HAUNTED BY THE HOLY GHOST

advent listening....another gem missed while dozing through music 101

From the Cantata

'For forty years our Nicolas,
Our Prince of men, our shepherd and
Our gentle guide, walked by our side.
We turned to him at birth and death,
In time of famine and distress,
In all our grief, to bring relief.
He led us from the valleys to
The pleasant hills of grace. He fought
To fold us in from mortal sin.
O! he was prodigal of love!
A spendthrift in devotion to
Us all and blessed as he caressed.
We keep his memory alive in legends that our children and
Their children's children treasure still."

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For many years we celebrated St. Nicolas Day when our children were young, and even when they were not so young. 
Early on the morning of December 6th they would awaken to find their shoes, carefully laid out on the fireplace heath, filled will gold coins (actually chocolate coins wrapped in bright gold foil).
We read books, and told stories of the legends that have grown up around this humble Bishop of Myra.
I always felt we were telling them more Truth than truth in those stories, and mourn the day the church felt it had to eliminate those saints or legends which couldn't be documented chapter and verse.

Committed to exploring a wider selection of music after the "Beethoven Hallelujah Chorus" business from a few weeks back, I was delighted to run across this cantata by Benjamin Britten.
It had all the elements of the wonderful stories I was familiar with from the past, but found an aspect of bishop Nicholas that I had overlooked before.

I began to see role he played as Shepherd to his flock, most of whom never experienced any supernatural events at his hands.
Their love grew out of his faithfulness as a Shepherd who gentle walked beside, guided, and was willing to sacrifice wealth, standing, and anything else demanded, for the safety of his flock. 

the next section is still in draft, but I didn't want to miss out on a timely post.
it will be corrected and revised when I am feeling better and have more time

I must have slept through this in music history 101......

Handel Beethoven's Hallelujah Chorus?

It's the final movement of "Christus am Ölberge", an oratorio of Christ's Prayerful struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane.
I had to look it up in my Anthology of Music.

OK, I really have to start listening to some music written after 1600.

He wrote a Mass, too?  This I have to hear.

Bravo, O Principle Editor. 

You played beautifully.

No more Viola Jokes...

Well, just one for the road...

REST WELL

   

Resurrection: From Theology to Music and Back Again

(Originally published in J. Begbie, ed., Sounding the Depths: Theology Through the Arts, 2002, (London: SCM Press), 193–202. Reproduced by permission of the author.)

N. T. WRIGHT

Beginnings

The second week of May 1998 was a typical week in the life of Lichfield Cathedral. Worship, preaching, meetings, visits and more meetings. And one of those meetings, on Wednesday 13 May, had effects more far-reaching than we could have imagined........

I had long been fascinated (not least through reading Hans Urs von Balthasar’s book on Holy Saturday) by the idea that God’s Sabbath rest after creation (Gen. 2.2-3) somehow foreshadows Jesus’ rest in the tomb on Holy Saturday. The final great chorus of Bach’s St John Passion is ‘Ruht Wohl’, laying the dead Saviour to rest after his work has been completed. That, I thought, was where an Easter Oratorio based on St John ought to begin, picking up the theme where Bach had left it.

So: how to do it? That evening, during Choral Evensong in Lichfield Cathedral, there flashed into my mind a new twist on an old hymn:

O sabbath rest by Calvary

O calm of tomb below. . .

And before I knew it I had the whole first chorus in my head, then on paper and through Paul’s front door. From that point there was no turning back........

From Bach to Howells to Spicer

And yet even J. S. Bach himself did not write an Easter piece of this kind.

HYMN FOR COMPLINE

Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abr’am’s bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me,
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ,
My prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.

December 23: O EMMANUEL (GOD WITH US)

O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium,
et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domine, Deus noster.

O Emmanuel,
the one awaited by the gentiles,
and their Savior:
come to save us,
Lord our God.

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

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The "O" Antiphons are the verses for the ancient hymn  O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The first letter of the Messianic titles: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—spell out Latin words ERO CRAS, meaning,  "Tomorrow, I will come."

_____________________

OF THE FATHER'S LOVE BEGOTTEN

Of the Father's love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!

At his word the words were framèd;
he commanded; it was done:
heaven and earth and depths of ocean
in their threefold order one;
all that grows beneath the shining
of the moon and burning sun,
evermore and evermore!

O that birth for ever blessèd,
when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bare the Savior of our race;
and the Babe, the world's Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!

This is he whom seers in old time
chanted of with one accord;
whom the voices of the prophets
promised in their faithful word;
now he shines, the long expected,
let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven, adore him;
angel-hosts, his praises sing;
powers, dominions, bow before him,
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, thee let young men,
thee let boys in chorus sing;
matrons, virgins, little maidens,
with glad voices answering:
let their guileless songs re-echo,
and the heart its music bring,
evermore and evermore!

