Leon J. Podles :: DIALOGUE
A Discussion of Faith, Family, and Culture
RSS
  • Home
  • Archives
  • About
  • Podles.org

Mount Calvary Music: December 6, 2020: Advent II

December 2, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments


John the Baptist preaching in the Desert, Anton Raphael Mengs, 1728-1779.

 

Mount Calvary

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Advent II

December 6, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed

__________________

Organ Prelude

“Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming),” Johannes Brahms

This setting of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” comes from the composer’s Eleven Chorale Preludes written in the last year of his life. Brahms takes the chorale “bud,” nurtures it with his highly-chromatic language, and offers us this beautiful blossom of a chorale prelude.

_________

Organ Postlude

“Noёl Suisse” Louis-Claude Daquin

Daquin (1694-1772) was titular organist at Notre-Dame in Paris from 1755 until his death. The postlude is the last of his Twelve Noёls for organ or harpsichord.

__________________

Offertory Anthem

“Comfort Ye, My People & Every Valley Shall Be Exalted” from Messiah, G.F. Handel

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill made low;
the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

Handel (1685-1759) was a renowned German/English composer of the 18th century, whose popularity far exceeded that of J.S. Bach during their lifetime. These two pieces constitute the first recitative and air from the composer’s beloved oratorio, Messiah.

__________

Communion Anthem

“E’en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come” Paul Manz

Peace be to you and grace from Him
Who freed us from our sins,
Who loved us all and shed His blood
That we might saved be.

Sing Holy, Holy to our Lord,
The Lord, Almighty God,
Who was and is and is to come,
Sing Holy, Holy, Lord!

Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein,
Rejoice on earth, ye saints below,
For Christ is coming, is coming soon,
For Christ is coming soon!

E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And night shall be no more;
They need no light nor lamp nor sun,
For Christ will be their All!”

Manz (1919-2009) was a renowned American organist, conductor, and composer best known for his improvisations and hymn festivals. This motet is his most well-known choral work, having been sung at the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols at King’s College in 2004.

__________________

Hymns

Comfort, comfort ye my people (Tröstet, tröstet meine Lieben) was written by Johann Olearius (1611–1684), a Lutheran pastor at Halle and translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878). The hymn is a paraphrase of Isaiah 40:1-5, in which the prophet looks forward to the coming of Christ. More specifically, the coming of the forerunner of Christ – John the Baptist – is foretold. Though Isaiah’s voice crying in the desert is anonymous, the third stanza ties this prophecy and one from Malachi (Malachi 4:5) to a New Testament fulfillment. “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sfDESOjN0I&t=20sFor Elijah’s voice is crying In the desert far and near” brings to mind Jesus’ statement, “’But I tell you that Elijah has already come.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.”

The tune GENEVAN 42 is an adaptation by Louis Bourgeois (1510–1559) of a tune by Claude Goudimel (1501–1572), a French Calvinist who was killed in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

O Saviour, rend the heaven’s wide (O HEILAND REIß) is by Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld (1591-1635). He was a German Jesuit priest, professor, and poet, most noted as an opponent of trials for witchcraft. Spee was the first person in his time to present strong written and spoken arguments against torture, especially with regards to its unreliability in obtaining “truth” from someone undergoing painful questioning. His hymn is based on Isaiah 64: 1 (‘Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down’) and the ‘Rorate coeli desuper’ of Isaiah 45: 8 (‘Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness’). It uses the traditional images of bringing light out of darkness and bringing new life. It conveys the overwhelming power of the Advent of Christ at the end of time, when He will break down the doors of the grave and abolish sin and death forever. O HEILAND  REIß is a German chorale melody in the Dorian mode published anonymously in Rheinfelsisches Deutsches Catholisches Gesangbuch (1666 edition)
Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: November 29, 2020: Advent I

November 27, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music 1 Comment

 

 

 

Mount Calvary

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Advent I

November 29, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed

_______________

Organ Prelude

“Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 659)” J.S. Bach

These two settings of the chorale, “Savior of the Nations, Come,” are among Bach’s Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes. The first setting features the chorale highly ornamented in the right hand, while in the postlude we hear the chorale unmistakably in the pedal below a three-voice fugue.

________

Organ Postlude 

“Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 661)” J.S. Bach

________________

Offertory Anthem

“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” arr. Gary Guth

We are grateful to Ezra Melchor for sharing his musical talents with us this morning. The sound of bagpipes also reminds us that November 30th is St. Andrew’s Day, the official national day of Scotland.

_________

Communion Anthem

“Thou Shalt Know Him,” Mark Sirett

Thou shalt know him when he comes,
Not by any din of drums,
Nor his manners, nor his airs,
Nor by anything he wears.
Thou shalt know him when he comes,
Not by his crown or by his gown,
But his coming known shall be,
by the holy harmony which his coming makes in thee.
Thou shalt know him when he comes. Amen.

Mark Sirett (b. 1952) is an internationally recognized composer, conductor, pianist, and organist. Having studied conducting at the University of Iowa, Dr. Sirett is now active as a choral clinician in Canada. He sets this anticipatory text with an innocent soprano melody supported by rich harmonies in the lower voices.

_________________

Hymns

Lo, He comes with clouds descending is by John Cennick (1718–1755) and Charles Wesley (1707–1788). The content of the text and particularly the title are derived from Rev 1:7, which tells of the Second Coming. As the liturgical year approaches the coming of Christ at the Nativity, we keep in mind His coming that we await, when He shall come as Judge to make known the truth about the entire history of the human race and indeed of the universe. How will we respond when He shows us the truth about our lives and how they are part of His whole plan of salvation? With wailing or exultation?

The tune HELMSLEY is by Thomas Olivers (1725–1799), who heard the tune whistled in the street and derived his melody from the music,  a short melody that is repeated at a different pitch level. In this case (“Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!”), the melody is repeated once a step lower and then a step higher. Such repetition intensifies the text that is repeated.

Jesus Christ, remember is by Edward Caswall (1814–1878), an Anglican clergyman who became a Roman Catholic and joined John Henry Newman at the Oratory in Birmingham. This hymn connects the Second Coming with Jesus’ coming in the Eucharist and His presence on the altar. NYLAND is a Finnish folk melody.

