Our offertory anthem this morning is a jaunty little medieval tune that dates back to 15th-century France. I’ll also play an arrangement of it for the prelude. It might be familiar to you. The tune is called Noël Nouvelet, and it is often sung to the words “Sing We Now of Christmas.” In 1928 John […]

Traditions get dusty. And so, you have to spice things up, as they say. Organists however, don’t seem to have much of a spice cabinet and seem to be the most transgressive about being crusty and dull. If you have a damp basement apartment, rent it out to an organist to dry it right up. […]

William Billings was a true American pioneer. His father died when he was only 14, and he was forced to drop out of school and to take up tanning hides to make ends meet. He began composing without any formal music training, and never really made any money on it, despite the fact that his […]

He Watching Over Israel is the 29th movement in Mendelssohn’s most prominent choral work, Elijah. It opens with a gentle, rocking figure in the organ, reminiscent of a lullaby. Why introduce the sleepless and ever-watchful nature of God with what sounds like a lullaby? Well, that’s what makes Mendelssohn so clever. The lullaby figure represents […]

Different music has within it a particular kind of architecture. It’s much like a building or a room. It has shape, movement, depth, direction, and a unique thumbprint that identifies its creator. J.S. Bach, for example, is one of those amazing composers whose music has an architecture that is unmistakably recognizable. The composer of our […]

A few weeks ago, we sang an anthem by Harold Friedell called Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether. Today’s offertory anthem is another well-known piece by the same composer. What strikes me about this anthem is its simple, yet haunting harmonic structure. Those of you with some musical background will understand the difference between major […]

Today’s postlude, the so-called Gigue fugue, is a favorite. A gigue, or a jig is a lively dance. This is a youthful piece and for years its authorship was contested. Recent scholarship has confirmed that the work is indeed from the quill of the great master himself, J.S. Bach. Perhaps young Johann wrote this piece […]

People are so distracted these days. I often walk on campus and inattentive students literally walk right into me whilst looking down on their phones. No one seems to be paying attention nor interacting with each other. Our focus has been stolen by electronic devices, social media, and all manner of distraction. There’s actually a […]

I learned of today’s offertory anthem, Eternal Light by Eugene Englert, through a recommendation of my best friend, Dr. Adam Ward, organist and director of music at Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. Adam is visiting me this weekend to help celebrate my birthday and is seated at the mighty Fisk this morning. He […]

The German title of today’s offertory piece is Geistliches Lied, or “Spiritual Song.” The text is spot on, and sums up the power and simplicity of faith. In March of 1856, Brahms composed this in a back-and-forth manuscript exchange with his friend and violinist, Johann Joachim. There are a couple of other composers of that […]