In the Manual of The Mother Church under the heading "Music in the Church," our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, includes a single By-Law entitled "Soloist and Organist." The first sentence reads, "The music in The Mother Church shall not be operatic, but of an appropriate religious character and of a recognized standard of musical excellence; it shall be played in a dignified and suitable manner."Man., Art. XIX, Sect. 1;These descriptive guidelines help musicians bring their artistry to a standard of excellence that enriches and elevates the total service.
The "Present Order of Services in The Mother Church and Branch Churches" outlined in the Appendix of the Manual (see pages 120–126) calls for organ or piano music before and after the service where this is possible. The Sunday service normally includes a prelude, three hymns, a solo, the offertory, and a postlude.
The organ prelude prepares the congregation's thought for the spiritual gifts offered during the hour. It provides a background for the ushers' expression of graciousness. It should inspire and uplift.
The music then leads, paces, and supports hymn-singing and unites hearts in the joy of praise to God. It harmonizes the different parts of the service and concludes with a blessing. It proclaims, "The glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isa. 60:1;
How may the organist approach his assignment? His musicianship, coupled with unselfed performance closely keyed to Mrs. Eddy's stipulations in the Manual By-Law, will bring depth, beauty, and coherence to every service. If the organist is a student of Christian Science, he will take care that art doesn't overshadow Science. He will cultivate and maintain a keen spiritual sensitivity for his work and its role in the service. Through prayer, study, and spiritual expectancy he will keep a sense of freshness and adventure in every aspect of his preparation.
One reference is especially meaningful to the organist who loves his instrument but also recognizes that it should only express the true source of harmony, which is Spirit, God. Mrs. Eddy writes in an address given in The Mother Church, "Moved by mind, your many-throated organ, in imitative tones of many instruments, praises Him." The previous sentence reads, "Music is the harmony of being; but the music of Soul affords the only strains that thrill the chords of feeling and awaken the heart's harpstrings." Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 106, 107;
So, the organist's role is much more than human artistry or professional mastery. It may be an articulate missionary with great influence if spiritual intent and dedication impel heart, hands, and feet.
Foremost in the organist's spiritual preparation is careful study of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly. As he searches for the predominating theme in the lesson, he will know the spiritual tone to bring out in the prelude selections.
If the subject and Golden Text emphasize majesty and power, the chosen selection can be one of magnificence and grandeur, followed by a gem that speaks to each individual healing thoughts such as those expressed in this hymn:
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.Christian Science Hymnal, No. 49;
When the lesson's theme is a rousing call to action, the selection may envelop the congregation with a surging, onward-moving number, vibrant with nobility. Some lesson subjects call for profound, introspective selections. "Sacrament" can suggest appealing, meditative preludes such as Bach arias. A Golden Text of tenderness often needs a gentle, lyrical prelude that comforts and quiets the congregation.
The organ's role should conform to Mrs. Eddy's requirements: "Music is more than sound in unison," and a few sentences further on, "I want not only quality, quantity, and variation in tone, but the unction of Love." Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 11;
The accompaniment for the solo should never dominate the lyric or text but enrich it with the most suitable registration. As each artist appreciates the other's musical contribution and identifies it with Soul, their relationship will express harmony in terms of mutual helpfulness.
Music for the offertory should not disturb the uplifting effect of the Lesson-Sermon. A right, reverent choice lets the message fulfill its purpose.
Then there's the postlude. At times a lively toccata appropriately expresses great liberation. One should leave the church service with a sense of healing and freedom. To the spiritually receptive, the organ proclaims the immediacy of Truth.
As for the Wednesday testimony meeting, the Reader's hymn selections usually indicate the topic to be developed. By relying on divine leading, an organist may correlate music with readings. We can know that the same perfect Mind which conceives the service provides for every facet of it, that Mind selects, classifies, orients, and individualizes each event in order to express the perfect whole. Since gratitude, happiness, and unity should characterize this meeting, the organ selections may express lightness, exuberance, and occasional touches of merriment. These challenge and dissolve heaviness. Mesmerism cannot withstand joy!
To maintain musical excellence the organist should be acquainted with a wide range of music and keep a well-stocked, orderly file. This may range from baroque and classical to romantic and modern. A brochure of organ compositions compiled from the music library of The Mother Church is available on request.
The wide range of organ registrations hint Soul's vast resources of color, rhythm, nuance, clarity, form, and sublimity. A casual approach to organ practice and preparation is not only dull but deadening; it stifles ingenuity and freshness. Matter-of-factness in music is as unimaginative as triteness in rhetoric or monotony in reading. Spiritual insight brings continuous buoyancy and enthusiasm to the organist's role. Without these, sameness and established procedure creep into the service. Sameness is ritual, part of the definition of which reads, "observance of set forms in public worship."
A setting of one of Mrs. Eddy's poems is usually chosen for each Sunday service and is frequently sung at Wednesday testimony meetings. As the organist appreciates the tremendous impact our Leader's writings have on world thought, he will vitalize his role as musician and may extend his effectiveness far beyond a single branch church. The organist should value the universal scope of all the hymns. Melodies from fifteen different countries give a global, brother-to-brother aura to congregation singing.
Every dedicated organist of a Church of Christ, Scientist, is in a position of vital importance to the service. His devotion to Soul's perfection, Love's warmth, and Mind's mastery helps spiritualize the service and bless every participant.
