Hymn of the Day: Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (ELW 707)
Text: Eliza S. Alderson (1818-1889)
Tune: HYFRYDOL, Rowland H. Pritchard (1811-1887)
Eliza S. Alderson wrote this text about tithing, sent it to the committee working on an addition to Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) and requested that, if it were chosen, her brother John B. Dykes would be asked to write a tune for it. It was chosen, and he wrote the pleasant and not memorable CHARITAS.
Rowland H. Pritchard was a textile worker and an amateur musician. He had a good singing voice and was appointed precentor in Graienyn. Many of his tunes were published in Welsh periodicals. He composed this most loved Welsh tune when he was only nineteen. It was published with about forty of his other tunes in his children's hymnal Cyfaill y Cantorion (The Singers' Friend) in 1844. HYFRYDOL means delightful, beautiful, sweet, melodious, etc. The “H” in the tune name is pronounced, both the ‘y’s are sounded like the ‘u’ in ‘nut’ and the ‘f’ is voiced like ‘v’. This tune can be found published with at least 91 different texts. This is probably because HYFRYDOL is not only a tune that is quite friendly to congregations but one that accommodates many texts very well.
Offertory Anthem: “O Taste and See” Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958)
Ralph Vaughan Williamsnwas an English composer in the first half of the 20th century, and the founder of the nationalist movement in English music. He composed "O Taste and See" for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The piece is a short motet for choir and organ, setting a text from Psalm 34. It reflects Vaughan Williams' deep interest in English choral traditions and his ability to blend simplicity with profound expressiveness. The work is characterized by its lyrical melody and harmonic richness, typical of Vaughan Williams' style, which often incorporated elements of English folk music and modal harmonies. His compositions frequently aimed to evoke a sense of English identity and spirituality, which is evident in "O Taste and See" through its serene and contemplative nature.
O taste and see how gracious the Lord is: blest is the man that trusteth in him.
Opening Voluntary: “Hyfrydol” David Cherwien
David Cherwien is a prominent musician who serves as the Cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and is the Artistic Director of the National Lutheran Choir. He holds degrees in Choral Music Education, Organ Performance, and Music Theory and Composition, and has extensive experience in church music across various cities, including Chicago, Seattle, and Berlin.
Closing Voluntary: “Trio #4” from Ten Trios for the Organ, Op. 49 Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger was an organist and composer, born in Liechtenstein and resident in Germany for most of his life. Young Josef showed exceptional musical talent at an early age. When only seven years old, he was already serving as organist of the Vaduz parish church, and his first composition was performed the following year. In 1849, he studied with composer Philipp M. Schmutzer (1821–1898) in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg. In 1851, his father, who had initially opposed his son's desire to embark on the life of a professional musician, relented and allowed him to enter the Munich Conservatorium. Not long after graduating, he became professor of piano and of composition at the same institution. When this first version of the Munich Conservatorium was dissolved, he was appointed répétiteur at the Court Theatre, from which he resigned in 1867.
Rheinberger married his former pupil, the poet and socialite Franziska "Fanny" von Hoffnaass (eight years his senior) in 1867. The couple remained childless, but the marriage was happy. Franziska wrote the texts for much of her husband's vocal work.
The stylistic influences on Rheinberger ranged from contemporaries such as Brahms to composers from earlier times, such as Mendelssohn, Schumann, Schubert and, above all, Bach. He was also an enthusiast for painting and literature (especially English and German).
In 1877 he was appointed court conductor, responsible for the music in the royal chapel. He was subsequently awarded an honorary doctorate by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. A distinguished teacher, he numbered many Americans among his pupils, including Horatio Parker, William Berwald, George Whitefield Chadwick, Bruno Klein, Sidney Homer and Henry Holden Huss. Other students of his included German composers Engelbert Humperdinck and Richard Strauss and the conductor (and composer) Wilhelm Furtwängler. When the second (and present) Munich Conservatorium was founded, Rheinberger was appointed Royal Professor of organ and composition, a post he held for the rest of his life.