchimes. Concordia ( ), $4.50. bell changes, so that they may be rung from music stands rather than from tables. They would be very effective rung from a balcony or even from the front porch of the church on Christmas Eve. Level 2 or 3. ML In Christ There Is No East or West. Arr. by John A. Behnke. 3 5 octaves handbells, optional 3 5 octaves handchimes. Concordia ( ), $4.25. This blues/jazz arrangement of the favorite African American spiritual tune McKee would be useful throughout the church year. The scriptural quote is from Romans 10:12 (ESV), For there is no Jew or Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. It includes tempo changes, long quarter-note triplets, mart lifts and marts, mallets in the bass, and mallet lifts. The hand chimes are considered optional, but they lend a beautiful timbre to the tune. Level 3. ML O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Arr. by Lauran Delancy. 3 or 5 (6) octaves handbells, optional 3 or 5 octaves handchimes. Concordia ( ), $4.25. This piece would work throughout the Lenten season. The composer uses the singing bell technique as well as the rim brush and both have concise instructions included. There are triplets and slow sixteenth notes, but this is quite accessible to most church choirs. The hymn tune is the familiar Herzlich tut mich verlangen (isorhythmic), by Hans Leo Hassler ( ). Level 3. ML SOUNDFEST These four stand-alone tunes (Freu dich sehr; Jefferson; Picardy; Veni, Emmanuel) are arranged for four-in-hand quartets or other small ensembles. There are no Summer 2017 CrossAccent 37

38 SOUNDFEST VOCAL SOLO Seasons and Celebrations: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord (Winter). Medium voice, keyboard. MorningStar (MSM ), $14. This wonderful collection is the second of a multivolume set that features music appropriate for the various seasons of the church year. It includes composers Hal H. Hopson, Charles Callahan, Austin C. Lovelace, and others. This volume features solos for Advent through the Baptism of Our Lord and a mix of familiar hymns as well as original compositions. All songs are accessible and are in medium or medium-high keys. Most of the accompaniments are also accessible, although some are more challenging than others. Based on the high quality of this volume, I plan on checking out the first volume (Seasons and Celebrations: General [Summer] for medium to high voice and keyboard; MSM ). AW VOCAL ADULT CHOIR Simon Andrews. There Is No Rose of Such Virtue. SATB a cappella. MorningStar (MSM ), $1.85. In this lush, flowing setting of the traditional English carol, singers are treated to some sumptuous harmonies and delightful intervals. There are a few divisi sections, particularly in the lovely Alleluias. For mature readers who can sing a splendid pianissimo. JG Kim André Arnesen. Christmas Night. SATB, piano, optional C instrument. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $2.25. Composer Arnesen and poet Stig Nilsson, both Norwegians, partnered to create this well-received composition, made popular by the Nidaros Cathedral Boys Choir in Trondheim, Norway. The St. Olaf Choral series, edited by Anton Armstrong and John Ferguson, now brings this soon-to-be-favorite composition to the United States. With its memorable ascending leaping intervals in the melody line, it seems like a piece you ve always known and loved. The piece gently moves the thought-provoking text forward, alternating between unison lines, three-part treble or bass harmonies, and up to five-part harmonies. While not essential to the performance, the C-instrument part written for flute adds a lovely touch. JRB William Beckstrand. I Rest within God s Gentle Arms. Solo, SATB, organ, optional congregation. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.25. In this stunning arrangement based on the Lord s Prayer, Beckstrand uses the sturdy German chorale Vater unser as the heart of the composition. The introduction uses the German text Vater unser in four-part repetitive harmony, creating a Taizé-like tapestry as the solo line, I rest within God s gentle arms, begins like a child addressing its father. The first stanza proceeds as the Vater unser chorale gently is interwoven with the prior motives from the introduction. The second stanza, sung by the SATB choir, is written in standard four-part 38 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

