December 10, 1995: "A Dialogue of One" by Samuel Hazo
Pennsylvania's poet laureate wrote this in a program of the International Poetry Forum.
Is it not possible to say that those things that are done without hope of recognition or reward may be deserving of our attention for just this reason? Any act of heroism, for example, would qualify. Similarly, what is written --not for so many dollars per word, not for fame, not for approval, certainly not for what is conventionally called social acceptance--may deserve our utmost attention because such writing has no other reason to exist except the fact that it does. This usually means that it came to be out of pure necessity. And those things that are mothered by necessity and fathered by talent and vision may be--just may be--the most important phenomena that can possibly exist. Love has such a parentage. And so does poetry. There is nothing absract or otherworldly about it. It is as sure as a pulsebeat, as involuntary as breathing, as real as honest sweat, as quick as a blink.
December 7, 1995: "The Hymn of the Month - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus"
The lyrics of this advent hymn were penned in 1744 by Charles Wesley. Besides studying at Oxford, sailing to Georgia to be a missionary to the American Indians and founding the Methodists with his brother John, he also found time to write 6,500 hymns! The Wesleys believed that hymns had "tremendous use in arousing sinners, encouraging saints, and educating all in the mysteries of Christian faith," [Bailey: 1950] so they began publishing small tracts of Charles' hymns which were later compiled into a hymnbook called, "A Collection of Hymns for the use of the People called Methodists" (which is available on Harry Plantinga's web site - http://ccel.wheaton.edu/books/).
You'll notice that there are two tunes in Bellefield's hymnbook The Hymnbook, 1940for the text "Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus," one of which is "Hyfrydol," a former hymn(tune) of the month. This week, however, we will be singing the text to the early American tune "Arise," which is commonly found with the text "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy."
November 29, 1995: The Christmas Canticles
November 16, 1995: "Now Thank We All Our God"
Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) was the Bishop of Eilenberg, Germany during the Thirty Years' War. Since Eilenberg was a walled city it became a place of refuge for fugitives of the war, and also a place of famine and disease due to overcrowding. In 1637 at the height of their misery, Rinkart was the only clergyman left in the city who could perform the 40 or 50 necessary burial services daily -- one of which was for his wife. As if that weren't enough, the city was sacked three times by invaders, one of which imposed a large tribute payment upon the people. During this time, Rinkart managed to find the time to write 7 dramas and 66 hymns.
The hymn "Nun danket alle Gott" was originally titled "Tisch-Gebetlein," or a "little prayer before the meal." This humble prayer of thanksgiving is laid out simply and beautifully in the first verse, but it's the next two verses that expand the hymn's focus and have given it its lasting appeal. You can see the Thirty Years' War pressing on his mind in verse two:
And keep us in His grace,After a verse of thanks, and a verse that asks for strength during the trials of life, he ends with a paraphrase of the doxology as if to say, "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, may the name of the Lord be praised."
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.
November 9,1995: "Bread of the World" Series (from a Bellefield Presbyterian
bulletin)
Reginald Heber was born in 1783 into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright
youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven,
entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there.
After his graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of
Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years.
He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years
until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke.
Most of his 57 hymns, which include "Holy, Holy, Holy," are still in use today.
1. Bread of the world in mercy broken,
Wine of the soul in mercy shed,
By whom the words of life were spoken,
And in whose death our sins are dead:2. Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
Look on the tears by sinners shed;
And be Thy feast to us the token
That by Thy grace our souls are fed.
This, the second in our "Bread of the World" series comes from the German Romantic, Robert Franz (1815-1892). Although his reputation has diminished in time compared to his contemporaries, he was much admired in his own lifetime by fellow Lied composer Schumann who helped him find his first publisher and Liszt who gave benefit concerts to offset the financial troubles Franz experienced later in his life due to a nerve disorder and hearing loss. His music is recognized for the prominence and warmth of melodic line, formal balance, and understated emotion; all of which can be felt in this choral setting that comes from a song originally entitled "Widmung." ("Dedication")
October 7, 1995: A CFAMC "messiah"
this appeared the the Christian
Fellowship of Art Music Composers' newsletter "the CONCERTed OFFERING"
There was a lot of discussion at the CFAMC conference about the hope that a Christian composer, dubbed the CFAMC "messiah" would rise into places of musical power in order to have a more effective testimony among those people. While I think it is an admirable goal, I have seen three results from the rise of a Christian artist that may point out problems with this plan of action.
