Recently, The Rev. Dr. James Bachman, former Dean of Christ College at Concordia University Irvine, accompanied the Concordia Sinfonietta for tour performances in Solvang and Santa Maria, CA. The concert paired the Reformation Symphony and his lecture, offered here in the form of an article. Mendelssohn and the Voice of the Good Shepherd Elijah, St. Paul, Luther and Bach James Bachman Mendelssohn s Reformation Symphony opens rich possibilities for reflection on the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. But this printed reflection requires words, and Mendelssohn would likely claim that music is better suited to the task than words. He once said, People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words. We can be sympathetic to Mendelssohn, because, in this celebration season, we ll be experiencing a variety amazing music that stands on its own strength and doesn t need words to prop it up. Mendelssohn s Reformation Symphony is a signal example. Yet, Mendelssohn himself knew the power of combining music with words. In my title I ve mentioned two remarkable compositions in which Mendelssohn powerfully combined music and words his oratorios Elijah and St. Paul. If you ve ever had the privilege of singing in a choir performing either one of these, you know how the music and words together move the meaning forward. Perhaps you ve J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 1/7
been in a chorus performing the Elijah, and you find yourself among the false prophets of Baal anxiously singing, Baal we cry to thee. Baal we cry to thee. Hear.....and answer us! And perhaps you ve sung Elijah s faith in the true God: He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps. The last movement of Mendelssohn s Reformation symphony takes a famous melody composed by Martin Luther, and builds the fourth movement upon it. Listen for the familiar tune as the flute introduces the movement. We discover that, indeed, Mendelssohn s music speaks for itself, but young Mendelssohn also knew the words Luther fashioned to go with the melody. Luther seems to have composed both the text and the melody in the late 1520s. Various occasions have been suggested. These were years of great tumult as the Reformation had upset all of Europe in the decade since the posting of the 95 Theses 500 years ago in 1517. Luther, an Old Testament Professor, drew on Psalm 46 with its sturdy refrain: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Mendelssohn was not quite twenty years old when he decided to contribute to a planned celebration of the Reformation in 1830. The purpose was to commemorate the 300 year anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, a defining moment for the Reformation. Some have connected Luther s Hymn with the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession in June, 1530. We can profit by revisiting the text that Mendelssohn knew. If you can hear the German, you can hear the vigor Luther put into the text. (The English comes from Lutheran Service Book, #656.) Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, Ein gute Wehr und Waffen; The Psalm 46 theme: A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon; J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 2/7
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, Die uns jetzt hat betroffen. He helps us free from ev'ry need That hath us now o'ertaken. Der alt böse Feind, Mit Ernst er s jetzt meint, The old evil foe Now means deadly woe; Gross Macht und viel List Sein grausam Rüstung ist, A mouthful to speak, and difficult to reproduce in English! Note the cognate gruesome in grausam. Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight; Auf Erd ist nicht sein s gleichen. On earth is not his equal. We often ignore the perils that surround us in this life; Luther gives words to our perilous condition. But, equally vigorous words point to our Champion in the second stanza. Mit unsrer Macht is nichts getan, Wir sind gar bald verloren; With might of ours can naught be done, Soon were our loss effected; Es streit t für uns der rechte Mann, Den Gott selbst hat erkoren. But for us fights the Valiant One, Whom God Himself elected. Fragst du, wer der ist? Er heisst Jesu Christ, Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is. Der Herr Zebaoth, Und ist kein andrer Gott, Das Feld muss er behalten. Luther identifies our Lord as Psalm 46 s Lord of Hosts who is with us. Of Sabaoth Lord, And there's none other God; He holds the field forever. Luther knew well our perilous human circumstances, but he also knew the presence of the Lord of Hosts, Jesus Christ. Here we find courage. J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 3/7
Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär Und wollt uns gar verschlingen, Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us. So fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr, Es soll uns doch gelingen. We tremble not, we fear no ill, They shall not overpow'r us. Der Fürst dieser Welt, Wie sau r er sich stellt, This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, Tut er uns doch nicht, Das macht, er ist gericht t, Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen. He can harm us none, He's judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him. We do well to pause over Luther Wörtlein. Our Lord Jesus is the little word. Yes, the little Word in the Bethlehem manger strikes down this world s devil prince. With Him we are courageous in the fight. Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn Und kein Dank dazu haben; The Word they still shall let remain Nor any thanks have for it; Er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan Mit seinem Geist und Gaben. He's by our side upon the plain With His good gifts and Spirit. Nehmen sie den Leib, Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib: And take they our life, Goods, fame, child, and wife, Lass fahren dahin, Sie haben s kein Gewinn, Das Reich muss uns doch bleiben. Let these all be gone, Our vict'ry has been won; The Kingdom ours remaineth. The Reformation Symphony program notes mention the mixed reception of Mendelssohn s work. The composition encountered musical rivalries (Mendelssohn at age 20 was already considered to be too conservative!). He also encountered antisemitism. His family had long since become Christian, but that did not remove the J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 4/7
stigma of Jewish origins. And, already in 1830, people were hoping to transform Christianity into a tame moral movement. Mendelssohn s unabashed use of a hymn to Jesus, the Lord of Hosts, did not fit the moralizing mindset of the 19 th century intellectual milieu. This brings us then to Mendelssohn himself and his Christian faith. Mendelssohn did not wear his heart on his sleeve in this regard. His faith was profound, but, perhaps not surprisingly, his words about it were few. Yet, we can see something of how Luther s music and text would speak to him. All of us who are serious about our faith, at some time or another experience the tumult Luther captured in A Mighty Fortress. Luther famously claimed that no one can do good theology apart from prayer, meditation, and Tentationes/Anfectungen/ Trials/Afflictions/Tribulation. We are not surprised that we need prayer and meditation, but we prefer to think we can do without tribulation. But life is full of trials, and Luther knew that Christian faith meets these tribulations head on with the Lord of Hosts by our side. Mendelssohn certainly experienced tumult. He highly respected his paternal grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, a prominent philosopher who never abandoned his Jewish faith. Mendelssohn also seems to have been uneasy with the family taking on a new Christian name, Bartholdy, preferring to continue using the name Mendelssohn, made prominent by his grandfather. On the other hand, he and his father Abraham were fascinated by the story of St. Paul, a serious Jew converted to Christian faith by his encounter with Jesus of Nazareth. Mendelssohn s father urged him to complete the St. Paul oratorio, and Felix regretted that it was finished only after his father s death. J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 5/7
We ll hear the music, and we ve seen the Luther text. We also should contemplate Mendelssohn s encounters with his fellow Lutheran musician, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach, a century earlier than Mendelssohn, served the Lord Jesus all his life. Mendelssohn drew on Bach for his own church music. The complaint about Mendelssohn s conservativism traces partly to his deep appreciation for and use of Bach s inspiration. Bach s music had been in the toolkit of professional musicians for the entire century between Bach s death and Mendelssohn s work. Hadyn studied Bach closely. Beethoven s father made him learn the major keyboard studies. But Bach was mostly unknown to the general public. Among his many achievements, Mendelssohn s successful reintroduction of Bach to the general public has been especially valuable to us ordinary hearers. He arranged performances of some of Bach s major works and helped people rediscover the profound depths of Bach s music. Mendelssohn experienced complex tumult about his own Jewish origins and conversion to Christianity. Fellow Lutheran, Bach, helped Mendelssohn keep hearing the voice of the great Good Shepherd who seeks to bring us all together. In John, chapter 10, Jesus speaks words that have comforted the faithful from the beginning: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. Mendelssohn had a particularly complex road to walk as a Christian. Elijah of old J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 6/7
helped him. St. Paul helped him. Luther and Bach helped him. But above all, the Great Good Shepherd of us all kept speaking to him and he kept listening. Words may have been challenging for Mendelssohn, but he paid them close heed. And he left us a rich treasury of music celebrating his faith in the Shepherd, including the great Reformation Symphony. J Bachman; Notes on Mendelssohn and the Great Good Shepherd 2017 Page 7/7