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APRIL 9, 2004 8:00 PM GOOD FRIDAY PRELUDE: Jesu, Meine Freude (Hymn 448) James Pethel The Approach to God *OPENING SENTENCES Leader: Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. People: We are the harvest yielded by the death of the son. Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And with your Spirit. *HYMN: 293 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Hamburg UNISON PRAYER Merciful God, you gave your son to suffer the shame of the cross. Save us from hardness of heart that, seeing him who died for us, we may repent, confess our sin, and receive your overflowing love. We pray in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen. ANTHEM Were You There Spiritual Junior and Youth Choir The Word of God The First Lesson from Scripture Isaiah 53:7-12 HYMN 285 Ah, Dearest Jesus Herzliebster Jesu The First Word: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” Luke 23:32-34 Silent Reflection on the Word Who Would Believe? Bob Moore The text of this piece for Congregation, Choir and Soloists is taken from Isaiah 53, a source set by many composers including Handel in his oratorio, Messiah. In this twentieth century setting composed in 1994, the composer alternates between a cantor and the choir and congregation and between sections of soloists with the choir. It was written to be used during a period of reflection on the cross. Bob Moore is a native of South Carolina and Music Director of San Jose Catholic Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Who would believe? Who would believe? Who would believe what we have heard? Who would believe what we have heard? Who would believe what has been revealed to us? He grew up like a tender shoot, like a root from dry and sterile ground. He had no majesty. He was rejected and despised, a man of sorrows familiar with suffering. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Refrain Surely he took up our sins. He bore our grief, our sorrows weighed him down. We thought God had struck him down, but he was wounded for our sins, bruised and wounded that we might be healed. And through it all he never spoke. He stood silent before those condemning him. Like a lamb is led to slaughter, they took him off to die, and laid him in a grave; yet he never said a word. Refrain It was God’s will to see him suffer and die for our sins, an offering for our guilt. But, through the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and conquer death for all. Refrain The Second Word: “Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” Reflection on the Word Miserere Mei Orlando di Lasso (1532 – 1594) During the latter half of the 16th century in Germany the many courts and municipalities began to hire Netherlanders and Italians for the most important secular and religious posts. Chief among these was Orlando di Lasso who worked in Bavaria in Munich from 1556 until his death in 1594. That same year Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet and Palestrina, the composer of the final piece in this service, also died. This period saw the flowering of church music both for the established Catholic liturgy and for the new Protestant church services. Both continued to use Latin for their services. Lasso was particularly noted for his composition of polyphonic motets, works for choirs based on words (mot) appropriate for a particular service. His careful attention to the text was noted in his own time. Miserere mei Deus, Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam, Have mercy upon me, O God, According to your great mercy, et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam. And according to the multitude of your mercies, cancel out my sin. The Third Word “Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother” John 19:25-27 Reflection on the Word Stabat Mater Dolorosa Giovanni Pergolesi I (1710-1736) This chorus, originally for two part women’s voices, focuses on the grief of Mary as she watches and grieves over the death of her son on the cross. The oratorio, although on sacred subjects, was not bound by liturgical service requirements, rather it looked to express religious feelings in a poetic way. Often written to be performed as a substitute for opera during Lent, they were frequently heard in sacred concerts rather than services. Pergolesi was one of several Neapolitans noted for the lyrical and sentimental tone of his religious music. This is the opening chorus of his oratorio, Stabat Mater which was highly admired during his short lifetime. Stabat mater dolorosa juxta crucem lacrymosa, dum pendebat filius. See yon mother bowed in anguish, There beside the cross doth languish, Close to Jesus to the last. The Fourth Word “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45-46 Reflection on the Word He Never Said a Mumbalin’ Word Spiritual (arr. Louis Scarmolin 1890 – 1969) During the period immediately following the War Between the States and continuing well into the twentieth century, the African-American Spiritual as we now know it gradually evolved, often sung in elaborate arrangements by choirs from emerging black colleges on fund raising tours of the North. Brooklyn Heights Church of the Pilgrims was a frequent stop because of Harry Ward Beecher and his daughter. Originally many were written in a code that was unintelligible to all but the slaves themselves with phrases such as “Deep River, I’m goin’ over Jordan” referring to a plan to cross the Ohio river with its border on freedom. “Wade in the Water” and “One More River to Cross” had similar connotations. In “Mumbalin” Word” the poignantly expressed text with its haunting chromatic melody and harmony, however, is clear in its focus on the sacrifice and dignity of Christ on the cross. The arranger Louis Scarmolin was born near Padua, Italy in 1890 and moved with his family to Union City, NJ where he lived and worked as a composer and teacher until his death in 1969 They crucified my Lord! And he never said a mumbalin’ word; Not a word., not a word, not a word. They crowned his head with thorns! And he never said a mumbalin’ word; Not a word., not a word, not a word. They pierced him in the side! And he never said a mumbalin’ word; Not a word., not a word, not a word. The blood came streamin’ down; And he never said a mumbalin’ word; The Fifth Word: “I Thirst” John 19:28-29 Silent Reflection on the Word When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Folk hymn from Harmonia Sacra (1832) arr. J. Harold Moyer One of two tunes commonly associated with this familiar Isaac Watts 1707 text, this folk hymn is found in Harmonia Sacra, a collection of hymns first published in Virginia in 1832. This arrangement keeps the sturdy, at times almost primitive sound of many early American hymn tunes. Characterized by forthright harmonies and invigorating rhythms, it captures the highly personalized religious sentiment expressed by Watts and other hymn text writers of the period. When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it Lord that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. The Sixth Word: “It is Finished” John 19:30 Reflection on the Word Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs Karl Heinrich Graun (1703? – 1759) Isaiah 53 has once again inspired a setting, in this case of verse 4, particularly appropriate for Holy Week. Alternating homophonic, chordal sections and polyphonic, imitative ones combine with sensitive expression and poignant harmonies to underline the pathos of the text. From a German family of clergymen, Karl was one of three German brothers who were composers. He was the Kapellmeister of the Berlin Opera under Frederick the Great and wrote some 26 operas for that company. As a young composer Graun once wrote out from memory the full score of one of Lotti’s operas after only three hearings. A .contemporary of J. S. Bach, Graun’s passion cantata, Der Tod Jesu, enjoyed a popularity greater than Bach’s St. Matthew Passion for more than a century. Surely, surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. The Seventh Word: “Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit” Luke 23:44-46 Reflection on the Word Adoramus Te, Christe Giovanni da Palestrina (1525 -1594) The quiet, reverent nature of this piece gently summarizes the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Palestrina ranks with Di Lasso and Byrd as one of the most important composers of the 16th century. A master of vocal writing, his many settings of masses and motets for the church were functional and aesthetic models for music in the Counter-Reformation.

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