Friday, November 6, 2020

Music for Anywhere Worship: Sunday, November 8, 2020


We will be expressing our gratitude to God over the next three Sundays leading up to Thanksgiving with special music reflecting that theme!  

Welcome! If you are a first-time visitor, click here to find out the story behind "Notes of Glory" (helping you to SING and worship musically wherever you are)!

Here's an alphabetical list of all  "Notes of Glory" music with links so that you can revisit your favorite hymns/songs anytime, anywhere. 

Complete "Notes of Glory" Song List

TO LISTEN TO MUSIC

Look for the SoundCloud audio player window found below the information provided for each song.  Click on the white arrow in the orange circle.


IF YOU ARE LISTENING/VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET

If given an option on your mobile device, click "LISTEN IN BROWSER" (rather than "Play on SoundCloud") on the audio player windows so that you stay on this page and can sing along using the printed lyrics.




PIANO PRELUDE
(to help you enter into a spirit of worship)

After the Harvest



Piano solo by Lani Smith

Genesis 8:22
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.

Psalm 85:12
Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 


HYMNS FOR YOU TO SING ANYWHERE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)

Sing to the Lord of Harvest

Words by John S. B. Monsell, Music by Johann Steuerlein

Psalm 65:9-13
You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Matthew 9:36-38
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
____________________

Anglican poet and clergyman John S. B. Monsell (1811-1875) wrote 11 published collections of poetry, containing 300 hymns. "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" appeared in the 1877 volume titled Hymns of Love and Praise for the Church Year (you can see the entire book online here) preceded by a reference to Jeremiah 5:24, "He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." In his poetic writing, Monsell often focused on specific times in the church year and seasons to convey how God cares for us, using language borrowed from nature and leaning heavily on Scripture. You can see this in the lyrics of "Sing to the Lord of Harvest," in which Monsell gives thanks for blessings in the natural world (echoing Psalm 65:9-13, listed above) and also reminds us in the final stanza to, in turn, bring our praises and worship to God. 

Your hearts lay down before Him
When at His feet you fall,
And with your lives adore Him
Who gave His life for all.

The melody frequently matched with "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" was written by Johann Steuerlein, (1546-1614), a German Protestant poet and composer who also had a political career as the mayor of Meiningen in the state of Thuringia. Originally the tune was written in 1575 as a secular song titled "I am embraced with love," but was used in 1581 as a setting for a springtime hymn titled "How Lovely is May" ("Wie Lieblich ist der Maien") by Lutheran pastor Martin Behm. Over 300 years later, Steuerlein's tune was matched with Monsell's text "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" in the 1905 collection Worship Song, with Accompanying Tunes.  

This hymn is probably new to you but it also may become a new autumnal favorite! I first encountered this hymn as a piano arrangement some years ago, and have enjoyed playing it every Thanksgiving season since then.  If you'd like to hear a recording of "Sing to the Lord of Harvest" here's a wonderful one from the Altar of Praise Chorale. 

Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org




Sing to the Lord of harvest;
Sing songs of love and praise.
With joyful hearts and voices
Your alleluias raise.
By Him the rolling seasons
In fruitful order move;
Sing to the Lord of harvest
A joyous song of love.

God makes the clouds rain goodness;
The deserts bloom and spring.
The hills leap up in gladness;
The valleys laugh and sing.
God fills them with His fullness,
All things with large increase;
He crowns the year with blessing,
With plenty and with peace.

Bring to this sacred altar
The gifts His goodness gave,
The golden sheaves of harvest,
The souls Christ died to save.
Your hearts lay down before Him
When at His feet you fall,
And with your lives adore Him
Who gave His life for all.

We Plow the Fields and Scatter



Words by Matthias Claudius, translated by Jane M. Campbell. Music by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz

Matthew 13:23
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty

2 Corinthians 9:10-15
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

James 5:7
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
____________________

We plant seeds in faith, and carefully tend to the earth to the best of our abilities, but it is God alone who provides "the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain." Only He bestows "all good gifts around us" and is "the maker of all things near and far." 

