October 19, 2024

On Sunday, Oct. 27, 4:00 p.m., The St. Paul Choir, St. Paul A Cappella, St. Paul Ringers and the Choir of St. Peter and All Saints Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, will join forces for a gala hymn festival commemorating the Reformation. St. Paul’s Music Director, Dr. William O. Baker, and St. Paul’s organist, the Reverend Deacon Alisa Carmichael, will lead the combined musicians. The program will be held in the nave of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 416 SE Grand Avenue in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Admission is free and the public is invited. A Wine & Cookie Reception will follow the program, provided by the Friends of St. Paul’s Music.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic monk, nailed his 95 thesis on the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. The nailing of academic papers on the door was not an uncommon practice in Luther’s time. The postings were often academic or analytical documents stating an area of research, or even to some degree thoughts and opinions.

William Baker says, “What set the 95 thesis of Luther apart from other postings was the intensity of his argument, and the boldness and clarity with which he stated his case. The Roman Catholic Church of the early 16th century was arguably the most powerful institution in the world. Luther got nose to nose with the tools that kept the Catholic church in power, and gave the nose of the papacy a good squeeze.”

The winds of reformation and renaissance were already beginning to blow across Europe, due largely to the invention of the printing press in 1440, just 77 years before Luther’s actions. Many church scholars contend that Luther’s greatest contribution to the history of Christendom was his success in putting the scriptures into the hands, into the hearts and, through music, into the mouths and ears of the people. This included translating the scriptures into the vernacular, saying Mass in a language the common people understood, and creating congregational song that would be sung by the people.

Luther wrote many hymns that are still sung by Christians of all denominations today, the most famous of which is “A Mighty Fortress.” He encouraged other writers to do the same, and inspired a generation of English hymn-writers that came to include Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, among many others.

The last Sunday of October is marked as Reformation Sunday in Lutheran parishes across the globe, and has become increasingly common in Episcopal congregations as well as Presbyterian and Methodist churches. There is no more appropriate way to mark this turning point in world history than to celebrate the singing of hymns.

The Reformation Hymn Festival at St. Paul’s will include a number of beloved hymns for the audience to sing with the church’s pipe organ and combined musical forces. These will include “A Mighty Fortress,” “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “Now Thank We All Our God,” “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” “Come, Ye Thankful People,” and “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” The St. Paul Men’s Choir will present an arrangement of “Rise Up, O Men of God.” The 12 voice St. Paul A Cappella will sing an early American hymn of the Sacred Harp era, “O Thou in Whose Presence.” The combined choirs from St. Paul’s Church and St. Peter and All Saints Church will sing two anthems of Ralph Vaughan Williams, “At the Name of Jesus” and “O How Amiable,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “Restore My Joy,” and “The Old 100th Psalm Tune.” The program will culminate in “The Heavens Are Telling,” a festive chorus from Haydn’s oratorio, “The Creation.”

The Music Ministry of St. Paul’s Church in Lee’s Summit has become one of the busiest parish programs in the Kansas City region. The four ensembles of the church present numerous events in the course of the year, both at the church and in the wider community. The next event following the Reformation Hymn Festival will be the annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah” on Sunday, December 8.