Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms Johannes ...

First Baptist Church
600 Governors Drive
Huntsville, AL 35801
MUSIC USIC USIC MINISTRY
INISTRY DATES ATES TO TO TO NOTE OTE
May May 17 17
Music and Missions Recognition Service
5:00 pm in the Sanctuary
June June 12 12-14 12 14 Youth Choir/Tour Choir Reunion
Friday night fellowship
Saturday morning rehearsal
Sunday morning sing for Homecoming Service
July July 66-10
6 10 Music Camp for Children
Actually, three camps in one!
KinderCamp (children who have completed Kindergarten)
Younger Camp (children who have completed grades 1-2)
Older Camp (children who have completed grades 3-6)
Final presentation on Sunday, July 12
Adult and youth helpers welcomed!
August August 14 14-16 14 16 Youth Choir kickoff events
August August 19 19 19
Children’s Choirs resume (Music and Missions)
September September 9 9 Living Christmas Tree kickoff
September September September 17 17-18 17 18 Hallelujah Choir Dinner Theatre
October October 18 18
What Were We Singing?!
A Bicentennial Hymn Festival
5:00 pm
December December 17 17-20 17 20 The 25th Anniversary Presentation of
THE LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE!
Music usic Ministry Staff
Billy Orton, Minister of Music and Worship
Elizabeth Hostetter, Associate Minister of Music & Organist
Amanda Allen, Children’s Music and Missions Minister
Lee Deutschendorf, Ministry Intern (First Fellowship)
Mona Isom, Music Ministry Assistant
Laura Roberts, Music Ministry Assistant
256-428-9400
www.fbchsv.org
Houston & Lucile Adams*Irene & Luther Adams*R. C. Alison*Mr. and Mrs. Joe Allen*Ina Allen*Kenneth Allen*Oliver & Etoile
Allred*Jim & Virginia Ames*David Anderson*Herbert & Virginia Anderson*Rev. Edward Anderson*Mary Lib Apple*B. F. Bailes*W.
O. Bailey*Bessie Baker*Elizabeth A. Baker*Dr. Grady Baker*S. J. Baker*Zadock Baker*Julia Bass*L. D. Bass*G. O. Baten*Josiah
D. Battle*Joshua R. Beadle*George Beason* Phillip Bentley, Sr.*Drs. Frank & Ernestine Berg*Joe Bigger*John Birdwell*W. M.
Blackwelder*Willis Blankenship*Mildred Bobo*B. N. Bolton*S. T. Bolton*Betty Sue Boulton*Martha Boothe*Benjamin (Ben)
Boyanton*Leonard Bragg, Sr.*Hattie Brannen*Rutherford Brett*Robert M. (Bob) Broadway, Sr.*Frances Broadway*Brown
Brooks*Flora Lay Brooks*Floyd Brown*Rosemary H Brubaker*James Bush*Anna Hill Bussey*B. W. Bussey*S. R. Butler* H. B.
Cagle*Dick Callaway*R. C. Callaway*Roberta Campbell*Jean Cannon*Jack Canterbury*James Canterbury* G. W.
Carmichael*Joseph E. Carter*Marie Chandler*Nina Chandler*Dr. Hugh & Faye Chambliss*Richard (Dick) Chapman*William
Chastain*Marshall & Sara Cherry*Thomas Chiles*James H. Claridge*Earl Cloud, Sr. *Marjorie Cloud*Lester Collins*Tom Cost*
Carol Cox*Elsie Weaver Cox *Joe Crawford*Clyde Comer*Adam Dale*Grace Daniel*Lizzie Daniel*Mary Davis*Shirley Davis*C. J.
Requiem Requiem Requiem Requiem Requie Requie Requie Requie
Johannes Johannes mmmm Brahms
Brahms
Donahoo*Joseph C. (Joe) Dowdle*Don Dyar*Elizabeth Dyess*Ezekiah Eastland*Bettie F. Erwin*John A. Erwin*Dr. William N.
Etheridge*Rebecca (Becky) Fisher*Raymond Fletcher*J. D. Foster*Aaron Franks*Sturdy Garner*Agnes Gatlin*Grady Gatlin*R. S.