This is the theme of "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," a hymn which originated not as a stand-alone poem, but as a song embedded in a newspaper article by German poet and journalist Matthias Claudius (1740-1815) describing a country harvest festival. At one point, the local farmers and peasants sang a simple song of praise to God in the presence of the somewhat arrogant nobility. The original text had 16 four-line stanzas: later versions reduced the hymn to 8 stanzas.  In 1851, musician, scholar and poet Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817-1878) translated the German hymn to English and converted it to three eight-line stanzas, retaining the original emphasis on good gifts coming from God and giving thanks for many blessings. (Jane Campbell also was one of the earliest translators of "Silent Night" from German to English). Several melodies have been matched with "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," but the best-known today was written in 1800 by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz (1747-1800), a German composer who wrote hymn tunes but also operas, oratories, keyboard works, and popular songs. 

If this hymn is new to you, here's a wonderful video featuring the congregation and musicians of All Saint's Church in Northampton, England singing "We Plow the Fields and Scatter," and here's a recording with organ and choir featuring the Scottish Festival Singers. 







We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand.
God sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine,
and soft, refreshing rain.

Refrain:
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above;
thank you, Lord,
O thank you for all your love.

You only are the maker
of all things near and far,
you paint the wayside flower,
you light the evening star.
The winds and waves obey you,
by you the birds are fed;
much more, to us, your children,
you give our daily bread. [Refrain]

We thank you, then, Creator,
for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
And all that we can offer,
your boundless love imparts;
the gifts to you most pleasing
are humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]

Thanks to God for My Redeemer


Words by August Ludwig Storm, translated by Carl E. Backstrom. Music by Johannes Alfred Hultman

Psalm 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hebrews 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
______________________

Although written 6 years earlier than the well-known hymn "Count Your Blessings" (to be featured next week on "Notes of Glory"...stay tuned!), "Thanks to God for My Redeemer" does exactly that, 24 times.  Mentions of material and natural blessings are mixed with reminders that God's sustenance in difficult times is also something to be grateful for. ("Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure, thanks for comfort in despair"). Each line begins with the word "thanks," making this a most appropriate hymn for all grateful hearts!

August Ludvig Storm (1862-1914) was converted to Christianity as a young man in Sweden by attending a Salvation Army meeting, then joined the organization and became its financial secretary. In 1891, he wrote the poem "Thanks to God for my Redeemer" which appeared in the Swedish version of the Salvation Army publication The War Cry on December 5, 1891. Carl E. Backstrom (1901-1984), whose family emigrated from Sweden to American in 1907, translated the hymn from Swedish to English. Swedish-American evangelist, singer, composer and publisher Johannes Alfred Hultman (1861-1942) wrote the tune, "Tack o Gud" ("Thanks to God") for this poem. Hultman, known as "the Sunshine Singer," was one of the founders of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church and contributed to the church's first official hymnal: he also donated generously to North Park Theological Seminary, where he had previously served on the music faculty.  Here's a historic recording of Hultman singing one of his own melodies, "Let the sunshine in" (Släpp solsken in). 

Here's a version of this wonderful Thanksgiving hymn by George Beverly Shea with the Blackwood Brothers.  Also, here's an a capella choral arrangement by the SMS Mens' Chorus.  

Public domain. Courtesy of hymnary.org

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a mem’ry,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

Bringing in the Sheaves



Words by Knowles Shaw, Music by George A. Minor. Solo piano arrangement by Pamela M. Robertson

Psalm 126:6
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Hosea 6:11
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

2 Corinthians 9:6
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Growing up in rural Indiana and Ohio in the mid-1800s, Knowles Shaw (1834-1878) would have been very familiar with the rhythms and seasons of farm life. Although his father was a farmer (who died when Shaw was 10 years old) and Shaw himself worked as a farm hand for a period of time, he eventually pursued the harvest of souls for the kingdom of God as a full-time career, becoming a traveling evangelist also skilled as a violinist, pianist, singer and composer. Knowles often opened his evangelistic meetings by sitting at the piano for 30 minutes or so, playing and singing gospel songs, including his own compositions, and would then preach an extended sermon. Shaw died at the age of 44 due to injuries suffered in a train accident, and it was reported that his final words were "It is a grand thing to rally people to the Cross of Christ."

Inspired by Psalm 126:6 (shown above), Shaw wrote "Bringing in the Sheaves" in 1874.  Although Shaw wrote his own melody to match the text of "Bringing in the Sheaves," the hymn is usually sing to a melody written in 1880 by American composer and organ/piano manufacturer George A. Minor (1845-1904). 


Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve,
Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping —
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves,
bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest and our labor ended -
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping's over He will bid us welcome -
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

BONUS: Here's a complete playlist of all the music featured in today's post.

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