When you hold Christian Worship: Hymnal in your hands, you’re holding a book that has plenty of “back stories” worth telling. I hope you’ll find this one worth hearing.

The table of contents on CW p. 299, “Hymns in Christian Worship,” was the result of months’ worth of drafts and reviews at the hands of both the Hymnody Committee and the Executive Committee. Thousands of hymns that were narrowed down to hundreds of hymns still needed to fall into categories that would be properly balanced—a fitting number of hymns for the various seasons and topics. Fifty hymn categories under five major headings now appear in that table of contents. Last on the list and thus in the back of the book is the Service Music category—26 hymns, most of which would more correctly be called canticles than hymns.

It was the expressed desire of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Dean of Chapel, Professor Aaron Christie, who chaired the Hymnody Committee, that our new hymnal would have a strong showing of Service Music selections, bolstering the liturgical settings of The Service and the services of the Daily Office printed in the front of the book (with additional liturgical settings available in Christian Worship: Service Builder [CW:SB]). A Service Music section might not seem to be the flashiest section or receive the most attention, but there are treasures to be unearthed there in the back of the book.

SERVICE MUSIC

Within the Service Music section itself, selections appear in a logical, liturgical order (quantity in parentheses):

• Kyrie “Lord, Have Mercy” (2)
• Gloria in Excelsis “Glory Be to God on High” (2) (plus three alternate Songs of Praise)
• Credo (creedal hymns) (2)
• Create in Me (previously labeled in TLH as “Offertory”) (1)
• Sanctus “Holy, Holy, Holy” (3)
• Agnus Dei “Lamb of God” (2)
• Nunc Dimittis “Song of Simeon” (3) (plus one post-communion song, “Thank the Lord”)
• Te Deum Laudamus “We Praise You, O God” (2)
• Benedictus “Song of Zechariah” (1)
• Magnificat “Song of Mary” (2)
• Exsultet “Rejoice, Angelic Choirs” (1)
• Benedicite, Omnia Opera “All You Works of God, Bless the Lord” (1)

Grouping a number of these songs and canticles differently tells another story, hopefully helpful for using these selections.

• Franz Schubert’s Deutsche Messe (German Mass) is represented with three canticles: Kyrie (933); Sanctus (944); Agnus Dei (946). The choir or small group of singers that first learns these canticles and then helps the assembly sing them can bring blessings to congregations that may wish to add to their repertoire a near-complete setting of The Service, using the Schubert settings.
• Nicolaus Decius’ texts and hymn tunes contributed significantly to Luther’s resolve to give the people a German order of service. The subset of Decius’ works appears in the Service Music section in the Gloria in Excelsis (935), Agnus Dei (947), and Exsultet (957).
• Some of Luther’s own liturgical texts and compositions are another subset in the Service Music section: Gloria in Excelsis (936); Credo (941); Sanctus (943); Nunc Dimittis (949). To aid in learning, consider using CW 949 (with Ian Welch’s lovely new tune) as a closing hymn several weeks in a row.
• Known as the “German Te Deum,” “Holy God, We Praise Your Name” (953) has been restored to its original, complete version of five stanzas. Singing this text that originated in the fourth century acknowledges that, still today, “through the Church the song goes on.” With a new rendering of that ancient text, “Praise to You Eternal Father” (952), set to the tune ALLES IST AN GOTTES SEGEN, adds another Te Deum option to the two that are available in Morning Prayer (CW, p. 210) and the alternate service of Morning Prayer (CW:SB). Musician’s Resource has a liturgical ensemble arrangement of this tune.
• With a grateful nod to past Lutheran hymnals, the Service Music section preserves songs from CW93’s Service of Word and Sacrament: “O Lord, Our Lord” (939); “Thank the Lord and Sing His Praise” (948); and from The Lutheran Hymnal: “We All Believe in One True God” (940); “Create in Me a Clean Heart” (942); “Lord, Now You Let Your Servant” (951). As desired, these canticles can easily be inserted into services via CW:SB.
• Adding to the three settings of the Magnificat that appear in the two versions of Evening Prayer in CW and CW:SB, the Service Music section includes prolific hymn writer Timothy Dudley-Smith’s rendering of the Song of Mary, “Tell Out, My Soul,” set to Walter Greatorex’s fine tune WOODLANDS. Note that the WOODLANDS tune appears twice in CW: Psalter (97C, 115B). Learn it once, use it thrice! In my own experience, I have found that the anonymous Magnificat text “Holy Is Your Name” (956), set to the tune WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, is extremely well-received. Musician’s Resource makes available the Lead Sheet (guitar chords) that matches the primary keyboard setting.

When working in CW:SB, pastors and worship planners can always see which canticles also have hymn versions available. Beyond the 77 different hymn tune canticles that are built into Settings Six through Ten, other hymn tune canticles appear as options in the right-side suggestion pane, often from the Service Music section. For example, any time you click on the Creed, the suggestion pane will also display…

Click on any Sanctus, and the suggestion pane will also display…

Click on any Kyrie, and the suggestion pane will even display a couple you may not have thought of…

Hopefully, however, CW:SB users will already have found a few more “hidden” items that aren’t really meant to be hidden. That’s also part of the story. Christian Worship: Hymnal’s final hymn is 958, but 959 also appears in the screenshot above. Christian Worship: Service Builder includes 26 more hymns that appear only in CW:SB (959-984). The story behind these hymns is quite simple. They were on the final hymn list but the print hymnal did not have enough room for them all. They are printed in Volume 3 of Accompaniment for Hymns. They are fully indexed and appear in suggested hymn lists and CW:SB searches. They include nineteen more Service Music selections, as well as seven hymns categorized as Gospel Accounts (a category that was set aside from the print hymnal when there didn’t seem to be enough hymns to populate it).