Gavin*Walter Goodhue*Mary Graves*Gaines Gravlee, Sr.* Ila Glaze *J. N. Green*Laurie & Sarah Green*Fred Guest*Mr. A. H. &
Mary Amelia Hadaway*Glenn & Aileen Halcomb*James Hamilton*Dr. J. P. Hampton*Lyn Harmon*Bill Hasty*Oscar
Haywood*William Hellums*Ann Henderson*P. T. Henderson*Doris Hersey*David & Orlean Hinkle*William H. Holcombe*James &
Corinne Hollis*Mary Hollowell* Dr. Alvin H. Hopson*Edna Hopson*W. D. Hubbard*James Humphrey*David Jacks*R M
Jennings*J. J, Johnson*W. J. Johnson*J. C. Jones*Mrs. Louise Jones *Bradley Kimbrough*W. W. and Mary Kone* W. F.
Kone*Grace Langley*J. H. Larcombe *Judy Lewallen*Will & Mary Lewis*Gordon & Constance Loftin*Marcile Love*Patricia (Pat)
Love*Amelia Maddox*William Manning*Sue Mahmoud* Lizzie March*Marjorie Martin*Ron Martin*Douglas & Annetta
Martinson*D R (Mac) McClung*Dr. Kenneth McCoy*John McCutcheon*W. D. Moffitt*A. W. McGaha*Dr. Tom McGehee*Dr.
William & Mona McKissack*Lloyd McMurtrie*Gladys McNutt*Nacy Meeks*Jack Melton*Campbell Gentry Miles*Dr. John & Mamie
Milford*James & Oma In Miller*Dr. Remembrance, James Willard Miller*Mr. “Rip” Thanksgiving Cecil Mitchell* Hazel Mitchell*Bob and Moore*Mary Kathryn
Moore*William (Bill) Murphree*W.
Johannes Johannes
M. Murphy*W. M. Murray*Herman
Brahms
Brahms
B. Neece*Moses B. Neece*Doris League Newman* John
Nicholson *Angelo Marvin Nowlin*Russell Oldham*Sallie Parton*Ruth Patterson*Pat Patterson*Louisa Patton*John Penny*R. E.
Celebration of the saints
Pettus*Zachariah Petty*Harvilee Wilson Phillips*Bonnie Pimm*Joseph Powell*Homer Powers*Jacob Prewit*Thomas S. (Tom)
Pryor*Robert E. Quick, Sr.*Mrs. T. A. (Lillian) Rankin* Charles & Floy Rawls*Cora Lee Reagan*James Record*Jack B. Rhea*Scott
Rhoads*Doris E. Roberts*Mike Robertson* Jane Miller Robinson*George and Frances Sandidge*John Sandidge*Leona Wilson
Sandlin*Thelma Sandlin*Sandy Scalco*Morris Schmidt*Edith Schmitt*Jesse Seale*Edward Seanor*Nell Seay*Leo Self*James (Jim)
Selman*Richard and Mary Ann Shackelford*George Shepherd*Joe Sipple *Elma Smith*John Smith*Robert L. Smith*W. H. Smith*W.
A. Smith*Alden Smock*Cora Smock*Gwen Smock* A. V. & Mary Sneed* J. H. Spaulding*Ruth Mathison Spears *Bessie Pettus
Spragins*Ruth Pettus Spragins*J. L. Sproles*Wayne Staggs*Lew Steakley*J W. Steel*Jane T. Steel*Louise Stephens*A A
Stewart*Katherine (Kat) Stone*Melanie Stone*Eugene & Sallie Strode *J. J. & Corinne Sullivan *Michael Sweeney*Richard H..
Taliaferro*Elaine Taylor*George Taylor*William (Bill) Thornton, Sr.* Clarence & Alma Tidwell*Otis Tidwell*Mattie Bell Tipton*J.