Christ, to thee with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
and unwearied praises be;
honor, glory and dominion,
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!

Words: Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-413);
trans. John Mason Neale (1818-1866), 1854;
and Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877), 1861

December 22: O REX GENTIUM (KING OF THE NATIONS

O Rex Gentium,
et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis,
qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Nations,
and the one they desired,
keystone,
who makes both peoples one,
come and save mankind,
whom you shaped from the mud

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

December21: O ORIENS (O DAWN)

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae,
et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina
sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

O Dawn,
splendor of eternal light,
and sun of justice,
come, and shine on those ,
seated in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

 

"Arise and Shine in Splendor"
by Martin Opitz 1628 translation by Gerhard Gieschen

Arise and shine in splendor,
Let night to day surrender;
They light is drawing near,
Above thee day is beaming
In matchless beauty gleaming;
The glory of the Lord is here.

See earth in darkness lying,
The heathen nations dying
In hopeless gloom and night.
To thee the lord of heaven -
Thy life, they hope hath given
Great glory, honor and delight.

The World's remotest races,
Upon whose weary faces
The sun looks from the sky,
Shall run with zeal untiring,
With joy thy light desiring
That breaks upon them from on high.

Lift up thy eyes in wonder;
See nations gather yonder,
They all come unto thee
The world has heard thy story
Thy sons come to thy glory,
And daughters haste thy Light to see.

Thy heart will leap for gladness
When from the realms of sadness
They come o'er land and sea.
Thine eyes will wake from slumber
When people without number
Come thronging from afar to thee.

December 20: O CLAVIS DAVID (KEY OF DAVID)

O Clavis David,
et sceptrum domus Israël,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit,
claudis, et nemo aperuit:
veni, et educ vinctum
de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

O Key of David,
and scepter of the house of Israel,
you open, and no one shuts,
you shut, and no one opens:
come, and lead the prisoner
from jail.
seated in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

O Lord Jesu Christ, to Whom is given the throne and sceptre  of David Thy father over the house of Israel,
that Thou mighest extend his kingdom over all peoples:
Thou didst come in our nature,
as the Son of man forgiving sins,
dispelling sickness and loosing bonds:
to Thee now is committed all authority in heaven and on earth,
and the powers of hell cannot withstand Thy word:
Come, we pray Thee, by Thy grace, and through the instrumentality  of Thy Church,
to loosen the prisoner from the chains of sin,
to enlighten with the glad tidings of Thy word all who sit in  darkness and the shadow of death,
that they may rejoice in the deliverance which Thou hast wrought.

December 19: O RADIX JESSE (ROOT OF JESSE)

O Radix Jesse,
qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos,
jam noli tardare

O Root of Jesse,
who stand as a sign for the people,
kings stand silent in your presence,
whom the nations will worship:
come to set us free,
put it off no longer.

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

_______________________________________________

O Come, thou rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust Thy mighty power to save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.

Revelation 5:5

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

December 18: O ADONAI (MIGHTY LORD)

O Adonai,
et dux domus Israël,
qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Mighty Lord,
and leader of the house of Israël,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and on Sinai gave him the law,
come to redeem us with outstretched arm.

( There are icons in the Orthodox tradition that show Mother and Child enthroned in the Burning Bush. In the Byzantine and Slavic traditions there are icons of Our Lady surrounded by angels and saints, seated in the midst  flames. This icon is named "The Burning Bush" .)

Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38

26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

I Live My Advent In the Womb of Mary

And on one night when a great star swings free
from its high mooring and walks down the sky
to be the dot above the Christus i,
I shall be born of him by blessed grace.
I wait in Mary-darkness, faith's walled place,
with hope's expectance of nativity.

I knew for long she carried me and fed me,
guarded and loved me, though I could not see.
But only now, with inward jubilee,
I come upon earth's most amazing knowledge:
someone is hidden in this dark with me.

Jessica Powers

December 17: O SAPIENTIA (WISDOM)

O Sapientia,
quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter,
suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom,
who proceeds from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching out mightily from end to end,
and sweetly arranging all things:
come to teach us the way of prudence.





Banner:From O Antiphon Series
The Benedictine Sisters of Turvey Abbey

GAUDETE, GAUDETE

AND WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR JOY?

