Introduction To The Anthology Of Congregational Song

The anthology of songs for each season of the Christian year is a compilation of traditional hymns, gospel songs, popular hymns, and Scripture choruses chosen for their suitability for the seven major celebrations of the church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. (You will find a listing of songs under each particular season in Volume 5. See chapters 5, 9, 14, 17, and 26 in particular.) The selections represent an interdenominational spread, and the purpose of the anthology is to help music leaders in choices of seasonal materials where presence of scriptural allusion is also at hand.

The church calendar traditionally centers around two primary events in Christ's earthly ministry: his resurrection and his nativity. Since the apostle Paul emphasizes that without the Savior's resurrection from the dead the believer's faith is logically futile (1 Cor. 15:17), value of the Nativity naturally hinges on the validity of the Resurrection and thereby parallels the earlier historical emphasis that the church placed on Easter (the older of the celebrations), compared to Christmas. The Vatican II–based reforms of the church calendar in 1969 have also brought three features into focus, harking back to early church practices: (1) The calendar is regulated by a two-event sequence (A: Beginning of Lent to the day of Pentecost; and B: the opening of Advent to the day of Epiphany). Here Sundays are arranged in two groups: each side of Easter, and each side of Christmas. The period of Sundays after Epiphany and the long period of Sundays after Pentecost (up to 27, plus Sunday of the Fulfillment) are now termed "Sundays of the Year"—that is, ordinary Sundays—by Roman/ecumenical definition. In the 1970s studies in Frankish (Gregorian) chant revealed the early medieval custom of baptizing Christian converts (neophytes) at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil, where they also offered these converts a chalice of milk and honey. This ceremony had followed at least forty days of biblical training and catechetical practice, and was likely less penitential in character than the later traditions/accretions known as Lent. Accordingly, much of the music in this anthology affirms church calendar reforms that have, in fact, returned to earlier historical viewpoints or practices. It clarifies why, for instance, a number of the selections for Lent exemplify faith, promise, dedication, obedience, service, praise of God's grace, or spiritual growth in addition to traditional themes of sober contemplation or denial of self. (2) The three-day period of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday is currently revisualized as a single, integrated spectrum of Christ's love for the believer (John 13:1) and the unsaved (John 12:32), seen in tandem with his struggle between personal wish and divine obedience in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42) and his absence from his beloved ones in death (John 16:16, 32). In this context the triduum is not "three events" (Passion, Crucifixion, Death) but a "single focus" that celebrates the destruction of the works of the devil and the sinner's redemption (1 John 3:8; John 1:12). As practical assistance, each citation for Holy Week in this article is accompanied by a caption that assigns the song to the day most appropriate; this facilitates any wish to emphasize the integrated focus of the triduum period and makes Passion (Palm) Sunday materials immediately identifiable. (3) The forty days before Easter and the fifty days after Easter are more properly intended to celebrate the Lord's resurrection: a: either in terms of the cost paid at Calvary, or b: in terms of his glory ascribed by the Father through his resurrection (Heb. 12:2). This aspect of calendar reinterpretation has been helpful for bridging worship-style differences between liturgical and nonliturgical believers; it is a biblical basis for including songs of adoration, testimony, praise, anticipation, and gratitude throughout the year, and for bringing such songs into the "forty-plus-fifty" time period as well. It is the reality of Christ's resurrection and the Holy Spirit's presence in the life of the individual believer and the corporate body of believers that drives all logic of the church calendar, thus coloring all the varied nuances of the separate seasons. The anthology here presents a simple format for guiding song-choice. Information is read from left to right by: a: citation-title; b: scriptural quotation or allusion; c: author(s)/composer(s); d: tune-name (if extant); e: an available published source in siglum listing, with page/number; and f: occasional captioned description of usage or proper context—ceremonial or historical. Because of the large flowering of hymn-writing in the United States and Britain between the late 1960s and the middle 1980s, identity of compositional, copyright, or publication date is listed for pieces appearing within the last thirty years. The hymns and songs in the anthology represent a wide survey of Christian denominations, providing wide stylistic variation within the repertory itself. Denominations include Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Christian Reformed, Evangelical Covenant, independent free church, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Pentecostal (Assemblies of God), Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Seventh-day Adventist. Some material from the Taizé community is also included. This section allows music leaders to select congregational songs appropriate to their own worship tradition that may, in fact, be shared with one or more of the other traditions. At best, numerous opportunities for fresh choice are available. Another musical issue congruent to congregational song is the format for singing Alleluias. It is a practice ranging from formal choral works and praise-choruses to Roman-based liturgies. Absorbed into Latin from Hebrew ("Praise Ye the Lord"), the Alleluia was introduced as a praise-formula in fourth-century Western chant under Damasus I as a part of the Easter liturgy. Ultimately it was extended throughout the church year by Gregory I (except during Lent, where it was replaced by the tract). By the time of Charlemagne's unification of Frankish (Gregorian) chant-usage, the Alleluia had developed a format for singing that has changed relatively little to the present, even in post–Vatican II rites. Occurring in the Synaxis of the Mass, the Alleluia is normally given three consecutive statements and