Savior of the nations, come (NUN KOMM DER HEIDEN HEILAND) is an English translation by William M. Reynold’s (1812-1876) of Martin Luther’s German adaptation of St. Ambrose’s Veni, redemptor gentium.  The tune  is based on a 12th C. plainchant melody. It is ABCA and is presented in a minor tonality utilizing diatonic notes. The melodic intervals are primarily steps and the tessitura  is only a fifth. Rhythmically, each phrase consists of quarter, eighth, and half notes, with one dotted-quarter note making an appearance in the second phrase.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: November 22, 2020: Christ the King

November 20, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

 

Mount Calvary

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

The Feast of Christ the King

November 22, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed

_________________

Organ Prelude

“Suite Médiévale: Prélude” Jean Langlais

Jean Langlais (1907-1991) was  a blind composer and professor who was titular organist at the Basilica of Sainte Clotilde in Paris from 1945 until 1987. This prelude is the first movement from his “Medieval Suite,” which combines ancient Notre-Dame polyphony with Langlais’ 20th-century harmonic language. The composer quotes the Gregorian chant, “Asperges me,” entirely appropriate for a processional at Ste. Clotilde.

Organ Postlude

“Pasticcio” Jean Langlais

“Pasticcio” is the final piece from Langlais’ Organ Book, which was a wedding present to Jacqueline, the daughter of his first organ teacher, André Marchal. The regal opening gesture grows in intensity with each repetition, ending with nearly full organ.

_________________

Anthems

“O God, the King of glory” Henry Purcell

O God, the King of glory,
who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph into heav’n:
We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless;
but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us,
and exalt us unto the same place
where our Saviour Christ is gone before us. Amen.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was organist at Westminster Abbey from 1679 until his premature death. The composer alternates between homophonic and polyphonic sections of contrasting mood depending on the text.

__________

“O Sacred Feast” Healey Willan

O Sacred Feast, wherein Christ is received,
the memory of His Passion is renewed in us,
our souls are filled with grace,
and the pledge of everlasting glory is given unto us.
Alleluya.

Healey Willan (1880-1968) was a well-known Canadian organist, composer, and teacher of the 20th century. He wrote this simple eucharistic motet in 1924, a few years into his appointments at the Toronto University and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.

________________

Hymns

All hail the Power of Jesus’ name (DIADEM) is by Edward Perronet (172?–1792), a member of a Swiss Huguenot family who emigrated to England. He was an associate of the Wesleys. The hymn is one of the most popular in all Christian churches. It begins with a reference to Philippians 2:10: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” In our version the hymn addresses Israel, the chosen people, and then the Gentiles, every nation and tribe, and calls them to join in celebrating the Kingship of Jesus. The song of celebration is “everlasting”: as we sing this hymn we join in the song of the angels and saints, a song that will go on forever.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee (ST BERNARD). This hymn, attributed to St. Bernard, has as its theme the love of the soul for God. It begins by celebrating God’s presence as the supreme joy of mankind. It was translated by Edward Caswell.

Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven (LAUDA ANIMA), by the Anglican clergyman Henry Francis Lyte (1793—1847), is a paraphrase of Psalm 103. In the mid-nineteenth century, the pressure was on hymn writers to keep their versifications of psalms as close to the Scriptural text as possible. Henry F. Lyte would have none of this, and boldly published a book of psalm paraphrases entitled Spirit of the Psalms. Lyte decided he could maintain the spirit of the psalms while still using his own words, probably with the intention of making the reader see the psalms in a new light. Lyte’s text speaks to the love of God and our dependence on Him in a clear and imaginative way.

Leave a Comment

My Confederate Great Great Uncle in a Divided State

November 12, 2020 in Civil War, Genealogy, Mount Calvary Church No Comments

0 The Flag of Maryland

The Flag of the Maryland Confederate Units

 

The Flag of the Maryland Union Units

While raking up the leaves on my family tree, I came across my great great uncle by marriage, George Washington Clotworthy.

His parents, Alexander and Elizabeth, sometime in 1838-1840 came from County Down in northern Ireland,  and therefore they were probably Protestant. George attended Baltimore Male Grammar School No. 9 and the Central High School (later Baltimore City College) from which he graduated in 1860. At graduation he gave an address on Patriotism.

The Assembly Rooms, East Fayette and Holiday Sts., home of the high school

His loyalty seems not to have been to the United States, however, because come the war he enlisted as a private in the Baltimore Light Artillery, First Maryland Regiment, CSA.

It was organized at Richmond, Va. August 17, 1861 and became part of the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee  (who had attended my church in Baltimore, Mount Calvary, when he was in the Corps of Engineers and in charge of building Fort Carroll).

“It was towards the close of a pleasant day in October 1861, that the First Maryland Infantry dragged its weary length into camp near Centreville, after a long and fruitless expedition to Pohick Church, in search of the enemy. Things seemed much changed, indeed, since their departure, for in their absence a battery of artillery had invaded the sacred confines of their camp, and a scowl was observed upon more than one face, for we were jealous of our rights and dared maintain them. Judge then our surprise when informed it was a battery manned by brother Marylanders, and called the Baltimore Light Artillery. They had just been organized at Richmond, and forwarded to the army at Centreville during our absence. They were welcomed, most heartily welcomed, and it was not long ere we discovered old friends and acquaintances among them. Before many hours had elapsed we paid our respects to the officers of the battery, and found them to be the true type of the Maryland and Virginia gentlemen.”

The unit fought in numerous battles: Harpers Ferry; Winchester; Front Royal; Cross Keys; Port Republic; Woodstock; Gaines’ Mills; Malvern Hill; Bristoe Station; Cunningham’s Ford; Groveton; Rappahannock; Second Manassas; Antietam; Yellow Tavern; Carlisle; Gettysburg; Culpepper C.H.; Mine Run; Brandy Station; Chambersburg; Leestown; Frederick; Old Town; Waynesboro; Maurytown.

There was also a Baltimore Battery of Light Artillery USA under General Lew Wallace. The two units fought against each other at Antietam and Gettysburg.


Monument at Antietam

Monument at Gettysburg

To return to George’s service in the Confederate army. Shortly after he enlisted, as he was a Baltimorean, he may have become promptly homesick and decided to visit his parents in Baltimore. Some Unionists in the neighborhood must have objected, because on August 4, 1862, George was arrested for treason.

 

The Union Prison at Fort McHenry

 George was shortly thereafter transferred to Fort Lafayette, but somehow  escaped and rejoined his Confederate unit.

