Newsletter of the ELS Historical Society Volume 18 August 2014 Issue 2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Oak Leaves Newsletter of the ELS Historical Society Volume 18 August 2014 Issue 2 Please see insert to order your copy of U. V. Koren’s Works, Volume 1, Sermons . Thank you. The June 15, 2014, Program tunes were connected to specific geographical areas of the ELS Historical Society in the Old Country: Valdres, Telemark, Bergen, etc. The immigrants brought them to America where they discovered similarities between their folk tra- Music at the 2014 Annual Meeting ditions and those of other ethnic groups. Each group by Mark O. Harstad contributed distinctive features to the “melting pot” of the American experience. The ensemble per- For the past several years we have tried to in- formed two examples of the Norwegian musical volve musicians, young and not so young, in var- form known as the Springdans , and also a wedding ious aspects of the Annual Meeting of the ELS march, the kind of music that was played as the Historical Society. This year’s musical venture wedding party made its way from the bride’s included a ten-piece ensemble of musicians rang- house through the countryside to the church. ing in age from ten to over sixty. In the making of music we don’t have to be segregated into age Norwegian nationalist composer Edvard Grieg groups. We can experience the joy of music to- frequently tapped into the folk music tradition of gether. Age is simply not a factor. his native Norway to find material to work with. The ensemble performed Grieg’s “The Cowherd’s Song,” a good example of Grieg’s use of thematic material drawn from the music of the people. The second part of the musical presentation focused on hymn tunes of the Norwegian tradition. Some of these melodies that came to be used in the church grew out of folk traditions as well. Beloved tunes such as “In Heaven Above” and “Behold a Host Arrayed in White” are of unknown origin other than that they were familiar to the common people The string ensemble was made up of the following musi- cians: Loren, Daniel, John, and Madeline Halvorson, of the land perhaps for centuries. In other cases, James and Matthew Strom, Lydia Petersen, Diane Gullixson, well known composers produced fine hymn tunes and Peggy and Mark Harstad. to convey sacred poetry into the hearts and minds of church-goers. Composer C. E. F. Weyse pro- The half hour of music which preceded the 2014 duced the beautiful melody “O Day Full of program included both secular and sacred music Grace.” Ludvig Lindeman gave us “In Jesus I of the Scandinavian tradition. Many Norwegian Find Rest and Peace.” These are enduring works folk dances and wedding marches have been pre- which will be enjoyed as long as there are people served from bygone centuries. Oftentimes these who love Christian hymnody. ▪ — Oak Leaves – Page 1 — The 2014 Business Meeting volved in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod since by Mark O. Harstad its earliest days. We welcome both of these gen- tlemen to the Board. The Historical The breaking news at the Business Meeting was Society tended to the announcement of the appearance in print of a few items of the English translation of Volume One of the business at the works of Pastor Ulrik Vilhelm Koren. Mark De- 2014 Annual Garmeaux has completed the translation of all Meeting. Peter four volumes, and it is now the project of the His- Anthony and torical Society to bring out one volume each year, Michael Lilien- 2014 to 2017. The fact that our treasury has been thal are leaving building up over the last few years enables us to the Society launch significant projects such as the Koren Board. Peter project. Koren’s writings provide a very important served three con- window into the character of the Old Norwegian secutive terms, Synod. Volume One is now available through the and was therefore Historical Society. ▪ required by our constitution to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step down. He has been our trea- surer for many What’s In a Script? ELS Historical Society years. The Soci- President, Mark O. Harstad A review by Sigurd K. Lee ety acknowledges his service to the At this summer’s 2014 ELS Synod Convention, organization with gratitude, and we look forward on the evenings of Sunday, June 15 and Tues- to his continuing participation in our activities in day, June 17, the Synod’s Historical Society used the future. Michael has served one term while the format of a Readers’ Theater “to gain insight attending seminary. He now leaves to fulfill his into the character and experience of pioneer vicarage in Iola, Wisconsin, in preparation for leaders of Norwegian Lutheranism in