L. Thompson*Borton Tranter*Ruby Wilson Turner*Kay Underwood*Lisa Vaughn*Barry Vines*Janie Lee Waite*Thelma Walker*
Todd Walker*John W. Wall*Stephen Ward*Beulah Neece Ware*Bessie Mae Weaver*Ida Weaver*J. W. Wall*Lula Wall*Maxie
Wells*Fred Wessel*Max Drexel West*O. J. Whitten*Robert R Williams*Dwane Williamson*Joe Wilson*John Windham*Inez
Whitman*Charles Wood* Carl & Dorothy Woodall*John Wright*John Wright, Jr.*William and Nancy Wright*Willis
Blankenship*Betty Sue Boulton**Hattie Brannen*Rutherford Brett*Robert M. (Bob) Broadway, Sr.*Frances Broadway*Floyd
who have served Christ during the
200 years of ministry at
In First Remembrance, Baptist Church, Thanksgiving Huntsville.
and
Celebration May 3, of the 2009 saints
who have served Christ during the
200 years 5:00 of ministry p.m.
at
First Baptist Church, Huntsville.
Brown*Rosemary H Brubaker*James Bush*Anna Hill Bussey*B. W. Bussey*R. C. Callaway*Roberta Campbell*Jean Cannon*Jac
Canterbury*James Canterbury* Joseph E. Carter*Marie Chandler*Nina Chandler*Dr. Hugh & Faye Chambliss*Richard (Dick)
Chapman*Marshall & Sara Cherry*Thomas Chiles*James H. Claridge*Earl Cloud, Sr. *Marjorie Cloud*Lester Collins*Carol
Cox*Elsie Weaver Cox Clyde Comer*Glenn & Aileen Halcomb*James Hamilton*Dr. J. P. Hampton*Ann Henderson*P. T.
Henderson*Doris Hersey*David & Orlean Hinkle*Mary Hollowell* Dr. Alvin H. Hopson*Edna Hopson*W. D. Hubbard*James
Humphrey*James & Oma Miller*Dr. James Willard Miller*Mr. “Rip” Cecil Mitchell* Hazel Mitchell*Bob Moore*William (Bill)
Murphree*W. M. Murphy*W. M. Murray*Herman B. Neece*Moses B. Neece*Doris League Newman* Russell Oldham*Ruth
Patterson*John Penny*Harvilee Wilson Phillips*Bonnie Pimm*Joseph Powell*Homer Powers*Charles & Floy Rawls*Cora Lee
Reagan*James Record*Jack B. Rhea*Scott Rhoads*Doris E. Roberts*Mike Robertson* Jane Miller Robinson*George and Frances
Sandidge*John Sandidge*Sandy Scalco*Morris Schmidt*Edith Schmitt*Jesse Seale*Edward Seanor*Nell Seay*Leo Self*Gwen Smock*
A. V. & Mary Sneed* J. H. Spaulding*Katherine (Kat) Stone*Melanie Stone*Eugene & Sallie Strode *J. J. & Corinne Sullivan
*George Taylor*William (Bill) Thornton, Sr.* Clarence & Alma Tidwell*Otis Tidwell* Carl & Dorothy Woodall*John Wright*John
Wright, Jr.*William and Nancy Wright*
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the
right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12: 1-2 (NRSV)

“Therefore, “Therefore, since since we we are are surrounded surrounded by by such such a a great great cloud cloud of of witnesses……”
witnesses……”
These words from Hebrews 12 have been deeply meaningful as First Baptist Church, Huntsville has observed her
bicentennial anniversary this year. We have seen how the footprints of earlier generations have helped to lead us
to this point in time. We have acknowledged again and again our thanksgiving for those who have gone before.
To God be the glory for their lives!
Today’s presentation of A German Requiem is being offered in remembrance, thanksgiving, and celebration of
the saints who have served Christ through the ministries of FBC during these 200 years. The names on the front
of this program are representative of countless others in the history of this church who “ran the race with
perseverance” and bore witness to the truths being proclaimed today in this masterwork.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) composed the Requiem over a period of several years and was greatly influenced
by the deaths of his dear friend and mentor Robert Schumann and later his own mother. He knew the Bible well
and personally selected the various scriptures to be set. The Requiem premiered on Good Friday, April 10, 1868,
with the composer conducting, a performance that catapulted his stature to international acclaim.
