Ubi Caritas

Today, we’ll talk about Ubi Caritas.

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus et in ipso jucundemur.
Timeamus et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.

Where there is charity and love, God is there.
The love of Christ has gathered us as one.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us honor [fear] and love the living God.
And from a sincere heart let us love one another.

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus.
Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus. 

Where there is charity and love, God is there.
As we are gathered into one body,
Beware, lest we be divided in mind.
Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,
And may Christ our God be in our midst. 

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul quoque cum beatis videamus,
Glorianter vultum tuum, Christe Deus:
Gaudium quod est immensum, atque probum,
Saecula per infinita saeculorum. Amen. 

Where there is charity and love, God is there.
And may we with the saints also,
See Thy face in glory, O Christ our God:
The joy that is immense and good,
Unto the ages through infinite ages. Amen. 

In several ways, this piece is a continuation of our recent discussions of singing (praying) the psalms. The text is newer than the psalms, originating sometime around the 10th or 11th century (we think), from France. The version we are doing (November 4th in the 11:00 service and November 18th at the 8:30 service) is arranged by Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986) and uses just the first verse, set to the Gregorian chant melody. That melody is likely much older, perhaps as old as the 300’s[1]. In the Catholic church, this piece is often used on Maundy Thursday services, as well as other mass forms. A version of Ubi Caritas by Paul Mealor was used as a part of the service music for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton[2].

• Listen to Duruflé version of Ubi Caritas[3]

Discussion points:
What do you hear in the music?
What do you see in the lyrics?
Thoughts about fear versus honor?
This piece is traditionally done during the washing of feet in Maundy Thursday. Does that change or add anything for you?

• Listen to YouTube presentation of Ubi Caritas (Mealor) from the Royal Wedding[2]

Does this change the piece at all for you?

• There is an interview with Mealor in the Guardian, talking about the commission for this piece and his thoughts. Read and discuss_[4]

• Listen to Taizé meditation on Ubi Caritas[5]

This is just the first line, repeated over and over. Does that work for something meditative?

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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubi_caritas  ↩

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUuLclU5w8  ↩

3. “Duruflé - Ubi Caritas”, Track 3 from Music from Erskine & American (Erskine Chamber Choir, 2010). https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/music-from-erskine-american/id415580999 and see http://www.erskine.edu/academics/music/ensembles.shtml  ↩

4. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/29/royal-wedding-music-paul-mealor  ↩

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R448WVra9ww&feature=related or “Ubi Caritas”, Track 6 from Laudate Omnes Gentes (Taizé, 2003) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/laudate-omnes-gentes/id74419259  ↩

What Music at Your Memorial Service?

This Sunday’s class will be a bit of a different discussion, led by Brian Davidson, on the theme of “What music do you want at your memorial service?” This is a discussion that I encourage you to have with loved ones, both those where you might well be involved in arranging their memorial service and those who will likely be arranging yours. It doesn’t have to be a morbid or depressing discussion. Certainly, my wife and I have discussed this a time or two, and this is a reminder that it’s a discussion I should probably be revisiting with a few people.

For me, there are a couple of things I’d like. Both my wife and I would love to have the ending of our memorial services be the “Amen, Alleluia” by Douglas E. Wagner[1]. Particularly when taken up tempo, this is a really uplifting piece, and is something my wife described as thumbing one’s nose at death.

Another one for me is “How Can I Keep From Singing?”. According to Wikipedia[2], this was written by Robert Wadsworth Lowrey and first published in 1868. Several parts of the lyrics speak to me:

    My life flows on in endless song;
        Above earth's lamentation,
    I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
        That hails a new creation;
    Thro' all the tumult and the strife
        I hear the music ringing;
    It finds an echo in my soul--
        How can I keep from singing?
    What tho' my joys and comforts die?
        The Lord my Saviour liveth;
    What tho' the darkness gather round?
        Songs in the night he giveth.
    No storm can shake my inmost calm
        While to that refuge clinging;
    Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
        How can I keep from singing?
    I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;
        I see the blue above it;
    And day by day this pathway smooths,
        Since first I learned to love it;
    The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
        A fountain ever springing;
    All things are mine since I am his--
        How can I keep from singing?

The version I know is a bit different in the middle, with the lyrics being No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock I’m clinging. And I really like the part Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? Indeed, since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?

Amazing Grace is an old stalwart, and often used at memorial services, which tempts me to not ask for it to be used in mine. But there is the stanza that when we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. That’s a comfort to me, and I hope it will be a comfort to others when I’ve passed over.

