A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Piece: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"
Arranger: Joel Raney
From: Flute Stylings 4
Recording: Alana Laufman, oboe and piano

Buy here

The plight of the oboist is that when we start band, we are often alone. The luckiest schools can find three oboists per class. Our flute, clarinet, and trumpet friends are able to partake in normal adolescent socializing in their groups of 10-18+ students. Middle school and some high school band oboe parts are simplified flute parts, while clarinets are split into 3 parts, often each part splitting into two parts. 

Throughout the 6-12 band education, it is natural that some kids quit and leave oboe forever. Our numbers are small compared to our friends. The flutes, clarinets, trumpets, and heaven forbid, saxophones, often remain in greater groups.

When it comes to arranging church music, this is reflected in the selection for oboe. Why write a book of music for the oboe when there are few oboes to begin with? The composer then has to bet that the few oboists out there who are confident enough to play in church will specifically search out their piece. 

There isn't as much church oboe music available as there is church flute music. 

Due to the popularity of the instrument, which creates competition, flutists tend to have a higher level of technical ability at a younger age. 

This had me thinking, "So flute has more technical difficulties, can help me work on my high range extremities, and has lots of music written specifically for church use. Let's try this stuff!"

I chose Joel Raney's Flute Stylings 4 because this particular book includes more melodies used among members of my church body (WELS) than the other Flute Stylings books. Some of these beloved church melodies are "Be Thou My Vision", "Let All Things Now Living", "The God of Abraham Praise", "This Little Light of Mine", and "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". 

Joel Raney also arranges and composes choir music. This is apparent in the way he chooses to arrange "A Might Fortress is Our God". The style begins lightly, builds in volume and thickness, and also transposes higher as the piece progresses. I quite enjoy this style. When I played it in church (I have a fun "tent" set-up to protect the congregation from my projectile molecules during my live performance...don't worry...), the piece was accessible and interesting. 

What do you mean by accessible? Well, the audience can clearly hear the melody. For the average person who would rarely be found in a classical music experience, it works for them. I suppose I could label this "religious pops." What do you mean by interesting? The arrangement expects more from the performer than quarter notes and eighth notes. There are moments of fast playing expected, connecting the casual listener to the guitar-hero virtuosity of progressive rock to what they are experiencing in church. In a way, it is helpful to be somewhat entertaining to convince a congregation to not choose pre-recorded music for worship. 

I needed to alter the range in some sections due to the comfort of fingerings, intonation, and my particular reed. I did go for the high G at the end of the piece, but I limited my range generally to high F. I took other sections down the octave to make the phrases connect better, depending on context. I feel that the range changes still work well with the piano arrangement. The piano part plays like a choral accompaniment. Playing calls for lots of octaves. The amateur pianist who is comfortable accompanying choirs can handle this.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" was originally written by Martin Luther in 1527 or 1528 OR 1529, depending on which musicologist you ask. It is based on Psalm 46: God is our refuge and our strength, a helper who can always be found in times of trouble." It was comforting to Martin Luther while he was hiding out at Coburg castle. It was use to comfort early Lutheran church fathers Philipp Melanchthon, Justus Jonas, and Caspar Cruciger when they were banished. It was sung by Gustavus Adolphus's army (h/t to ELCA Minnesotans) before the Battle of Leipzig in 1631. It was sung at the Diet of Augsburg. This was an important hymn to the people restoring the purity of God's Word in the church. (Aufdemberge, CT. Christian Worship: Handbook. Northwestern Publishing House, 1997.)

It is commonly sung on the first Sunday of End Times: Reformation Sunday. Our Pastor currently prefers the metric melody (original 16th century version). This particular arrangement is the 1738 altered isometric version. Both are lovely--the difference is the rhythmic choices. I find no problem with playing arrangements based on the different version than what is sung in church. 

This is a lovely book. I highly recommend it!

Greek Gods

 I will interrupt this topical blog to talk about performing a piece that one should not perform in a Christian worship setting. 

Benjamin Britten's Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, op. 49 is probably one of the more recognized and performed pieces of the solo oboe repertoire. The music is programmatic; it paints a musical picture of a story. The pieces are challenging, but accessible by high school students, and have been recorded by many famous oboists since its conception in 1951. 

Over the last calendar year, I've gone through an intense period of self-reflection. It has included extreme sadness, anger, happiness, research, denial, doubt, and regret. One of these reflections has been the realization that many people do not want to attend a traditional classical music recital "just because," especially in a rural area. The new questions have become, "How can I create an event that is unique that piques people's curiosity?" and "Where is there already an audience?" 