The first is that the artist is viewed as eccentric. Messiaen, who was referred throughout the conference as an example of a Christian who has risen to the top, is from what I have heard also somewhat strange. His love of birds and bird calls permeates his music as much as his references to his religious beliefs, and there are stories of him missing premieres because he was engrossed in transcribing new bird songs at local aviaries. This, of course, doesn't negate his witness, but I think his mystical references to Christ are seen as part of a larger, somewhat bizarre persona, rather than as a testimony of salvation.
Rev. Howard Finster, from the so-called "outsider art" school is an artist that wears his Christianity on his sleeve. Though his art is riddled with scripture and the paintings clearly depict Biblical stories, he has become very popular through his album designs for rock groups such as the Talking Heads and his work was even featured in an Absolut Vodka advertisement. At a local exhibit of his work I got a chance to ask the gallery owner (a non-Christian) what he thought about Finster's faith. The astounding thing was that he ignored it! Even though the scriptures in the paintings were clearly meant as an earnest condemnation of the sinfulness our world, the man refused to consider the implications of holding an exhibit that flew in the face of both his and his patrons' beliefs!
The third example is Bob Dylan. There was a lot of excitement when Dylan converted to Christianity, but after two gospel albums and a tour in which he refused to sing any of his old songs, rumors started that he had gone back to Judaism. Later in an interview, he expressed bitterness at the Christian community for not allowing him to be himself -- he felt that he was being used for his witness, and was therefore being pressured to remain vocal about his faith even though he was uncomfortable with the role that they were trying to force on him. This is a very important point -- artists tend to be individualists and even though we may find a Christian rising to the top of the compositional world, he or she may not feel comfortable as a spokesperson for Christianity in the way that we would like.
This is not to say that God can't or won't raise up an excellent composer that will change the secular music world, but God's ways are not our ways. As I see it, our job is not to decide how God should move, but to be prepared when he does. This entails being the very best that we can be with the skills that God has given us. It also means that Christ should permeate our compositional lives as well as our day to day lives.
And maybe in the end God has something much bigger for us than we can anticipate. Perhaps instead of changing the existing structures, he wants us to create an entirely new way of making music, one that makes the our secular colleagues stop and wonder how we do what we do, which will make them conclude that only the Spirit could give life to such a music.
Have you ever wondered why you use the names Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms to connotate compositional excellence? Why not Frescobaldi, Franck, or Faure? This question is at the heart of any discussion of canons -- musical or otherwise. How can we look at one work and say it was created by a genius and should therefore be included in a every textbook on the subject, while we view another work as competently written which perhaps served a purpose at the time, but should be allowed to fade into obscurity while we concentrate on the "geniuses" of the past?
Now, don't get me wrong -- I would rather listen to Brahms than Rossini any day; in fact, Rossini makes my skin crawl -- but I think we often go too far in dilineating genius from non-genius. For instance, since Mozart is a "genius" we have elevated anything that came from his pen as a work of genius, which means we are also subjected to the drivel he wrote when he was 12. I would much rather listen to a "second-rate" composer's mature works than the early works of Mozart. We are missing out on a lot of good music because we spend so much time falling prostrate before the shrines of genius.
But that's getting off the subject. What I really want to say is that you can understand the making of a canon by observing those that create the canon. In the musical world, you find German composers elevated to the status of genius much more frequently because the theorists that make the canon value Germanic ideals in music. You can point to the intricacy of a Bach fugue much more easily than trying to explain why Debussy simply moves you. Is one better than the other? I don't think so. But in the minds of those that hold the power Bach is the better composer.