George was captured at Culpepper on September 14, 1863 (His name is listed as George N., but there was only one Clotworthy in the rolls, G. W.) But on 15 December 1863 he escaped the Union prisoner of war camp at Point Lookout by swimming (he claimed) across the chilly Potomac. He returned home briefly and returned to his Confederate unit. His father, Alexander, was questioned by the police he admitted letting his son stay in his house, but denied giving any other aid.

Baltimore Sun 1 January 1864

After the War the Confederate unit was reconstituted as the First Battalion Light Artillery, with all ex-Confederate officers. It was incorporated into the Maryland National Guard and Clotworthy became a Captain.

George became a travelling salesman of a clothing company Daniel Miller and Co. This was the same company for which Alger Hiss’s father worked. Alger also attended the same school as George did: Baltimore City College. (I am also a graduate.)

George joined the Traveling Salesman Protective Association and in 1886 was one of the founding incorporators of the Maryland Division. In that capacity he assisted in 1877 at the inauguration of the memorial to John C. Calhoun in Charleston South Carolina, so one may assume that his political opinions had not changed.

He married Emma Evans on 21 December 1871 in New York. She died 18 October 1889. He then married my great great aunt Susan Riley (1861-1940), twenty years his junior, in 1896. He died on 6 January 1907 at his house at 414 Carrolton Ave. and was buried in a Methodist ceremony.

Susan moved to 2453 Barclay St, a few blocks south of my first house at 3017 Barclay St. On 3 June 1912, the birthday of Jefferson Davis,  at the Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers Home in Pikesville, as the widow of a Confederate veteran she received a bronze Maltese cross of honor in the final distribution of these crosses.

Maryland Line Confederate Home, Pikesville

Confederate veterans, even if disabled, did not receive a pension from the United States; the Home was maintained by private contributions.

The veterans living at the home had lost the war, and many were still suffering wounds. Dr. William Meade Dame, who had fought for the South and then entered the Episcopal ministry, attempted to console them and the widows:

 

I wonder what prompted George to volunteer for the Confederacy, and then to escape prison twice to rejoin his unit. His family had no connection to slavery; Baltimore was not pro-slavery — over 90% of the blacks in the city were free by 1860. Union candidates won in Baltimore in the 1860 election,  although Lincoln was strongly disliked (he received only 2.48% of the Maryland vote in 1860). George Clotworthy left no letters or journals, he had no descendants, so there is no way of knowing his motivation.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XXIII: November 15, 2020

November 9, 2020 in Uncategorized No Comments

The unjust judge and the persistent widow

Mount Calvary

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XXIII

November 15, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed

_________________

Organ Prelude

“Children of the Heavenly Father,” arr. Andrew Johnson

Both the text and tune of this hymn embrace the childlike faith to which God calls us. After three verses of this Swedish folk hymn, listen for a second well-known hymn tune which complements the first in perfect harmony.

Organ Postlude

“Voluntary in D minor” William Boyce

William Boyce (1711-1779) was an English organist and composer who once served as Master of the King’s Musick. This voluntary begins with a grave introduction before a lively fugue.

________________

Offertory Anthem

“Hear the voice and prayer,” Thomas Tallis

Hear the voice and prayer of thy servants,
that they make before thee this day:
That thine eyes may be open
toward this house night and day,
ever toward this place
of which thou hast said,
“My name shall be there.”
And when thou hear’st
have mercy on them.

Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) composed for the Church of England in the 16th century. This earnest prayer is an early anthem by this composer and uses both imitation and homophony to clearly articulate the text.

_________

Communion Anthem

“If we believe that Jesus died,” John Goss

If we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
Ev’n so them also which sleep in Jesus,
Will God bring with Him.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

John Goss (1800-1880) was an organist and music professor in 19th-century England. Goss sets the first line of text describing the death of Jesus in the minor mode using imitation. He then shifts to the major mode to paint the comforting text, “ev’n so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.”

_______________

Hymns

When morning gilds the skies is a translation by Poet Laureate Robert Bridges (1844—1930) of a German hymn, Beim frühen Morgenlicht (‘At early morning light’) from Sebastian Pörtner’s Katholisches Gesangbuch (Würzburg, 1828). The tune LAUDES DOMINI is by Joseph Barnby (1838—1896). An accomplished and popular choral director in England, Barnby showed his musical genius early: he was an organist and choirmaster at the age of twelve.

Nearer my God to Thee (BETHANY) is by the Unitarian Sarah Flower Adams (1805-1848). It is based on the story of Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:10-22), and presents a potent combination of two themes: human suffering (the cross in stanza 1 is not the Cross of Jesus, but a cross that has to be borne) and the merciful presence of God. The stone of Jacob’s pillow becomes the stony griefs out of which the commemorative stone of Bethel will be raised, marking the place where he had his vision of the angels passing up and down between earth and heaven. The hymn rejoices in God, either through sorrow or joy. The legend is it was played by the band of the Titanic as the ship sank. BETHANY was composed by Lowell Mason (1792-1872), the father of American church music.

Hark! A Herald Voice Is Calling (MERTON) is a translation by Edward Caswell (1814-1878) of a Latin hymn, Vox clara ecce intonat. William H. Monk (Brompton, 1823-1889) composed MERTON . The tune’s title is thought to refer to Walter de Merton, founder of Merton College, Oxford.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XXII: November 8, 2020

November 6, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

The wise and foolish virgins

Mount Calvary

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XXII

November 8, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed.

_________________

Organ Prelude

“Prière” Jean Langlais

Jean Langlais (1907-1991), who was titular organist at the Basilica of Sainte Clotilde in Paris from 1945 until 1987. Blind from the age of two, Langlais studied at the National Institute for the Young Blind, which happened to house one of the finest music schools in Paris. The chant influence and improvisatory nature of this “prayer” typify the composer’s style.

________

Organ Postlude

“Sortie in F major” César Franck

César Franck (1822-1890), who preceded Jean Langlais at Sainte Clotilde and was professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory. Although this “Sortie” (derived from the French verb “to go out”) was originally written for the harmonium, it can be adapted as a rousing organ postlude.

__________________

Offertory Anthem

“Hear the voice and prayer,” Thomas Tallis

Hear the voice and prayer of thy servants,
that they make before thee this day:
That thine eyes may be open
toward this house night and day,
ever toward this place
of which thou hast said,
“My name shall be there.”
And when thou hear’st
have mercy on them.

Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) composed for the Church of England in the 16th century. This earnest prayer is an early anthem by this composer and uses both imitation and homophony to clearly articulate the text.