SERVICE BUILDER ONLY

Additional Service Music

• Trisagion (959) – With a text that originated in the Eastern Church, this song works well as a general (not confessional) Kyrie. Choir introduction will likely be the best route for making use of it. The setting is by Fernando Ortega.
• Glory to God (960) – This is another Gloria in Excelsis, set to the WOODLANDS tune. Update on the above comment about the tune: Learn it once, use it four times! (AI says some have thought that “four times” could be “frice,” but it’s not widely recognized, so I’ll pass on that.)
• Hail Thee, Festival Day (961/962) – CW463 presents the Easter version of this ancient text. Additional Ascension and Pentecost texts are added with 961/962. Not always but quite often, the quality tune (SALVE FESTA DIES) by Ralph Vaughan Williams is more successfully carried out when the congregation sings only the refrain, due to the verses having two different melodies and rhythms.
• This Is the Feast (963) (Video link at the 16:47 mark) – Some congregations may be familiar with Peter Hallock’s setting of this festival text. It has a compelling melody but often requires a fair amount of teaching and learning prior to congregational use, with the assembly again most often singing only the refrain.
• Thanks Be to God (964) – This canticle, with texts from 1 Corinthians and Revelation, and music composed by Dr. Kermit Moldenhauer, appeared in Christian Worship: Supplement (788). It is especially fitting for the Easter season.
• O Taste and See (965) – Also composed by Moldenhauer, this canticle served as a Song of Praise following the Absolution in CW:93’s Service of the Word.
• Thanks to You, O Christ Victorious (966) – Stanza 2 of the Easter hymn “Like the Golden Sun Ascending” (CW470; WERDE MUNTER tune by Johann Schop) is here set to J.S. Bach’s adaptation of WERDE MUNTER—“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
• Thank the Lord and Sing His Praise (967) – In addition to Richard Hillert’s musical setting that was used as a post-communion canticle in CW93’s Service of Word and Sacrament (now included in CW21—948), that same “Thank the Lord” text is here set to a tune by Marty Haugen.
• In Peace, Lord, You Let Your Servant (968) – Kurt Eggert composed the tune for this Song of Simeon. It was the closing canticle in CW93’s Evening Prayer.
• Now, Lord, You Let Your Servant (969) – Marty Haugen is the composer of this Song of Simeon.
• In Peace and Joy I Now Depart (970) – With its text by Martin Luther and its tune by Johann Walter, this is a Reformation heritage hymn. While infrequently sung, it is here preserved for continued availability.
• God, We Praise You (971) – Set to the tune AUSTRIA by Haydn, this is the Christopher Idle versification of the Te Deum Laudamus that appeared in CW93—277.
• We Praise You, O God (972) – Sung occasionally in years past at our seminary, this is another Te Deum Laudamus in simple chant form.
• Now Bless the God of Israel (973) – Marty Haugen composed this setting of the Song of Zechariah.
• Praise Be to the Lord (974) – Charles V. Stanford composed this chant version of the Song of Zechariah.
• My Soul Will Magnify the Lord (975) – Kristyn Getty lending her voice to this well-crafted arrangement sounds very authentic in the context of the mystery that was revealed to Mary in the Annunciation. Singers might want to be aware of the broad melodic range (high Eb to low Ab).
• My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord (976) – The ninth century plainsong tune CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM carries the text in this version of the Magnificat.
• Alleluia, Song of Triumph (977) – Set to the tune LAUDA ANIMA (“Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”), this is the Farewell to Alleluia that is available in CW:SB in the rite of the same name.

The additional selections in the “Service Builder Only” hymns add the following to the count of Service Music songs in the first bulleted list above:

• Kyrie “Lord, Have Mercy” (1)
• Gloria in Excelsis “Glory Be to God on High” (1)
• Optional Songs of Praise (5)
• Alternate Post-Communion song (“Thank the Lord”) (2)
• Nunc Dimittis “Song of Simeon” (3)
• Te Deum Laudamus “We Praise You, O God” (2)
• Benedictus “Song of Zechariah” (2)
• Magnificat “Song of Mary” (2)

Gospel Accounts

The seven hymns in the final section of “Service Builder Only” hymns cover the scripture accounts of:

• The slaughter of the Holy Innocents
• The boy Jesus in the temple
• The Emmaus disciples
• The parable of the sower and the seed
• The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector
• The post-resurrection miracle of the great catch of fish
• Jesus calming the storm

Twenty-six Service Music canticles/songs. Twenty-six “Service Builder Only” canticles/songs/hymns. Fifty-two items—another full deck of cards, if you will, to bring to us the message of grace and to give us a fitting response of praise and thanks.

This article in Devote Yourself was contributed by the team that previously created and distributed Worship the Lord. View past worship-related articles at worship.welsrc.net/downloads-worship/worship-the-lord.