The structure of the work is that of a seven-movement arch, with movement four at the top and, significantly,
containing the sublime comfort of Psalm 84 (“How lovely are Thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts”). Movements one
and seven bear great similarity, with both conveying blessings (movement one blesses those who mourn, and
movement seven offers a final blessing to those “who die in the Lord”). Movements two and six are the longest
and are also linked in their overall structure (both starting with thoughts on our mortality and ending with
grand, joyous fugues of praise and rejoicing). The arch form is further seen in the linkages between movements
three and five (both utilize soloists and contain expressions that are very personal in nature, with movement
three seeking comfort and movement five offering assurances of it).
The Music Ministry of FBC is honored to have a number of singers from sister churches who are performing
with us today. The presence of these friends from “the faith community” assisting with such a significant musical
challenge is deeply appreciated.
Our presentation today is intended as far more than strictly a performance. We love this work and have been
greatly challenged and inspired by our experience with it this Spring. We offer it today as an act of worship. Our
own faith in God’s incredible love and power has been strengthened. May it be so as you listen with both head
and heart. May you also be reminded of those who have gone on before us, whose footprints we follow. And,
may we depart reminded that we are God’s people!
--Billy Orton
Minister of Music and Worship
PRELUDE................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Elizabeth Hostetter, Organ
O Welt, ich muss dich lassen, Opus 122, No. 3 - Brahms
O world, I now must leave thee; My Lord will soon receive me, For I am homeward bent.
My body, life, and spirit, And ev’rything I merit I place in God’s most gracious hand.
WELCOME & PRAYER............................................................................................................................................................................................................ David Hull, Pastor
HYMN 383..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Congregation
We Are God’s People (SYMPHONY)
I. Chorus
Matthew 5:4
Blest are they who are sorrowful; blest are they that mourn;
for they shall have comfort.
Psalm 126:5, 6
They who in sorrow with tears are sowing,
shall with rejoicing in joy be reaping.
Who goeth forth and weepeth, and beareth precious seed,
shall come with rejoicing, and bringing his sheaves with him.
II. Chorus
1 Peter 1:24
For mortal flesh is as the grass,
and all the comeliness of man is as the grasses’ flowers.
The grass hath withered, and the flower thereof hath fallen.
James 5:7, 8
Now therefore be patient, my dear brethren, unto the coming of the
Lord.
See how the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth,
and how with patience abideth
till he receiveth the morning showers
and then the evening rain.
So be you patient.
1 Peter 1:25
But still the Lord’s word bideth forevermore.
Isaiah 35:10
The redeemed of the Lord shall return with singing unto Zion;
unto Zion they shall come with rejoicing;
joy everlasting forever on their heads shall be;
joy and delight shall seize them and possess them,
and pain and sighing shall flee from them.
III. Baritone Solo and Chorus
Psalm 39:4, 5, 6, 7
Lord, teach me to know the measure of my days on earth,
that my life has an ending, and I must perish
Surely all my days here are as a handbreadth to Thee,
and my lifetime is as naught to Thee.
Surely as nothing are all of mankind,
who yet securely dwell in their vanities!
Man liveth his days like a shadow,
and he disquieteth himself in vain with prideful delusions;
his treasures, he knoweth not who shall gather them.
Now, Lord, what then is my comfort?
My hope is in Thee.
Wisdom of Solomon 3:1
But the righteous souls are in the hand of God,
and there no grief, nor pain, nigh them shall come.
Ein Deutsches Requiem – Johannes Brahms
IV. Chorus
Psalm 84:1, 2, 4
How lovely are Thy dwellings, O Lord of Hosts!
For my soul desireth and longeth for the courts of the Lord;
my soul and body sing with joy unto the living God.
O blessed! they who in Thy house are dwelling;
they praise Thy name evermore!
V. Soprano Solo and Chorus
John 16:22
You now are sorrowful;
grieve not: I will again behold you,
and then your heart shall be joyful,
and your joy shall no one take from you.