__________

Communion Anthem

“If we believe that Jesus died,” John Goss

If we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
Ev’n so them also which sleep in Jesus,
Will God bring with Him.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

John Goss (1800-1880) was an organist and music professor in 19th-century England. Goss sets the first line of text describing the death of Jesus in the minor mode using imitation. He then shifts to the major mode to paint the comforting text, “ev’n so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.”

___________________

Hymns

Wake, awake, for night is flying (WACHET AUF) is by Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608), translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878). It is partly based on Matthew 25: 1-13, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Nicolai was a pastor in Westphalia during a terrible pestilence, which claimed some thirteen hundred lives in his parish alone. Nicolai turned from the constant tragedies and frequent funerals (at times he buried thirty people in one day) to meditate on “the noble, sublime doctrine of eternal life obtained through the blood of Christ.” We look forward to the glorious coming of Jesus when He will deliver us from death and bring us into the kingdom of His Father. Here is Bach’s chorale prelude on the tune.

God is my great desire is a paraphrase of Psalm 63 by the Anglican priest Timothy Dudley-Smith. The tune LEONI is named for Myer Lyon (1751-1797), the cantor  at the Great Synagogue, Duke’s Place, London.

The king shall come when morning dawns (MORNING SONG) is by the Scottish Free Church minister John Brownlie (1857–1925). He translated many Eastern hymns, and this hymn bears the impress of Eastern theology. Infused with the imagery of morning light typical of early Greek hymnody, hymn stirs hope in the hearts of all who look forward to the return of Christ. It is a confession of faith in the sure return of our Lord; his coming again will occur in a blaze of glory, which will far surpass his earthly death and resurrection. The text concludes with a paraphrase of the ancient prayer of the church-“Maranatha,” or “Lord, come quickly” (Rev. 22:20). We should not fear, but yearn for the coming of the One we love. MORNING SONG is a folk tune that has some resemblance to the traditional English tune for “Old King Cole.” The tune appeared anonymously in Part II of John Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music (1813).

Leave a Comment

Grandmother and Finney Lagair

November 4, 2020 in Uncategorized No Comments

Lucy and Eliza Kennedy

My wife is from Pittsburgh, and her grandparents there were staunch Scots Presbyterian Republicans, who always cast a suspicious eye upon the doings of the Democratic political machine. Grandmother Eliza Kennedy (Mrs. R. Templeton Smith) was an important suffragette. She thought women would clean up politics. After she got the vote, she discovered how corrupt politics was, and she and her sister Lucy Bell (Mrs. John Miller) made life miserable for the Democratic machine in Pittsburgh. Entrenched politicians called them “she-devils” because of their unrelenting efforts to expose corruption at city hall.

The Democrats were known (I am shocked, shocked) to finagle the voting rolls so that the dead and nonexistent would vote Democratic, but they had to reckon with the eagle eyes of Eliza and Lucy. Once the sisters were going over the electoral rolls to challenge the invalid names. After a long and trying session, Eliza put down her papers and exclaimed “Fini la guerre!’ Lucy responded “Finney Lagair? I don’t see him on my list!”

Eliza went to Vassar and majored in calculus. Her father was Julian Kennedy, who went around the world building blast furnaces for Andrew Carnegie. He affectionately named his blast furnaces after his daughters, a gesture that would have been understood by Pittsburgh politicians.

Lucy

Leave a Comment

All Souls

November 3, 2020 in Catholic Church, Mount Calvary Church No Comments Tags: All Souls, prayers for the dead

Eleanor Parker, The Clerk of Oxenford has an essay on UnHerd about the remembrance of the dead. The Reformation, with its rejection of the doctrine of Purgatory and the abolition of prayer for the dead, created a rupture in Protestant countries. The Oxford Movement and Anglo Catholicism restored some of this Catholic attitude in segments of the Anglican world, but much as been lost.

I grew up in a big Catholic family in which people were always dying: great uncles and elderly second cousins and assorted relations. I remember visiting many funeral homes, many funerals, and many, many visits to cemeteries, so death was not strange. As an adult I had my mother die in my arms, as did an acquaintance who had been rejected by his family. And alas, I had young nephews and even an infant great niece die. I early adopted the custom of praying for my dead relations, and often added the very, very Catholic prayer: for all the forgotten dead, for those who have no one to pray for them.

Mount Calvary Church has a funerary chapel. Emily Stone-Alcock left money to build a chapel and to move her relations moved there from Greenmount Cemetery. I researched all the members of the family, and I have sat in the chapel and have had many conversations with Emily about church finances. We are repairing the water damage to the chapel now, and I think I will ask her how she would like the chapel painted. It is a funerary chapel, but it need not be quite so dreary.

In the absence of Christian images of death, pagan ones tend to take over the imagination. Edgar Allen Poe came from a Calvinist background, I believe, which rejected Christian images. But in the cemetery in which he is buried, the gravestones bear images of skulls and winged time, not the cross. Nor do his stories bear the slightest hint of Christianity.

The living and the dead are united in the communion of saints, the church on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven. We can’t repent for another person, although we may pray for his repentance, but we can help bear the pain of repentance. In the Middle Ages, it was a custom to do the public penance for another person which had been enjoined as a condition of absolution. If you saw someone sitting in sackcloth and ashes at the church door and begging for prayers, he may have been doing it for someone else. Being purged of our corruption and sins is a painful process, as we see the reality of the evil we have done. Yet in the Church, we can bear that pain for someone who has died. God is just, and His justification of sinners can be painful, but He allows us to help one another, so that gratitude may be multiplied.

 

Leave a Comment

Music for All Souls Day, November 2, 2020

October 30, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

 

 

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Rev. Armando Alejandro, Celebrant

Andrew Johnson, Music Director and Organist

All Souls’ Day

November 2, 2020

7:00 P.M.

__________________

Organ Prelude

“Alle Menschen müssen sterben,” J.S. Bach

Organ Postlude

“O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen,”Johannes Brahms

_________________

Offertory Anthem

“Pie Jesu,” Gabriel Fauré

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem, sempiternam requiem.

Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them rest, eternal rest.

________

Communion Anthem

“Be Thou My Vision” arr. Bob Chilcott

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
Be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
Be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
Be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art;
Great heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.”

