For the Fruit of All Creation


The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
October 27, 2019
Every fall, even city dwellers enjoy celebrating all things "harvest." From apple picking to pumpkin spice lattes, autumn harvest themes surround us. Hymnody celebrates the harvest as well. Familiar hymns like "Come, ye thankful people come" and "We plow the fields" harken back to the fall harvest festivals in England. 
The Rev. Fred Pratt Green
In 1970, the Rev. Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000) was asked to write a hymn connecting the harvest to contemporary issues. The resulting hymn, "For the fruit of all creation," is unique for several reasons. 

 In most cases, a text is written first, then composers create music to fit the text. However, Green was asked to write a hymn to fit the tune East Acklam, composed by British composer Francis Jackson in the 1950s. The tune was originally composed to fit another hymn, "God, that madest earth and heaven," but that text was already paired with a popular English folk tune. As a result, Jackson's new tune never achieved regular use.


 While many harvest hymns evoke a sense of nostalgia among singers, Green's hymn connects the harvest to issues of social justice - the "just reward of labor," "caring for the hungry," and the "harvests we are sharing."
Hymnal editors and committees often try to address the evolving needs of the church by calling for the creation of new hymns. In the 1970s, a need was identified for modern hymns focusing on the theme of harvest. This hymn has achieved wide acceptance and use, having been published in 60 hymnals. 

 Francis Jackson (b. 1917) served as organist and choir director at York Minster for 36 years and is known for his organ and choral compositions. His tune, East Acklam, is named for the hamlet near York where he lived. It appears in 20 hymnals and is his best known composition. View a video: East Acklam

 As we sing the hymn this morning, reflect on the text and its meaning for you during this season.


 Music for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
October 27, 2019

 Hymns
398   I sing the almighty power of God     Forest Green
424   For the fruit of all creation     East Acklam
For your generous providing     Holy Manna
517   How lovely is thy dwelling place     Brother James’ Air
680   O God, our help in ages past     St. Anne

Service Music
Gloria in excelsis S-277     New Plainsong, David Hurd
Psalm 84:1-6     St. Martin’s Psalter, Thomas Pavlechko
Sanctus S-124     New Plainsong
Memorial Acclamation S-135   Jackson Hill
Amen S-146     McNeil Robinson II        
Fraction Anthem S-154     New Plainsong

Anthems
Bread of Heaven     -David Ashley White  
The Hour of Banquet and of Song     -Howard Helvey 

Organ Voluntaries
Organ chorale: Nun bitten wir den heilgen Geist     -Dietrich Buxtehude    
Partita on St. Anne: Fugue-Finale     -Paul Manz
     


Comments

  1. Naoma LaneOctober 25, 2019 at 5:13 PM

    I knew (and loved) this song from the musical (Godspell or JC Superstar) and is fabulous to learn of its publication date. Thanks so much!

    Naoma Lane

    ReplyDelete

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