There is also the silly child in me who remembers singing You Can’t Get to Heaven at various Boy Scout campfires in my youth. There are a number of different verses to this song, such as the one on http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/o003.html or the much longer collection at http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs5/S5_62.htm. There is a part of me that just chuckles at the idea of this children’s song at my memorial service. I want people to be able to laugh and see the silliness in life, and this is a silly song that brings back some fond memories. And in that vein, I’d like to add in another thanks to Mr. McGee, Mr. Smith, Mr. Levy, Mr. Vogt, my dad, and a bunch of other adults who put a lot of time and effort into making Troop 18 (Indianapolis, IN) a great place. Those campfire songs were one of the first places I learned to love singing.

Another “song” I’d love to be remembered by is the Victory Chant. There are several different variations of this, but the one I learned when I went on my Walk to Emmaus[3] is below. This is done with a leader who calls out the line, which is then echoed by the congregation. The last line is repeated a few times, getting softer each time, and then one last time very loudly. There’s also a couple of neat presentations of this on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V6Rp9bECb4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc86xI3OhQs.

Hail Jesus, You're my King
Your life frees me to sing
I will praise You all my days
You're perfect in all Your ways

Hail, Jesus You're my Lord
I will obey You're word
I want to see Your kingdom come
Not my will but Yours be done

Glory, glory to the Lamb
You take me into the land
We will conquer in Your name
And proclaim that Jesus reigns

Hail, hail Lion of Judah
How powerful you are
Hail, hail Lion of Judah
How wonderful you are
How wonderful you are (softer)
How wonderful you are (softer)
How wonderful you are (softer)
How wonderful you are (LOUD)

My last thought for a song is one I’ve mentioned before in this class, which is Will You Love Jesus More, by Phillips, Craig, and Dean[4]. I know I’m someone who likes being the focus of attention at times, and this is a song I sing to myself often.

If all I've done in the time we've shared
Is turn your eyes on me,
Then I've failed in what I've been called to do
There's someone else I want you to see.

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1. This is the last piece in the set of two introits, two prayer responses, and two closing responses by Mr. Wagner. http://www.beckenhorstpress.com/title.asp?id=1231 and http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Amen-Alleluia/27692 are two places to find this.  ↩

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Can_I_Keep_from_Singing%3F  ↩

3. http://emmaus.upperroom.org/  ↩

4. “Will You Love Jesus More” from the Lifeline album by Phillips, Craig, and Dean. See http://www.phillipscraiganddean.com/ for the artists’ site, http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/phillips-craig-&-dean-lyrics/will-you-love-jesus-more-lyrics.html for the lyrics, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXR4HS7PcTs for a cool YouTube video that was done for a Good Friday service.  ↩

Singing the Psalms, Part 3 of 3 (Psalm 121)

• What thoughts do people have from the last two weeks?

• For those who went to the early service, did discussing Psalm 22a last week make a difference to you?

Psalm 121

This isn’t one of the ones we’re doing this month, but it is something where I have different examples of the psalm done in very different ways, and I want to explore both this very familiar psalm and see if different presentations have different messages. * Play Psalm 121 (Welsh)[1] * Read aloud the text of Psalm 121

Psalm 121 [NRSV]
A Song of Ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills--
  from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
  he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
  will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
  the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in 
  from this time on and forevermore.

• What are the messages in this text to us? For one view of questions to think about with this psalm, consider http://www.walkwiththeword.org/Studies/01_OT/19_Psalm/19_Psalm_121.html. One thing I remember from singing this Psalm in Kingsport was the choir director reminding us that there’s a pause after “hills”. It’s not that the author is expecting the help to come from the hills, but perhaps more that those hills could be referencing the Mountains of Arrarat (the traditional/purported resting place of Noah’s Ark) as the Isrealites made their way back from Babylon. Those hills could also be the places where there were idols and worshipping places to the various other gods of the local tribes. Recall much of the Old Testament admonitions about the high places and the idol worship that often went on there. My help is not coming from some idol or some high place, but rather from the very God who made heaven and those hills.

The Psalmist, to encourage true believers confidently to trust in the aid of God, and to teach them to betake themselves to his protection, first, affirms that, to whatever quarter we turn our eyes it is impossible to find salvation anywhere else; and, in the second place, extols in lofty terms the fatherly care of God in defending his faithful ones. John Calvin, Commentary on Psalms, Volume 5[2]

• Play Michael Card version, starting at 0:58 mark[3]

The first half of this is in Hebrew (which I’m probably skipping), which is cool. This is a very bare plainsong version of the song, with a more complex melody than we often do.