________________

Hymns

The King of love my shepherd is (ST COLUMBA) was written by Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821–1877). It is notable for its skillful meter, and its well-managed rhyme scheme of single and double rhymes, which control and shape the emotion very beautifully. Baker gave an Anglican slant to Psalm 23, interpreting it as a psalm of love and care, but stressing these qualities as evidenced in the Eucharist. The spread table of verse 5 becomes the altar on which the elements are displayed, and the delight comes as the believer takes the ‘pure chalice’; the unction, or anointing (from 1 John 2: 27), while bestowing grace in a spiritual sense, also has suggestions of a rite. This verse spreads its meaning through the whole hymn, allowing the words of Psalm 23 to acquire an extra significance: so that the last verse suggests that the length of days of a person’s life can be spent, figuratively, ‘within thy house for ever’, in the service and under the influence of the church, and then later in heaven. The singer can reflect back, and conclude that the first verses suggest the ransomed soul, sought out in love and rescued from sin (Baker’s version of ‘he restoreth my soul’). The beautiful use of the shepherd metaphor in verse 3, as the shepherd carries the lamb gently on his shoulder, is an illustration of the tenderness of Baker’s work: these lines were the last words spoken by Baker on his deathbed. ST COLUMBA is a folk tune adapted for this hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Jesus son of Mary was written by Edmund Stuart Palmer (1856–1931) in Swahili as ‘Yesu Bin Mariamu’ sometime before 1901, for the Requiem of a colleague. Palmer was a doctor and Anglican cleric who preached and practiced medicine in Zanzibar and East Africa. Here is the tune we will use: ADORO DEVOTE.

Abide with me was written by the Scottish Anglican clergyman Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847). The hymn is based on Luke 24:29, part of a post-Resurrection narrative telling the story of Emmaus: “But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.”  Lyte takes the quotation and turns it into a metaphor for human life in all of its brevity. At the same time, by changing ‘Abide with us’ into ‘Abide with me,’ he deepens the feeling by making it speak to the individual, in prayer or meditation. It is perhaps the personal intensity of the text, the use of the metaphor of evening and the closing line, “In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me,” that makes this hymn a favorite at requiems.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: All Saints: November 1, 2020

October 27, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

 

 

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Rev. Michael Heinle, Celebrant

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

ALL SAINTS

Sunday

November 1, 2020

10:00 AM

This service will be livecast

_________________

Organ Prelude

“In Paradisum,” Gabriel Fauré

“In Paradisum” Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) This morning’s prelude is a transcription of the last movement from Fauré’s Requiem (1887), whose comforting lyrics speak for
themselves:  May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at your arrival and lead you to the holy city, Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive you and with Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest.

_________

Organ Postlude

“O Day of Peace,” C.H.H. Parry

O day of peace that dimly shines through all our hopes and prayers and dreams,
Guide us to justice, truth, and love, delivered from our selfish schemes.
May swords of hate fall from our hands, our hearts from envy find release,
Till by God’s grace our warring world shall see Christ’s promised reign of peace.
Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb, nor shall the fierce devour the small;
As beasts and cattle calmly graze, a little child shall lead them all.
Then enemies shall learn to love, all creatures find their true accord;
The hope of peace shall be fulfilled, for all the earth shall know the Lord.

_______________

Offertory Anthem

“O quam gloriosum,” Tomás Luis de Victoria

O quam gloriosum est regnum,
in quo cum Christo gaudent omnes Sancti,
amicti stolis albis,
sequuntur Agnum, quocumque ierit.

O how glorious is the kingdom,
in which all the saints rejoice with Christ,
arrayed in white robes,
they follow the Lamb, wherever He goes.

: “O quam gloriosum” Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), who was the premiere Spanish composer of Renaissance polyphony in the 16th century. The opening three chords seem to expand like the heavens. Then, Victoria portrays the joyful saints with rapid ascending scalar motion below a floating soprano line.

________

Communion Anthem

“At the River,” arr. Aaron Copland

Shall we gather by the river,
Where bright angel’s feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

Yes, we’ll gather by the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Soon we’ll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.

Yes, we’ll gather by the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints by the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Aaron Copland (1900-1990) who redefined and elevated American music in the 20th century. This piece, like many of his other works, is based on an American folk tune. Copland is careful to leave the hymn melody nearly unchanged and instead creates a new musical landscape around it which is both gentle and supportive of the soloist.

__________________

Hymns

For all the saints is by the Anglican bishop William Walsham How (1823—1897), who was a great friend of the poor of his diocese, and was known variously as ‘the children’s bishop’, ‘the poor man’s bishop’ and ‘the omnibus bishop’ (the last referring to his preferred means of travel about his diocese). This hymn derives much of its power from its ability to capture the spirit of the Church Militant here on earth, using imagery from the book of Revelation. Vaughan Williams composed the tune SINE NOMINE (‘without a name’) for this hymn. It has been suggested that the name of the tune refers to the countless number of saints who are not remembered by name but who are part of the ‘glorious company’.

Jerusalem, my happy home has a complicated history. It may have been written by a 16th century Catholic priest “F. B. P” (¿Francis Baker Porter?) imprisoned in the Tower and it may be based on The Meditations of St. Augustine. It exists in several versions; the one we use was said to be the favorite hymn of Elizabeth Ann Seton. As adults, we know we live in a vale of tears: the disappointments of life, the sickness and death of friends and family, the destruction that evil works in God’s creation. This world as it now exists is not our home, which we will find in the transfigured world of the New Creation. The disharmony of the present age will be replaced by the harmony of heaven, symbolized by music, the new song, canticum novum, that we will forever sing. LAND OF REST is an American folk tune with roots in the ballads of northern England and Scotland. It was known throughout the Appalachians; a shape-note version of the tune was published in The Sacred Harp (1844).

Joy and triumph everlasting is a translation by the English poet laureate Robert Bridges (1844-1930) of Adam of St. Victor’s (1112-1146) hymn Superne matris gaudia. The first verse contains a paradox: ‘For that pure immortal gladness / all our feast days mourn and sigh’. The very act of rejoicing at annual festivals, fixed points in earthly time, causes us to mourn for a place where there will be no time, and no feast-days – ‘no ends nor beginnings but one equal eternity’, as John Donne has it. The tune GENEVAN 42 is an adaptation by Louis Bourgeois (1510–1559) of a tune by Claude Goudimel (1501–1572), a French Calvinist who was killed in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XX: October 25, 2020

October 21, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music 1 Comment

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Stephanie Zimmerman, guest violinist

Trinity XX

October 25, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed.

