Exploring Music: Tone Poems

This week on Exploring Music, the world of Tone Poems is contemplated.

In a literal case of art imitating life, symphonic music is freed from its traditional structures and takes a programmatic turn.

Tone poems usually tell a story without words.  Instrumentation is used to let the ear know what is going on.  The week's opening piece told a story with AND without words.  The King's Singers perform Janequin's  Escoutez tous gentilz "La bataille de Marignan; La guerre"

I don't know French, but this song has something to do with a battle!  You'll notice in the song that eventually the words disappear and the singers use syllables to mimic different sounds.  When I listened to the recording on Monday, it sounded like there was laughter.  As you view the video, pay attention to the performers, and you will notice one guy thumbs his nose.  I am guessing the opponents on the battlefield were taunting each other during this section of the piece.

This is one song that you should watch as well as listen to.  If you don't know French, the actions and expressions of the performers can give you a clue as to what is going on.

Those of you who do know French or know something about this piece, drop a comment here at All for Hymn and tell us the story!

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Southern Lutheran Kantor: Teaching New Music

Join the discussion with Southern Lutheran Kantor as he gives us tips for teaching music to the congregation.  In the comment section you will find my tips for introducing LSB 960, "Isaiah, Mighty Seer."  This one is particularly challenging given that there is only one verse.

If all else fails, you can throw the words up on the jumbotron and have them change colors to the music!

OK, maybe that's not the best method.  Read the article for lots of tips.

By the way, this means we have touched on two of the major parts of Luther's Deutsche Messe (German Mass).  Look for more posts on this in the future.

In the mean time, perhaps this version is a little more desirable than liturgical karaoke.  Plus, you get the added bonus of the Christmas hymn in the latter half of the recording.

By the way, the Christmas hymn (whose name escapes me - I believe it is in LW) is a fine example of how to tackle a hymn with a lot of verses.  No one sings all of the verses at once. Instead, different groups pick up different verses.  Also, the tempo helps keep things moving along.

US Veterans Day: Lest We Forget

Luther's Birthday!

November 10 marks the anniversary of Luther's Birthday.  To celebrate, here is the Heinrich Schutz setting of the Kyrie from Luther's Deutsche Messe (German Mass).  You can find the English version in Lutheran Service Book, Hymn 942.

The text and tune date back to the 9th century, hence, it predates Luther by around 6 centuries.  Also, while this Kyrie is so intimately associated with Luther's German Mass, the majority of the text was originally sung in Latin.  The Latin, German, and English versions still contain one element of Greek, Kyrie eleison which means, "Lord, have mercy."

One of the simplest forms of the Kyrie is:

Kyrie eleison.  Christe eleison.  Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.

In this version, the core of the text has descriptions of the Godhead sandwiched between Kyrie and eleison.  Like the simple form, there are three petitions. The difference is in length and content.  The longer Kyrie devotes each petition to each of the three persons of the Trinity.

Kyrie! God Father in heaven above... Eleison! Eleison!

Kyrie! O Christ, our king... Eleison! Eleison!

Kyrie! O God the Holy Ghost... Eleison! Eleison!

My love for this Kyrie is balanced with the practical issue of singing it in church.  My last congregation knew it well, but the current one might not get past the first word!

For those of you with ambitions of introducing this but hesitancy because of your particular situation, here are some options:

• Have the choir sing Kyrie eleison in unison or in parts, and a solo pick up middle of each petition
• Introduce it at a special service, say, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday or Reformation Sunday
  
• Before rehearsing with the choir, play the LSB setting during the offering or the Communion distribution (provided there is a little extra time) several weeks in a row

Kyrie! O God the Holy Ghost,

Guard our faith, the gift we need the most,

And bless our life's last hour,

That we leave this sinful world with gladness.

Eleison! Eleison!

Historic Moment: Two Years Earlier: Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall

Historic Moment: Berlin Wall, Piano Scarf, LED Jacket, and David Hasselhoff

On the lighter side of this historic event, we would never know how popular David Hasselhoff was in Germany in 1989 if not for the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Historic Moment: Fall of the Berlin Wall: 20 Years Later