These examples are a bit too nebulous to really draw conclusions from and besides, nobody would say, "Bach is a better composer because you can point out tricky musical devices he uses, and this is valuable to someone like myself trained in the German aesthetic," but the basic premises we have shape our opinions on what is worthwhile and eventually work their influence. For instance, in the realm of modern music Messiaen is about the only composer that I've ever studied in a classroom that didn't hold an academic position. Does this mean that there are no composers outside of universities that are worth my time? I think it's more likely that the academic theorists/composers that taught those classes also taught me to value what they value: academia.
All this proves (quite eloquently, I might add) that women hold the power when it comes to the canon of color. Now before you call me a misogynist, ask any man if his wardrobe changed after he was married. Have him relate the trials and tribulations: "that doesnt' match, put on another shirt, "that's not green, it's olive," "I know the colors match, but the texture of the fabrics are ALL OFF!" Yes, when it comes to color men have no say. I believe at some point early in the century the women of the world got together and decided that they would oppress men with their color sensibilities. Since that time, men who had previously had a sense of fashion, even great men who had designed flags and painted paintings were ridiculed the world over by wives, mothers, sisters and girlfriends.
In conclusion, the same type of societal forces that place busts of Beethoven on pianos across the world force you to change your socks which looked brown to you, but evidently have maroon overtones which make them clash horribly with your brown pants which have some other overtone which you also can't see.
The music publishing industry loses millions of dollars a year due to illegal photocopying, and they will continue to lose money until they update their way of doing business.
I'm sure many of you have had a similar experience: those 5 extra copies of a piece still haven't arrived even though you ordered them a month ago, and now, twenty minutes before rehearsal starts, you approach the photocopier with a sense of guilt and shame as you lower the music onto the machine. "PHOTOCOPYING MUSIC IS ILLEGAL" screams the title page -- but what else can you do? Cancel the choir on Sunday? Have your choir members learn a piece they can't take home and practice? Have them memorize it?
The fact is, the system no longer works. There is no reason in this day of instant everything that you should wait more than a week for a piece of music. But you do. There is no reason to expend energy in printing and transporting music that may or may not be bought. But there is. There is no reason that a musical group should pay extra for overnight shipping on a piece that was back ordered. But they will. And there is no reason for a piece to go out of print. Yet still it continues... Is there a better way? I think so. What was formerly a product based industry must become a service based industry. As I see it, music publishing should restructure to like this:
The Publisher - Instead of being a printer of music, they become an owner of rights in the same way a pop music publisher is. They buy rights to a piece, typeset it and store it electronically.
The Middle Man - Currently the middle man is the retailer who marks up the price of the music 50% for the cost/risk of storing it. The middle man (and his cost) could essentially be eliminated if publishers made preview copies available for free and then charged for the right to reproduce enough copies for your choir. This is essentially what currently happens with permanently out-of-print music. You call the publisher that owns the rights and they send you a contract allowing you to print x number of copies. Of course, a new type of middleman would crop up: subscription based online databases of music would appear, "headhunters" that would help you find the music you need, or perhaps negotiators who would work out the contracts between publisher and purchaser. So there WILL be jobs for all the displaced retailers!
The Customer - would be happy. They would have libraries of preview music and would be able to buy rights to any of those pieces within minutes rather than waiting for copies to get from publisher to retailer to them. There should also be a substantial cut in end cost, access to reams of out-of-print or back ordered music, no moral dilemmas, and exciting possibilities like music made available free on the Internet.
The Danish hymnwriter, Nicholai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872) was more famous during his lifetime for his eloquent preaching, his work in education, and his defense of Christianity in a time of religious unbelief than he was for his hymn writing. In fact, this hymn is the only one that is commonly used today. It first appeared in "Sang-Vaerk til den Danske Kirke" (1837) and in 1840 this hymn tune was written by Ludvig Mathias Lindeman (1812-1887). Besides being an organ virtuouso, Lindeman compiled several volumes of Norwegian folk tunes whose influence one can hear in this melody.
The Danish name of this hymn is "Kirken Den Er Gammelt Hus" which means literally, "Church it is an old house." The words remind us that the church is not only a physical building, but a body of believers established through the ages by Christ and a temple where Christ resides within us.
September 9, 1995: Letter of resignation
I used to play contrabass
with a local symphony until I decided that I had had enough of big time egos in
small time orchestras. Why can't people just make music?