_________________

Organ Prelude

Ornament of Grace, Bernard Wayne Sanders

Bernard Wayne Sanders (b. 1957) was born in DePere,Wisconsin, but has spent his career as an organist and composer in Germany since 1974. The American Guild of Organists selected “Ornament of Grace” as the first prize winner of the 2008 International Organ Celebration. The beautifully expressive solo melody is complimented by a graceful accompaniment on the organ. For the past decade since its publication, this piece has been performed by organists and solo instrumentalists from around the world.

________

Organ Postlude

Suite in D major: Allegretto, att. Leonardo Vinci

Leonardo Vinci (1690-1730), an Italian opera composer on the Baroque. This joyful postlude is the first movement from his Suite in D major for solo instrument and basso continuo.

_________________

Offertory Anthem

A New Commandment, Thomas Tallis

A new commandment give I unto you, saith the Lord,
that ye love together, as I have loved you,
that e’en so ye love one another.
By this shall ev’ry man know
that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.

Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) composed for the Church of England in the 16th century. Anglican anthems from this period were expected to have English texts set intelligibly so that the listener could better absorb the meaning of the text. In this anthem, each textual section is stated clearly in homophony or with a voice pairing, then
repeated in imitation.

_________

Communion Anthem

Ubi caritas, Maurice Duruflé

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exultemus et in ipso iucundemur.
Timeamus et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.

Where charity and love are, God is there.
Christ’s love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
Let us fear and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986), who was Titular Organist at Saint- Étienne-du-Mont and Professor of Harmony at the Paris Conservatory. “Ubi caritas” is the first of his Four motets on Gregorian Themes, which is based on the Maundy Thursday antiphon of the same name. Described as “the Debussy of organists,” Duruflé surrounds the ancient chant with colorful, impressionistic harmonies.

_________________

Hymns

Love divine, all loves excelling is by Charles Wesley (1707—1788). The hymn is a prayer: through the incarnate Christ, we pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and ask that we would never be separated from the love of God in Christ, who works in us and through us until our time on earth is done. One of the most loved Welsh tunes, HYFRODOL (here on organ and bagpipe) was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard (1811—1887) in 1830 when he was only nineteen.

O love that will not let me go. At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancée, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She left him. Before losing his sight he had written two books of theology and some feel that if he had retained his sight he could have been the greatest leader of the Church of Scotland in his day. A special providence was that George’s sister offered to care for him. With her help, George left the world of academia for pastoral ministry and wound up preaching to 1500 each week–blind. The day came, however, in 1882, when his sister fell in love and prepared for marriage herself. The evening before the wedding, George’s whole family had left to get ready for the next day’s celebration. He was alone and facing the prospect of living the rest of his life without the one person who had come through for him. On top of this, he was doubtless reflecting on his own aborted wedding day twenty years earlier. In the darkness of that moment George Matheson wrote this hymn. He remarked afterward that it took him five minutes and that it was the only hymn he ever wrote that required no editing. Albert L. Peace (1844-1912), a well-known Scottish organist of his day, wrote the tune ST. MARGARET

For the beauty of the earth was was written by the Anglican layman Folliott Sandford Pierpoint (1835-1911) as a communion hymn. The refrain alludes to the post-communion prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins “O Lord and heavenly father, we thy humble servants entirely desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.” The tune DIX  is by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872).

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XIX: October 18, 2020

October 14, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

The Tribute Money, Rubens

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XIX

October 18, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed.

Lunch outside after 10 AM Mass, weather permitting.

___________________

Organ Prelude

Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir (Lord God, we all praise You), Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)

Johann Pachelbel represents the pinnacle of organ music in 17th-century Southern Germany. A generation before Bach, Pachelbel used chorale tunes as the basis for many of his compositions. This chorale prelude uses the tune OLD HUNDREDTH, played by the pedals below imitative counterpoint in the manuals.

__________

Organ Postlude

Processional in D minor, Robert Lind (b. 1940),

Lind succeeded his mentor, Leo Sowerby, as Organist and Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. James from 1962-1965. Lind has written extensively for the organ while serving various other churches in the Chicago area. This postlude begins with a stately march, followed by a more lyrical contrasting section and a grand recapitulation.

___________________

Offertory Anthem

The Lord’s Prayer, John Sheppard (1515-1558)

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
In earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive them that trespass against us,
And let us not be led into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power,
To Thee be all honor and glory forevermore.
Always so be it.

John Sheppard was an English composer of the early 16th century. This anthem is set largely in imitation with the contour of each melody often reflecting the meaning of the text. For example, “Thy will be done in earth” falls down the scale as if descending from heaven, while the text “as it is in heaven” ascends back up the scale.

_________

Communion Anthem

Ave verum corpus, William Byrd (1543-1623)

Ave verum corpus,
Natum de Maria virgine;
Vere passum immolatum
In crucis pro homine.
Cuius latus perforatum
Unda fluxit sanguine.
Esto nobis praegustatum
In mortis examine.
O dulcis, o pie,
O Jesu Fili Mariae,
Miserere mei. Amen.

Hail, true body,
Born of the virgin Mary;
Who has truly suffered, slaughtered
On the Cross for humanity.
Whose side was pierced,
Pouring out water and blood.
Be a foretaste for us
During our ordeal of death.
O sweet, o holy,
O Jesus Son of Mary,
Have mercy on me. Amen.

William Byrd was a prolific Roman Catholic composer during the musical Renaissance. The composer uses homophony to promote the intelligibility of this sacred text, saving imitation for the final section: a dramatic, repetitive plea for God’s mercy.

___________________

Hymns

Jesus shall reign is by Isaac Watts (1674–1758), who interprets Psalm 72 using a Christological lens. The king referenced in the psalm is Christ, and could be no one else. For Watts, as for the Fathers of the Church, the Old Testament makes sense in light of the New, and vice versa. The tune DUKE STREET was composed by John Warrington Hatton (1710-1793), who supposedly lived on Duke Street in Lancashire, from where his famous tune name comes.

Jesus calls us o’er the tumult is by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895). It contains a revivalist note which was also part of the Oxford Movement, which emphasized the Catholic nature of the Church of England in order to call men to conversion and a holy life. This is a hymn of unmistakable challenge – in its opening three words and its imperatives (‘Christian, love me’, ‘make us hear’). The tune RESTORATION was first printed in William Walker’s Southern Harmony (1835).

