ALL SAINTS – Submit names of those who have died and rest in God’s love for inclusion in the prayers of thanksgiving – contact Pastor Bernt.
MUSIC NOTES: Have you ever sung all seven verses of the hymn “For All the Saints” straight through? When was the last time you did so? Or have you never had that experience? If so, this Sunday will be your opportunity!
In celebration of All Saints Sunday, we will sing all seven verses of “For All the Saints” as our Sending Hymn, joined by a brass quartet. Please pay special attention to the instructions in the bulletin for each verse. We will sing the verses in a variety of ways: verse 2 will be sung by the men only, verse 3 by the choir alone, and verse 5 by the women only. Verses 1, 4, 6, and 7 will be sung by everyone together. There will also be an instrumental interlude between verses 6 and 7.
Following the hymn, I will present Variations sur “Sine Nomine” by Canadian composer Denis Bédard as the postlude. Based on the hymn tune of “For All the Saints,” this set of variations will bring a wonderful sense of musical unity to the service, carrying the hymn’s theme through to the very end.
Additionally, a brass quartet featuring members of the Stanford Orchestra will present Charles Gounod’s Ave Verum Corpus as a musical offering during Communion. While Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s setting of Ave Verum Corpus is perhaps the best known, many other composers have written their own settings, including William Byrd, Edward Elgar, Franz Liszt, and Camille Saint-Saëns. Each composer brings a distinct character to this beloved text, so I encourage you to explore and listen to their different interpretations if you have the opportunity. – Jung Jin
REFORMATION SUNDAY – MUSIC NOTES: This Sunday, in celebration of Reformation Sunday, our congregation will join together in singing Martin Luther’s beloved hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” We are especially delighted to welcome a string quartet and trumpet player, whose contributions will enrich our worship with even more magnificent music.
The choir will sing an arrangement based on the same hymn tune, Ein feste Burg, combining the familiar melody with the famous chord progression and contrapuntal framework of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. This unique and delightful pairing brings together two beloved musical traditions, creating a rich tapestry of musical colors that beautifully conveys the glory and power of the hymn’s text.
The organ prelude and postlude will feature music based on the hymn “Thy Strong Word,” set to the tune Ebenezer. The text of “Thy Strong Word” was written by Martin H. Franzmann (1907–1976), an American Lutheran pastor, theologian, and hymn writer born in Minnesota. The hymn celebrates the power of God’s Word to dispel darkness, bring life, and make all things new. In particular, I have chosen Benjamin M. Culli’s Reformation Partita on “Ebenezer,” composed in 2017 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. Culli serves as organist and choir director at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and as Vice President of Editorial and Production at Hal Leonard, one of the world’s largest music publishing companies. I will be offering the second movement, Meditation, as the prelude and the fifth and final movement, Toccata, as the postlude. The Meditation is lovely and sweet, creating a surprising but engaging mood for the tune. The thrilling finale, a Toccata, is technically challenging and demands great endurance, but I found it absolutely rewarding to work on during practice.
Indeed, God is our refuge and strength. May this Reformation Sunday be an opportunity for us to remember the spirit of the Reformation—a renewed commitment to centering our faith and lives on God’s Word and grace. – Jung Jin
