January 15, 2012 - Epiphany 2

Brightest and Best - Robert A. Hobby

Star in the East - Howard Boatwright

Wondrous Love - Paul J. Christiansen

Wie Schon Leuctet der Morgenstern - Johann Ludwig Krebs

 

Hymns: #7 Ratisbon, #124 Puer Nobis, #497 Wie Schon Leuchtet

 

The prelude and gradual anthem for Sunday have the common Epiphany text by Reginald Heber Brightest and Best are the stars of the morning as their theme. However, the two pieces use different tunes as the thematic material.  The prelude is by Robert A. Hobby (see the notes for last Sunday's postlude for more information on him) and sets the text to the tune MORNING STAR which it is commonly paired with. This tune comes to us from the pen of James (John) P. Harding (1859[ish] - 1911) [the date of his birth is a bit in question]. Harding served as organist and choirmaster at St. Andrew's Church in Islington, London for 35 years and wrote a considerable amount of sacred music, especially for the Children's festivals at Islington. The organ setting features the tune played on alternating solo registrations in the right hand with lush string accompaniment in the left. The setting is quiet and reverent and depicts a calm and quiet scene as shepherds and wise men journey to the manger.

 

The Boatwright setting takes full advantage of the imagery of the text. It is very simply structured with 4 verses and identical refrains after each verse. The anthem states the tune is "based on a Kentucky Harmony version of the Folk-hymn, as sung by Mrs. Rachel Ritchie, contained in 'Songs of all Time'." The piece was published in 1959 - the same year that Mr. Boatwright went to India on Fulbright and Rockefeller grants to study Indian music in Bombay. This piece, as is true of much of his choral music from this period was probably written for the St. Thomas church in New Haven, CT where he served as music director from 1952-1964. The piece has a Kentucky Harmony feel to it with all four parts joining with gusto on each refrain. The first and last verses are for full choir although, again in the Sacred Harp style the tenors get the melody for the last verse with the other three parts providing commentary around them. The middle two verses feature the women and men respectively. The women sing in canon, the men for their verse sing a much darker chromatic line about bringing treasures to the manger. The setting captures all of the richness of Heber's text as well as the modality and style of the American hymn tune to which it is sometimes connected.

 

For the Communion anthem we again turn to and American folk hymn from the Sacred Harp tradition, Wondrous Love. This hymn has the feel of a spiritual with the modality and text of an Appalachian Folk tune. The arrangement is by Paul J. Christiansen, the son of the famed F. Melius Christiansen, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. Paul J. spent the bulk of his career developing the Concordia Choir into one of the worlds finest a cappella undergraduate choirs. Christiansen was known for his rigorous two hour daily rehearsals working to get the exact shape of the phrase and the exact tone that he wanted on each chord. Christiansen was recognized as a foremost authority on the application of artistic discipline to choral work. For me, the subtleties of this arrangement perfectly showcase Christiansen's ideals. He doesn't need to alter the melody or do anything too extreme. He merely highlights the innate beauty of the tune and well-matched text.

 

The postlude is a settin of the closing hymn WIE SCHON LEUCHTET which has been dubbed the "Queen of chorale tunes." The tune is by Philipp Nicolai who also penned the "King of chorale tunes" WACHET AUF. The setting is by Johann Ludwig Krebs whose career spanned the end of the Baroque period to the beginning of the Classical period. Due to the changing face of music he was largely unappreciated during his lifetime. Krebs was first taught by his father who had been a student of J.S. Bach. Krebs later attended the Thomasschule where Bach was the music director and continued to sing for Bach until 1730. Krebs held positions as organist at several churches but never the high profile jobs that he deserved. his organ works are similar in style and caliber to those of Bach. This piece is a ritornello chorale prelude. The organ plays the ritornello (a recurring passage of music) and then the left hand enters with the chorale tune. The tune and ritornello are combined and the piece closes with just the ritornello returning.