Sound of Majesty Bonus: The Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale

Those of you who are in the Chicagoland area can check out the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Glen-Ellyn Wheaton Chorale this Friday or Saturday. Tickets are just $15 in advance, with discounts for students and seniors.

The chorale is directed by Sound of Majesty host Greg Wheatley.

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Promotional Video
featuring Greg Wheatley



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Excerpt from Vivaldi's Gloria
The Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale

UPDATE #2: Sound of Majesty Celebrates Bach's Birthday!

UPDATE:  Audio issues have been resolved and the show is now posted.

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Sound of Majesty will have it's entire program devoted to everyone's favorite Kantor.

You can catch the live broadcast at Midnight ET tonight over at moodyradiochicago.fm. Not planning to be up that late? The show will post here today and be archived here tomorrow.

And remember Iggy's soon-to-be-famous saying, "If it ain't baroque, fix it!"

Here's the Agnus Dei from Bach's "Mass in b-minor" (German: Messe en h-moll), complete with a bonafide countertenor (in other words, a male alto). One could do a series of posts just on this section, but this blogger has enough unfinished things on his plate, so just enjoy!

Sound of Majesty: Lessons and Carols from King's College in Cambridge

Recorded in 1978, Sound of Majesty will broadcast Lessons and Carols from Cambridge, England on December 24, 2009.

Some local stations have elected to run wall-to-wall Christmas music apart from their regular programming, but if you are reading this you can probably listen via the on-line archive, which is already posted for your convenience.

You can find a direct link to the broadcast here, and a direct link to the program list here.

Adam lay ybounden

Bounden in a bond;

Four thousand winter,

Thought he not too long.

And all was for an apple

An apple that he took.

As clerkes finden,

Written in their book.

Ne had the apple taken been

The apple taken been,

Ne had never our ladie,

Abeen heav'ne queen.

Blessed be the time

That apple taken was,

Therefore we moun singen.

Deo gracias!

Advent IV: Sound of Majesty

As is the tradition, Sound of Majesty is celebrating Advent one Sunday at a time.

The Dec. 20, 2009 broadcast for Advent IV features the following from the Lutheran Tradition:

• Valparaiso University Chorale singing Hugo Distler's "Lo, How a Rose"
• Concordia Chicago Wind Symphony playing Jack Stant's "E'er the World Began to Be"
• The Gospel reading from the historic lectionary
  
• A reading from a sermon of Martin Luther for Advent IV

Listen to Sound of Majesty Sundays through Fridays at Midnight ET on www.moodyradiochicago.fm (old links to wmbi.fm will redirect).  Listen to a few months of archives and find other information here.

The direct link to last Sunday's broadcast is here, and the playlist is here.

Next "O" Antiphon Post

The next O Antiphon post will hit later today, along with updates from Sound of Majesty and more good stuff for Advent IV.

Advent III: Sound of Majesty

If you have not heard the Dale Warland Singers (DWS) sing "Prepare the Way, O Zion" then Sunday's broadcast of Sound of Majesty is must-listen material.

The Singers use a different translation and a slightly different melody than Lutheran Service Book. 

Dale Warland Singers:

O blest is He that came

In God the Father's name.

Lutheran Service Book:

Hosanna to the Lord

For he fulfills God's Word.

Original Swedish:

Välsignad vare han

Som kom i Herrens namn.

Literal Translation:

Blessed is He

Who came in the Lord's Name.

I like the imagery of the LSB, yet the traditional translation is more faithful to the literal translation.

Here's the tune used by the Dale Warland Singers.  This setting is in Swedish with solo voice and, I believe, solo bagpipe!  All you experts on historic instruments, please enlighten us in the comment box.

And for another Swedish tradition, here is the same tune sung on the Commemoration of St. Lucia. Each year a girl is chosen to be St. Lucia. She wears a crown or wreath of candles. I am not Swedish and have only witnessed this once, so perhaps someone could enlighten us in the comment box.

Here's the tune found in LSB, to yet another translation.

Other highlights from this broadcast include Scripture readings from the historic lectionary for Advent III and excerpts from a sermon from Martin Luther preached on this day.

Listen to Sound of Majesty Sundays through Fridays at Midnight ET on www.moodyradiochicago.fm (old links to wmbi.fm will redirect).  Listen to a few months of archives and find other information here.

The direct link to last Sunday's broadcast is here, and the playlist is here.

Advent II: Sound of Majesty

Sunday's Sound of Majesty featured themes from the readings for Advent II and excerpts of a sermon Martin Luther preached on this day.

The show gets a Handel on Malachi, featuring excerpts from Messiah.

