Rejoice, Give Thanks, and Sing
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a practical resource for Lutheran church musicians ALCM No. 2, 2015 Rejoice, Give In this issue of Thanks, and Sing in tempo : Rejoice, Give Thanks, and Sing 1 The Ostinato of the Soul 5 Through the Church the Song Goes On: Making Chorales a Evangelical Lutheran Living Tradition 6 Lutheran Service Book Composing for Worship By Paul Grime the Church: by Martin Seltz You Can Do It! 8 hen the Lutheran wChurch—Missouri Synod en years ago this summer at Five-Year began in 1997 to explore tthe 2005 Churchwide the development of a new wor - Countdown to Assembly of the Evangelical ship resource, a unique history the 500th 11 Lutheran Church in America was very much at play. Lutheran (ELCA) held in Orlando, Florida, Worship (1982) had at that point Spruce Up Those this deliberative body commend - been in service for only 15 years. Chorale Preludes 12 ed Evangelical Lutheran Worship for The fact that fully one-third of use in the ELCA. The Evangelical LCMS congregations were still Singing the Lutheran Church in Canada took using the 1941 The Lutheran Church's Song at a similar action that year. Many Hymnal , and 10 percent were congregations have been using Christmas 14 using Lutheran Book of Worship, the “new” worship book now for said it all: the LCMS had signifi - In Review: Ein Neues over eight years. So, what’s been cant divisions when it came to the happening—especially from the Lied - A New Song 16 resources for use in worship. standpoint of musicians and Music in Season: singing assemblies? What aspira - Fast-forward nearly a decade to The Christmas tions for new principal worship August 2006. When Lutheran Cycle: My Favorite resources are well underway? Service Book rolled off the presses, What plans have shifted? What Things 18 it wasn’t necessarily clear that it new avenues for renewal have would be able to overcome these Dear St. Cecilia 23 opened? divisions. But if that proved to be ELW continues on page 2 LSB continues on page 3 ELW, continued from page 1 The Song Is tions have enthusiastically Evangelical Lutheran Deep, the embraced ELW’s expanded reper - Worship is marked by Song Is Wide toire of song and are already an expanded repertoire Everyone knows looking for more and more. this: Evangelical Conversely, some congregations of song. Lutheran Worship is marked by an struggle to find even basic music expanded repertoire of song. leadership to help them keep In other ways this vision of an Sheer numbers: over 200 addi - their small but beloved core of unfolding family has shifted. For tional psalms, service music selec - song alive. Some congregations example, the sleeve inside the tions, and hymns compared to its are bringing together various pew edition back cover was predecessor, a 30% increase; two styles of song when gathered in designed to house smaller print new, complete musical settings of worship, while others remain supplements that would emerge Holy Communion plus eight serv - divided into several camps with on a regular basis. A few of these ice music sets. Not only is the well distinctive playlists. And, even have appeared ( Singing Our of song deeper than before, but it with a more diversified repertoire Prayer; Of the Land and Seasons; is wide. In the late ‘90s, Libro de of song, many congregations and the bilingual Santa Liturgia y Cántico and This Far by struggle to reflect the ELCA’s Comunión ). And congregations Faith gathered up significant hope and intention of becoming have found other creative ways to repertoires of song from various a more multicultural church. use that feature, such as to house ethnic and global traditions. Gifts An Unfolding Family welcome cards, stewardship mes - from these sources were among sages, and children’s coloring those carried into ELW, so that One of the hopes noted in the pages. But an ongoing plan to over fifty of its songs include at Introduction to Evangelical create such printed inserts has least one stanza in a second lan - Lutheran Worship was that the largely been set aside. Why a shift guage besides English. assembly edition and main accompaniment editions would like this? This expansion and reshaping of be “the beginning of an unfold - the repertoire of song was one ing family of resources in forms Digital Acceleration response to the need identified in reflecting an evolving variety of ELW was launched just before the September 2000, in the “Next media, intended to respond to most recent acceleration of the Generation of ELCA Worship the developing needs of a church digital revolution: before the Resources” plan prepared by the in mission.” To a certain extent iPhone, before social media. ELCA’s Division for Congrega- this promise has borne fruit. The These phenomena are fundamen - tional Ministries and Publishing