February 18, 2024

"Lord Jesus, think on me" (hymn 641) is the basis for the organ prelude for our first Sunday in Lent.  The pleasant setting is by J. Bert Carlson (1937-2017), who was an American pastor and respected composer.  I haven't found any significant details other than that, but I see that he wrote a number compositions based on hymn tunes. This one seemed to be appropriate for a Lenten meditation.

Instead of an opening hymn, for Lent 1 we will be processing using the Great Litany. Processional hymns will resume the following Sunday.

The Gospel hymn will be the most familiar "Forty days and forty nights" (150).  You might note in the hymnal that the melody is from the 17th century, and the words we sing are from the 19th century.

Our anthem is known to many of you -- "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10-13).  The setting we sing sometime during Lent most years is by Carl F. Mueller, American organist and composer in the first half of the 20th century, who was on the faculty of both the Union Seminary Department of Sacred Music and also Montclaire State Teachers College.  He was definitely a "neo-romantic" and part of the "school" that included Alexandre Guilmant, probably the most famous of the era.

Communion hymns will be the beautiful "O love of God, how strong and true", 455, from the 19th century (it always seems more recently composed to me), and 641, which is the basis for the prelude.

Closing, we will sing hymn 147, "Now let us all with one accord...".  Check out how old the words are (6th century!) and to whom they are attributed!

The postlude will be a Seth Bingham setting of "In the cross of Christ I Glory", hymn 441.  Mr. Bingham attended Yale University (where he later taught), and studied there with some famous names-- Haratio Parker, Alexander Guilmant (I mentioned earlier), and Vincent D'Indy.  He was also the long time organist at the famous Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Fortunately he had a long life--1882-1972!