Tools for the Worship Planner

The Moravian - April 2005

A number of resources for musicians and worship planners have recently been made available which will make our hymns and information about them more accessible.

Companion to the Moravian Book of Worship. Since the Moravian Book of Worship (MBW) was published in 1995, members of the Interprovincial Hymnal Committee had wanted a companion to accompany it; but assembling such a work would have delayed MBW’s publication. Until now there has never been a comprehensive hymnal companion to any English-language Moravian hymnal. The closest thing we’ve had was Charles B. Adams’ Our Moravian Hymn Heritage (1984). Thanks to the work of the Rev. Dr. Albert Frank, assistant Director of the Moravian Music Foundation (and currently acting Director as Nola Reed Knouse is on Sabbatical), we can now learn more about the hymns we sing, where they came from, and how they came to us. The Companion covers not only the MBW but also the supplemental Services for Holy Communion and the Readings for Holy Week. Unlike the 1969 hymnal, the MBW does not indicate which composers, arrangers, authors, and translators are Moravian. This Companion contains a list of all the Moravians (all the way back to Hus) whose contributions are included in our hymnal. The Companion to the Moravian Book of Worship is available for $24.95 at the offices of the Moravian Music Foundation in Winston-Salem or Bethlehem, or can be purchased online at <www.MoravianMusic.org>.

Concordance to the Moravian Book of Worship. How many times have you found yourself quoting or humming a line buried in one of the hymns? Perhaps it’s because that line of verse alludes to one of the scripture texts for an upcoming worship service. Maybe you’re trying to put together a lovefeast ode, and you want to assemble verses from various hymns containing a key word or phrase. The Concordance to the Moravian Book of Worship can help you identify hymns. This CD tool indexes all the hymns from the hymn section of the MBW as well as those in the liturgies and communion services and selected canticles. Produced in 2003 by David Blum, this tool was featured at the 21st Moravian Music Festival, and has been used by contributors to The Daily Texts. Copies are available at the Winston-Salem office of Moravian Music Foundation for $15.

Liturgies for the Moravian Worship Service. We have many wonderful liturgies and communion services available in the Moravian Book of Worship and the supplemental Services for Holy Communion, but there was only so much room available in the MBW. For many congregations that celebrate Holy Communion every month or that like to use liturgies most weeks of the year, there is a need for more variety. Some have taken it upon themselves to compile their own liturgies or communion services for use in their own congregation. The staff at Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church (Wisconsin) have graciously compiled over two dozen liturgies and communion services, and made them available to the denomination. Edited by Robert Nickel, Sturgeon Bay’s director of music, this work is available in both booklet and CD-ROM format. The documents are in Microsoft Word format. Congregations can decide which format is most appropriate for their use. Most of the songs are covered by a CCLI license, and some permissions have been granted for free. A database is also provided on the CD listing the individual copyright owners, their addresses, and a sample permission request letter. The cost is $20. This covers the cost of the CD itself, shipping, and handling. In addition, one complete printed and bound copy will be provided. Contact Robert Nickel at rnickel@charter.net; phone 920.487.2957.

The Moravian Music Resource Manual is a project sponsored by the Commission on Music and Worship of The Moravian Church in America, Southern Province. A work-in-progress, the Resource Manual is intended to make available a wide variety of ideas for choosing music (hymns, anthems, organ literature, etc.) to coordinate with scripture lessons for the entire three-year liturgical cycle according to The Revised Common Lectionary adapted for use in the Moravian Church in North America. The documents currently listed contain ideas for worship planning for the Year C and for part of Year A in the Moravian Church. Additional seasons will be made available on this site as they are completed with periodic updates as the documents evolve. Contributors include pastors and church musicians from both the Southern and Northern Provinces. The Resource Manual is available on the Resources link of the Southern Province website: www.mcsp.org. There is also a link from the Foundation’s web site — <www.moravianmusic.org>.

David Blum, a member and the choir director of Redeemer Moravian Church, Columbus, Ohio, serves on the board of trustees of the Moravian Music Foundation.