family has “unfolded” to include tally changing the ways people House units: “While the addition over 100 supporting resources, access content and express com - of diverse resources that supple - including—for leaders of song— munity. Sundays and Seasons ment LBW has been a gift to the guitar and simplified keyboard online, scheduled for expansion entire ELCA, the growing com - editions, introductions and alter - and improvement in 2015, has plexity and number of separate nate accompaniments for organ become the go-to worship plan - but related materials point to the and piano, vocal descants and ning utility for congregations, need for a new and common choral stanzas, psalm settings and where they access not only pub - approach to primary worship gospel acclamations, hymn and lished resources but also—some - resources that are supportive of liturgy settings for instrumental times in digital form only—fresh the entire ELCA for the next gen - ensembles, and anthem settings and timely worship ideas as well eration.” of newer hymns. Two Music as new liturgy and song content. Sourcebooks have added over 150 Prelude Music Planner expands More Different Than assembly songs to support the sea - this approach into a wider realm Diverse sonal needs of the liturgy from All of digital planning and download - Worshiping communities today Saints through Easter. A ing of choral and instrumental are increasingly marked by broad Mandarin/English bilingual supports. Requests for other e-ver - disparities in their own reper - hymn collection, New Hymns of sions are becoming more fre - toires of song. Just as some of us Praise, appeared in 2011. quent and are being seriously now have over 3000 tracks on our explored. Digital acceleration mobile devices organized into continues to change the land - eclectic mixes, some congrega - scape. 2 ALCM in tempo no. 2, 2015 LSB, continued from page 1 Ongoing Renewal of the case, it would - The continued success of Worship n’t be for lack of the Lutheran Service trying. The Physical resources are of course Builder testifies to the not the whole story of renewal. Commission on The 2005 Churchwide Assembly Worship and the groundbreaking impor - action called for ongoing renewal committees that developed LSB tance of this resource. also in resourcing: equipping had pondered very carefully the church musicians, preparing ros - strengths and weaknesses of each tered leaders, helping congrega - of our hymnals. Careful testing, much of it carried out via the But beyond the matters of practi - tions make the best use of their cality and innovation, the success people and other resources, to internet, enabled us to gain a fair - ly accurate sense of what would of Lutheran Service Book lies, in no name a few examples. We’ve seen small part, in the deliberate effort that these efforts can be challeng - be necessary to move the LCMS beyond its hymnal divisions. to assemble a collection of ing to launch and sustain. During resources, especially in the the ELCA Worship Jubilee this The Result hymnody, that unambiguously summer in Atlanta, keeping good proclaims the Gospel that the Concordia Publishing House esti - company with the ALCM Biennial Lutheran Church has always cher - mates that 85% of LCMS congre - Conference, a major part of the ished. While the more than 100 gations are currently using LSB. agenda will be dedicated to spark - new hymns in LSB are drawn While the vast majority use the ing conversation about what from a variety of traditions and print version, there are a number ongoing renewal of worship styles, they are above all else faith - of congregations that make use of means and how we might carry it ful expressions of the grace of LSB exclusively through the elec - forward. I hope you’ll be there to God revealed in his Son Jesus tronic version, Lutheran Service add your “living voice”! Christ. The richness of this Builder. Keeping God’s Mission in expression has been both noticed Mind What accounts for the success of and appreciated. LSB is a combination of several “Through liturgy and song the factors. The Commission attempt - LSB continues on page 4 people of God participate in that ed a “wisdom of Solomon” mission, for here God comes with approach in that it weighed care - good news to save. And through fully the strengths and weaknesses In Tempo is published twice a year by the liturgy and song, God nourishes of the predecessor hymnals and Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, us for that mission and goes with aimed for a “best of both worlds” 810 Freeman St., Valparaiso, IN 46383. us to bear the creative and outcome. To a large degree, it redeeming Word of God, Jesus appears that they were successful, 800.624.2526 G www.alcm.org Christ, to the whole world” (ELW given the fact that many of the [email protected] Introduction).