Notes for Sunday, April 29

Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:36-43; John 10:22-30

SERMON: Tangible Evidence

ANTHEM: Sing, Alleluia, Clap Your Hands!

The anthem follows the first scripture reading. The reading tells a resurrection story. Dorcas falls ill and dies. Her friends call Peter, and he raises Dorcas to life.

And we will “sing alleluia, clap your hands. Sing and rejoice.” The piece is full of the joyous energy of life – with layered vocal lines and handclaps.

You can hear the Westhill High School Concert Choir sing the anthem here.

Listen here also.

The work also continues our call for “peace throughout the land.”

HYMNS AND RESPONSES:
#582 Memorial Acclamation
#107 Celebrate with Joy and Singing
#481 Llanfair (response)
#535 Tallis’ Canon (response)
#524 Holy Spirit, Lord of Love
#428 Schumann (response)
#535 Go with Us, Lord

OTHER ITEMS:
Prelude: Fantasie in G-Dur, J.S. Bach
Offertory: Her Christ, der einig Gottes Sohn, D. Buxtehude
Postlude: In dir ist Freude, J.S. Bach

The “fantasy” is a composition rooted in improvisation. As such, it often lacks strict musical form. In the Baroque period, fantasies were typically written for keyboard instruments, with rapid passagework. Bach’s Fantasy in G major features such patterns, with a grand five-part chorus in the middle.

The postlude comes from Bach’s “The little organ book.” (The title refers to the dimensions of the book – not the magnitude of the works!) During his tenure at the ducal court in Weimar (1708-1717) Bach began to assemble “The little organ book,” for his son Wilhelm Friedemann. The book contains traditional Lutheran hymn tunes – set in complex textures. Bach not only loved hymn-tune settings as a musical form, he was a dedicated teacher. Most organists use his “little organ book” during their training. The dedication on the title page of the book reads,

“to the honor of the Most High God alone, to my neighbor, that he may learn from it.”

Until Sunday, Bonnie