39 chorale harmony and is followed by a majestic organ interlude before the final stanza. The congregation may join the repetitive majestic coda, Amen, amen, amen! So shall it be! JRB feast: Gloria! Sure to become a favorite. Choristers will delight in their assigned challenges (tenors should have fun singing high G s, with alternating F and F. Lovely! JG SOUNDFEST David Cherwien, music; Susan Palo Cherwien, text. Harvest Gold. Two-part, organ. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.80. David Cherwien musically captures the mystery and awe of Susan Palo Cherwien s text that basks in the mysterious, marvelous Creator and the wonders of creation. The composer uses only two imitative vocal lines accompanied by slow-moving eighth notes that create lush, peaceful harmonies. This piece would be especially appropriate at Thanksgiving, with the coda including a solo line on organ quoting Nun danket alle Gott. JRB David Cherwien, music; Susan Palo Cherwien, text. O Infinite Greatness. SATB, organ. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.80. When the Cherwiens team up, singers, accompanists, directors, and worshippers are in for a treat. The Augsburg Fortress catalog lists this under General, but the text is most definitely of a Christmas flavor. David s choir at Mount Olive Church, Minneapolis (MN), commissioned this work in Susan has provided a rich text, and each stanza ends with We hallow Your name in this luminous Grant Cochran. O Little Town of Bethlehem. SATB, piano, with optional cello or brass quintet, strings, percussion. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.50. SSAA, piano, with optional instruments as above. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.50. Once the numbering of the various editions and accompaniments are decided upon, choirs will find this a wonderful new setting of Forest Green. Cochran has created myriad accompanying options: piano alone; cello and piano (MSM A); brass quintet and piano, with optional percussion (MSM C); strings (orchestra or quintet) and piano, with optional percussion (MSM D); or brass quintet, strings, and piano, with optional percussion. If piano or piano/ cello are used, only the choral score is required. The full score (MSM B or MSM A) includes all of the other options. Any of the instrumentation options work with both the SATB and SSAA voicings, although sensitivity is important: using a brass ensemble might not be as effective as strings when accompanying a treble choir. A brief phrase of Kingsfold makes an appearance in this setting. Also, an extra stanza is included (between two and three), with the following text: Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed child, where misery cries out to thee, Son of the mother mild; where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door, the dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more. JG Summer 2017 CrossAccent 39

40 SOUNDFEST Alfred V. Fedak. Sometimes a Light Surprises. SATB, keyboard, optional congregation. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.25. Fedak has happily wedded a text by William Cowper with a beautiful Irish folk melody, Sally Gardens. Cowper is probably best known for the words of There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood. However, this text has a much lighter touch. The opening suggests that the child of God will get many happy surprises if open to them. Fedak s treatment is fairly straightforward for three stanzas, with a descant added on the fourth. The back page is reproducible for the congregation to join along if desired. In a dark and troubled world, it would be a good thing to remind the congregation that God still has a few happy surprises in store for us. KO Keith Kolander. Four SATB Psalm Motets. SATB a cappella. (ISBN ), $4.95. These motets are relatively short settings of key verses from Psalms 51, 80, 89, and 116. The specific psalm texts were chosen to correspond to Lectionary Year B for Advent and Lent, but they will also be useful as general anthems. In the tradition of English motets, there is interplay of voices within a predominantly homophonic texture. The harmonic language draws on various a cappella musical traditions that should be familiar to most choirs, and the vocal range is moderate in all parts. A keyboard reduction is provided to aid in the rehearsal process. Complete digital recordings of each motet are also available on the website. DR Anne Krentz Organ. The Truth Will Make You Free. Two-part mixed, piano. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.80. Based on John 8:31 32, this accessible piece by Krentz Organ will not disappoint if you are looking for a two-part piece to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first Reformation. With a melody composed mainly of stepwise motion, this piece would be easy to learn and will likely become a standard for a youth or small adult choir. JRB Stephen Mager. Shepherds, Run Along. SATB, piano, optional brass ensemble or chamber orchestra. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.25. Written in D major, this is a delightful SATB setting of a Polish Christmas carol. An SSA version (MSM ) is just as charming. Both are also available for download on www. MorningStarMusic.com. The first stanza comprises the melody. The second stanza starts with melody and contains accessible harmonies. Finally, the third and fourth stanzas contain the melody in canon. The energetic accompaniment and joyful choral parts help to express the angels excitement of telling the shepherds to go to the baby Jesus at the manger. Although this version is for SATB and piano, it is equally effective with brass or chamber orchestra. It is suitable for smaller or larger choirs and for Christmas or a lessons and carols service. AW 40 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