Sing praise to God, who reigns above is a translation by Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812—1897) of Sei Lob und Ehr’ dem höchsten Gut by Johann Jacob Schütz (1640-1690). He became a Pietist, and the hymn has the warm, affectionate tone of German Pietism. Using a variety of metaphors for God and for His works, this text overflows with proclamations of God’s loving care for His people. This hymn extols the greatness of God in giving all good things to His people and calls on us to continue to give God the praise He richly deserves.  The tune, MIT FREUDEN ZART, is beloved of the American Moravians. The tune name itself – “with tender joy” – expresses something of the character of the life and music of the Moravians.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XVIII: October 11, 2020

October 5, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XVIII

October 11, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livestreamed.

_________________

Organ Prelude

Aria, G.F. Handel

Organ Postlude

Prelude and Fugue in D major, G.F. Handel

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a renowned German/English composer of the 18th century, whose popularity far exceeded that of J.S. Bach during their lifetime. His eclectic musical style was inspired by studying German counterpoint, writing operas in Italy, and his famed oratorios in England. The prelude, “Aria,” was originally a movement from Handel’s 12th Concerto Grosso for strings. The postlude, “Prelude and Fugue in D major,” begins with a stately fanfare followed by a dance-like fugue in triple meter.

Rejoice in the Lord alway, Anonymous

Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.
Let your softness be known unto all men: the Lord is even at hand.
Be careful for nothing: but in all prayer and supplication,
let your petitions be manifest unto God with giving of thanks.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding
keep your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesu. Amen. 

Although the composer of this work is unknown, this anthem has endured since its composition in the 16th century. Much like an English madrigal, each textual section is set to music that reinforces its meaning: a cheerful “rejoice,” a delicate “softness,” and repetitive, overlapping “petitions” to God.

__________

Communion Anthem

O Taste and See,  John Goss (1800-1880)

O taste and see how gracious the Lord is,
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.
O fear the Lord, ye that are His saints,
For they that fear Him lack nothing.
The lions do lack, and suffer hunger,
But they who seek the Lord
Shall want no manner of thing that is good.

John Goss (1800-1880) was an organist and music professor in 19th century England. The simplicity of this anthem speaks for itself. Goss sets the text syllabically and homophonically so that the delivery of the scripture is paramount. He writes more dissonant harmonies to paint words such as “lion” and hunger,” then returns to the familiar and inviting refrain.

_________________

Hymns

Firmly I believe and truly (NASHOTAH) is adapted from John Henry Newman’s 1865 poem The Dream of Gerontius about the progress of a soul from death to salvation. As an Evangelical, Newman (1801—1890) rejected the doctrines of purgatory and the intercession of saints, but as part of his conversion (1845), he came to a realization of the fullness of the communion of saints: those striving on earth, those being purified by the divine fire, and those in heaven moved by love to pray for those on earth and in purgatory. The poem (Greek Geron: old man), relates the journey of a pious man’s soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory. As the priests and assistants pray the prayers for the dying, Gerontius recites this creed and prays for mercy. Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Deus is from the Good Friday liturgy and is alluded to in the line “him the holy, him the strong.”

_________

O food of men wayfaring is a translation of O esca viatorum, an anonymous Latin hymn first published in 1647. In the first verse, we express the desire to unite with Christ by means of His body, the manna from heaven; in the second, by means of His blood, the fountain of living water that gives us eternal life. In the third verse, we desire the vision of Christ’s face unveiled, whose hidden presence we adore in the eucharistic species.

__________

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing is a translation by Robert Campbell (1814-1868) of the seventh century Latin hymn, Ad regias agni dapes, which was sung by the newly baptized at Easter when they were first admitted to communion. Our victorious King through His death and resurrection has caused the angel of death to pass over us. We are redeemed by His blood, which opens Paradise to us where we will live forever.  The LORD brought Israel out of Egypt through the sea into the promised land by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus through His death brings us through the wilderness of this life by feeding us with Himself, the true manna that comes down from heaven. SALZBURG is by Jakob Hintze (1622-1702), who in 1666 became court musician to the Elector of Brandenburg at Berlin.

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XVII: October 4, 2020

September 29, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments Tags: Andrew Johnson, Partita on Aurelia, Toccata on Aurelia

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XVII

October 4, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be livesteamed.

________________________

Organ Prelude

“Partita on Aurelia,” Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson composed this suite in 2018. Each movement was written to capture the text of “The Church’s One Foundation,” the most recognisable setting of S.S. Wesley’s tune, Aurelia. The first movement introduces the tune in a chorale texture that is reharmonized to reflect the text of verse one, while the second movement is a solo melody with a lush accompaniment to embody the oneness of the second verse. The final movement, today’s postlude, is a joyful exclamation of one day uniting with Christ and the departed in heaven.

Organ Postlude

 “Toccata on Aurelia” A. Johnson

_____________

Offertory

 Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee.
The darkness is no darkness with thee,
but the night is as clear as the day.
The darkness and the light to thee are both alike.
God is light and with him is no darkness at all.
Oh let my soul live, and it shall praise thee,
for thine is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory, for evermore.

Samuel Wesley is the same English organist who wrote today’s closing hymn tune, AURELIA. He came from a rich heritage of musicians and clergy in the Methodist tradition including his grandfather, Charles Wesley. Samuel Sebastian creates a unique musical atmosphere for each textual section, ending with a return of the calming opening refrain.

________

Communion

O sacrum convivium à 6,  Tomás Luis de Victoria  (1548-1611)

“O sacrum convivium,
In quo Christus sumitur,
Recolitur memoria passionis eius;
Mens impletur gratia,
Et futurae gloriae, nobis pignus datur.
Alleluia.

O sacred banquet,
in which Christ is received,
the memory of His Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory is given us.
Alleluia.

Tomás Luis de Victoria was the premiere Spanish composer of Renaissance polyphony in the 16th century. His music mirrors the ideals of smoothness and intelligibility found in Palestrina, but also explores more expressive techniques and text painting. This piece epitomizes the technique of imitation and features frequent voice crossings throughout.

_______________

Hymns

O for a heart to praise my God (AZMON) is by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). This hymn has the Wesleyan emphasis on the religion of the heart, which is transformed by the saving blood of Jesus. The hope for perfection is deeply Wesleyan. The Beatitudes likewise point the Christian to greater and greater perfection: Blessed are the pure of heart, blessed are the meek. Perfection is found in love, because we become sharers of the divine nature, and Jesus reveals the “new, best name” of God, Love. The tune AZMON is an adaptation by Lowell Mason (1792-1872) of a tune by Carl Gotthelf Gläser (1784-1829).

