Reflections on Singing Brahms

by | Feb 7, 2024 | Family, Pastor Peter Wallace, Repentance, Worship

Dear Congregation,
On Saturday evening I had the opportunity to sing in the Brahms’ Requiem at Notre Dame with all seven of my children (and around 100 other singers!). (A link to the video is below)

Rehearsing and performing the Requiem has been good for my soul in several ways — one of which has been the constant meditation on the texts that we are singing. Let me walk you through the Requiem, if you are so inclined to go for this walk. I am trying to learn to express my emotions — and this is one way that I am able to do so.

1. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen…
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). The opening movement of the Requiem provides the overarching statement of the theme of the whole piece. Too often we think of blessing only in terms of the “good things” of life — but Jesus says “blessed are they that mourn.” What do you do when it hurts? You mourn. You lament. Lament is proper for those who are stricken by grief. And indeed, this is where I have been living for the last year.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. They that go forth and weep, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them (Psalm 126:5-6). Weeping lasts for a night, but joy comes in the morning (as Emorja Roberson’s opening gospel song reminds us!). There is a future for those who weep.

2. Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away (1 Peter 1:24). This theme is propounded four times in second movement — each time in unison. The effect is not exactly monotonous (Brahms is too good a composer to feel monotonous!) — but you start thinking, “you already said that!” The first two uses of the them are woven together with James 5:7 — Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the morning and evening rain. But then he comes back again (twice) to Denn alles Fleisch… and you start to realize that we are stuck in the middle of a never-ending story that always ends in death. The glory of man fades and withers.

Aber (but!)

But the word of the Lord endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). And what is the word of the Lord for “alles Fleisch”? And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).  Notice the importance of the future tense. This is the promise. This is the word of the Lord that comes to those who mourn — to those who are presently living in the misery of this age.

3. Herr, lehre doche mich
The baritone soloist (the incomparable Emorja Roberson) sings the first person singular (with echoes from the chorus).
Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee. Surely every man walks in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heaps up riches, and knows not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in thee (Psalm 39:4-7). What is the point of life in this vale of tears? The final “Nun Herr, wes soll ich mich troesten” (now Lord, what do I wait for?) is a plaintive cry, bouncing from part to part with some of the largest leaps (intervals) in the whole piece mingled with lots of tight harmonies that express the dissonance of our experience of waiting — now Lord, what do I wait for?

Then the soloist sits down and the chorus takes over (as if the soloist is demonstrating the point — he knows not who shall gather them…):

My hope is in thee — an incredible series of triplets running against quarter/half note rhythms (I think that I finally got it [partly] right in the concert). But that glorious confession of hope leads to the promise:

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and there shall no torment touch them (Wisdom of Solomon 3:1). The Wisdom of Solomon is not in the canon of scripture — but the author was a faithful believer, and the sentiment here is exactly right! Even death is not the end. Here Brahms launches into a magnificent fugue where the parts keep swirling back and forth (the tenors have the privilege of opening the fugue Der Gerechten Seelen — the souls of the righteous). This is both the most difficult part of the whole Requiem, and the most amazing when you get to the point where you can actually hear what is going on! To be in the hand of God — where no torment can touch you — is characterized musically by a maelstrom of sound and ever-changing lines where it starts the same as last time — but goes a different direction, or lands a third higher (or lower). In other words, to be in the hand of God does not mean utter stillness and calm! The storm still rages! But you are in the hand of God. And so no torment (keine Qual) can touch you.

4. Wie Lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zabaoth!
Here at the very center of the Requiem, Brahms placed Psalm 84:1,2,4 (You are welcome, Sally) — How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will always be praising thee. This is the heart of the Requiem. Where does your soul find rest? What do your heart and your flesh cry out for? Do you cry out for the living God?

And it is important to note that Brahms ends the movement back with verse one: “How lovely are your tabernacles!” This theme will remain central through the rest of the piece — with the theme of the heavenly city.

5. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Anne Slovin, the soprano soloist, did a lovely job with this movement. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you (John 16:22). Behold with your eyes, how that I have but little labor, and have gotten unto me much rest (Ecclesiasticus 51:27).

The chorus is largely in the background singing the refrain: As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you (Isaiah 66:13). This is a lovely reminder that while my own mother died 18 years ago, the God of all comfort continues to comfort his people — and, as this is taken into the voice of the chorus — we, together, as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem are the means of that comfort to one another.

6. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
The chorus opens with the statement, For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come (Hebrews 13:14). And then the baritone soloist interjects, Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, [At this point the soloist sits down — he has introduced the text, but the chorus, who have been echoing his lines up until this point, will now announce the message] Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is thy sting? Hell, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 54-55). Brahms has the singers almost throw their words at Death and Hell! And then, after a massive crescendo of shouting at the devil with all your voice, the altos lead forth with a new fugue:

Lord, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11). This fugue (mercifully) is slightly easier than the earlier one, though still with all sorts of twists and turns — because the glory and honor and power of God is no less beautiful and complex than being in the hand of God (#2). Indeed, there are some very similar features of these two fugues, which probably reflect the fact that being in the hand of God (#2) is exactly the same thing as proclaiming his worthiness!

7. Selig sind die Toten
Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, from henceforth. Yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them (Revelation 14:13). I suspect that we all sighed with relief when we got to this point — because while the seventh movement is just as beautiful as the text, as long as you remember the eighth note triplets for the “selig sind die Toten” in the middle, the rest is smooth sailing. Which is fitting. As long as you remember “blessed are the dead which die in the Lord” — the rest is “smooth sailing” (so long as you remember that “smooth sailing” is the same thing as “the obedience of faith” that Paul speaks of in Romans 1 — you still have to hit the right notes at the right time!).
Thirty years ago I sang the Brahms’ Requiem in college, and it instantly became my favorite choral piece that I ever sang — so when I had a chance to sing it with all of my children, I could not say no. But singing Brahms at the age of 53 is very different from the age of 21. Then it was powerful and beautiful. Now it is filled with so much more meaning and emotion. I have learned so much more of the truth of the words that I could only feel so much more deeply the power of the music to embody the words — which could only happen because a hundred and fifty people came together to join body and soul in the work of producing this.

It was a special privilege to be able to sing under the direction of Dr. Mark Doerries (who has taught all my children for so many years!) and to be able to sing a composition by Dr. Emorja Roberson (who also taught many of my children when he was a student at Notre Dame). I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity.

(If you want to read Dr. Doerries comments on the Requiem — he includes some reflections on his own encounter with cancer — Saturday was the two year anniversary of his surgery)
https://performingarts.nd.edu/meet-the-artist/brahms-mark-doerries/

If you would like to hear it, the Sacred Music Department at Notre Dame has posted the video.

(Fiona is on the left side in the soprano sections — then you’ll see Robert, William, and Peter in the bass section — I’m the bouncy tenor — then Bee, Lorna, and Geneva are with the altos).

If you want to see an English translation alongside the original German:
https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Ein_deutsches_Requiem%2C_Op._45_(Johannes_Brahms)

Blessings,
Peter

Family Worship Intro

by | Jan 6, 2017 | Bible, Family, Family Worship, Genesis

Family Worship

I have been thinking about how to encourage family worship. So over the next few weeks (months? years?) I will walk you through our family practice — which I hope will be helpful for you in your homes. I started this practice as a bachelor, so I trust that it can be fruitful for singles as well (although when I was single I always looked for others to do this with).

First, a couple thoughts on basic principles:

1) The point of family worship is love of God and neighbor. In Deuteronomy 6:7 Moses says that you shall teach the words of the LORD “to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” This is the end of a paragraph that begins: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them…” (6:4-6) The point of family worship is first and foremost that we might love God.

2) Family worship by itself does not fulfill Deuteronomy 6:7. If you have family worship every night, that is only the beginning of putting Deuteronomy 6 into practice. The goal of Deuteronomy 6 is that we might become the sort of people who are characterized by the Word of God, both in what we say and in how we live — that we would love God with all our heart. But we are also creatures of habit — and our habits express what we truly love. Therefore, the habit of family worship is an important way of helping form our desires and loves by practicing that which we seek to love.

Second, a couple of notes on our family’s practice:

1) At first we bounced around the Bible, but after a couple years of that, we decided to read through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. It generally takes us around 4 years to read through the Bible — and we are just beginning our fifth read-through as a family. At this pace, each of our children should read through the Bible 4-5 times during their years at home (in addition to their own individual Bible-reading) and provides some basic biblical instruction as a family.

