In Egypt in 1918 archeologists discovered a papyrus fragment from the 3rd century AD. And on that scrap of ancient paper was inscribed the earliest known Christian hymn to contain both lyrics and musical notation. It’s called the Oxyrhynchus hymn, and it’s the first known church music! This is the tune that will be playing as you take your seat for the next Madison Performing Arts Foundation concert at Trinity Methodist Church, next Friday, January 23rd at 7:00 pm.
“We wanted to present the full spectrum of religious music over the entire span of centuries since Jesus’ time,” explains Luke Richards, pastor at the United Methodist Church in Hanover, and one of the organizers of the show. “The show will include chants and hymns, of course, but also classical selections, music from medieval, Baroque and Renaissance times, a pair of old-time spirituals, and even a couple of bluegrass tunes.”
The concert should be very entertaining, and a lot of fun, if you can say that about sacred music. The composers are a veritable who’s who including Bach, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, plus a hymn from the big protestant man himself, Martin Luther! Notable musicians will feature Jonathan Stanley on organ, Yvonne Davis, Starla Raley and Lynn Maricle on piano, Meg Bramer on cello and Rob Houze on bass, and Jacob DeAtley on guitar. Reverend Luke will be chiming in himself with his trumpet on and on the dulcimer.
Vocals will come from the Presbyterian Church Choir, Marlene Bateman, and Faith Bible. The bluegrass selections will include “I’ll Fly Away,” and the Ricky Skaggs tune “I’m Ready to Go.” Like I said, it should be joyous and fun!
“We believe the concert will give listeners a chance to reflect on how much music shapes us,” explains Rev. Luke. “It gives us a vocabulary to praise God and help define our journey with God. I truly believe music can be foundational … it’s not a neutral thing, something that just happens between the sermon and the announcements. It helps form us, it gives a concrete expression to our feelings and our faith.
“Hopefully people who attend the show will feel invited to think about how the music is shaping them, how the music we choose helps us connect with others. Some of the music we’ll be performing is hundreds of years old, even more. But it still resonates, it still speaks to the universal truths of spirituality and being part of a community that dates all the way back to the time of Christ, and even beyond. It’s pretty exciting when you think about it!”
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
Mark your calendars NOW for Obscure Neil Young night at Thomas Family Winery on January 31st. This event is one of the quirkiest, awesomest, funnest evenings of live music you can have anywhere, and it is a uniquely Madison experience. The Thomases started hosting this, jeez, seems like over 20 years ago, and it has grown into a real institution, with lots of talented folks coming out to lend their voices to one of rock’s greatest songwriters and performers. So start growing out your muttonchop sideburns now, and practice mining for that Heart of Gold. On the topic of this coming weekend, Joe & Deano are back from their holiday break, so you can once again enjoy their entertaining style of popular tunes, this Friday at Mad Paddle. Oh, and speaking of Mad Paddle, they will be open this coming Monday to watch IU take on Miami for the national college championship. We were there for the IU/Oregon game, and the energy was just electric. Best place to watch a game, for sure!
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