I know that it is a bit cliche to run to the children's concert. Leonard Bernstein started running his Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic in 1958. His programs deconstruct the music and artfully educate about great composers like Mahler, Copland, and Corigliano. As an adult you can learn much from these videos! Since then, nonprofits have popped up in large cities around the world promoting classical music programs for kids. I recall performing Aires Tropicales by Paquito D'Rivera in Montreal with a woodwind quintet for the nonprofit, Bach before Bedtime. The woman MCing the event put noisemakers in the hands of over 200 small children and expected them to hold still until she told the kids it was time to make music. It was comical. 

Flash forward to today. I wanted to perform Britten's Metamorphoses in an educational setting, but there aren't good books for small children on the six characters he portrays: Pan, Phaeton, Niobe, Bacchus, Narcissus, and Arethusa. As a solution, I became a children's storyteller. I created a PowerPoint with clip art as my illustrations. I dove into the original (translated--I am no scholar of ancient Greek) Ovid and found that all of the characters have brutally tragic endings. Niobe! Ovid went into great detail to describe each individual murder of all of Niobe's 14 children. To abridge Ovid, I simply translated the murders as, "Leto had her children take Niobe's children away." That is the PG version. 

Rice Lake Public Library graciously hosted my Facebook live takeover. I designed the program to be around 25 minutes (the Britten takes 13 minutes to perform in a traditional recital setting). I told the story of each character with the clip art before each song. I gave specific directions for drawing or playing the child's own musical instruments during a song. A big benefit to doing something like a social media takeover is that you do not see your audience. This allowed me to ask kids to play along with the music. However, it made "interacting" with my audience strange and artificial. I also know that my live show reached a large number of people, but I am not sure what percentage of the audience was children and which percentage was the supportive members of my church!

For those of you wondering why this great piece of music shouldn't be performed in a Christian worship setting, I will cite the first commandment "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3. Greek mythology is fun, but it does include of pantheon of gods that people did believe in and worship. The apostle Paul wrote to numerous Christian churches about what you do not bring from other religions into Christianity. Some musicians fall into the trap of "if it's classical music, it is appropriate for worship." Wrong! Some music is very generic and could fit under the right circumstances. This work is not generic. I do not believe that it worships the ancient deities of the Greeks however, it does tell stories that one should not tell when worshiping the one true God.

This work was very fun to develop into an educational program in a secular setting!

"Offertory", J. Richard Freese

Piece: "Offertory"
Composer: J. Richard Freese
Hymn Tune: None
Instrumentation: English horn/piano, originally flugelhorn and piano
Purchase: Directly from composer, rich.freese@gmail.com

Performance
Performed by The Clara Schumann Project: Alana Laufman, English horn, Dr. Kayme Henkel, piano, performed live in concert March 2018

Clara Schumann Project · Offertory- Rich Freese

About
I attended college at UW-Madison and became involved with Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel. After I left Madison, Rich Freese did his doctoral work in composition at UW-Madison and became worship coordinator at Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel. We had heard of one another, even though our time at the UW School of Music and Chapel never overlapped. We started communicating when I was looking for music by living composers for oboe and piano for my duo with pianist Dr. Kayme Henkel. Rich had composed music for worship settings for musicians he knew. "Offertory" was originally for flugelhorn and piano. The timbre of the flugelhorn is mellow and transfers nicely to the sound of the English horn. 

The piece is short, about 3.5 minutes. It utilizes a repeat after the first sixteen measures, which creates the ability to loop the music as needed. The music is simple to play, but the harmonies give subtle nods to jazz and pop while the accompanying rhythmic motive provides a contemplative atmosphere. The melody is based on a four eighth note motive that reoccurs throughout and develops in volume with the evolving harmonies. The piece needs to be performed well to be effective. Many of the melodic notes are doubled in the harmony and the quiet nature of the piece needs to have enough support to remain beautiful. 

