September 4, 2022

The prelude will be based on the day's Gospel hymn, "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" - a bright setting by Wibur Held, whose music I often use.  Mr. Held was prolific and both professor of organ at Ohio State and organist at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio, for 30 years, living to 100 (d. 2014).

Our very old (18th c.) processional hymn, "Hail, thou once despised Jesus" (495), relates to the day's reading from Hebrews.

The anthem, a setting of "Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us", is by the amazing Calvin Hampton (1938-1984), who was organist at Calvary Episcopal in Manhattan and famous for his weekly MIDNIGHT organ recitals there, which they say were packed. He wrote FIVE hymns in our '82 hymnal, ones we don't know and will begin learning this fall by having the choir sing them during communion.  Yes, he only lived 45 years and was ill the last few. Even the NY Philharmonic performed a major work of his.

Notes for the communion hymns played on harp and the 3rd also sung by Audy Walker, are separate, courtesy of Martha Bailey.  They are most interesting.

 Our closing hymn, " All glory be to God on high" (421), is an old 16th century tune with 20th century text.

The postlude, a JS Bach setting of Neumark's "If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee" (635 in our hymnal), is most familiar to us. Neumark passed on just before Bach was born.  I enjoy playing this Bach setting fairly often, though I must say that the Neumark harmonization (in our hymnal) is just as fine!  Bach does add another more complex variation of it though.

Notes on the communion hymns

History Behind Dear Lord and Father of Mankind Hymn
The author of this beautiful and well-loved hymn, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”, is John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-92). He was from Massachusetts and wrote poetry and found early inspiration from Robert Burns. He spent time as a journalist and editor and became Secretary of the American Anti-Slavery Society. This hymn was written against the background of boisterous revival meetings of the time.

The Story Behind My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Ray Palmer, a later doctor of theology, and Lowell Mason, a doctor of music, met in Boston in 1830. Mason inquired to Palmer if he had any lyrics that could be inserted for Spiritual Songs for Social Worship, a compilation that was being prepared by Mason and Thomas Hastings for publication within a couple years.

Palmer presented Mason his leather book containing his poem, "My Faith Looks Up to Thee," originally in six stanzas. The two men walked into a shop so Mason could obtain a transcript of Palmer’s words. It wasn’t until he arrived home that evening that the forthwith celebrated stanzas were read, and Mason immediately wrote the tune OLIVET, the only melody ever performed with Palmer’s poem. Palmer believed his hymn flourished since it “embodied, in appropriate and simple language that which is most central in all true Christian experience—the act of faith in the divine Redeemer—the entrusting of the individual soul to Him entirely and forever.”

Charlotte Elliott (18 March 1789 – 22 September 1871) was an English poet, hymn writer, and editor. She is best known by two hymns, "Just As I Am" and "Thy will be done". Elliott edited Christian Remembrancer Pocket Book (1834–59) and The Invalid's Hymn book, 6th edition, 1854. To this latter collection, she contributed 112 hymns including "Just As I Am, without one plea", a hymn dated 1836, which was translated into almost every living language of the day. In spite of being raised in a Christian home, she reflected on her conflicts and doubts and was unsure of her relationship with Christ. So, she penned her words of assurance about Jesus loving her "just as she was". William B. Bradbury composed music for her lyrics and published the song in 1849. The hymn was translated into many languages, with tens of thousands of people committing their lives to Christ during the playing of it. She also wrote "My God and Father while I stray", 1834, in the same collection. Elliott was the author of Hymns for a week, 1837, 40th thousand, 1871; Hours of Sorrow, 1836 and many later editions, Poems by C. E., 1863. An invalid for many years, her life was filled with deeds of beneficence. She shrank from everything ostentatious, nearly all her books having been issued anonymously.