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 51:35
Look upon me:
I suffered for a little time;
toil and labor were mine;
and I have found, at last, comfort.
Isaiah 66:13
I will give you comfort,
as one whom his own mother comforts.
VI. Baritone Solo and Chorus
Hebrews 13:14
For we have on earth no abiding place:
Howbeit we seek one to come.
I Corinthians 15:51, 52, 54, 55
Lo, I unfold unto you a mystery:
we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the time of the last trumpet!
For at last shall the trumpet sound,
and the dead shall then rise up incorruptible,
and we shall all be changed.
Then will be fulfilled the Word that is written:
then Death shall be swallowed up in the victory.
Death, where is thy sting?
Hell, where is thy victory?
Revelations 4:11
Lord, Thou art worthy to have all praise and honor and power and might,
for Thou hast heaven and earth created,
and by Thy good will do all things have their being and are created.
VII. Chorus
Revelation 14:13
“Blessed are the dead, who in the Lord die, from henceforth,”
yea, the Spirit speaks,
“that they rest from all their labor;
for their works do follow after them.”
-Texts selected by the composer from the German Bible
-Translation, paraphrase, adaptation, and prosodic underlay by Lara Hoggard

SOPRANO
OPRANO
OPRANO
Amanda Allen
Karen Anderson
Ellen Bailes
Kristen Barnard
Betty Barnett
Beth Bice
Miriam Bolton
Jane Bond
Bertie Bramm
Mary Beth Buchanon
Jacqualyn Burton
Nancy Campbell
Linda Causey
Sandra Childs
Kimberly Collette
Janet Crawford
Polly Crawford
Charlotte Davis
Mary Jo Deaver
Andria Dyess
Linda Durrett
Elisa Fairless
Betty Fine
Becky Foshee
Alice Gardner
Judy Gattis
Kelley Gattis
Lindsey Giambrone
Suzanne Hefner
Aresla Holland
Lea Hoppe
Nancy Huffaker
Anita Jones
Ann Jones
Frances Jones
VIOLIN VIOLIN I
I
Jeffrey Dortch, Concertmaster
Noriko Shimura
Viljar Weimann
Susan Savage
Nina Li
Joseph Bearden
VIOLIN VIOLIN II
II
Lisa Wiggins, Principal
Gretchen Perry
Laura Elrod
Joyce Green
Ina Wilson
VIOLA
VIOLA
Charles Hogue, Principal
Sophia Burwell
Christopher Lanier
Mark Savage
Kathy Lane
Margaret Leach
Patti Lindow
Diana Mace
Barbara Martin
Sara McDaris
Sue McElyea
Sarah Meister
Elaine Mitchell
Mickey Murphy
Serena Neely
Ellie O’Rear
Alicia Pettis
Dottie Richardson
Barbara Sizemore
Becky Soutullo
Anne Stone
Donna Thornton
Tiffany Traylor
Beverly Troupe
Karen Watts
Kathryn Witherow
Betsy Woods
Kennie Worlund
ALTO LTO
Sylvia Bailey
Holly Baynham
Joyce Bond
Linda Box
B. J. Boyanton
Joyce Bradley
Louanna Breder
Karen Campbell
Anne Chelekis
Susan Cloud
Janet Creech
CELLO
CELLO
Veneta Billmayer, Principal
Marilyn Rue
Gonca Huff
BASS
BASS
Mark Huff, Principal
John Gordon
Don Aulds
Joel Keene
FLUTE
FLUTE
Amy Helser
Jana Clark
Emily DePlachett
PICCOLO
PICCOLO
Leighanne Dauro
MUSICIANS
MUSICIANS
MUSICIANS
Singers
Singers
Faye Davis
Linda Davis
Tara DuBose-Schmitt
Sarah Funke
Charlene Guynes
Nan Kirk
Jennifer Matthews
Amy McKenzie
Linda Mixon
Mary Ann Moon
Joy Moore
Pat Morefield
Nancy Morton
Betty Myers
Linda G. Nelson
Jane Orton
Janice Owen
Patti Palmer
Billie Perkins
Rebecca Pickle