2) Our Bible-reading has changed several times based on the ages of our children. When they were little, the readings would be shorter, and the discussion more geared to age-appropriate themes. Now that they are older, we can read more – and the discussion continues to grow along with the children. When the children were little, we did a lot of fun things to help them follow along. One thing that this does is help the children to focus on the reading — it works wonders for building their attention span. (I sometimes marvel at my children’s attention span — but it was cultivated over many years, it didn’t just “happen”).  I will try to remember some of those things in my weekly notes.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

Reading the Bible Together This Week

Genesis 1-5

With Genesis 1, it can be helpful to draw a picture of what the text is describing. Rather than using the modern “space-based” paradigm, I generally draw the picture from the standpoint of someone on earth. Day 1 speaks of the creation of day and night. Days 2-3 speak of the creation of the three realms — the Heavens (day 2), the Seas (day 3), and the Earth (day 3). Then day 4 speaks of the creation of the rulers of day and night, days 5-6 speak of the filling of the three realms, concluding at the end of day 6 with the ruler of the three realms (man). Then God blesses the seventh day and made it holy “because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Here it is especially helpful to show our children why we rest from our labors–and particularly, as Hebrews 4 points out, our weekly day of rest not only points backward to creation, but also forward to the New Creation rest (which is why our Lord rose on the eighth day — the first day of the new creation).

Songs: Psalm 19, Psalm 104, PHSS 197, PHSS 212

The whole point of Genesis 2 is the creation of Woman. The Garden is designed as the “sanctuary” of Eden — the holy place where God meets with his people. But there is something “not good” about this holy place. Adam cannot do part of what God had commanded him. He needs a “helper” — which, as we have seen throughout the Psalms, always means “someone who does for you what you could not possibly do by yourself. Adam cannot “be fruitful and multiply” alone. He needs someone who can “help.” (At this point, fathers, you look at your children and say, “If I hadn’t had a helper, you wouldn’t be here!”)

Songs: Psalm 127, Psalm 128

Genesis 3 tells the story of the fall into sin. It is helpful to point out the nature of temptation: temptation rarely offers you something inherently evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was good. What the serpent said was true: “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” And when Eve and Adam ate, “the eyes of both were opened.” Temptation will generally come in the guise of doing something good — but in the wrong way. Genesis 3:16 then provides the first promise of the gospel — how the seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent — but in the context of God’s curse upon the very things that he had given Adam and Eve to do: Eve would “help” by bearing children — now she will have pain in childbearing; Adam had been called to work the ground — now it will only yield bread through pain and sweat. All of creation — not just humanity — now labors under a curse.

Songs: PHSS 180, PHSS 189, PHSS 192, PHSS 204, PHSS 205

Genesis 4 is then a brilliant demonstration of how sin produces misery and death. The corruption of sin quickly results in murder, as Cain kills his brother Abel. And yes, “Abel” is the same word that is translated “vanity” in Ecclesiastes — it literally means “vapor.” Why did Eve name her son, “Vapor”? Perhaps she understood something of the transience of life under the sun now that they had been banished from the Garden. Certainly she understood it after his death — and it may be that only after his death they gave that nickname, which would be the only name by which he was ever known to posterity. Genesis 4 then goes on to chronicle something of the history of the line of Cain — as Cain’s descendents become the “culture-makers” of the ante-diluvian world (ante-diluvian means “before the flood”). While Cain and his descendents are building cities, playing music, and forging bronze and iron, Seth and his son, Enosh, “began to call upon the name of the LORD.” We should not be surprised when those who have rebelled against God produce fine cultural objects. There is no biblical reason to suppose that Christians will outperform non-Christians when it comes to culture-making.

Songs: Psalm 41, Psalm 116, PHSS 222

Genesis 5 is the first of the biblical genealogies. But the details reveal how this is an integral part of the story. First, we see how the language of “image and likeness” is used not only for the creation of Adam, but also for the birth of Seth. The image of God may have been marred by the fall, but it was not entirely obliterated. And the human race continues to pass down the image of God from father to son — and as the generations pass, there are moments of hope (Enoch, who walked with God) in the midst of the painful toil and misery of this age. Hence we long for Noah — for relief. One way to engage children in the genealogies is to have them repeat the names. (Don’t worry about mispronouncing names — they won’t know any better than you!) Or with slightly older children, you can have them recite other parts — e.g., tell them “when I pause, you say, ‘and had other sons and daughters’ — a recurring line throughout the chapter.

