Blog post 2: Music and Rituals- My experience with the music of the Triduum

    My dad is the pastor of a small LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod) congregation, so I've grown up with and been a part of the music of the Lutheran church my whole life. The music in my church typically consists of the organ and the congregation singing, though every once and a while there will be other instruments (usually me on the cello) or a soloist singing a verse or two of a hymn (also usually me). The hymns my congregation sings come from our hymnal (the Lutheran Service Book), and are chosen for each service based on what point we are in the church year, the readings, etc.

  Holy Week is the most important time in the Christian church year. My church has 5 services during Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. The music of Holy Week follows an emotional arc that reflects the subject of each service. To make things easier for myself, I will just be talking about the music of the Triduum, which is Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. 

    Maundy Thursday is about The Last Supper, which is the final meal Jesus ate with his disciples before he was arrested and crucified. The music we sing is a blend of both a somber introspection and joy. We also sing the Gloria for the first time since before the season of Lent. 

The Gloria:

    Good Friday is where the difference in music is really heard. Good Friday is about The crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross. It is an incredibly heavy, somber service, and the music reflects that. One of the hymns we sing every Good Friday is "O Sacred Head Now Wounded". Last year for the Good Friday service, I performed the first movement of the Henry Eccles Sonata in G minor for cello and piano which I had been working on during the spring semester. Both pieces are reflect the service's somber quality. At the end of the service, the congregation leaves in silence and reflection.

Eccles - Sonata in G minor - 1. Largo:

O Sacred Head Now Wounded:

We normally sing this in unison and with the organ, but I liked this version and thought it reflected the atmosphere of the piece the best.

    The Easter Vigil service begins at night and is about Jesus's resurrection from the dead, proving his victory over sin, death, and the devil. The Hymns start out being sung A cappella with the gradual addition of the organ. Near the end of the service, Christ's resurrection is proclaimed, and the organist pulls out all the stops for the Hymn "This is The Feast". The rest of the hymns are joyful, reflecting the joy of Jesus's resurrection and victory. 

This is The Feast:

I couldn't really find a version I liked, but was the best version I could find

Bonus! A nice arrangement of my favorite hymn- Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence:

And the lyrics if anyone cares (verse 4 is my favorite):

1 Let all mortal flesh keep silence

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly minded,

For with blessing in His hand

Christ our God to earth descending

Comes our homage to demand.

2 King of kings yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth He stood,

Lord of lords, in human vesture,

In the body and the blood,

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heav'nly food.

3 Rank on rank the host of heaven

Spreads its vanguard on the way

As the Light of Light descending

From the realms of endless day,

Comes the pow'rs of hell to vanquish

As the darkness clears away.

4 At His feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

"Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, Lord Most High!"