Library Lady - Gloria

This week I'm recommending a title from a very popular series, namely "The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks."  In that story the young members of the Bear family learn the meaning of the holiday of Thanksgiving.  It's a good holiday to recall in the spring because the Gloria cultivates a positive attitude of celebration.  Plus, it's so closely related to the liturgical song we sing in place of the Gloria sometimes: "This is the Feast."  Thanksgiving is always one of the biggest feasts of the year, but it still pales in comparison to communion!

The story is a great way to share the meaning of Gloria with young members of the church.  We recognize God's glory as reflected in the blessings of our own lives.  That's worth singing about every week!

Soli Deo Gloria

The Latin phrase "Soli Deo Gloria" is familiar to all church musicians.  Bach famously wrote it on his manuscripts, and many composers since then have picked up on the habit.  The picture with this post is from Handel, and you can see it has been shortened to SDG.  It can be translated as "To God alone be the glory."

This attitude pervades my own approach to church music.  I've always been uncomfortable with concert series in churches solely as concerts, and even special music during a worship service can veer dangerously toward the feel of a recital.  The purpose of music performed in a church is to glorify God and enhance worship.  Bach himself put it this way: "Music...should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the recreation of the soul; where this is not kept in mind there is no true music, but only an infernal clamor and ranting."

This Sunday the Wittenberg Choir will be visiting, and they will be fully incorporated into the structure of a worship service that still includes readings and prayers and communion.  Maintaining the liturgical structure allows us to remember that the beautiful music is not an end in itself, but a symbol, a guidepost pointing in the proper direction.  The only difference between a hymn and an anthem, or between the prelude and the liturgy is the people who are participating directly in the music.  In all cases, the music is to the glory and praise of God.  Soli Deo Gloria.

Gloria

After the Kyrie, the next piece of music in the liturgy is the Gloria.  Some hard core liturgists out there might be shocked to learn that we are even singing the Gloria during Lent.  During this pentitential season, it's usually omitted from the worship rubric because of its celebratory nature.

Personally, I think the flexibility of the worship service to aid our faith is more important than any such "rules" laid down over the years.  There comes a point when we have to ask if a rule is being upheld simply to honor tradition or to enhance the worship experience.  I recognize that the problem inherent in such a standard is that people can disagree over it, but I hope that people will understand the edifying purpose of the deviation as we journey through the liturgy.

The text of the Gloria is not drawn explicitly from the Gospel of Luke, but clearly it is based on the message of the angels in the Christmas story.  It echoes the call for peace in the Kyrie in its opening lines, and it follows a tripartite structure that foreshadows the Credo to come.  In other words, the Gloria marks a turning point in the service; in the simplified liturgical order it is the point where we move from Gather to Word, with the lessons immediately following.

At worship tonight, we'll sing the Gloria as a congregation and David will sing a solo based on several classical sources that he has arranged especially for tonight.  Also, I'd like to mention breifly my Wednesday night preludes during Lent. I've been playing slow movements from Haydn's piano sonatas and will do so for the remainder of the season.  I often do a Lenten series of some sort.  (You might recall that last year I played various selections from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier.)  It creates a sense of continuity and sets aside the season as different from the regular church year, and to be perfectly honest it also helps my planning by quickly filling six slots in a busy season!

The Lenten Gloria

Last week, I wrote about the "missing" Gloria during Lent, but anyone who has worshipped at Bethany on Wednesday lately might have noticed that we're singing a modified Gloria during that service.

The music of our Lenten services is more chant-based. For some people, it conjures up images of medieval monks singing Vespers and Compline at the end of the day. With the darkened windows, black vestments, and Lenten music, we gather to hear and contemplate the Passion story. The service is a soothing, meditative bed-time prayer in these early spring weeks. In the midst of those services, it might be easy to overlook this hymn of praise, so I'd like to draw your attention to the joyous nature of this chant text:

Joyous light of glory:
Of the immortal Father;
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ.
We ahve come to the setting of the sun,
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
You are worthy of being praised
With pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O giver of life;
The universe proclaims your glory.

Good-bye to the Gloria

We have entered the season of Lent, which brings with it several changes in worship. While we chose not to change the setting, observant worshippers have no doubt noticed the new or missing pieces of the liturgy. Among the more notable changes is that we no longer sing the Gloria near the beginning of the service. (Alleluias are gone as well, but I'll save that for another day.)

The liturgical calendar is full of such quirks and rules, and some people are fascinated by the many proper things that must be included or excluded in any given service. But there are other people who feel compelled to ponder the status quo and constantly ask questions: Why, exactly, do we not sing the Gloria during Lent?

There seem to be only two answers to this question. The first, and simplistic, is that it is tradition or canon law or some such variation on "That's the way it has always been done." In its simplest version, I can't say that I find this argument particularly compelling. For one thing, an awareness of church history will uncover the many arguments and changes that have taken place in the liturgy over the centuries. It wasn't until the 11th or 12th century that priests were including the Gloria as a regular part of the Mass. Maybe it has been done this way for hundreds of years, but to make decisions based on that argument alone is a sure route to stagnation (and didn't Martin Luther himself work hard to overcome improper traditions?).

Dig a little deeper, and it is sometimes explained that the reason behind this tradition/rule is that Lent (like Advent) is a penitential season. The Gloria is not in keeping with the introspective nature of these Sundays. So it would appear that we are to spend 40 days seeking forgiveness, which will be granted on Easter. I know that most Catholic churches will not perform baptisms during Lent for the same reason.

Personally, I hope that we can always balance supplication with praise, even during Lent. At the same time, I do find comfort and meaning in the regularity and certainty of the liturgy. Like a mantra (or even just the habits and patterns of daily life), we can overcome thoughts about the mundane, arbitrary decisions in life and focus on higher thoughts and prayer. The changes made during Lent can refocus our attention, but I do still miss the tuneful prayer of praise that is the Gloria. Why wouldn't God want us to sing hymns of praise every day of our lives? Do you miss the Gloria or do you find that it creates new meaning in the season of Lent? Is liturgical tradition a comfort or a straightjacket - or something in between?

I won't be playing it again for weeks, but here's the text of the Gloria to hum to yourself in the meantime. Don't you agree it's a sentiment worth expressing every day?

Glory to God in the highest,
And peace to His people on Earth.

Lord, God, heavenly king,
Almighty God and Father.
We worship you; we give you thanks.
We praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father.
Lord God, lamb of God,
You take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy on us.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father.
Receive our prayer.
For you alone are the holy one,
You alone are the Lord.
You alone are the most high,
Jesus Christ.

With the Holy Spirit,
In the Glory of God, the Father,
Amen.