Dear (Orchestra Manager and Board),
I have been playing with the symphony for five years, and it is with great reluctance that I inform you of my decision not to play this season. I wanted to put some of my concerns about the (Anytown) Symphony Orchestra in writing in the hopes that it will give some insight into a player's perspective and ultimately help the group grow.
What started as good musical experience has become increasingly less satisfying as (Mr. Conductor) becomes more difficult to work with. It is evident that his preparation and dedication to the (Anytown) Symphony have waned as his responsibilities elsewhere have increased, and instead of correcting the problem he has chosen to blame the players for his own inadequacies. You may think I'm referring to the night last year that he blew up during a rehearsal, but I wasn't there. Instead, I have been observing his consistent behavior of ridiculing older players that don't meet his standards, blacklisting players with whom he has personal problems, and not taking responsibility for the level of a group for which he has ultimate control.
Since the symphony can't offer the same pay that has caused many good players to leave for other symphonies, it must think of other ways to attract and keep players. The things that make a player loyal to a group are a belief in the musical vision and a sense that they belong to the group. The contract we received this season seemed like an attempt to force us into loyalty. How can we be asked to make this symphony our priority when the conductor himself is juggling three groups? And why are we asked to submit to auditions and probationary periods when the conductor answers to no one about his behavior or musicality? It is a deal in which we can only lose. In fact, it is clear that players are only hired hands and not a respected part of the larger artistic picture. Can you blame them that they leave the orchestra for the first better financial offer they receive?
Player loyalty will only increase if they see it modeled in the leadership. I don't see any commitment to the community of (Anytown) or the community of the players. I don't even see commitment to much of the music we perform. Until (Mr. Conductor) is either willing to make the (Anytown) Symphony and its players a priority or step down from his position as conductor, the group can only decline.
I have a friend who is a horn player, and he was complaining about auditions where you compete against hundreds of other players for the handful of symphonic positions that open up each year. Then I thought about the life of the composer: not only do you have to compete with hundreds of other living composers, but there are thousands of dead ones that audiences would rather hear.
It's easy to become depressed: on the one hand I have no choice but compose since I have music running through my veins, on the other hand there is very little interest or market for my music. I was moping about my general situation the other day, concentrating specifically on a possible performance that had fallen through, when I stumbled across an article by Christian singer, Charlie Peacock. It was called "A Vision for the Artistic Disciple" (Prism Magazine vol.2 no.4, March/April 1995) and in it he discusses the marks of a Christian artist. One particular paragraph jumped off the page:
So let's not look to our colleagues, our audience, or our earnings to measure our success, let's look to the Lord who gave us everything we have, and give Him the offering of our faithfulness.
July 4, 1995: Why I hate this world (this is email I sent to a friend shortly after I was threatened with a lawsuit)
Steph,
About a week ago I
decided that a 1940s Medley I had written for (a performing group) shouldn't
just lie dormant, and since I didn't like it enough to go through the hassle of
getting permission to publish it I thought it would be nice to offer it free to
the people on the Choralist. They would get some good music free, the publisher
would get performance royalties, and I would have made the world a better place.
So I offer it to the choralist and about 20 people wrote and said they'd like to
see it. One guy posted to the whole list that I was walking on dangerous ground
in terms of copyright, but I figured that it was a legal venture so I ignored
him, especially because I thought it was really uncool to direct that to the
whole list instead of me.
Anyways, today I get e-mail from (Big Wig) Publishers that said they owned the copyright to two of the 5 songs and that if I didn't withdraw my offer in writing withing 7 business days their lawyers would contact me! I was astounded. I mean they're talking about suing me!
Luckily I hadn't sent out the packets yet, but if they really want to pursue this they could cause trouble for me. Amy's really worried, and I have to say that I'm not too peaceful about it either. But the stuff that really bothers me is:
1) That someone from the Choralist would rat on me. It's one thing to
warn me privately and point me to sources where I can read about the legality of
the arrangement, it's quite another to go straight to the publisher. It would be
like going to a colleagues concert and looking for photocopies.
2) That the
laws are so obscure and convoluted that someone of my experience would be
unaware that they were breaking the law.
