Music Notes

Hymn of the Day
“The Son of God, Our Christ,” ELW 584
Text: Edward M. Blumenfeld (1927)
Tune: SURSUM CORDA, Alfred M. Smith (1879-1971), arr. Richard W. Hillert (1923)

Between 1955 and 1957 the Hymn Society of America published ten “New Hymns for Youth by Youth” of which this was the first choice. Its language was gently made more inclusive in the LBW. Edward M. Blumenfeld wrote poetry iin hiigh school and returned to it when he wrote the text for this hymn. He just barely made the Hymn Society’s thirty-year-old cut for authors.

The tune, Sursum Corda, submitted anonymously for consideration to the committee that prepared The Hymnal 1940, was originally composed for the eucharistic hymn, “Lift up your hearts.” Alfred Morton Smith eventually surfaced as the composer of this tune named for the Latin of the original text, “Sursum Corda.” He is known to have contributed 2 other tunes to the hymn tune literature. “Sursum Corda” is the most popular and is now paired with a wide variety of texts.

Musical Meditation: “O Day Full of Grace”, Wayne L. Wold

Wayne L. Wold (1954), currently Professor, College Organist, and Chair of the Music Department at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and Director of Music Ministry at First Lutheran Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, wrote this organ arrangement of “O Day Full of Grace”. The tune, DEN SIGNEDE DAG, composed by Christoph E. F. Weyse, a Danish church musician, composer organist and improviser, well reflects the dual attributes of festal and day hymn, as in the text, the birth and the cross of our Lord greet each other.