Also of note is the Lee Scott Singers arrangement of "Rejoice, Rejoice Believers" to the same tune found in Lutheran Service Book.

All this, plus Martin Jean at the organ in the chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.

You an catch the audio archive here, plus the playlist for this episode here.

Sound of Majesty: From Tender Stem Hath Sprung

Dovetailing on yesterday's post quoting the prophet Jeremiah, you can here this text read in the opening segment of Sound of Majesty's December 3rd broadcast.  Following this reading is an arrangement of Es Ist ein Ros Entsprungen for harp, and then the Hugo Distler choral setting of the same sung in English.

Also of note, "Before the Marvel of this Night" is song and a lesser known Jaroslav Vajda text is read, "Peace Came to Earth."

The show begins with an a capella singing of "Silent Night" and closes with an instrumental setting of "Joy to the World."

The direct link to the broadcast is here.

The playlist can be found here.

And below, three verses of Es Ist ein Ros by three composers: Praetorius, Gawthrop and Distler.

Advent I: Sound of Majesty

One of the features got me hooked on Sound of Majesty was its Advent programming.  Each Sunday in Advent features readings from the historic lectionary and quotes from one of Luther's sermons for that day.

Listen live at wmbi.fm on Sundays at 11:00 pm Central.  Alternately, you can listen to this week's broadcast here and follow along with the playlist.

Introducing Wordwise Hymns

Wordwise Hymns takes a different approach to hymn blogging.  Scrolling through the archive, you will notice that blogger Robert Cottrill often provides historical background on hymns and hymn writers.

If it happened on a given day, he blogs about it on that day!  Its kind of like having a commemoration day for a hymn or hymn writer.

Robert recently weighed in on a Sound of Majesty broadcast here on All for Hymn.  That particular broadcast featured the tune "Miles Lane" with the text "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name."

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of James Ellor, who wrote the tune, "Diadem" for this piece.  Neither of these tunes made it to Lutheran Service Book, so I will feature Diadem plus the tune "Coronation" from LSB below.  For the tune "Miles Lane" check out this broadcast of Sound of Majesty.  You can also follow along with the playlist for that show.

Read Robert's post on James Ellor here.  You can read about Robert's faith journey here.  Robert has served as parish musician, parish pastor and educator.  In our tradition he would probably be called Kantor.

Tune: Coronation

Coronation with a contemporary twist

Tune: Diadem

Diadem with a Mens Chorus

Diadem with Mahalia Jackson

Introducing Prime Time America

I like to think of Prime Time America as a Christian media alternative to All Things Considered.  If segments on crucial differences between Christianity and Islam are more relevant to you than a segment on the invasion Asiatic bittersweet vines in New England forests, this program is worth checking out.

If you've ever tuned in to Sound of Majesty, you'll recognize that the two shows share the same host, Greg Wheatley.

Last Monday the show featured both a discussion on Christianity and Islam as well as the author of the book, "This Is Your Brain on Music."  You can catch the first hour here, and the second hour here.

Prime Time America airs weekdays on Christian radio stations around the country.  For a station list, try this link.  It is also broadcast over the internet on wmbi.fm beginning at 4:00 PM Central.

Unable to catch the streaming broadcast?  The show is archived for your convenience.

Sound of Majesty: Hymn-Tune Prelude on Dominus Regit Me

Also, on the November 5 Sound of Majesty program, the Vaughan Williams string piece, "Hymn-Tune Prelude on Dominus Regit Me."  The tune is for the metrical version of Psalm 23 known as "The King of Love My Shepherd Is."

Until today, I only knew this tune though Vaughan Williams' eyes. When I listen to it, I hear the tune O Welt Ich Muss Dich Lassen (in LSB, that would be #880, the tune for "Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow").

Here is the Vaughan Williams piece.

Here is "Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow." For those of you with a German Grandmother, tell her Nun Ruhen Alle Waelder and she will probably sing the words while the music plays.



And finally, a straight-up, four-part choral version of Dominus Regit Me.

LATIN ALERT:
Dominus regit me: The first words of the 23rd Psalm in Latin. The numbering is different in the Latin Bible, though, so if you look it up, you will find it under Psalm 22.

Sound of Majesty: November 5, 2009

The November 5 broadcast of Sound of Majesty has yet another eclectic mix of music.

I want to highlight two hymns that fall outside the Lutheran tradition...

• "And Can It Be" by Charles Wesley
• "I Stand Amazed" by Charles H. Gabriel

The later half of the first verse of "And Can It Be" is featured in the refrain of the contemporary song, "You Are My King."