The third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete, which means "rejoice", was celebrated this week by lighting the pink candle of the Advent wreath.
Rejoicing, and it's source Joy; such a misunderstood concept--going so far beyond what things like happiness, contentment, or any other human emotion.
During bible study, Pastor, referring to the second lesson in First Thessalonians, particularly 5:16 "Rejoice evermore", asked us about our joy.
There was discussion about keeping a positive attitude, avoiding negative thinking, and accepting suffering as "part of life ".  I just was not satisfied with these answers, having so often failed to hang on to joy in the midst of the perils of everyday life.  It had to be more than just about "me" and my attitude.                                                                                                                                          I had just been reading the night before, about the Lutheran Pastor and Hymn-writer Philip Nicolai.  I have been following a blog called "Hymn Notes" (see link in sidebar), and the writer was discussing his chorale, "How Lovely Shines The Morning Star".  Though beautiful and full of scriptural images and Gospel, she wondered at the lack of mention of "law" in any of the verses.  Being Lutheran, and steeped in "Law and Gospel",  ("you cant's have one without the other"), I started looking into this seemly pietistic hymn-writer.  As usual, I was humbled by my lack of knowledge concerning the background of this hymn and it's true meaning.  He has been unfairly called a pietist, mystic, and a purveyor of individualism in regards to our relationship with God.  Nothing could be further form the truth.  He speaks to the WHOLE CHURCH, and of the WHOLE CHURCH, words that we need to hear.
HERE WAS THE SOURCE OF OUR JOY. 

                                                                                                                                                    The source of our Joy is not is some exercise of positive thinking, and act of sheer will, or a be-attitude type of faith.
Our joy springs from something so deep and apart from us, something that holds all creation together and is the source of our hope---"God with us" and the restoration of our place in creation through the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I shared with the writer of "Hymn Notes" some of my own personal thoughts and experiences with this Hymn, along with a quote from Gail Ramshaw's Book. "HYMNS THAT SING".  I wrote:

From Gail Ramshaw's book, "Words that Sing "Philipp Nicolai was a Lutheran pastor living in the second half of the sixteenth century....he was renown for preaching like Chrysostom and for attacking Calvinists for their virulent polemics. He is remembered, however, not for such stereotypical Lutheran spirit, but for the two love songs he composed. Communal tragedy inspired him to write; In 1597-1598, the plague killed 1,300 of his parishioners, and he wrote some meditations and hymns as his preface says, 'to leave behind me (if God should call me from this world) as a token of my peaceful, joyful, Christian departure, or (if God should spare me in health) to comfort other sufferers whom he should also visit with the pestilence.'"
To know the circumstances, and the utter desperate times Nicolai lived and faithfully served under, is to intimately be acquainted with the consequences of the Law and the Fall of Mankind. To endure the death of those we love shouts the Law in our face more than anything else I know.
It brings me crawling back to the Cross with such longing that is too deep for words. I lost my sister last year and am grateful for Nicolai's "comfort" those visited by this pestilence called death.
I think this is called the Queen of Chorales because it speaks Grace like no other to those crushed by loss through death of a loved one, the most intimate reminder of the consequences of our failure to live up to the Law

O Morning Star, how fair and bright!
You shine with God's own truth and light,
Aglow with grace and mercy!
Of Jacob's race, King David's son,
Our Lord and master, you have won
Our hearts to serve you only!
Lowly, holy!
Great and glorious,
All victorious,
Rich in blessing!
Rule and might o'er all possessing!

Come, heav'nly bridegroom, light divine,
And deep within our hearts now shine;
There light a flame undying!
In your one body let us be
As living branches of a tree,
Your life our lives supplying.
Now, though daily
Earth's deep sadness
May perplex us
And distress us,
Yet with heav'nly joy you bless us.

Lord, when you look on us in love,
At once there falls from God above
A ray of purest pleasure.
Your Word and Spirit, flesh and blood,
Refresh our souls with heav'nly food.
You are our dearest treasure!
Let your mercy
Warm and cheer us!
Oh, draw near us!
For you teach us
God's own love through you has reached us.

Almighty Father, in your Son
You loved us when not yet begun
Was this old earth's foundation!
Your Son has ransomed us in love
To live in him here and above:
This is your great salvation.
Alleluia!
Christ the living,
To us giving
Life forever,
Keeps us yours and fails us never!

What joy to know, when life is past,
The Lord we love is first and last,
The end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace,
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning!
Amen!  Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Crown of gladness!
We are yearning
For the day of your returning.

Oh, let the harps break forth in sound!
Our joy be all with music crowned,
Our voices gaily blending!
For Christ goes with us all the way--
Today, tomorrow, ev'ry day!
His love is never ending!
Sing out!  Ring out!
Jubilation!
Exultation!
Tell the story!
Great is he, the King of glory! .

I shared Nicolai's story at Bible study and read the last stanza of this Hymn.  I'm not sure if I got my point across, but it has made me rethink, question, and refocus on what our message to the world should be.