Sermon: Keeping It Simple by Dr. Michael B. Brown

 

 

For any serious classical musician simplicity is a two-sided coin. We've spent our whole lives attempting to master the intricacies of the most devilishly difficult music in order to make it appear simple in performance. Or, if we fall short of that lofty goal (and God knows we often do) we at least want to avoid ego-bruising catastrophic failure!

 

Performing music that is "simple" can carry a negative connotation, and the classical student learns early on that it is to be avoided. In music conservatory lore certain pieces are dubbed "good competition pieces," meaning they are the fastest, loudest, highest, most precarious, greatest tests of endurance, or just pure gut-busters. To master them is to master one's craft and prove one's superiority. 

 

Therein lies a potential problem. In the classical musician's devotion to achieving technical command of our craft we can sometimes forget what really matters, which is to say something through our music. This year my take-off on Mayor Bloomberg's phrase has become the new motto for the Marble choirs: "If you sing something, say something!" If we have no love that must be shared through our music, no truth or passion that can only be conveyed through melody and harmony, then we have forgotten our true calling. Our shortsighted goal has become merely to impress rather than inspire, to engage in intellectual exercise rather than freely share of our heart.

 

For me the goal of worship is to engage both the intellect and the heart. I believe they are each gifts from God to be nurtured and broadened. When one trumps the other we are robbed of the full experience of faith. Finding music which balances intellect and heart, complexity and simplicity (or directness), mystery and relevancy, traditional and contemporary – this is perhaps the greatest challenge for those of us who call ourselves church musicians. 

 

At Marble let us continue to revel in the greatest sacred masterpieces of centuries past without becoming a museum with stained glass windows. Let us continue to hone our musical craft without obscuring the heart of what we are communicating, or forgetting to Whom we are giving glory through our song. Let us present contemporary styles of music which speak directly to the heart and to the struggles of everyday faith without becoming simplistic. And may every style of music be presented with integrity, excellence and the genuine desire to express the simple truth of the gospel, the heart of which is pure love.

 

 

Sunday's introit by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), Lobe Den Herren, Meine Seele (Praise the Lord, O my soul) will be sung by the Sanctuary Choir from the side balconies. Schütz was arguably the most prominent musical figure in Germany prior to Johann Sebastian Bach. Along with Hans Leo Hassler and Michael Praetorius, Schütz was also largely responsible for transplanting the style of the Italian Baroque onto German soil. He made two extended trips to Venice to study first for three years with Giovanni Gabrieli, and later with Claudio Monteverdi. Their influence can readily be heard in his polychoral style (separate, antiphonal choirs answer each other back and forth). A setting of the first two verses of Psalm 103, Lobe Den Herren is a buoyant, dance-like motet composed in a homophonic style. In homophonic music the individual voices tend to sing together more or less at the same time, making it much easier to understand the text (something which pleased the Catholic authorities greatly). Schütz tosses the theme back and forth between the two choirs, bringing them together every so often for dramatic impact.

 

 

Dr. Brown has selected two brief scripture passages this week, and together they form a central truth of what it means to be a Christian. Our two anthems will therefore highlight the message of each scripture reading. The first is from Micah 6: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God." It's hard to imagine a better life mission-statement than this. 

 

In his anthem With What Shall I Come Before the Lord, composer William Payn has created a musical setting that is both reverent and dramatic. It begins with four-part men's voices in alternating dialogue with four-part women's voices to emphasize the searching nature of the question, "With what shall I come before the Lord?" and the assuredness of the reply, "Walk humbly with our God." The anthem builds to a powerful, climactic moment as the music heralds God's command, "Do justice. Love kindness." William Payn is Director of Choral Studies at Bucknell University; this anthem was commissioned by the University for the Fortieth Anniversary of Rooke Chapel, and is dedicated to the Rooke Chapel Choir, of which Payn is the director.

The offertory anthem is a simple gem by Larry King (1932-1990), Let Us Love In Deed and Truth. No, this is not the same Larry King! This Larry King was Organist and Director of Music at Trinity Church, Wall Street for 21 years before his untimely death from cancer. He was a brilliant organist, composer, and pastoral musician in the truest sense. Trinity has always been known for having one of the best professional choirs in the country, and therefore it impressed me that Larry chose to delegate the directorship of this world-class ensemble to his associate, James Simms, so Larry could devote himself to conducting Trinity’s volunteer family choir, a community which he absolutely loved. It says so much about who Larry was and what mattered most to him in his music ministry. It is for the family choir that Larry wrote this sublime setting of 1 John 3:17-23 with its tender message to believe in God's Son and to love one another. In the 1980's the Trinity choir recorded the work under the direction of James Simms, someone who has provided great encouragement and inspiration to me in my music ministry. And in one of those delicious twists of fate, Jim's very talented nephew Cameron Jones has just joined the Marble Sanctuary Choir!

 

We will conclude Sunday's service by singing together the beloved African-American Spiritual, Lord, I Want To Be a Christian. Many of the enslaved people in antebellum America may not have wanted to become Christians because they did not want to adopt the religion of their captors. But this spiritual attests to the fact that the Christian faith was a source of inner strength for many amidst unfathomable hardship. With its emphasis on the heart as the seat of true faith, this simple but profound text serves as a reminder that whatever we say or do flows first out of who we are and Whose we are. If this humble prayer forms on our lips as we awaken to face each new day, over time it will shape our lives into a legacy of loving God and serving others. On Sunday I encourage you to close your eyes, lift up your heart and voice, and sing this beautiful prayer with all the depth of feeling you can muster, praying it with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.