"I Stand Amazed" was recorded live at a hymn sing, and is an excellent recording.

I am going to forgo commentary for now, and just provide you with the two texts of the featured hymns.  Feel free to add your own comments and I will chime in a little later.

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And Can It Be

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain—

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:

Who can explore His strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

To sound the depths of love divine.

’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,

Let angel minds inquire no more.

’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above

So free, so infinite His grace—

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam’s helpless race:

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,

That whispers all my sins forgiven;

Still the atoning blood is near,

That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;

Alive in Him, my living Head,

And clothed in righteousness divine,

Bold I approach th’eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Bold I approach th’eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

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I Stand Amazed

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my Savior’s love for me!

For me it was in the garden

He prayed: “Not My will, but Thine.”

He had no tears for His own griefs,

But sweat drops of blood for mine.

Refrain

In pity angels beheld Him,

And came from the world of light

To comfort Him in the sorrows

He bore for my soul that night.

Refrain

He took my sins and my sorrows,

He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary,

And suffered and died alone.

Refrain

When with the ransomed in glory

His face I at last shall see,

’Twill be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me.

Refrain

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You can find Sound of Majesty's website here.  A direct link to today's playlist is here, and a direct link to the broadcast is here.

Sound of Majesty: Highlights from 10/29

Here are some highlights from this week's Sound of Majesty.

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009:

Once again we hear Dr. Martin Jean at the organ of the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus, on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.  Dr. Jean plays J.S. Bach's Organ Fugue in G Major.

Other highlights include a stirring a capella arrangement of "Were You There" by Jessye Norman and the Ralph Vaughn Williams arrangement of "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name" to the tune Miles Lane.  If you've not heard this arrangement and this tune, your ears might tell you it sounds kind of familiar until you get to "... and crown Him .... crown Him ... crown Him ... crown Him Lord of all."  You need a good organist, a fairly large choir (who can count) and a decent worship space to pull this one off.  Those "crown Him" phrases are really stretched out.

Rounding out the broadcast is the whistling St. Olaf Cantorei singing, "In Thee Is Gladness."

You can catch this broadcast and others in the audio archive here.  There are about 4 weeks of archives in the sight.  The direct link to the broadcast is here and the direct link to the playlist is here.

Sound of Majesty: October 22, 2009

In the Lutheran tradition, our church year begins with Advent, as we look forward to Christ becoming man, and ends with three Sundays that focus on the "end times."

In a typical year - including this one - the Sunday on or following November 1 marks All Saints' Sunday and is followed by the three End Times Sundays, preparing us for that glorious day when He returns to take us home.  As Christians, there is nothing to fear.  In contrast, we look forward to Christ's return with eager anticipation!

Today's installment of Sound of Majesty features many selections that deal with the end times.

The text for one, "Come, We That Love the Lord," can be found in Lutheran Service Book (#669, verses only - the refrain was added later).

Many of the selections is very American in style.

• In That Great Gettin' Up Morning (Gospel)
• My Lord, What A Mornin' (Spiritual - also called, "My Lord, What A Moanin' ")
• Three American Anthems (Early American, think pre-Great Wakening)
• At the River (think Great Awakening era, with a setting by Aaron Copeland)

Tangentially, a modern choral work in the Anglican tradition, "There Is a Stream," is included.

The direct link for the audio is here.

The playlist can be found here.

Perhaps a future post will deal with "Come to the Water."  The last line of each verse tends to put a twist on the rest of the text.  This requires going back to Scripture and comparing it to the setting.  I'll save that for another time...

Also, as I peruse the internet, look for links to featured sermons on the Sunday texts for the end of the church year, starting with Sunday, November 1.

Introducing Sound of Majesty...

...to those of you who have not yet discovered it!

Sound of Majesty features choral and instrumental music interspersed with readings from Scripture and theologians (both ancient and modern).  The program airs at 11 pm Central Sunday through Friday on wmbi.fm or you can check out the audio archive, which is currently showing the entire week's episodes.

You will find a mix of music from the Protestant tradition, including liturgical, classical, spiritual and gospel.

The goal here at All for Hymn is to feature one program a week.

The October 13 broadcast features an interesting combination: Organist Martin Jean playing Bach's Orgelbuchlein "In Dir Ist Freude" (in English, "In Thee Is Gladness") followed by the spiritual, "I Can Tell the World" as performed by the Calvin College Alumni Choir.

Martin Jean has served Concordia College-Ann Arbor (now a university), Valparaiso University, and is now with Yale University.  I believe he is playing the organ at the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the campus of Concordia Seminary-St. Louis.