Music at WPC-
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Lent V
​Voluntary: Herzliebster Jesu, Ah, Holy Jesus Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)
Offertory: Lord Jesus, Think On Me Austin Lovelace (1919-2010)
Voluntary: There Is A Happy Land George Shearing (1911-2011)
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Hymns
Opening Hymn: 85- What Wondrous Love Is This WONDROUS LOVE
Sequence Hymn: INSERT- For You, O Lord, My Soul In Stillness Waits CHRIST BE OUR LIGHT
Closing Hymn: 76- My Song is Love Unknown LOVE UNKNOWN
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Next Week's Music at WPC:
Sunday, March 30: Nik Stackpole, Organ; WPC Choir; WPC Handbell Choir; Choral Scholars
Prelude- About the Composer
Helmut Walcha (1907–1991) was one of the most influential organists, composers, and teachers of the 20th century, particularly revered for his deep association with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Blind from adolescence, Walcha developed an extraordinary musical memory and sensitivity, allowing him to internalize vast amounts of repertoire and perform with remarkable clarity and insight. He served for many years as organist at the Dreikönigskirche in Frankfurt and taught at the Hochschule für Musik, where he shaped generations of organists. As a composer, Walcha wrote chorale preludes and organ works firmly rooted in Baroque traditions, often reflecting contrapuntal rigor and liturgical purpose while still bearing a distinct 20th-century voice. His complete recordings of Bach’s organ works—made twice, once in mono and later in stereo—remain legendary, admired for their structural transparency, rhythmic vitality, and spiritual depth.
Offertory- About the Text
The hymn text “Lord Jesus, Think on Me” is a deeply introspective prayer of penitence and trust, often attributed to the 5th-century theologian Synesius of Cyrene and later translated into English by Allen William Chatfield (with other notable versions by Sarah Flower Adams). The text unfolds as a series of petitions, asking Christ for inward transformation—relief from sin, guidance through trials, clarity of mind, and ultimately the gift of eternal joy. Its language is simple yet profoundly expressive, making it especially fitting for reflective seasons like Lent. Each stanza builds on the theme of divine remembrance, not as mere recollection, but as an active, sustaining presence of Christ in the believer’s life. The hymn’s enduring appeal lies in its quiet sincerity and its ability to give voice to personal devotion, humility, and hope for redemption.
Postlude- About the Composer
George Shearing (1919–2011) was a celebrated jazz pianist whose influence extended beyond the concert stage into the world of sacred and organ music. Though best known for his distinctive “Shearing sound”—a smooth, block-chord style popularized by his quintet—he also composed a number of liturgical works that translate jazz harmonies into a more contemplative, church-friendly idiom. His Sacred Service and other choral compositions often include organ parts that blend traditional hymn-like textures with subtle jazz inflections, creating a unique synthesis of styles. Shearing’s approach to organ writing is characterized by warm harmonic color, gentle rhythmic motion, and an accessibility that invites both performers and listeners into a reflective yet fresh musical experience, bridging the gap between classical church tradition and mid-20th-century jazz language.