3) That the law is always on the
side of the "haves" and the "have-nots" have to defend themselves. (Big Wig
Publisher) has enough money to hire lawyers that make them aware of the law, and
that can pursue anybody they wish. I don't. I can only lose.
4) That the
law inhibits artistic expression. Now I'm not saying that this medley was art,
but they principle has larger repercussions. For instance, in rap everybody gets
sued for sampling; but it's a part of the art form and to require someone to get
permission before they make a groove sucks. Figure out some way to track the
amount used and then bill the rapper later. Just like you would pay for paper,
cassettes and other material.
5) The law is unrealistic. Right after Amy
and I got done talking about the situation, and I was trying to explain how easy
it is to break the law, the waiters came to the table next to us and sang "Happy
Birthday." Did you know there was a suit against the Spaghetti Warehouse for
singing that? It's still under copyright and they were singing it without paying
royalties. So where does it stop?
6) I hate having to worry about
litigation. Amy says I shouldn't get involved in stuff like this, but I say that
you could get sued at any time. People have gotten sued by robbers that trip in
their houses! Is anybody immune? The point is that I want to make a difference
in this crummy little world of ours, and one of the ways I do that is to be
involved in music. For instance, I have a plan to create an archive of scanned
choir music that is out of copyright. I think it is a great service and one that
is legal. Or is it? Maybe publishers will be mad that I'm doing it and will
study my archives until they find a piece that is in question. Then they'll sue
me.
This is why i hate the world.
-greg
REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD)
Group Name: rec.music.christian.church
Status: unmoderated
Distribution: world-wide
Summary: inter-denominational discussion of church music
CHARTER
The purpose of the proposed group is to give a medium of discussion, support, and education for those that are active in the musical life of the christian church. The newsgroup will include discussion of all forms of worship (whether traditional or contemporary), all styles of music (hymns, choral, praise, etc) and any other topic that is relevant to the church musician. Excluded will be discussion of christian popular music, which is already covered in "rec.music.christian."
RATIONALE
The overwhelming response recieved from an informal inquiry about a church music group (150 positive responses) shows that this is a much needed group. Though some posts to "rec.music.christian" concern music for use in the church, most discussion centers around christian popular music. Mailing lists such as "choralist" delve further into the musical topics that are of use to the church choir director, but don't deal with non-choral worship music or other aspects of music in the church life. There is a definate need for a forum that centers around the position peculiar to the church musician. A group encompassing all styles of music and all denominations gives a broad enough focus that it will ensure steady traffic and also provide an opportunity for those from various church backgrounds to learn from each other.
May 18, 1995: Hymn of the Month - "For the Beauty of the Earth"
Folliett Sandford Pierpoint originally wrote this hymn for use during the Communion of the High Anglican Church. The original refrain "Christ, our God, to thee we raise; This our sacrifice of praise" was meant to mirror the portrayal of Christ's ultimate sacrifice -- just as the host would be lifted during the communion as a token of God's gift to us, a "sacrifice of praise" would be lifted in return. Later editions of the text emphasize the thanksgiving aspect of the verses.
March 22, 1995: The King of Love my Shepherd Is
"The King of Love" is one of my favorite hymns. If I had to pick a hymn of the year, or even life, it would be this. It's not only a moving text and beautiful music, but it's an excellent example of how a Psalm can be used as the basis for modern Christian worship. The writer takes the image of the shepherd used in Psalm 23 and expands it to show how Jesus completes the allusion. For instance, the table that is prepared for the Psalmist becomes the communion table with the overflowing cup and celestial food of Jesus' sacrifice. The rod and staff that comforted the Psalmist become the cross of our salvation.
The writer of these words was Sir Henry Williams Baker who lived from 1821-1877 and served most of his life as a pastor of Monkland Priory Church in Herefordshire, England. He was the first son of Sir Henry Loraine Baker who was an admiral in the British navy. Since Monkland was away from the bustle of the city, it gave Baker time for scholarly pursuits, much of which centered around hymnody. He was the driving force behind the Anglican "Hymns Ancient and Modern" (1861), contributing hymns, tunes, and translations as well as compiling and editing the hymnbook.