Linda Powers
Judy Ross
Angela Seanor
Ann Smith
Linda C. Smith
Linda Sneed
Lynda Staggs
Lynn Sunde
Marian Talley
Betty Thurstone
Charlotte Tolar
Juanita Turpin
Louise Walker
Nancy Williams
Rosemary Wolfe
Carolle Worsham
Joyce Zackie
Orchestra
Orchestra
TENOR ENOR
Roy Adams
Nathan Alderson
Martha Appleberry
Charles Bradley
David Caine
Wiley Davis
David Giambrone
Allen Godwin
Joe Holley
Frederick Huffaker
Terry Jarnagin
Mike Kirk
Pat Lewallen
Jim Love
Robert Lubin
Dave McKenzie
Rickie D. Moon
Jerry Nutt
Wayne Owen
Ed Perkins
James Potts
Lynx Quicksilver
Gerald Roberts
Warren Schmitt
Leon Stallcup
Bill Stone
Randy Taylor
Les Tillery
Len Worlund
OBOE
OBOE
Gary Parks
Eric Clark
CLARINET
CLARINET
Jim Bradas
David Hoppe
BASS ASS ASS
George Barnes
Mike Broadwell
Arthur Brown
Glenn Brown
BASSOON
BASSOON
Susan Keene
Noah Hoppe-McQueen
Hunter Pellum
FRENCH FRENCH HORN
HORN
Suzy Young
Alisa Dauro
Anne Reasons
Marsha Asquith
Tom Bryant
Wilton Causey
Gary Chambers
Hoyt Childs
Don Clark
Ben Darby
Jerry Davis
Dean Estill
Scott Field
Branch Fleming
Tom Guffin
Bill Hadaway
Lee Hickler
Lawrence Holland
Fredrick Huffaker
Rodger Keene
Kim Keller
Phil Mace
John Martin
Dave McKenzie
Michael Moore
Darren Myers
Russell Neely
Jerry Nutt
Dennis O’Dell
Joel Palmer
Bill Renfroe
Bob Searcy
Bob Smith
Rankin Sneed
Jim Splawn
Tim Tolar
Jonathan Watts
Thomas Wolfe
Joe Zimmerman
TRUMPET
TRUMPET
Bruce Zeiger
Werner Smock
TROMBONE
TROMBONE
Ben Carrasquillo
Kevin Bounds
Alan Jones
TUBA
TUBA
Vince Dauro
HARP
HARP
Kathryn Hoppe-McQueen
Judy Prestage
TIMPANI
TIMPANI
Ken Smith
ORGAN
ORGAN
Elizabeth Hostetter
SOLOISTS
SOLOISTS
SOLOISTS
Van Van-Arc Van Arc Wright a native of Nassau, Bahamas, is pursuing his degree in Vocal Performance at Alabama A&M
University. He won first place in both Alabama and the Regional “National Association of Teachers of Singing”
competition in 2008 and placed in 2009. He has performed principal roles in numerous musicals. He will
perform the role of Banquo in the opera “Macbeth” this May at the VBC. He is a member of the ACDA,
MENC, and the Thespian Society. He studies voice with Dr. Ginger Beazley at the Ars Nova School of the Arts.
Christie Christie Weber Weber is well-known in the Huntsville community as one of the area’s most versatile musicians. She is
a highly acclaimed soprano as well as successful violinist. She regularly performs in various genres ranging from
classical to musical theatre. Most recently Christie performed the role of Gretel in Ars Nova’s production of the
opera Hansel and Gretel. Other performances include: Mimi from La Boheme, Belle from Beauty and the Beast,
Mother from Ragtime, Juliette from Gounod’s opera Romeo et Juliette, and Kate/Lilli from Kiss Me Kate. This
summer she will be performing the role of Pamina in Ars Nova’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in the
VBC Playhouse. Christie has been a featured soloist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra twice and has
been a member of their violin section for many years. Christie studies voice with Dr. Ginger Beazley at Ars Nova
School of the Arts.