I personally like that the form of "Offertory" is based on the 32 bar pop song (although a little bit longer due to transitioning from bridge to A^1). Freese is connecting with listeners, whether in worship or recital on many levels. 32 bar pop songs were all the rage pre-1955 in an era of music known as the "Classic American Song Book". The length, the reoccurring themes, the bridge, will work subliminally with Baby Boomers. Jazz falls right into this Boomer category, while picking up the Xers and a younger intellectual coffee shop crowd, which I would argue fits into the casual style of CCM-type churches. The melody itself is classical (like the era 1750-1825, which popularized the concept of a distinct melody with a distinct accompaniment) in inspiration, making it generally likable to all; who doesn't love a good melody? Finally, as Freese concludes his "A" section, the pedal-toning F# begins a new path of descending and ultimately moving from a long section of dissonance to brief consonance (that Ahhhh! feeling of resolution). This descending pattern in the bass as well as the use of the lowest piano is utilized in popular music today. Us young people want us some bass! 

Composer
Born in Tucson, Arizona and spending most of his life in the Midwestern United States, Rich Freese began pursuing music in late high school when he taught himself how to play the electric guitar. He subsequently earned music composition degrees at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Truman State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Freese’s professional activities have focused on church music, education, and composition. He serves as the worship coordinator at Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel in Madison, WI, working with a wide variety of music styles and a number of musicians and AV personnel. As an educator, he has taught students of all ages and interests in one-on-one music lessons, classrooms and workshops, and online courses. His original compositions have been performed throughout the United States in venues including art exhibitions and music festivals.

Outside of music and education, pursuits and hobbies include art, reading, video games, and spending time with family.

Lutheran Application
This piece is an example of a work written specifically for a worship setting, but without a hymn melody in mind. As we see by the title, the piece is for collection of the offering. In a liturgical service, this takes place after the sermon. The calmness and simplicity of the piece lends itself to reflecting on the scripture readings and sermon content. The piece is beautiful and worthy to listen to, but it does not "steal the show" away from Biblical texts and the sermon. This piece is appropriate for use during the offering, or if a time for meditation is planned within the service. The form offers flexibility, allowing musicians to cadence when needed during the service (or even fade out!) It is appropriate for all times of the church year.

We Bless the Name of Christ the Lord, Janet Lanier

Piece: We Bless the Name of Christ the Lord

Composer: Janet Lanier (2003)

Hymn Tune: RETREAT, Thomas Hastings (1842)

Instrumentation: Oboe and Piano (opt. flute, English horn, or Bb clarinet)

Purchase

Performance 

Oboe and Piano performance by Alana Laufman. As this blog progresses, I will learn how to hook up my recording devices to my computer and how to edit videos to create a higher quality product!

About

Janet Lanier has a many hymn arrangements that are lovely for oboe and English horn, primarily because she is an oboist and English hornist. The oboe/English horn parts fall into a comfortable register and play easily. The piano part is straight forward and does not require a professional (notice that I recorded my own piano part). The music relies on an eighth note pulse, so the parts line-up naturally, which lends itself to minimal rehearsal. Lanier does a lovely job developing from the basic melody into an exploratory development section in the parallel minor, which creates an interesting interpretation that is still accessible to congregants. 

Text

The text for "We Bless the Name of Christ the Lord" refers to the textual setting by Samuel F. Coffman, which is a Baptism hymn. Note that the specific hymn tune is "Retreat" by Thomas Hastings (we should be aware of both the melody and the text that accompanies the melody). Whenever we have a text for Baptism, we can schedule it on a Baptism Sunday, during Epiphany when we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, on Trinity Sunday (because we Baptize into the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and also may be used generally because worship opens with an invocation of the Trinity; "We worship in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

1. We bless the name of Christ the Lord,

We bless Him for His holy Word,

Who loved to do His Father's will,

And all His righteousness fulfill.

2. We follow Him with pure delight

To sanctify His sacred rite:

And thus our faith with water seal,

To prove obedience that we feel.

3. Baptized in God the Father, Son,

And Holy Spirit--Three in One,

With conscience free, we rest in God,

In love and peace thro' Jesus' blood.

4. By grace we "Abba, Father" cry;

By grace the Comforter comes nigh;

And for Thy grace our love shall be

Forever, only, Lord, for Thee.

Lutheran Application

I love this melody and find that it will fit well in the liturgical church year however, neither the hymn text nor the melody "Retreat" is in Christian Worship (the hymnal of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, of which I am affiliated). The question is, why is it not in the hymnal? The text of the second verse comes from a Reformed background because it implies choice theology and promotes "feeling" saved ("For the wages of sin is death, but the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23). However, it is standard practice in hymnals to modify hymns by removing verses for either doctrinal reasons or length, so other than the two lines in the second verse, the rest of the hymn is doctrinally sound according to confessional Lutheranism.

