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Comp. of the Week: June 1-5 (Last week of school!) Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) The Four Seasons, "Summer" - 1. Allegro non molto

It’s ILS tradition to feature Vivaldi’s “Summer” for the last week of school. The summer solstice, the official start of the summer season, is on Saturday, June 20, 2020. Vivaldi describes summer this way:

Beneath the blazing sun's relentless heat
men and flocks are sweltering,
pines are scorched.
We hear the cuckoo's voice; then sweet songs of the turtle dove and finch are heard.
Soft breezes stir the air….but threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside. The shepherd trembles, fearful of violent storm and what may lie ahead.

Hymn of the Week: June 1-5 (Last week of school!) LSB 498: Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest

After 50 days of celebration, the official Church Year celebration of Eastertide is now concluding with Pentecost, the festival we celebrated on Sunday. On Pentecost, so-called because it is the 50th day of Easter and “pente” means “five” in Greek, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, appearing as tongues of fire over their heads. In “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest”, then, we are singing about the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, and asking for his “grace and heav’nly aid”.

Comp. of the Week: May 25-29 Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Concerto in D Major - 2. Arioso

Igor Stravinsky was a Romantic composer and a Modern Day composer, but we put him mostly in the Modern Day category: Modern music! The greats include Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Prokofiev, and Britain’s favorite Benji. What’s that noise?! It’s sometimes rather strange when atonality pervades most every range. Ohhhh, this is the musical timeline! It starts with the Early Age. Then it’s Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical, Romantic, and not to forget the Modern Day!

Stravinsky composed his Concerto in D Major, including the second movement called “Arioso”, in 1947 when he was asked by a European chamber orchestra to compose a piece to celebrate their 20th anniversary. An arioso is usually a song in an opera; it’s similar to an aria but less formal. In this piece, though, Stravinsky composes it for strings. The lyrical melody rises and falls and stretches at times.

Hymn of the Week: May 25-29 LSB 493: A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing

Which season of the Church Year are we still in? Easter! That’s right, we are still celebrating our Lord’s resurrection, but we are adding to that the remembrance and celebration of Christ’s ascension into heaven. Remember our hymn from last week: “See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph”? That hymn told the story of the ascension on the 40th day of the Easter season. This week, we are still celebrating with the hymn “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing”.

Notice the “Easter A word” repeated over and over again in this hymn. “Alleluia” means “praise the Lord”. We are declaring this over and over again because Christ has conquered death and has ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father. Can you count how many times we sing “Alleluia” in each stanza?

Comp. of the Week: May 18-22 Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Symphony No. 87 in A Major - 4. Finale: Vivace

Haydn’s fourth and final movement of his Symphony No. 87 is fast and lively, hence the name “Vivace”. Haydn composed this piece for the full orchestra. At first, he uses the strings to play the main theme, a cheerful, easy-to-remember melody. Later in the piece, he uses wind instruments to play the bouncy tune. Then, he brings it back to the strings but changes the melody to minor, giving the tune a darker color.

Hymn of the Week: May 18-22 LSB 494: See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph

Although we are still in the Easter season, “See, the Lord Ascends in Triumph” tell us about Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven. 40 days after Easter, Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them and help them to witness to others about him. He then rose up and was taken from their sight.

This hymn triumphantly proclaims Christ’s ascension through both its text and its music. The sturdy and kingly melody accompanies words that describe Jesus as our King, triumphantly riding to the gates of heaven in a chariot. The “Lord ascends in triumph” because he has conquered sin, death, and Satan. He is going to take his place at the Father’s right hand and rule over heaven and earth.

Comp. of the Week: May 11-15 Aaron Copland (1900-1991) Fanfare for the Common Man

Fanfares are musical compositions used to announce very important people like Kings and Queens. Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, though, is a fanfare to celebrate people all over the world. Copland composed this piece for brass and percussion instruments (yes, including the best instrument in the orchestra!). You will hear the opening statement played by the bass drum and the gong followed by the trumpets playing a powerful theme. The second time we hear the theme, it is played on the French horn (!!!) which makes it sound regal. The third time the theme is played, we hear the trombones and timpani added. The tubas are added the fourth time.

Hymn of the Week: May 11-15 LSB 463: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia

“Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia” is an invitation to the “Paschal Feast”, the celebration of Easter Day. The word paschal comes from the Greek pascha which itself comes from the Hebrew word pesach, meaning “Passover”. Paschal originally referred to the Passover, then, but soon came to refer to Christ’s Passion. Later, it came to refer to the Resurrection which is why we call Easter the “Paschal Feast”. The author of the hymn, thought to be Wipo of Burgundy in the 11th century, connects Christ to the Passover lamb.

Comp. of the Week: May 4-8 Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina (1525/6-1594) Missa Aeterna Christi Munera - 2. Gloria

Palestrina lived more than 400 years ago and composed music that was unaccompanied by instruments called a cappella music. Cappella is the Italian word for chapel (which comes from the Latin) because this choral music was sung in cathedrals or chapels. In fact, “Gloria” from Missa Aeterna Christi Munera is part of a Mass or a church service. If you go to Immanuel or another church that uses the liturgy, you sing a “Gloria” every Sunday: “Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth” or “Glory be to God on high and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Palestrina composed his own version of the Gloria sung in Latin.

Hymn of the Week: May 4-8 LSB 458: Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands

“Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands” is Martin Luther’s hymn for Easter Day. It is still the Easter season, so we are still singing Easter hymns! The first half of stanza 1 tells us the story of Easter, how Christ who once was dead—he “lay in death’s strong bands”—now is risen and reigns at God the Father’s right hand in heaven. Luther then tells us that because of this, we should be joyful and sing Alleluia!

Luther describes death as strong—“death’s strong bands”. We certainly know this is true. Death seems scary and final. But Jesus went to suffer and die for us—“for our offenses given”. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we are joyful. Death has been defeated! Jesus rose again and destroyed death’s strength. Now, even though we die, we shall live.