SPECIAL SPECIAL APPRECIATION
A musical project the size of the Brahms Requiem calls for extraordinary efforts. Our appreciation is deep for all
those singing and playing. They have given of time and energy in enormous fashion, for it is in faithful rehearsal attendance
and attitude that great works are prepared for the glory of God.
There are also countless individuals who have contributed in such supportive ways, including the many who have
encouraged and prayed for this endeavor.
The following names, like those on the front cover of this program, are representative of all those who have helped in
some way to make today’s presentation a truly significant one during this truly significant year in the life of First Baptist Church:
David Giambrone, Michael Moore, Camilla Pruitt, Tom Dooling, Suzanne Purtee, David Miller, Eric Nelson, Jack Lucas,
and the First Baptist Builders. Thank you to these…and so many more.

Grief, Grief, Grief, Loss, Loss, Loss, and and and God’s God’s God’s Comfort Comfort Comfort and and and Care Care Care in in in Johannes ohannes ohannes Brahms Brahms’ Brahms A A German German Requiem Requiem
Blessed is rarely the primary self-description of a person experiencing grief and loss. Yet, blessed is the keynote of Johannes
Brahms’ A German Requiem. From beginning to end, Brahms’ Requiem resounds with the consoling affirmation that God’s
blessings offer comfort and strength for those who turn to him in faith when facing the universal experience of grief.
Every person deals with grief, an emotional and spiritual response to the death or loss of loved ones or valued ideals or
objects. Grief over the death of another person may be the most obvious instance of the response. However, grief accompanies
most other losses, as well. Loss of a job stirs grief and an acute sense of emptiness. Moving to a new city or losing a friend’s
companionship due to a transfer to a new location triggers feelings of loneliness and sadness, both of them components of grief.
Grief touches every person who suffers loss, sparing no one from its pall of sorrow.
Awareness of the range of emotions felt during seasons of grief has increased in recent years. Most people are familiar
with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ classic description of the five stages of grief: 1. denial and isolation; 2. anger; 3. bargaining; 4.
depression; and, 5. acceptance. Grief counselors stress that each person’s progression through the stages will be unique, often
changing the order of the stages, sometimes becoming fixated in one or another stage, but always needing to arrive at acceptance
for grieving to resolve healthfully. During grief, having many conflicting feelings is to be expected. Sorrow, anger, loneliness,
sadness, shame, anxiety, and guilt often accompany serious losses. Having so many strong feelings can be very stressful. Yet
denying the feelings and failing to work through the five stages of grief only compound the difficulty of dealing with the grief and
emerging with a renewed sense of hope and wholeness. When people suggest "looking on the bright side," or other ways of cutting
off difficult feelings, the grieving person may feel pressured to hide or deny these emotions. When grief is not acknowledged, or is
bottled up inside a person without appropriate expression, healing from the loss takes much longer.
A century prior to Kubler-Ross and others raising awareness of the potentially debilitating effects of unresolved grief,
Brahms’ unprecedented German Requiem offered a masterful acknowledgement that all people grieve, and that God provides
comfort and hope for a new future. Prior to Brahms’ work, choral and orchestral requiems were musical settings of the Roman
Catholic Mass for the Dead- an entreaty for God to spare one who has died from the ravages of Hell. The title is taken from the
first word of the mass, requiem. Traditional requiems focus on the eternal state of the dead, rather than on giving comfort and
hope for the living mourners who are grieving the loss of those who have died. Brahms did not use the Mass for the Dead as his
text, but carefully selected verses from Luther’s German translation of the Bible. His focus was on the universality of grief, and on
God’s care and comfort for both those who grieve and for those who die in faithful relationship with God.
Music historians note that Brahms was personally acquainted with grief, and that his own experiences certainly shaped his
masterpiece. His teacher and mentor, Robert Schumann, attempted suicide in 1846. Schumann threw himself into the Rhine
River, and was subsequently committed to a mental asylum. He died in the asylum in 1856. Just before the tenth anniversary of
his beloved mentor’s death, Brahms’ mother also died. Brahms was just 33 years old when she died. Although notes written by
Brahms in 1861 list the Bible verses he selected for his new kind of requiem, his own experiences of grief almost certainly inspired
him to work seriously on completing his composition during 1865-66. His German Requiem was performed for the first time
essentially in its current form on Good Friday, April 10, 1868. The work proved to be an immediate success. Many who were
present at the first performance confessed themselves uplifted both spiritually and aesthetically by Brahms’ fusion of music and
text.