We can still use unfamiliar music like this in worship services to glorify God and to help parishioners meditate on God's word. The oboist should prepare the congregation with printed program notes. I would provide the text for verses 1, 3, and 4 and notes regarding the connection between the Trinity and the pertinent Biblical text of the day. These program notes will help the congregants use the music of which they are unfamiliar to meditate on the scripture reading of the day. Hymns are historically used as prayer books, so providing  the text for a new hymn is indeed beneficial.

The performance time of 4:28 makes the piece more suitable for a prelude than an offertory (unless your church is very, very large). The timing also makes for a nice filler piece for a recital. 

A Tutorial for Music and Worship

How do we plan music for worship?

I believe that music should bring focus to the Gospel message. In my church traditions, we follow the liturgical church year with prescribed Biblical readings (Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, and Gospel) that tie the inspiration of the Bible together. (John 20:21 "These words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.") One reading is chosen to be the topic for the sermon. The hymns chosen reiterate scriptural messages for the day. This creates order for the service and order for the church year. (1 Corinthians 14:4 "But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.")

Thus, the musicians should choose music that brings congregational focus to the daily scripture readings. The most obvious way to do this is by choosing music based on the hymn tune. You can find the hymn tune in your hymnals in both the index and on the hymn page. For example, "Amazing Grace" will have the words "New Britain" somewhere (oftentimes on the bottom right hand side). "New Britain" is the name of the particular melody while "Amazing Grace" is the name of the poetry text. Choosing a special piece based on hymn tunes help guide congregation members to open their hymnals and meditate on the text of what they will be singing that day, which is based on the scripture passages for the day. 

Musicians also need to be cognizant of the purpose of special music within worship. What is the focus of the service? An Easter service is a joyous occasion that warrants loud exciting music throughout. Good Friday is somber event which benefits from slower paced hymns, quiet preludes (if any), and minimal musical additions. Is your offertory on a communion Sunday? How can you use music to encourage parishioners to self-examine in preparation for the sacrament? Was there a Baptism or confirmation where you could place a special piece to commemorate the event?

A church musician should strive to play music that focuses on Christ, not themselves. This should hopefully encourage you to NOT play Six Metamorphoses after Ovid by Benjamin Britten simply because it is "classical music" that people will like. In this blog, we will examine how to use different types of oboe music in a church service. 

• Pieces based on hymn tunes
• Programmatic works based on scripture text
• Melodies from other faith backgrounds that can still be edifying in your worship services
• Pieces written for religious purposes that are not programmatic or hymn tunes
• Classical works
• Improvisation

I was first inspired on how to plan music for worship from a lecture by organist Dan Zager in 2008. He has also published a book on music in worship that I highly recommend to anyone involved in church music. 

The Sacred Oboe

Psalm 150

"Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord."

I am on a quest to find and catalog music written for oboe and English horn that is appropriate for praising God in Christian worship, but written in a way that is acceptable for the concert stage. Historically, organ has dominated as the lead instrument in worship and there is a plethora of professional repertoire for organists SPECIFICALLY written for the glory of God.

It is challenging to find good music for oboe written for the edification of worship and in praise of God. I believe this is because while organists and pianists in church are often expected to perform at a high level to accompany worship, it is accepted practice that instrumentalists are "extras" and only need to be at the level of a decent high school freshman. We see this in music written for "piano and instrument". One can either read from the generic "C instrument" (limited range flute) or "Bb instrument" (limited range trumpet) or go online and print an automatically transposed part for the "strange instruments" (key of F, tuba, etc). I do own many of these books because the pieces are easy to play and wonderful on the ears. It is easy to find a hymn tune in the proper season using these styles of worship materials. However, as a trained musician, I do not feel I am giving glory to God because very little thought and preparation are needed. 

Classical music is complex. It weaves melodies, nuance, musical pictures, complex harmonies, and various textures to achieve an intellectual goal. I believe that good classical music when properly presented to a congregation can emphasize God's word and bring ultimate praise to Him.

In this blog I aim to:

1. Catalog works for oboe or English horn specifically for use in Christian worship
2. Perform these works
3. Provide information regarding the appropriate season of the church year, Biblical texts, hymn tunes, and other pertinent information regarding using a specific work in a worship setting
4. Discover new works that meet this criteria

"When in our music God is glorified,

And adoration leaves no room for pride,

It is as though the whole creation cried:

Alleluia!

Let every instrument be tuned for praise;

Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise,

And may God give us faith to sing always;

Alleluia!"

-Fred Pratt Green, b. 1903 (CW 248 verses 1 and 5)