December 1, 2024

It's been my opinion that for organ preludes what helps people meditate and prepare for worship is settings of hymns appropriate for the day.  If I am wrong, please tell me! In any case this might be most true during Advent and Christmas.  So....for this first Sunday of Advent the prelude will be a Wilbur Held setting of "Come, thou long-expected Jesus", 66 in our hymnal, but this is a different tune.  The tune name is "Jefferson", and will probably sound familiar whether it really is or not!  It might also be because I have used it other years.  Wilbur Held (1914-2015--yes he lived to over 100) spent most of his years as professor at Ohio State University, teaching and composing.

I will add that I think Advent is my favorite season, and I would also rather sing Advent hymns than Christmas carols!  That said, our processional hymn is "The King shall come when morning dawns", 73, which, along with the Gospel hymn-- 72, "Hark! the glad sound!" relates to the reading from Luke.

Our anthem is "A Child My Choice", by Robert Powell, of whom I wrote last week. The tune is a traditional English melody and the text, worth contemplation, is by Robert Southwell (1561-1595).

During communion we will sing the very familiar "Once He came in blessing", 53; notice in the hymnal notes how long this tune and text have been around!

Forward to the 19th century for the closing hymn, "Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding" (59), but do notice that the text dates back to the 6th century!

It's always interesting how a tune is used for so many different texts, and the basis for the postlude by Michael Burkhardt (contemporary, American) is by tune name "Consolation" or "Morning Song", which is both 9 and 583 in our hymnal; however, the text upon which the postlude is based is "The King shall come"-- which is not in our hymnal!