The Ordinary refers to the parts of the Divine Service that tend not to change with the seasons of the Church year. Traditionally they are five: Kyrie, Gloria in Excelsis, Creed, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. I suppose that in most Lutheran Churches we would need to add the Offertory and Post-communion Canticle, since these so often are sung each week without variation. But just because the Ordinary is sung each week, it doesn’t need to always be sung to the same settings or accompanied in the same way. There can be great variety in musical presentation; and musical presentation can make the Ordinary extraordinary!
VARIATION IN MUSICAL SETTINGS
One way to help mark out the seasons of the church year is to vary the Ordinary of the entrance rite. Our parish uses The Lutheran Hymnal and the Hymnal Supplement 98. With the help of these two resources we have developed a rich variety for this part of the service:
Advent:
Kyrie, HS98 #913 – This Kyrie from Taize allows us to incorporate the fuller text of the Kyrie that appears in LW (“In peace, let us pray to the Lord…”). The pastor or cantor sings the text from LW (p. 159, 160) to the tone provided in the Hymnal Supplement. This has become a very beloved way of praying the Kyrie in this parish.
Hymn of Praise – omitted.
Christmas:
Kyrie and Gloria from TLH, p. 15.
Epiphany:
Kyrie and Gloria from HS 98, p. 7.
Lent:
Kyrie – for the Kyrie in Lent, we use HS98 #820. This form of the Kyrie comes to us from the rich tradition of the Slovak Lutheran Church. We use the line marked “cantor” in different ways. Sundays when the choir is present, the cantor line is sung in the printed four-part harmony. On Sundays when only a cantor is available, the melody line alone is sung.
Hymn of Praise – omitted.
Easter:
Kyrie, HS 98, #913 – We sing this as in Advent.
Hymn of Praise – HS 98, #910 “Splendor and Honor” is sung. This is a fine paraphrase of “Worthy is Christ.”
Pentecost and Post-Pentecost:
We alternate between several weeks of TLH p. 15 Kyrie and Gloria and the HS98, p. 7 Kyrie and Gloria.
Such a schema has a number of advantages. First, it enriches the congregation’s worship life by familiarizing the congregation with a number of texts for the Kyrie and Hymn of Praise – they are soon learned by heart. Second, because it has a seasonal variation, it helps reinforce the church year. Not only do the colors of the paraments change, but the music itself underscores when we move into a new season. This is especially true in the penitential seasons when the Hymn of Praise drops out. Third, because the changes are usually not weekly, but seasonal, the congregation has ample time to become comfortable with the music.
Yet another form of the Gloria that we have come to enjoy, we reserve mostly for Reformation Sunday. On that day we sing TLH #238 “All Glory be to God Alone.” But rather than singing this straight through as a hymn, we alternate the words in the following manner:
Pastor: All glory be to God alone,People: Forevermore the highest One,Choir: Who doth our sinful race befriendPeople: And grace and peace to us extend.Choir: Among mankind may His good willPeople: All hearts with deep thanksgiving fill.The entire hymn is presented this way. The organ generally plays for the people’s singing, but the pastor and choir sing without accompaniment. Occasionally the choir will sing its part in the four-part harmony printed in the hymnbook.
VARIETY IN ACCOMPANIMENT
Variety of settings is but one way to enrich the ordinary. Yet another is variety of musical accompaniment. For example, in the hand bell music to HS98, there is a setting of Woodlands (the tune for the Gloria in HS98, p. 7). Many Sundays our bell choir uses this setting (it matches the organ/piano setting) to “set off” the Gloria as the pinnacle of praise in the first part of the service. Similarly, for during the days of Easter, there is a hand bell setting available for Shades Mountain – the tune used for “Splendor and Honor” HS98 #910.
Although the bell choir has been in existence for many years, it was a new experience to play while the congregation sang and so support and augment the congregation’s song. By learning the bell accompaniment for parts of the ordinary, the bells are ready to contribute whenever they are playing on a Sunday when that setting is used.
Nor should musical accompaniment be restricted to HS98 music. Our parish musicians enrich the Sanctus during the Great Thanksgiving in a variety of ways. In this parish, we always use the Sanctus from TLH p. 15. But to show that this canticle is the counter-part to the Hymn of Praise in the first half of the service, it is frequently set apart by use of timpani with full organ, and sometimes with trumpets.
We do a similar thing on Reformation Sunday with the Sanctus. On that day, we use TLH #249 “Isaiah, Mighty Seer.” This beautiful hymn is not even attempted in many parishes because pastors or musicians fear it is too difficult. It’s not as hard as it appears if it is presented in the following manner:
Men in the choir:Isaiah, mighty seer, in days of old
Isaiah, mighty seer, in days of oldWomen in the choir:The Lord of all in spirit did behold.
The Lord of all in spirit did behold.Men in the choir:High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright,
High on a lofty throne, in splendor bright,Women in the choir:With flowing train that filled the temple quite.
With flowing train that filled the temple quite.Men in the choir:Above the throne were stately seraphim.
Above the throne were stately seraphim.Women in the choir:Six wings had they, these messengers of him.
Six wings had they, these messengers of him.Men in the choir:With twain they veiled their faces as was meet.
With twain they veiled their faces as was meet.Women in the choir:With twain in rev’rent awe they hid their feet,
With twain in rev’rent awe they hid their feet,Men in the choir: And with the other twain aloft they soared,
And with the other twain aloft they soared,Women in the choir:One to the other called and praised the Lord.
One to the other called and praised the Lord.(Add full organ, timpani, and bells)
Congregation: Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth!
Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! Holy is God the Lord of Sabaoth! Behold, His glory filleth all the earth!(back to regular registration and no additional instruments)
Men in the choir:The beams and lintels trembled at the cry
The beams and lintels trembled at the cryWomen in the choir:And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high.
And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high.If the full choir is not available that day, cantors can easily be substituted.
SUMMARY
What a vast musical storehouse our Church is blessed with! With some forethought and careful preparation, the liturgy that is celebrated each week can be musically enriched, so that the “ordinary” truly becomes “extraordinary!”
