MUSIC NOTES FOR THE TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST November 12, 2017

• Choral Music: Zion hört die Wächter singen – J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
• A Hymn of Peace - Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

Sunday’s anthem is the fourth movement of Bach’s Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf. We will sing this cantata in its entirety during our service of Advent Lessons and Carols on December 3rd. You may be familiar with the hymn tune, as we sing it during the Advent season here at the cathedral, but you may not be familiar with the way Bach has rendered it here. Using a musical technique known as augmentation, Bach increased the note values of the tune and set it in the midst of a lovely accompaniment of faster notes. The tenors and basses of the choir will sing the chorale (hymn) tune while the organ plays the accompaniment. The text of the chorale is a perfect match for our Gospel lesson this Sunday which tells the parable of the ten bridesmaids. We hope that this colorful imagery will help to bring the reading to life for you.
 
“Zion hears the watchmen sing, 
her heart leaps for joy within her, 
she wakens and hastily arises.
Her glorious Friend comes from heaven, 
strong in mercy, powerful in truth,
her light becomes bright, her star rises. 
Now come, precious crown, 
Lord Jesus, the Son of God! 
Hosannah!
We all follow 
to the hall of joy 
and hold the evening meal together.”
-          P. Nicolai (1556-1608), tr. ©Pamela Dellal
Used by permission.
 
In lieu of an instrumental highlight this week, I want to draw attention to a second choral piece that has special meaning for us this Sunday. It is, A Hymn of Peace, by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The tune, known as Finlandia, is found in Sibelius’ symphonic poem by the same name. The true significance for us comes from the lyrics, however. They were penned in 1934 by Lloyd Stone (1912-1993), an American poet. These lyrics express a love for our country, but they also show understanding of the patriotism of others in other lands, and they express a hope for eventual peace. Being written in 1934, the winds of war in Europe were already stirring, and so this adds even greater significance. Now, 83 years later, there continues to be tumult between nations and blind fervor continues to drive different factions toward conflict. Lives continue to be lost in wars across the world. As we remember and honor our veterans this weekend, it is our hope that Stone’s text will help us remember to work toward a day when the nations can put aside conflict and live in peace.
 

• Congregational Music: “Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us – Wachet auf

If the tune name of this hymn sounds familiar, it should! It is not a coincidence that Bach’s Cantata 140 bears the same title as this hymn. The previously mentioned technique of an augmented chorale melody within a larger musical framework is used in the first movement of the cantata as well as in the above-mentioned fourth movement. While we will not hear the first movement on Sunday, we will sing the tune that serves as its foundation, Wachet auf, or, “Sleepers, wake!” This tune is rather long for a chorale, and it is regarded as one of the two greatest chorale tunes. It can be found in its original form at hymn number 62 in The Hymnal 1982 and in its present form at number 61. The difference between the original tune and the present one is interesting, but Bach’s brilliant harmonization has sealed the deal – the Bach version is the one that has endured and found its place in churches across the world. Notice that the lyrics move beyond the parable of the ten bridesmaids and on to the images found in the book of Revelation, “Twelve great pearls, the city’s portals.”  Musical highlights include the rhythmic change to elongate the words, “alleluia,” when they appear.