His last words in this life were taken from a stanza of "The King of Love:"
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
Hymn of the Month - "O Sing a Song of Bethlehem"
The tune "Kingsfold" is an old English folk song which was arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams for "The Church Hymnary," published in 1906, and later used in the Presbyterian Hymnal. I don't know which of the many texts was the original, or if like many folk songs there are variations that depend upon where and when the song is sung.
The four verses of "O Sing a Song of Behlehem" discuss four different periods in Christ's life:
1) birth (O sing a song of Bethlehem)
2) childhood (O sing a song of Nazareth)
3) ministry (O sing a song of Galilee)
4) death and resurrection (O sing a song of Calvary)
The difficulty of using this hymn text is that it spans from Advent to Easter liturgically, making some of the verses seem out of place at any time in the year. However, since January takes us from Christmastide into Epiphany, and our text from John discusses the beginning of Jesus' ministry, we have 3 out of 4 verses covered. At the end of the month we will sing some alternative texts to the "Kingsfold" tune.
January 3, 1995: The State of the Compositional Union (I often unleash my compositional insecurities and ravings on my friend Steph)
Steph,
I'm
really depressed. I've spent the whole day trying to make practice tapes for my
stupid choir and everything that could go wrong has which makes me mad, but the
thing that makes me depressed is my music. So I need some advice.
You see, I keep writing music, much of which is quite good if I don't say so myself, but I seem to lack overall direction. Partly it stems from having an avenue of success. If one of my musical styles were to become popular or meet some kind of success, I would concentrate on that avenue. But right now I'm partially successful in multiple styles.
-greg
I can't find Steph's response to my email, but here's my response to it:
Steph,
You think you were being
incoherent, but your advice was excellent. Writing to you yesterday helped me
sort out what I was thinking, which helped me talk it through with Amy, and what
you wrote today confirmed the things that we had talked about.
What it boils down to is that I have a need to compose. Amy asked the question, "What do I want from composition?" Which really helped me think about the larger question of why I do what I do. I don't do it for fame or posterity, I do it for two reasons 1) I love and need to write music, and 2) I want to connect with an audience of some kind. The basic problem I have at this point is that I am very limited in what I write because of my resources (novice choir, sight-read classical performances, pedestrian equipment) and I don't have access to an audience.
After talking about it I realized that I would be happy living a life like Bach and the composers of his time did. They were hired by churches and courts to write for occasions. They were craftsmen for hire rather than artists. What this translates into in modern day terms is that I would be happy working my whole life as a church music director as long as a good portion of my job was composition and I had a higher level of musicianship to work with.
The things I gleaned from the last few days is that I need to expand. In terms of musical "tracks" I think church music is the best fit for me. I like its variety, I believe the message, and my consonant style fits in. I'm going to keep applying to jobs in the hopes that I find something with better financial and musical horizons. Until then, I'll continue writing for the choir and putting those pieces in my catalog; but I'll also try to branch out and do some outside stuff that I'll find satisfying. I think I want to do some Internet stuff because I wouldn't have to have CD quality sound and it might expose my music to people that would be willing to collaborate on interesting multimedia projects. I might also try to get a grant for something outrageous just to see if I could get some money. I would really like to do an installation.
Other than that, I think I'll concentrate my resources on accumulating recording equipment. We're going to get a hi-fi VCR because they're the next best thing to DAT and they only cost $100 more than normal VCRs (which we're getting anyways). Maybe the next step after that would be to get a used high-quality 4 or 8 track. At that point I would have the basic stuff to do some decent recordings. Anyways, this is my life up until this point...
Thanks once again for the
help.
-greg
PS - It means a lot to me that you think highly of my music. I can talk to Amy about stuff, but I know that music doesn't move her in the same way it moves me. She likes my music because she loves me, but if she heard it on the radio she wouldn't get excited. But you and I like music for similar reasons, and we feel passionately about what makes music great or terrible, and you're also an excellent musician yourself. (I'm not just saying that -- I don't think I've worked with anybody else that's had as finely tuned intuitions as you.) So it gives me hope that I've not only become competant in making notes fit together, but the actual ideas are of some value.