Music Monday: The Majesty and Glory of Your Name

This week's Music Monday is Tom Fettke's chorale arrangement of Linda Lee Johnson's The Majesty and Glory of Your Name.



The lyrics of the song are inspired by Psalm 8, and testify to both the greatness of God's power in creation, and the greatness of His grace in His relation to mankind.

When I gaze into the night sky,
And see the work of Your fingers.
The moon and stars suspended in space.
But what is man that You are mindful of him?
You have given man a crown of glory and honor.
And have made him a little lower than the angels.
You have put him in charge of all creation;
The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea.
But what is man, oh, what is man
That You are mindful of him?

O Lord, our God the majesty and glory of Your name
Transcends the earth and fills the heavens.
O Lord, our God little children praise Him perfectly.
And so would we, and so would we.
Alleluia, Alleluia. The majesty and glory of Your name!
Alleluia, Alleluia.

Music Monday: Elgar's "Enigma" Finale

This week's Music Monday post is the Finale from Edward Elgar's "Enigma" variations.

Enjoy!

Music Monday: Great Gate of Kiev

For this week's Music Monday, we've got Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's Great Gate of Kiev, from his larger work Pictures at an Exhibition.

It's an epic piece of orchestral music - one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Music Monday: Nearer, My God, To Thee

From time to time, I've posted some of my favorite pieces of music. My musical taste is a little different from most - I prefer a more classical, orchestral or choral style generally. I once had a member of Congress complain about the music I've posted on my blog (he was half-kidding).

I figured it was time for another musical interlude, so here's The Piano Guys' rendition of the old hymn "Nearer, My God, To Thee".

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish all of my readers a merry Christmas! I hope that you have a wonderful time as you gather with family and friends, and pray that you remember and rejoice in the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of Jesus Christ.

A fantastic rendition of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'
by the Annie Moses Band

Without further ado, the text from the Gospel of Luke's account of the very first Christmas:


And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 


(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 


And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 


And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 


to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 


And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 


And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 


And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 


And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 


And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 


For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 


And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 


Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 


And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 


And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 


And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 


And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 


But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 


And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke 2:1-20

Musical Interlude: Of the Father's Love Begotten

It's time for another Musical Interlude! And yes, I'm posting a Christmas song... but you'll have to bear with me - I've been playing Christmas music for a few months now, since my church's orchestra began the annual preparation for our Christmas program. Besides, Christmas is less than two months away now!

The lyrics to this particular song, Of the Father's Love Begotten, were penned by Aurelius Prudentius around A.D. 400, and the melody originates sometime between the 10th and 12th centuries.





To listen to more Musical Interludes, click on the 'Musical Interludes' label.

Musical Interlude: Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations"

It's time for another Musical Interlude! Here are two pieces by British composer Edward Elgar, taken from his Enigma variations.



Variations on an Original Theme ("Enigma") op.36; Variation XIV (Finale: Allegro Presto) "E.D.U."




Variations on an Original Theme ("Enigma") op.36; Variation IX (Adagio) "Nimrod"


To listen to more of my "Musical Interludes", click on the 'Musical Interlude' label.

Memorial Day

As you go about your day this Memorial Day, take a moment and remember who it is that provided you the ability to live free. We owe the United States military, past and present, a tremendous debt of gratitude.





Here's some patriotic music for the day; I ran across this the other day. Simply incredible!

Merry Christmas!

First, a bit of Christmas music. I heard this piece on Classical 88.7FM KWTU, my favorite non-talk radio station. The song is by Benjamin Britten, and is titled Men of Goodwill (variations on the old carol God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen).





Next, in the poll we conducted on which greeting my readers preferred for this time of year, Merry Christmas was the overwhelming winner at 90%. Happy Holidays came in second at 8%, and Seasons Greetings was last with 2%.

Lastly, I will conclude with the text from the Gospel of Luke of the very first Christmas:


And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

OKC Mall 'Flash' Mob Sings 'Hallelujah'

In a more local continuation of this Christmas season's nationwide phenomenon/fad, a large (somewhat organized) "flash mob" sang G.F. Handel's Hallelujah at Oklahoma City's Quail Springs Mall this afternoon.

Hallelujah (often, and erroneously, called Hallelujah Chorus) happens to be my favorite song of all time, and although it technically wasn't originally a Christmas song, having been placed by Handel in the section of his Messiah oratorio dealing with Christ's resurrection and triumph over death, it has become associated with this season in recent years.

A cursory glance at YouTube shows that similar events quite have literally taken place all across the United States and Canada in the past few weeks (Seattle, Syracuse, Vancouver, Toledo, Regina, to name a few).

I'm thrilled that thousands of people, both at these events and across the globe via the internet and other forms of media, have been exposed not only to truly great music by these "flash mobs", but to the powerful message contained in the song: the sovereignty and power of Christ, and the praise duly owed him.

And for that, I say Hallelujah!

Another Musical Interlude - Liszt's 'La Campanella'

I'm taking another brief break from all things political, in order to post one of my all-time favorite pieces of music - Franz Liszt's La Campanella. You can see the last musical post, featuring Edward Elgar's In The South (Alassio) and Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, by clicking here.

