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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Composer Michael McCabe

Image
The Third Sunday of Easter April 15, 2018 Sing to the Lord a new song!    -Psalm 96 Easter - a celebration of new life in Christ - serves as the perfect season for the creation and offering of new music. Our cathedral celebrates Nebraska composers, and we're blessed by a wealth of talent in this state. Today, our Cathedral Choir sings an anthem by Omaha composer and organist Michael McCabe. McCabe began his study of piano and organ as a child. As a student at Creighton University, McCabe was appointed university organist and choir director. During a 20 year military career, various assignments provided McCabe with unique opportunities to study with leaders in the field of Anglican church music, including Leo Sowerby, David McK. Williams, Thomas Matthews, and Dale Wood. McCabe has served numerous churches, including Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. As a published composer, McCabe was elected to ASCAP in 1972, and his ASCAP credits include NBC Television, forei
Read more

Come, Holy Spirit

Image
The Day of Pentecost May 31, 2020 We celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today, we will hear organ settings of two classic Pentecost hymns. " Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist " ("We pray now to the Holy Spirit") is a German hymn. The first stanza dates to the Middle Ages, and additional stanzas were added by Martin Luther in the 16th century. The tune appears in organ chorales (organ compositions based on Lutheran chorale tunes) and cantatas by several Baroque composers, including this setting by Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707). Hear the authentic sound in this video recorded on a Silberman pipe organ built in  1721:  Nun bitten wir The organ postlude is a setting of the great plainsong hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus ("Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire"). This hymn dates from the 9th century and is typically sung on Pentecost and at ordinations. Originally in Latin, the hymn is found in an English translation in The Hymnal 1982
Read more

"Praying Twice" Says Farewell

Image
Trinity Cathedral's Praying Twice blog has ended. Thank you, faithful readers! I am moving to a new position as Associate Professor of Church Music at Virginia Theological Seminary.  I will be writing more in the future, and I'll share a link when my new blog is up and running. Marty Wheeler Burnett, D.Min.
Read more