41 Aaron David Miller. May God Bestow on Us Grace. Two-part mixed, keyboard. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.80. This is a lyrical setting of the text of the wellknown hymn of the same title. The accompaniment could be done easily on piano, organ, or keyboard, and the voice parts have a small range. The anthem is in two parts most of the time, but the voices conclude in unison, with some division on the final amen s. This is an excellent piece for use as special music in the choir s off-season. MS Eric Nelson. Silent Night. SATB, piano. MorningStar (MSM ), $1.95. This austere but elegant arrangement would be perfect for a concert or worship service where the assembly does not sing Stille Nacht. At nearly five minutes in length, it has a feeling of Mannheim Steamroller but with voices rather than violin. Any choir that can sing with sensitivity will appreciate this new setting. Haunting and beautiful in its simplicity. JG Peter Niedmann. Heir of the Highest Heaven. SATB, organ. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.95. This is an Advent/Christmas anthem originally commissioned in 2013 for a Festival of Lessons and Carols at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Columbus (OH). The text was written by Washington Gladden, minister of the church from 1882 to 1914 (who also wrote the hymn text for O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee ). The key phrase of this anthem is a reflection on Isaiah 9:6 and other Advent prophecies: To us, O mortals, a Child is born! To us a Son is giv n, Light of light, and Star of the morn, Heir of the highest heav n! Composed in a jaunty and rhythmic triple meter that shifts between 6/8 and 9/8, the piece is a celebration at the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. It is best suited for a service of lessons and carols but will also be a festive option for an Advent or Christmas service. DR Mark Sedio. Wonder of Wonders. Unison, organ. Augsburg Fortress ( ), $1.80. This baptismal anthem is a wonderful resource for use when there is a baptism taking place, or when there is a baptismal focus in worship. Since there is only one melodic line, it can be sung by any combination of voices or by a soloist. The main melody in a gentle G major for stanzas 1, 2, and 4 will be quickly learned by the singers. The third stanza, a welcoming of the newly baptized, is set apart from the rest. It modulates to the key of B-flat with a new vocal line set against a quotation of Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier in the organ. With its higher vocal range and slightly more complex melodic line, this stanza could well be sung by a soloist or small group for contrast. In the final stanza, there is a collective affirmation of the faith in SOUNDFEST Summer 2017 CrossAccent 41

42 SOUNDFEST which we baptize. The lovely text was written by Jane Parker Huber in 1980 and has been newly set here. DR Gwyneth Walker. My Faith, My Hope. SATB, organ. MorningStar (MSM ), $2.50. This original anthem is based on George Herbert s poem The Call, with added text by the composer, and approaches the text from a personal, intimate mood. The vocal parts are quite independent from the accompaniment, and there are a cappella sections throughout. According to the composer, the anthem ends on a triumphant note that combines all invocations of the text. It is suitable for larger choirs, as there is divisi in all voice parts at various points during the anthem. It is also suitable for any service where the themes are faith or hope. AW Reviewers: Jean R. Boehler (JRB) Cantor Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, The Bronx, NY Cheryl Dieter (CD) Retired Minister of Worship and Music Trinity Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, IN James Gladstone (JG) Retired Cantor, Saginaw, MI Music Assistant, Ev. Lutheran Church of St. Lorenz, Frankenmuth, MI Marilyn Lake (ML) Handbell Director Southminster Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS Music Educator, Shawnee Mission School District, KS Karl A. Osterland (KO) Music Director Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, Detroit, MI Deborah Reiss (DR) Minister of Music Village Lutheran Church, Bronxville, NY Mark A. Schultz (MS) Minister of Music Trinity Lutheran Church and School, Wausau, WI Lara West (LW) CrossAccent Music Review Editor Organist Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, KS Austen Wilson (AW) Director of Music Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Haddonfield, NJ 42 Summer 2017 CrossAccent