• Play Anglican Chant Antiphon versions[4][5]

The first of these is an Anglican chant version with light organ backing. The second is is done as an antiphon (responsive) with the response in a Anglican Chant four-part harmony style. Do either of these provide something different to you in listening to the Psalm?

• Play Bob Bennett et al version[6]

This is a very different presentation of the psalm, in what sounds to me like a rather folksy fashion.

• Play Mattoon Youth Choir version[7]

As we think and reflect on the visioning workshop yesterday, how might we use these different presentations in ways to reach different groups? Do these provide different perspectives on the Psalm? Is there anything wrong with any of these versions?

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1. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/psalm–121-welsh-single/id516529686. See http://www.keepitsimplesoftware.co.uk/serin/about.html for information about the group Serin.  ↩

2. As quoted on http://christianbookshelf.org/calvin/commentary_on_psalms_volume_5/psalm_121.htm  ↩

3. “My Help (Psalm 121)”, track 6 from The Ancient Faith, Volume 2 by Michael Card. Not currently available in the US ITunes store. A track by the same name is available in The Ultimate Collection (Track 5), at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ultimate-collection-michael/id159796320  ↩

4. “Psalm 121, ‘I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes to the Hills’”, Track 4 from Psalms for the Spirit by Noel Edison & the St. John’s Choir. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/psalms-for-the-spirit/id205862562  ↩

5. Recording from First Presbyterian Church, New York City, Anglican Chant: Walford-Davies  ↩

6. “Psalm 121”, Track 10 from Songs for Israel by Bob Bennet, Buck Storm, Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/songs-for-israel/id408941043 or http://www.bob-bennett.com/buymusicfrombob.htm. An interesting release about this album can be found on (JesusFreakhideout.com)[http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2011/02/14.SONGS%20FOR%20ISRAEL%20NEW%20CD%20RELEASE%20OFFERS%20RICH%20NEW%20MUSICAL%20EXPERIENCE%20INSPIRED%20BY%20THE%20ANCIENT%20LAND%20JESUS%20WALKED.asp] with some information about the artists.  ↩

7. “Psalm 121”, track 10 from No Other Foundation by the Mattoon Youth Choir (Apostolic Center, Matoon, IL) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-other-foundation/id484450917. See also http://www.apostoliccenter.org/NoOtherFoundation.html  ↩

Singing the Psalms, Part 2 of 3

• Any comments or thoughts from last week?

Recap and thoughts

• Singing the Psalms is a very old practice, going back to the Hebrews, and it is one way to pray the psalms. It was done by the Hebrews for at least centuries before Christ, it is part of some of the earliest Christian liturgies[1], it is definitely part of the Christian churches through many times and places, and it was definitely a central aspect of worship for Jean Calvin and other founders of the Reformed churches.
• There are many different ways to pray and sing the psalms. One division which I like comes from Russ Stutler, a missionary in Japan[2]:
  • Metrical: Where the psalm is written or can be adapted to a particular tune with a particular metrical arrangement such as 8.6.8.6 (common meter), then the psalm can be sung in a metrical arrangement. We discussed last week the 11.10.11.10.11.10 meter for Finlandia as a different example. Note the superscript mentioned above to Psalm 22, where the author indicates the (probably now unknown) tune “The Doe of the Morning” is the tune to be used for this particular psalm. There are a number of psalters available with arrangements in meter for singing psalms this way.
  • Plainsong: Rather than adapting the psalm to fit some music, we can essentially adapt music to fit the words of the psalm. In Plainsong, we chant multiple words on single tones, and move around in ways that add to the words. Plainsong is a common way of cantoring a psalm, and what we use most of the time. The suttler.cc site I’ve referenced in this section[^sutler] indicates that there are 9 basic tunes, and I note that the Guimont Psalter[3] which is often used in our services has 41 psalm tunes. Sutler.cc links to http://saintlaurenceosb.org/chants/index.html, which has some nice recordings of several psalms done in plainchant.
  • Anglican: This is a derivation of plainsong, and is designed to allow a choir to sing in four part (typically) harmony. As might be expected with a name “Anglican”, it was developed in England, around the time of the Reformation. I like the comment in wikipedia, which (to me) applies to both Anglican chant and plainsong It may be fairly described as “harmonized recitative”. It is said to have the twofold purpose of enhancing the words of the sacred text and serving as an aid for both the singer and listener[4] to attain a meditative state.[5]
  • Any of these forms can be done responsively (antiphonally). That can be done with the congregation singing a refrain, with different groups singing different verses, or a variety of other options.
• I really like that last part from the Wikipedia article, and to me it applies to all of these. Paraphrased, the way we use psalms in corporate and personal worship should be to enhance and personalize the words of the sacred text and serving as an aide for both the singer and listener to pray about an internalize the meaning of those words for us.

