Hymn of the Day: “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” ELW 395
Text: German hymn, 15th cent., st. 1; Martin Luther, 1483–1546, sts. 2–3; tr. composite
Tune: Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott

From an eleventh-century Latin antiphon for the Vigil of Pentecost, "Veni Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corde fideliu”, came the fifteenth-century single-stanza German Leise "Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott." Martin Luther, in a hyperbolic mode around the dinner table, said the Holy Spirit wrote it, both text and music. He slightly altered the work of the Holy Spirit and then added two more stanzas. The three appeared in 1524 in the Erfurt Enchiridion and Walter' Geistliche Gesangbüchlein. The translation in Evangelical Lutheran Worship is a composite. With only slight alterations it takes over the version from Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), which with variations was taken from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941), which in turn was based on Catherine Winkworth's translation in Lyra Germanica, first series (1855).

This is one of the finest hymns from the Lutheran heritage, a potent chorale that summarizes many of the Holy Spirit's attributes - love, brightness, light, guide, teacher, fire, comfort - and spins out graphic petitions from them. It appropriately initiates the Pentecost, Holy Spirit section of this hymn collection.

KOMM, HEILIGER GEIST, HERRE GOTT
The tune is equally potent. Ulrich Leupold viewed it as "a simplified version of the rather melismatic plainchant melody of the German" Leise (not the melody of the Latin antiphon, which was not used). Whatever small arranging Luther or Johann Walter may have done here, what we get is a skillful congregational adaptation "of older materials.”

Offertory Anthem: “Lift Up Your Heads” William Matthias (1934-1992)

William Mathias’s ebullient, joyful choral writing, drawing on a variety of musical traditions, is immediately accessible and likeable while demonstrating an architectural sophistication that brings it into the top rank of twentieth-century liturgical music. He had a particular flair for brilliance, drama and display, which made his music highly suited to ceremonial and festive occasions; present too in his music is a sense of Celtic mysticism and deep spirituality which enhances these works.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors,
And the king of glory shall come in.
Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty
The Lord mighty in battle.

Opening Voluntary: Prelude in G Minor, Marcel Dupre (1886-1971)

Dupré's most often heard and recorded compositions tend to be from the earlier part of his career. During this time he wrote the Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 7 (1914), with the First and Third Preludes (in particular the G minor with its phenomenally fast tempo and its pedal chords) being pronounced unplayable by no less a figure than Widor. Such, indeed, is these preludes' level of complexity that Dupré was the only organist able to play them in public for years.

In many ways Dupré may be viewed as a Paganini of the organ. Being a virtuoso of the highest order, he contributed extensively to the development of technique (both in his organ music and in his pedagogical works) although, like Paganini, his music is largely unknown to musicians other than those who play the instrument for which the music was written. A fair and objective critique of his output should take into account the fact that, occasionally, the emphasis on virtuosity and technique can be detrimental to the musical content and substance. Nevertheless, his more successful works combine this virtuosity with a high degree of musical integrity.

Closing Voluntary: “Sonne der Gerechtigkeit,” David Schack (1947)

The tune, SONNE DER GERECHTIGKEIT, was originally the tune to a fifteenth-century folk song, "Der reich Mann war geritten aus," and it was adopted by the Bohemian Brethren for 1566 hymnal, Kirchengeseng. The tune is thus a contrafactum, changed from the folk/court use to church use. The title is the German incipit for the chorale most commonly associated with the tune.

David Schaak studied at Valparaiso University and Indiana University. Five different publishers have published his many choral and organ compositions and his liturgical works have found wide acclaim through appearance in three major Lutheran hymnals. He has been honored by guest appearances at several regional and national conferences of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.