43 Give a gift that continues giving throughout the year: Membership in the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Membership benefits include subscriptions to the journal CrossAcent, published 3 times per year; In Tempo, a practical resource for the church musician, also published 3 times per year; monthly e-newsletters; unlimited use of Members Area free downloadable resources; opportunities for stimulating biennial and regional conferences; and networks to connect members with other church musicians and related events in their region. GOALS OF ALCM Preserve, strengthen, and renew our Lutheran liturgical heritage Define the role of the musician in the life of the church Provide opportunities for growth for Lutheran musicians and worship leaders Foster partnership and support within the pan-lutheran musical community Assist parishes with guidelines for compensation and hiring Serve both full-time and part-time church musicians and facilitate placement Advocate for college and seminary courses promoting the practice of worship and liturgical music Strengthen communication between clergy and musicians Create liaisons between ALCM and the worldwide Lutheran church Foster cooperation between ALCM and other associations of denominational musicians and liturgical artists Encourage creation and publication of quality material For more information, visit us on the Web at or call us at Membership Application: Gift Membership Please provide information about the person giving the gift, so that we can notify the recipient: GIVER S NAME Method of payment Check Credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express/Diner s Card) ADDRESS CREDIT CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE CITY, STATE, ZIP Category (check one) Voting member $90.00 Second member in household $50.00 Clergy/musician team $ Student (full-time) $40.00 Voting member over age 65 $45.00 SIGNATURE Recipient s contact information NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE NAME OF CHURCH OR INSTITUTION CITY, STATE, ZIP ADDRESS POSITION/TITLE Institution/Congregation $ Church body: ELCA LCMS WELS ELCIC Other Send completed application to: Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, 810 Freeman St., Valparaiso, IN Summer 2017 CrossAccent 43

44 POSTLUDE Jim Rindelaub Executive Director, ALCM A day in the life of a Lutheran church musician In the summer, my Sunday worship music during the offering is often either the choir high voices (sopranos and altos) or low voices (tenors and basses) singing a unison hymn. The high or low voice sound alone is a unique change from the normal mixed voice choral offering. I typically send an to the whole choir about a week before, letting the group know what voices are singing which hymn. Some of my choir members have older eyes like mine and appreciate the notice so they can read through the hymn ahead of time. In the early evening of Friday, June 2, I sent an letting the high voices know what we would be singing on Sunday, June 11, and that we would meet 20 minutes before the service to prepare. Later that evening my wife and I were having a nice dinner on our patio when all of a sudden I heard her cry out, OH NO (slightly cleaned up here)!!! She was looking at her phone. I leapt to my feet asking what on earth had happened. A slight silence helped me realize she had received an invitation from her choir director giving her a Sunday morning task and simply had had an unfiltered reaction. She had been looking forward to just sitting in the pew. Some relief came as she realized the invitation was for nine days out rather than for two days away. It made me think about all the homes in our area experiencing the OH NO of the invitation from the choir director. It made me think of all the homes around the country experiencing the OH NO of the invitation from the ALCM executive director to become a member of our organization or to come to our national conference. It made me think of the fact that our lives as Lutheran musicians are to be the OH NO creators. We are often the ones to issue the invitation, change the plan, rethink the priority, become a member, join the song! Mrs. Lovelace at my first full-time Lutheran church position in Jacksonville, FL, told me 30 years ago she and her late husband had spent their whole life doing one church project after another and it ended up being a pretty good life after all. They probably had exclaimed OH NO to many invitations along the way and it ended up being a pretty good life after all. It is a privilege for me to join with you as an OH NO creator, an inviter, asking our choir members and colleagues to join the song and inspiring their OH NO reactions, because our life s work, serving the word through God s great gift of music, is a pretty good life after all. We Lutheran musicians have been issuing these invitations for the last 500 years. There s no stopping us now! Peace and blessings in your important Lutheran music ministry. 44 Summer 2017 CrossAccent