Songs: PHSS 207

PHSS 187 — “Hear, Israel” — Deuteronomy 6, set to music — works well for any passage!

You Are What You Love — Liturgy and Habit

by | Nov 4, 2016 | Family, Pastoral Notes, Pastoral Practice, Worship

You Are What You Love — Liturgy and Habit

“The mall is a religious site, not because it is theological but because it is liturgical. Its spiritual significance (and threat) isn’t found in its ‘ideas’ or its ‘messages’ but in its rituals. The mall doesn’t care what you think, but it is very much interested in what you love. Victoria’s secret is that she’s actually after your heart.” (p41)

With this in mind, James K. A. Smith launches into a liturgical reading of the shopping mall — rightly seeing the architecture of the mall as an echo of the Gothic cathedral. He notes that “here one finds an array of three-dimensional icons adorned in garb that — as with all iconography — inspires our desire to be imitators of these exemplars. These statues and icons (mannequins) embody for us concrete images of the good life. These are the ideals of perfection to which we will learn to aspire.” (p43)

“This temple — like countless others now emerging around the world — offers a rich, embodied visual mode of evangelism that attracts us. This is a gospel whose power is beauty, which speaks to our deepest desires. It compels us to come, not through dire moralisms, but rather with a winsome invitation to share in this envisioned good life.” (p43)

We then enter “one of the chapels” and are “greeted by a welcoming acolyte” and we make our way through its labyrinths, “open to surprise, to that moment where the spirit leads us to an experience we couldn’t have anticipated.” (p43) Having found the holy object, “we proceed to the altar that is the consummation of worship” where the priest of this “religion of transaction” transforms our plastic card into the object of our desire, and we leave “with newly minted relics, as it were, which are themselves the means to the good life.” (p45)

The Notre Dame lunch group has been reading and discussing James K. A. Smith’s You Are What You Love — a thought-provoking essay on “the spiritual power of habit.” The chapter for this week “Guard Your Heart: the Liturgies of Home” reminds us that the patterns and practices that shape our hearts will also shape the rhythms of our life (or is it the other way around?!).

Smith shows us how the basic patterns and rhythms of worship (historic Christian liturgy — like what we do at MCPC) should form and shape the patterns and rhythms of life. “Embedded in the church’s worship are important pictures of what flourishing homes and families look like.” (p114)

The Problem of Compartmentalization

In the modern world we have compartmentalized life into “family,” “church,” “work,” and “play.” When we compartmentalize our lives, then you hear me saying this: The pastor wants me to spend more time doing “church” things. And while I do encourage families to read the Bible, pray together, sing together, memorize the catechism together — these things only scratch the surface of what I mean.

When the worship of God becomes the pattern for our lives, we realize that in our baptism, we have been united to a new family in Jesus. My “family” is redefined in Jesus. Our society — like many before it — has idolized the family and turned it into an ultimate end (ironic, because our society is destroying the family — but that in itself should prove the point: idolatry always destroys the very thing that it seeks!).

Likewise, our work — not just the thing we get paid to do, but the labor that characterizes our creational callings during the “six-days shalt thou labor and do all thy work” — that work is redefined in Jesus. How should I think about my six-days labor? Well, what we do every Sunday in our liturgy reminds us of our true identity in Christ. Christian liturgy is designed to draw us back into the story of what God is doing in history. (As I said it last Sunday, our problem is when we think that the story is about us — when in fact, the story is about Jesus!) Only when we see that the story is about Jesus do we see where we fit into his story.

What God has done in Jesus is not just “save our souls.” He saves us body and soul — he feeds us, body and soul — unto everlasting life. Therefore, since we participate in this grand and glorious story, we can take a long-term perspective and realize that God brings change through the power of his Holy Spirit working in his church, bringing renewal and regeneration throughout all the earth.

Re-Forming Daily Habits

So how can we re-form our daily practices — our routines and rhythms of life — in ways that conform to the heavenly liturgy? Here are a couple suggestions: 1) If the church of Jesus Christ is our new family, then look for ways to connect what you are doing during the week with others in the body of Christ Do you go shopping? Develop a pattern of shopping together with others who share a common desire to conform their shopping practices to the Word of God. Do you watch college football? Invite others to watch with you who will help you avoid the dangers of modern sports idolatries. In short, if we are seeking one thing — if we are seeking to know and love and see the living and true God — then we should look for ways to connect everything that we are doing to that one thing.