then followed by brief verses of Scripture, prior to being recapitulated at the conclusion. Traditionally the first Alleluia was sung by a cantor and then repeated by the choir. Contemporary practice allows the congregation to sing the Alleluia. In medieval examples (and in certain contemporary settings) the final Alleluia of a sequence of statements often contains a notational extension on a single syllable (the final vowel of "Alleluia"). This is known as a Jubilus, and there are references to the Jubilus as far back as Augustine's time, where he speaks of ululation in the Ambrosian rite and of his reactions (Confessions, Bk. X). As a matter of history the Jubilus itself became a basis for polyphonic composition in the early thirteenth century—particularly at the Notre Dame school of Paris. Here Jubili were extracted from context to become supportive substructures for texted upper parts in rhythmic modes (formulae): sources of organa and motets. Alleluias traditionally are added to all antiphons during the Easter season. They also occur during other major celebrations, as well as throughout ordinary time, where they are linked to the reading of the Gospel. Alleluias also form colorful refrains to certain hymns and are the main text to several praise-choruses (e.g., by Ray Repp or Jerry Sinclair); they have been the subject of classical-era contrapuntal work (e.g., Mozart: Canon, K. 533); and most recently in works such as Randall Thompson's SATB a cappella Alleluia of 1940, which has become a fixture in musical Americana. Finally, as the reader studies this anthology , it will become apparent that a good number of well-known hymns and gospel songs that enjoy frequent use were not included. Here the main goal has been to broaden scope and representative variety; while it is true that many well-employed Christmas citations appear, on the whole the options for each season will be wider rather than merely familiar. This is particularly visible in the distinction between the selections for Lent and Holy Week. These songs and hymns are purposefully kept separate and thereby tend to enrich the entire choice-spectrum for the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Accompanying commentaries, while very short, will help to narrow choices for particular seasons. The following list of abbreviations will lead the reader to the resources for songs for each of the seasons of the Christian year. The Sources AHB Anglican Hymn Book. London: Church Book Room Press, Ltd., 1965. AHON American Hymns, Old and New. Compiled by Albert Christ-Janer, Charles Hughes, and Carleton Smith. New York: Columbia University Press, 1980. ALYA 1 Aleluya: The Music of Lausanne II. Charlotte, N.C.: Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, 1989. ALYA 2 Aleluya: The Songs of Renewal. Valley Forge, Pa.: National Ministries, 1992. BPH The Baptist Hymnal. Nashville: Convention Press, 1975. CHRE The Church Hymnary, rev. ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1927. CPH The Christian Praise Hymnal. Nashville: Broadman, 1972. CVH Hymnal of the Evangelical Covenant Church of America. Chicago: Covenant Press, 1950. DVS The Dove Songbook: Songs of the Spirit for Today's Christian Community. Carol Stream, Ill.: Hope Publishing Co., 1975. FHEA Favorite Hymns of Early America. Edited by Leonard Van Camp. Macomb, Ill.: Roger Dean Publishing Co., 1975. GLP Glory and Praise. Phoenix: Epoch Universal Publications, 1987. H–III Church Hymnal Series III. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1981. HB The Hymn Book. Richmond, Va.: Presbyterian Church in the United States, United Presbyterian Church in the USA, and the Reformed Church in America, 1955. HCS Hymnal for Colleges and Schools. Edited by E. Harold Geer. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1956. HFG Hymns for the Family of God. Special Edition. Nashville: Paragon Associates Inc., 1976. HMOC Hymnal of the Moravian Church. Elk Grove, Ill.: Walter M. Carqueville, 1969. HWB Hymnal: A Worship Book. Elgin, Ill.: Brethren Press, 1992. LBW The Lutheran Book of Worship. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1982. LH The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. LW Lutheran Worship. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982. MCB Master Chorus Book. Compiled by Ken Bible. Kansas City, Mo.: Lillenas, 1987. MH The Methodist Hymnal. Nashville: Whitmore and Smith, 1939. MH-66 The Methodist Hymnal. Nashville: The Methodist Publishing House, 1966. MMH The Mount Mary Hymnal. Boston: McLaughlin and Reilly, 1937. MMP Maranatha! Music Praise Chorus Book. Nashville: The Benson Co., 1983. MNH The Mennonite Hymnal. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1969. NEPT Ye Olde New England Psalm Tunes, 1620–1820. Bryn Mawr, Pa.: Presser, 1930. NJSS New Jesus-Style Songs, I. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1972. OXBC The Oxford Bood of Carols. London: Oxford University Press, 1964. P:1, 2 Praises. Edited by Frank Garlock and Ron Hamilton. Greenville, S.C.: Musical Ministries, 1991. Three volumes in two. PH Pilgrim Hymnal. Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press, 1974. PSH Psalter Hymnal, Doctrinal Standards and Liturgy of the Christian Reformed Church. Grand Rapids: Publication Committee of the Christian Reformed Church, 1934. SBAH Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1958. SC The Singing Church. Carol Stream, Ill.: Hope Publishing House, 1958. SDAH The Seventh Day Adventist Hymnal. Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1987. SHP The B.F. White Sacred Harp. Troy, Ala.: Sacred Harp Book Co., 1949. TAIZÉ Music from Taizé. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 1981. WB The Worshipbook. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1972. W-II Worship II: A Hymnal for Roman Catholic Parishes. Chicago: GIA Publications, 1975. WH We Have Come into this House to Worship Him. Compiled by Jesse Peterson and Mark Hayes. Leawood, Kans.: Tempo Music, 1976 (vol. 1), and 1989 (vol. 2). H1982 The Hymnal 1982. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1982. Secondary References Horace T. Allen, "A Hymn Lectionary," in Reformed Liturgy and Music 16 (Fall 1982): 159–164. Lesley A. Davies, "Prepare the Way of the Lord: An Anthology of Hymns for the Season of Advent," in Reformed Liturgy and Music 22 (Summer 1988): 130–133. Joan Halmo, "Hymns for the Pascal Triduum," in Worship 25 (March 1981): 137–159. Marion J. Hatchett: A Manual for Clergy and Church Musicians . New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1980.