America,” Seminary graduation and receiving a Call into the as the program noted. Ministry. Michael’s stint on the Board was just one term, but it was a very productive time. He Two researchers, Lois Jaeger and Erling Teigen, was the writer of two plays which provided pro- combed diaries, correspondence, and histories of grams for us, The Oak Trees Still Stand (2013), these early leaders. Michael Lilienthal, the author and In Their Own Words (2014). We remember of last year’s historical play, The Oak Trees Still Stand , fashioned from this material a Readers’ his contributions with thanks and wish the bless- Theater script entitled, In Their Own Words. He ings of God on his future in the Ministry. also directed the production . The new members elected to the Board are Pastor Below are listed the historical figures chosen and Jerome Gernander from Princeton, MN, and the respective readers: Seminarian Andrew Soule. Pastor Gernander has shown his interest in our history in the past by Bjug Aanondson Harstad Mark O. Harstad producing articles for Oak Leaves. He is the Elisabeth Koren Rebecca DeGarmeaux grandson of the late Pastor Wilbert Werling. We Linka Preus Marie MacPherson look forward to his greater involvement in the Herman Amberg Preus Jerome Gernander work of the Society. Andrew Soule has also writ- Ulrik Vilhelm Koren Thomas Rank ten for Oak Leaves in the past. He represents the Jacob Aall Ottesen Erling Teigen fourth generation of a family which has been in- C. F. W. Walther Ryan MacPherson — Oak Leaves – Page 2 — (Note: I had the benefit of using a script in writing one such gathering, the pastors “talked far this review.) into the night” until the host pastor had to admonish them “to be quiet so the children could sleep.” Some of those early Norwegians feared the “pernicious effects of night air.” In December 1853, Elisabeth Koren writes: “Last year I began the new year [in Norway] clad in bobbinet, dancing away with roses in my hair. This year [in America] I am sitting here with Vil- helm in this bare room, where tomorrow he is to conduct divine services for all these people who so long have lacked a pastor. Still, this is the best.” These early pastors and their wives came from the “unspoken aristocracy” of Norway, from homes of order Lois Jaeger and Sig Lee visit after the play. and decorum, a world of cul- ture and edu- Thank you again to the Historical Society for an- cation, and, other program of substance. We did “gain in- yes, of dancing sight” and we learned some discrete facts about Marie MacPherson as Linka Preus parties. They these pioneers and their lives. A few examples: were also deeply spiritual people who willingly left that life in The mosquitoes were awful in Iowa and Norway for the rude frontier life of Wisconsin, elsewhere. (That insect apparently is not Iowa, Minnesota, and Dakota Territory. allowed into Norway.) Herman Preus wrote, “Our synod [in America] Vilhelm and Elisabeth Koren would, some- wanted to be a witness of Christ. It wanted to give times in moments alone at home, practice a clear and distinct sound on its trumpet.” Later pantomime. he confided, “I was often quite discouraged and had to confess how really unworthy and inade- Jacob Aall Ottesen may have suffered from, quate I was for the call which I had accepted. what we’d call today, bio-polar depression. However, prayer and the comfort I could draw from Scripture and good books, restored my C. F. W. Walther of the Missouri Synod was courage and my confidence that God would for- a close friend and supporter of “The Norwe- give my unworthiness and of His grace give me gians.” power in my weakness.” These early pastors and their wives, serving Vilhelm Koren wrote, “The great thing to me is the many miles from one another, welcomed exhortation of St. Paul to Timothy: ‘Keep that occasions when they could be together. At which is committed to thy trust.’” — Oak Leaves – Page 3 — As to presentation, Readers’ Theater needs inti- Two Out-of-the-Ordinary macy, closeness. As it was, being Lutherans, we audience members sat in the middle and rear Presentations seats of the Lee Theater, leaving a chasm be- by Becky DeGarmeaux tween ourselves and the readers onstage. Two presentations were given in the Log Cabin Lengthy readings are fine—many words are of- room of the Ottesen Museum this past spring ten needed to introduce and shape the point be- which, it is hoped, will spur interest in history in ing made. If performed again, however, could the young people of our Synod. shorter sections or even single lines been as- signed to readers, to vary the pace and rhythm? Each year Mrs. Sue Beilke takes her 3 rd grade class Koren’s lovely poem to his wife Elisabeth, for ex- at Mt.