When I Survey: Organ Collections for LENT 2023 31 January, 2023
recommended by Christopher B., Organ Music Specialist
When I Survey (Hymn Settings for Lent, Easter, and After) arr. Lynn Trapp
Lynn Trapp has written a volume of hymn settings inspired by the celebrations of Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. With the approach of noble simplicity and the accessibility of the organist in mind, the composer intended to weave his own spirituality of the Paschal season with the fragments and phrases of these well-known sacred tunes with the hope of conveying the tie that binds these holy seasons of lament, charity, salvation, and Spirit. Titles include: “The Glory of These Forty Days,” “What Wondrous Love Is This,” “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” “Ubi Caritas,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “Christ Is Arisen,” “Christ Is Alive,” and “Veni, Creator Spiritus.”
The Road to Resurrection arr. Roberta Rowland-Raybold
Roberta Rowland-Raybold takes us on a journey through Lent, Holy Week, and Easter in this collection of organ settings for the Paschal story. Thoughtful and expressive, these settings are useful organ voluntaries for this holy time of the liturgical year. Titles include: “Lift High the Cross,” “O Lord, throughout These Forty Days,” “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed,” “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” “Sing, My Tongue,” “Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow,” “Easter Vigil Contemplation,” and “Day of Arising.”
The Oxford Book of Lent and Easter Organ Music arr. Robert Gower
“The Oxford Book of Lent and Easter Organ Music” brings together a superb array of repertoire for use from Ash Wednesday through to Pentecost, providing a comprehensive volume for this extended liturgical period. The pieces – largely based on well-known hymn tunes – vary in style and length, suiting a range of purposes, from processionals and interludes to voluntaries and recital works. A range of technical difficulty makes the book useful for players of differing abilities, and clean and uncluttered scores leave interpretative decisions to the performer. An invaluable resource for a major part of the church year.
Hymns of the Cross arr. Janet Linker
Six meditations for Lent or Communion. Titles include: “Ah! Holy Jesus,” “Were You There?,” “Pastorale on In the Cross,” “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed,” “In the Hour of Trial” and “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”
Ah, Holy Jesus (Six Lenten Hymn Improvisations) arr. Michael Burkhardt,
Within a Lenten context there is tremendous variety in this collection of six hymn tunes. Michael Burkhardt’s inventive approach makes this volume the new addition you’ll want to make to your traditional Lenten offerings. Titles include: “Ah, Holy Jesus (Prelude and Chorale),” “Lamb of God, Pure and Sinless (Chorale and Variation),” “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” “Pange lingua (Meditation),” “Sing, My Tongue,” and “The Only Son from Heaven and Sing, My Tongue.”
Lent with Minimal Pedal arr. Edwin T. Childs
Edwin T. Childs adds to his series of settings for minimum pedal, providing a collection of thirteen hymns for the season of Lent. Composed as a single stanza, these preludes are suitable as hymn introductions or service music. This collection will appeal to organists that have limited pedal abilities or seasoned organists that need something in a pinch. Titles include: “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed,” “All Glory Laud and Honor,” “Cross of Jesus Cross of Sorrow,” “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” “Hosanna Loud Hosanna,” “In the Cross of Christ I Glory,” “Not All the Blood of Beasts,” “O Christ You Walked the Road,” “O Dearest Jesus What Law Hast Thou Broke,” “O Perfect Life of Love,” “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” “Ride On Ride On in Majesty,” “Savior When in Dust to Thee,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
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About the Author:
Christopher B. grew up in eastern Kentucky in a musically diverse family, and began playing organ at the age of 12. He majored in vocal performance with minors in keyboards and conducting at Marshall University and later received a Master of Theological Studies in congregational ministry from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Christopher has served as a church music director and organist for more than 20 years, presently serving as Director of Music and Worship Arts/Organist at Church of the Master United Methodist in Westerville, OH.
