|
The Marvel of This Night: Improvisations on Christmas Carols Old and New |
 |
 |
|
Written by Paul Detterman, PFR Executive Director
|
|
Sunday, 22 November 2009 23:29 |
 2009 has been a challenging year. Many people have felt the pinch of economic recession including loss or change of employment and increasing financial insecurity. Others have been affected by natural disasters, still others by serious illness or death. The future seems unclear in many critical areas of our lives. And yet we have the relentless promise of Emmanuel--God with us. No matter what happens in any given year, we celebrate the unchanging truth of God’s unending love.
But God’s promise and God’s love, like so much of the foundation undergirding our lives, can be taken for granted. Christmas can, like any other holiday, fall into a pattern of ritual observance and to-do lists. Then, in his time, God intervene—pushing his reality a little deeper into our daily routines, and when this happens, we catch our breath at a glimpse of his glory. This album is the result of one such intervention.
The album title comes from a Christmas hymn by Jaroslav Vajda. In this hymn, God is instructing the angelic chorus:   “Before the marvel of this night, adoring, fold your wings and bow; then tear the sky apart with light, and with your news the world endow.” Together they tell the story of God’s promise fulfilled, of human longing, and of the joy each human heart can know only in Jesus ChristThe cover image, the amazing color and span of the Orion Nebula as captured by the Hubble telescope, sets the tone—attempting to capture in art and in music what words alone cannot fully convey, and what undisturbed daily routine can so easily forget; into one Song, Jesus, God compressed the love that rules the universe above. (Vajda, stanza 3)
The Marvel of This Night features fifteen original arrangements of Advent and Christmas carols. Together they tell the story of God’s promise fulfilled, of human longing, and of the joy each human heart can know only in Jesus Christ, of our welcome into God’s embrace, and of our commission as Jesus’ people. But individually each carol has its own story to tell—its own unique perspective on the gospel. They span seventeen centuries and several cultures. The jacket liner provides texts for personal prayer and meditation.
As part of our ministry, PFR is now pleased to make this CD available for Christmas 2009 for a donation of only $15. And because of a generous gift that covered all production costs, every penny of this donation goes directly to support the ministries of PFR, including Wee Kirk, NPWL, support for seminarians and CLP’s, new directions in congregational transformation, and an ongoing mission to mobilize biblical, missional leaders and be a witness to the hope of the gospel to and through the PC(USA).
You can request copies of The Marvel of This Night to enjoy and to share with family and friends by clicking below, or by using our contact form. Many people are already requesting additional copies to give as Christmas presents.
I recorded this album on a new large Létourneau pipe organ, a grand piano, and a classic Rhodes keyboard—a sound made popular by Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock.
Selections include:
The Preparation:
Watchman Tell Us of the Night blended with O Come, O Come Emmanuel; watching and waiting for God’s redeeming
Prepare the Way O Zion; a poem of joyful anticipation set to a happy 16th century tune Â
Gabriel's Message; the “Say what?” of the Annunciation expressed in a blues arrangement of a Basque carol
The Incarnation:
O Little Town of Bethlehem; weaving together two beloved tunes associated with this simple nativity text. Â
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; the mystery of ancient liturgy expressed in soft contemporary jazz (sample audio)
Angels We have Heard on High; a bright and sparkling reminder of the joy with which the angel choir sang (sample audio)
What Child is This; with simple beauty a folk tune relates God’s amazing plan of redemption
O Jesus So Sweet, O Jesus So Mild; a meditation on the baby called Jesus: fully human, fully God (sample audio)
The Invitation:
All Poor Men and Humble; a Welsh carol welcomes every human being to come to God in Christ
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear; the promise of God-with-us still speaking to longing hearts today
Past Three O’clock; the “smile” of Christmas—God will never be finished with joyful surprises!
The First Noel; a classic carol bridging “then” and “now” and blending styles and sounds (sample audio)
The Proclamation:
The Earth Lay Dark and Still; a text and tune written for this album; the angels’ song inviting us into a life of worship.
I Wonder as I Wander; a haunting meditation on the atoning work of God in Christ—the Cross of ChristmasÂ
Hark the Herald Angels Sing; our joyful commission to live as Christ’s people, watching and waiting for his return!Â
The opportunity to imagine and produce this album and the process of creating and performing these arrangements has been an amazing gift of God in my life this year. It is my hope that through this album you too may be reminded of the awesome purpose and love of God.
Download cover art
|