Many Psalters

As discussed last week, there are many psalters. Two that my family owns are the red The Psalter: Psalms and Canticles for Singing[1] which came from a Presbyterian task force and the Guimont Psalms for the Revised Common Lectionary[3]. Tami and Angie have lots more :-).

• Briefly discuss Revised Common Lectionary and the two psalters.

A good resource for the RCL is the pages from Vanderbilt Library, at http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/.

• Review the psalm arrangements for last week, this week, and next two. (emphasized text indicates the ones where we’re doing at least part in that week’ FPC services.
  • RCL for this week (10/7/12) is Psalm 26 and Psalm 8 (Proper 22, year B)[6]
  • RCL for next week (10/14/12) is Psalm 22:1–15 and Psalm 90:12–17
  • RCL for following week (10/21/12) is Psalm 104:1–9,24,35c and Psalm 91:9–16
  • RCL for the last Sunday in October (10/28/12) is Psalm 34:1–8 and Psalm 126
• Read the words for next week’s Psalm
  • Compare: NIV, NRSV, The Message, and the text for next week (from The Psalter for Christian Worship[7]).
  • How do the texts compare? Do these have different messages?
  • What do you hear in the Psalm?

The psalter from which this comes has two suggested tunes: Llangloffen (e.g Rejoice! Rejoice, Believers) and Passion Chorale (e.g. *O Sacred Head, Now Wounded). For what it’s worth, there are many other tunes to this same 7.7.7.6D metric, including Ellacombe (e.g. Hosanna, Loud Hosanna), Lancashire (e.g. The Day of Resurrection!), and Es Flog Ein Kleines Waldvoegelein (e.g. We All Are One in Mission). The current (blue) PCUSA hymnal has 33 different hymns that fit this metrical pattern, using 20 different tunes.

• Compare reading the text to yourself with different tunes
  • Organ Llangloffan [8]
  • Organ Passion Chorale [9]
  • Sprightly Passion Chroale [10]
  • Ellacombe [11]

• Do you get anything different from any of these tunes as the basis for the psalm?

• Compare these to a rap version of the psalm[12]

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1. Hopson, Hal (ed) The Psalter: Psalms and Canticles for Singing Westminster/John Knox Press: Louisville, KY (1993) ISBN 978–0664237042. http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=436035  ↩

2. http://www.stutler.cc/russ/sing_psalms.html  ↩

3. Guimont, Michel Psalms for the Revised Common Lectionary GIA Publications: Chicago, IL (1998, 2002) ISBN 1–57999–165–3 (full score edition). http://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=4817  ↩

4. The word “listener” is important to me. In the singing (praying) of the psalms, we are listeners, not the audience. Where music is done for the simple beauty of it (and there’s nothing wrong with that), we can be an audience. When music is done as a part of worship, then my view is that we are active listeners to that music, as a way for us to worship God and find meaning in our lives.  ↩

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_chant  ↩

6. http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/  ↩

7. Morgan, Michael (ed) The Psalter for Christian Worship (1999) ISBN 978–1571530264. Available from http://store.pcusa.org/9781571530134  ↩

8. Llangloffan (Traditional Welsh Tune) by John Cavicchio. Track 4 from A Mighty Fortress. Available from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-mighty-fortress/id518038224. I believe the artist’s Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/FreeholdOrganist.  ↩

9. Passion Chorale by Chris Hughes. Track 5 from Reflections, Vol. 2. Available from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reflections-vol.–2/id304212129. No artist page found.  ↩

10. Reflections, Vol. 2 by Enoch Train. Track 9 from Enoch Train. Available from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/enoch-train/id305664974. See artist page at http://enochtrain.xelent.com/music.html  ↩

11. Ellacombe by David Phillips. Track 2 from Abide With Me. Available from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/abide-with-me/id341656661. I belive the artist’s page is at http://www.music4us.com/phillips.htm.  ↩

12. Psalm 22 by David (Christian Rap Artist). Track 3 from The Rapture Available from iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-rapture/id324456390. The best link I could find to the artist’s page is http://www.reverbnation.com/ChristianRapArtistDavid and his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/davidofchrist777  ↩