Hymn Blog - June 13, 2010

June 13, 2010

MV 37 – Each Blade of Grass. Keri Wehlander is an author, hymn lyricist, liturgical dancer and leader of retreats and workshops. Spirituality and the arts provide a primary focus for her work in various settings in both her native Canada and the U.S. She has set this text , celebrating the many wonders of creation, to RHODE ISLAND, a tune from The United States Sacred Harmony, a songbook published by Amos Pilsbury in Boston in 1799.

MV 160 – There’s a River of Life. Author/composer Jonathan Maracle is a Mohawk from Tyendinaga Territory, Ontario, and leader of the band Broken Walls, performing a fusion of aboriginal and contemporary Christian rock styles of music. Broken Walls tours regularly around the world sharing their music and spreading the gospel.

VU 688 – O Day of God, Draw Nigh. The text is by R.B.Y. Scott, born in Toronto in 1899. He was professor of Old Testament in Canada at Union College, Vancouver and McGill University, before moving to Princeton Theological Seminary, where he became chair of the department of religion. This text was first published in 1937 by the Fellowship for a Christian Social Order, a group of biblical scholars concerned about issues of social justice and peace. The tune, ST. MICHAEL (OLD 134^TH), was composed or arranged by Louis Bourgeois for the Genevan Psalter of 1551.

MV 1 – Let Us Build a House. This beautiful hymn of inclusion was written and composed by Marty Haugen, a liturgical composer from Eagan, Minnesota. For the past fifteen years he has presented workshops across North America, Europe, Australia, and Central America for both Roman Catholic and Protestant liturgical ministers. His music appears in numerous hymnals produced for Canadian and Australian Roman Catholics, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and numerous other Protestant denominations. Seven of his works are in Voices United and three in More Voices. The text presents a vision of church that might well be our goal to build toward. The tune, TWO OAKS, is very singable and a lovely accompaniment to the text.