THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC
MARCH 1, 2009
Music Notes
Exploring the United Methodist Hymnal, ©1989
Part I: “The Page Layout of the Hymn”
In Part I of Exploring the UM Hymnal, we will look at the information that is
given in the page layout for each hymn. The numbers on the accompanying
illustration correspond to
the numbered explanations
in the inset box on the
right-hand side of the page.
The upcoming newsletters
will continue our discovery
in the hymnal. In Part II of
“Exploring the Hymnal,”
we will look at the
usefulness of the indices of
the hymnal. Part III will
discuss the Orders of
Wo r s h i p , Ps a l t e r a n d
Confessions of Faith found
in the hymnal.
Wesley always kept two
books at his bedside: the
Bible and a hymnal. May
we follow his example as
people of the Methodist
faith.
Unique Churches from throughout the world
Harajuku: Japanese Futuristic Church
This futuristic protestant church is located in Tokyo and it was first unveiled by the design firm
of Ciel Rouge Creation in 2005. The ceiling is specially made to reverberate natural sound for 2
seconds to provide a unique listening experience for worshipers and tourists.
WWW.CHUMCKPT.ORG
1 –The title of the hymn is usually
based on the first few words in the first
verse. In poetry, each line of poetry is
called a verse and each numbered line a
stanza. Thus the pictured hymn has 4
verses in 3 stanzas. In recent years,
these designations are interchangeable.
2–The topic of the hymn
corresponds to the Topical Index. Each
topic includes several hymns that is
helpful when selecting hymns.
3 – The hymn number.
4– The lyricist of the hymn plus any
attributions to scripture or other
sources.
5 –The composer of the hymn tune.
At times, the tune is written by one
person and the harmonization is
penned by another musician.
6 –Copyright laws require that the
holder of the copyright be listed if
other than the publisher of the hymnal.
7 –The tune name comes from
various sources and often times has
little to do with hymn text. When
using other hymn tunes than the one
on the page, it is proper to state the
tune name rather than the hymn title.
8 –The poetic meter of the text
which sets up the syllabic count for
each poetic line or verse. This aids in
finding tunes that fit other hymn texts.
PAGE 1
 THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS UMC
MEMBER & FAMILY NEWS
(If you have information to share about
yo u o r yo u r fa m i l y, p l e a s e s e n d
information in email jimlyon@mac.com. If
we inadvertently omit your name &om
the birthday list or omit information you
have submitted, contact Jim. )
Happy March
Birthdays to:
Dick Jackson (3/25),
Joan Wiles(3/30)
Featured Hymn for Lent:
“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”
translated by Paul Gerhardt & James W.
Alexander based on Matthew 27:27-31;
Mark 15:16-20; John 19:1-5. Tune name:
“Passion Chorale” by Hans L. Hassler;
harmonized by J. S. Bach.
This compelling hymn on the
passion of Jesus Christ comes from
the medieval personal devotional
practice of viewing and addressing the
form of the crucified Christ. This
tradition was sustained in German
Protestantism in pietistic hymns,
painting, and statuary, and found its
way into British evangelical use in the
hymns of Isaac Watts, “When I
Survey the Wondrous Cross” and
Charles Wesley, “O Love Divine,
What Hast Thou Done.”
The Latin text has been ascribed to
Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153, or to
the more probable Arnulf of Louvain,
1200-1251. It is divided into seven
parts, one for each day of Holy Week:
feet, knees, hands, sides, breast, heart
and head. Gerhardt translated the
final section that addresses the head
of the Crucified.
The tune, “Passion Chorale” is one
of the most cited examples of the
practice of Contrafactum, setting a
new sacred text to a popular secular
melody for the purpose of reaching a
wider audience. Its source is the tune
for the love song “Mein G’müt ist mir
verwirret, Das macht ein Jungfrau
zart” (“Confused are all my feelings, A
te n d e r m a i d ’s t h e c a u s e ” ) . O u r
harmonization was adapted from one
WWW.CHUMCKPT.ORG
MARCH 1, 2009
of J. S. Bach’s settings in his chorale
the St. Matthew Passion, 1729. –from March Anthems
“Companion to the United Methodist March 1 (Holy Communion)
Hymnal,” Carlton Young, Abingdon Press, Soli Deo Gloria (Hayes)
©1993. Just a Closer Walk with Thee
(Schrader) WOMEN’S
On the Internet ENSEMBLE
• Hear the Johnson C. Smioth March 8
University Choir sing Jane Marshall’s For a Moment (Courtney)
“My Eternal King.” Recorded at
March 15
Antioch Baptist Church 2003 Bruce
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
A. Thompson, Conductor. Gregory
(arr. Purifoy)
Thompson, Accompanist. http://
w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = a - Just a Closer Walk with Thee
et2gVXeTc (arr. Greer) BELLS
• Weekly scripture reading and March 22
sermons from our church are now Lonesome Valley (arr. Martin)
available by clicking on Podcasts from
our new website. They may also be March 29
accessed from iTunes on the internet. My Eternal King (Marshall)
www.chumckpt.org.
Brian Wren,
among the Remember When?
greatest living
hymn writers
in the English
language and
contributor of
fourteen
items to our
U n i t e d
Methodist
H y m n a l
including
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings,” “I
Come with Joy”” and “There’s a Spirit
Before the Ministry Center
in the Air,” has suffered a stroke and is
hospitalized and awaiting surgery in a
Boston hospital. His wife, Susan, is a
United Methodist pastor serving as
co-pastor of the Martha’s Vineyard
Cooperative Parish in Massachusetts.
Publishing House to Reassess
Funding for Hymnal Revision--
Neil M. Alexander, President and
Publisher of The United Methodist
Publishing House, announced that the
hymnal revision process begun at the
2008 General Conference will be
slowed and reassessed in light of
funding concerns in the coming
months.
PAGE 1