Rock of ages (TOPLADY) has been a stay and comfort in days of peril, and in the hour of death. No other English hymn has had so broad and firm a grasp upon the English-speaking world. It was written by the Rev. Augustus Toplady (1740–1778), a priest of the Church of England. Although Toplady was a Calvinist, the words, “Be of sin the double cure” suggest that he agreed with John Wesley, who taught the “double cure,” in which a sinner is saved by the atonement of Jesus, and cleansed from inbred sin by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, it is held that Toplady drew his inspiration from the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills in England. Toplady, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and wrote down the initial lyrics.

The tune TOPLADY is by the American Thomas Hastings (1784-1872). As a teenager, Hastings led a village choir, taught singing, and was active in the musical society of Oneida County. By 1832 he had moved to New York City where he conducted the Bleeker Street Church and by 1858 the University of New York awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Music. He composed over 600 tunes used for hymns.

The Church’s one foundation (AURELIA) was written by Samuel John Stone (1839—1900) as an expansion of the article in the Creed: “The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of saints.” Bishop Colenso of South Africa had denounced most of the Bible as fictitious; in response Stone wrote this affirmation of the Church, which, although afflicted by heresies and schisms, still reflects the unity of the Trinity and the glory of the Church Triumphant in heaven. The tune AURELIA is by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810—1876), the son of the composer Samuel Wesley, and grandson of Methodist hymnwriter Charles Wesley.

 

Leave a Comment

Mount Calvary Music: Trinity XVI: September 27, 2020

September 23, 2020 in hymns, Mount Calvary Church, Music No Comments

The Parable of the Two Sons

Mount Calvary Church

A Roman Catholic Parish

The Personal Ordinariate of S. Peter

Eutaw Street and Madison Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland

Rev. Albert Scharbach, Pastor

Andrew Johnson, Organist and Music Director

Trinity XVI

September 27, 2020

8:00 A.M. Said Mass

10:00 A.M. Sung Mass

This mass will be live streamed.

___________________

Organ Prelude

Trio Sonata in E-flat major: Allegro moderato, J.S. Bach

This piece is the first of six trio sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach. This particular style of composition mimics the quality of having three solo baroque instrumentalists playing at the same time, requiring the organist to have complete independence of their right hand, left hand, and feet. The first movement, “Allegro moderato,” passes the motive between voices in a playful manner while the third movement, “Allegro,” is even more light-hearted than the first.

_________

Organ Postlude

Allegro, J.S. Bach

________________

Offertory Anthem

Christus factus est,  Felice Anerio

Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen.

Christ became obedient for us unto death, even death on the cross. Therefore God exalted him and gave him a name which is above all names.

Felice Anerio (1560-1614) was an Italian composer of the late 16th century. This motet shows clear influence of Palestrina, though Anerio’s use of dissonance and sudden textural contrasts point to his own interest in Italian madrigals. The first section depicts Christ’s death on the cross through suspensions, or musical sighing. The second half shifts to a light dance-like meter to proclaim God’s exalted.

__________

Communion Anthem

If ye love me, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may ‘bide with you forever, e’en the spirit of truth.

Thomas Tallis composed for the Church of England in the 16th century. Anglican anthems from this period were expected to have English texts set intelligibly. Tallis achieves this clarity through the use of homophony, where all voices speak at the same time, and short repetitive sections of imitation, where voice parts overlap. This piece remains among the composer’s most well-known and programmed works.

_______________

Hymns

All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine. The Episcopal priest Francis Bland Tucker (1896-1984), a native Virginian, who received his education at the University of Virginia and Virginia Theological Seminary, wrote this metrical version of Philippians 2:5-11, the Kenosis Hymn, or hymn of self-emptying “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ENGLEBERG by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924).

Soul of my Saviour. The author of this hymn is unknown, and the earliest date to which it has been assigned is the 14th century. St. Ignatius of Loyola frequently referred to it.  It is believed that Jesuit priest William J. Maher (1823- 1877) composed the tune ANIMA CHRISTI around 1863.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, a paraphrase of Psalms 103 and 150, was written by Joachim Neander (1650—1680), the first hymn writer of the German Reformed Church. A valley was renamed in his honor in the early nineteenth century, and later became very famous in 1856 because of the discovery of the remains of Homo neanderthalensis, or the Neanderthal discovered in that valley. The hymn was Englished by the indefatigable translator of German hymns, Catherine Winkworth (1827—1878). She began translating hymn texts into the English language during the early years of the Oxford movement.

The anonymous tune LOBE DEN HERRN appeared in the 1665 edition of Praxis pietatis melica (Practice of Piety in Song). a Protestant hymnal first published in the 17th century by Johann Crüger.

 

Leave a Comment
< 1 2 3 4 5 >»

Subscribe


 

Categories

RECENT ENTRIES

  • Mothering Sunday 2022
  • A Long History of Woe
  • The Case of the Canoodling Cleric
  • Mount Calvary Music: Easter II: April 11, 2021
  • Racism as the New Communism
  • Death by Gunshot
  • Migration: No Easy Answers
  • Mount Calvary Music: Lent I: January 21, 2021
  • Mount Calvary Music: Quinquagesima February 14, 2021
  • Mount Calvary Music: Epiphany III: January 24, 2021

Blogroll

  • A Twitch Upon the Thread
  • Abuse Tracker
  • All Things Catholic
  • American Papist
  • Ampersand
  • Catholic and Enjoying It
  • Catholic Culture
  • Catholic Edition
  • Catholic Online
  • Christianity Today
  • Disputations
  • DotCommonweal
  • First Principles
  • First Things – On The Square
  • Front Porch Republic
  • GetReligion
  • InsideCatholic
  • Kath.net
  • Mere Comments
  • National Catholic Register
  • National Catholic Reporter
  • New Oxford Review
  • NovAntiqua
  • Patrick Madrid
  • Pontifications
  • Reditus a Chronicle of Aesthetic Christianity
  • Rod Dreher Crunchy Con
  • Ross Douthat
  • Stephenscom
  • The Catholic Thing
  • The Crossland Foundation
  • The Curious Gaze
  • Via Media
  • Whispers in the Loggia

Reviews and Comments of Podles' new book: SACRILEGE

  • Julia Duin, of The Washington Times, on Lee Podles’ Sacrilege
Leon J. Podles :: DIALOGUE
© Leon J. Podles :: DIALOGUE 2022
Powered by WordPress • Themify WordPress Themes

↑ Back to top