One of the most vexing difficulties of dealing with grief is finding appropriate expression of the depth of feelings of
emptiness and loss, while also giving voice to renewing hope. By means of Brahms’ insightful selection of Bible texts and his
intricate weaving of musical motifs, listeners consistently identify positively with the German Requiem’s aesthetic representation of
their own grief and their yearning for return to seasons of joy. Listening to the work rings true, as the orchestration expresses first
the darkness of sorrow, but moves to serene representations of joy and assurance. The words of Scripture, too, squarely face the
reality of grief and loss, the transitory quality of life, the supreme comfort found in the presence of God, and the power of faith to
transform sorrow into joy. Words and music combine to express authentically the full spectrum of emotions and the affirmations
of faith that offer a healing and healthful experience of grief.
Meditative attention to the Bible texts being sung when listening to a performance of the German Requiem and further
reflection on the texts after hearing a performance can deepen the spiritual solace derived from the work. Brahms chose Luther’s
German translation of the Bible in order to use a text easily accessible to all people. His intention apparently was for his work to
be performed in the native languages of singers and listeners, not necessarily in his own German. Beginning with the words of
Jesus from Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are they who are sorrowful; blessed are they that mourn,” the text affirms deep faith in both the
temporal and eternal comfort available in God’s love and grace. While human life is fleeting and is sure to be touched with sorrow,
God’s dwelling is supremely lovely, and he desires to share it with those who live in faithful relationship with God. God’s comfort
never fails, either to strengthen us for facing grief in life, or to provide an eternal home in his presence for those who have died.
Each Bible passage chosen by Brahms advances the listener from realistic acknowledgement of sorrow and tears to confident faith
in God’s blessings of comfort and joy.
The English text most often performed of Brahms Requiem contains a most pleasing and appropriate word order. The
first word and the last word of the work is blessed. This underscores the theme of the entire work. Paradoxically, those who
mourn and who know sorrow are blessed, for God comforts them. God’s blessing continues throughout life, in spite of its
transitory nature (“All flesh is grass…”). Ultimately, the dead are blessed, being eternally at rest from their labors in the presence of
the Lord.
Brahms’ German Requiem provides a rare opportunity for all who grieve to find a realistic expression of sorrow that yields
to God’s blessings of life, hope, and joy.
-J. Edward Culpepper
BLESSED BLESSED ARE ARE…… ARE
……
Matthew Matthew 5:4
5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
In this context of the Beatitudes, notice how the promises made are not weak ones but are of a surprising increase in degree. The
comfort is not a pat on the head with a “now, now, it will get better.” Compare the promise to the poor in spirit, for they stand to
receive a kingdom - and even the kingdom of heaven - what riches indeed. The meek will receive no small inheritance; they have
been promised the whole world. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will not just be handed a small morsel to stave off
starvation or a snack to tide them over; they will become completely full. With this understanding of an increase in magnitude, let
us see what quality of comfort is promised to those who mourn and that Brahms wants us to see by his choice of the next passage.
Psalm Psalm Psalm 126:5 126:5-6 126:5
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Do you see the abundant harvest that the Psalmist is singing of? This is not a mere comfort that is the relieving
of a bit of pain. This is the tears of sorrow that grow all the way to joy! This is the barren farmer’s field that produces overflowing
grain bins. It is the brown and broken garden that bursts forth with colors. The sadness that draws one down to the earth becomes
the uplifting joy.
The subsequent movements develop the theme of the transitory nature of life on earth and that our ultimate destination is the
new and true home as portrayed in the concluding movement. As the opening words of the first movement were the promise of
blessing for those who mourn that Jesus spoke in his days on earth, the seventh and final movement has the words of a voice from
heaven in the end of the age as recorded in Revelation
Revelation.
Revelation
“Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
- John Martin