There are several excellent versions of La Campanella on YouTube, but I think that this one (played by Adam Gyorgy) shows the pianist's hands the most - and that is exactly what you want to be watching.

As a musician (violinist) who took piano for a few years, has two siblings who are very good pianists, and as someone who has seen the sheet music for La Campanella, let me just say that this song is simply incredible.

A Musical Interlude

Interrupting our political broadcast for a brief musical interlude...

Those of you who know me probably realize that I'm a big fan of classical music. I play the violin, mostly classical stuff, and I listen to it. Besides various talk radio stations, my next most listened to station is KWTU Classical 88.7FM.

I heard these two songs last night on 88.7, and they are swiftly becoming favorites.

Here is Edward Elgar's In the South (Alassio).




This one is by Max Bruch; the 4th movement of his Scottish Fantasy. This is an upbeat rendition of the Scottish patriotic song Scots Wha Hae - Robert Burne's lyrics to an old Scottish tune associated with the Battle of Bannockburn and the Scottish War for Independence in the early 1300's. This song has an incredible violin solo part...



Enjoy!

Handel's Messiah: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in Song

Handle's great oratorio, Messiah, is commonly thought of as a Christmastime work, when in fact, that is mistaken. The famous composer originally performed the music around Easter, and in its entirety, the oratorio fits better with the Easter season than it does Christmas.

In light of that fact, and because Messiah is one of my all-time favorite works of music, I present you with the lyrics of Messiah...

Handel's Messiah


Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.


Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.


The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.


Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.


And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.


Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Yet once, a little while and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;


And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come


The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.


But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire.


And He shall purify the sons of Levi... that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.


Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name EMMANUEL, God with us.


O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, and be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!


Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.


For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.


The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.


For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.


There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.


And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.


And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,


Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.


Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Savior... And he shall speak peace unto the heathen.


Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.


He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.


Come unto [Him], all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and [He shall] give you rest. Take [his] yoke upon you, and learn of [Him]; for [he is] meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.


[His] yoke is easy, and [his]burden is light.


Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.


He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.


[He]gave [His] back to the smiters, and [His] cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: [He] hid not [His] face from shame and spitting.


Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows... He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him,


and with His stripes we are healed


All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.


All they that see [him] laugh [him] to scorn: they shoot out their lips, they shake their heads, saying:


He trusted [in God] that he would deliver him:let him deliver him, if he delight in him.


[Thy] rebuke hath broken [his] heart; [He is] full of heaviness. [He] looked for some to have pity [on Him], but there was none; neither found [He] any to comfort [Him].


Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto [his] sorrow.


He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of [Thy] people was He stricken.


[But] thou [didst] not leave [his] soul in hell; neither [didst] thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.


Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.


For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?


"Let all the angels of God worship Him."


Thou art gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.


The Lord gave the word: great was the company of [the preachers].


How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!


their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.


Why do the heathen rage, and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed,


Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.


He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.


Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.


Hallelujah! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.


The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.


KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS.


I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand on the latter day upon the earth: And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.


[For] now is Christ risen from the dead. . . the firstfruits of them that [sleep].


Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.


Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet;


the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.


Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'


O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.


But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.


Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing, and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.

For those of you who actually read through the entire oratorio, wouldn't you agree with me that this work paints a beautiful and true story?

For those interested, here are the verse references, by line:

Isaiah 40:1-3
Isaiah 40:4
Isaiah 40:5
Haggai 2:6,7
Malachi 3:1
Malachi 3:2
Malachi 3:3
Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:23)
Isaiah 40:9
Isaiah 60:1
Isaiah 60:2,3
Isaiah 9:2 (Matthew 3:16)
Isaiah 9:6
Luke 2:8
Luke 2:9
Luke 2:10,11
Luke 2:13
Luke 2:14
Zechariah 9:9,10 (Matthew 21:5)
Isaiah 35:5,6
Isaiah 40:11
Matthew 11:28, 29
Matthew 11:30
John 1:29
Isaiah 53:3
Isaiah 50:6
Isaiah 53:4,5
Isaiah 53:5b
Isaiah 53:6
Psalm 22:7
Psalm 22:8 (Matthew 27:43)
Psalm 69:20
Lamentations 1:12
Isaiah 53:8b
Psalm 16:10 (Acts 2:27)
Psalm 24:7-10
Hebrews 1:5 (Psalm 2:7)
Hebrews 1:6b
Psalm 68:18 (Ephesians 4:8)
Psalm 68:11
Romans 10:15 (Isaiah 52:7)
Romans 10:18 (Psalm 19:4)
Psalm 2:1,2 (Acts 4:25-26)
Psalm 2:3
Psalm 2:4
Psalm 2:9
Revelation 19:6
Revelation 11:15
Revelation 19:16
Job 19:25, 26
1 Corinthians 15:21,22
1 Corinthians 15:51,52
1 Corinthians 15:52b-53
1 Corinthians 15:54b (Isaiah 25:8)
1 Corinthians 15:55-56 (Hosea 13:14)
1 Corinthians 15:57
Romans 8:31, 33, 34
Revelation 5:12, 13