Meditation on Passion Chorale

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Bernard of Clairvaux, Text; Hans Leo Hassler, Tune; Johann Sebastian Bach, Harmony; Brian Childers, arrangement for handbells/chimes; Good Shepherd Ringers, Worship Music

The piece we are ringing Sunday, February 24, for Communion today is offered up in prayer. The Passion Choral is always appropriate whenever Communion is celebrated. It calls us to remember Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. We are called to remember He died for our sins. We are called to remember He has saved us from eternal death and has given us the gift of eternal life. This piece, Meditation on Passion Choral, is even more appropriate during Lent, as we approach Holy Week.

We usually recognize this piece as “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”, #116 and #117 in the Green Hymnal. The text to “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” was written by Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153). The tune was written 500 years later by Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) harmonized the tune and handed it down to us in its current form.

Brian Childers has taken “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” and arranged it for 5 octaves of handbells and 3 octaves of handchimes. The familiar hymn tune is rung by the handchimes. The sound of the handchimes, ringing this familiar hymn, is meant to resemble the sound of the people, all the people, people throughout this church, throughout all the churches, throughout the past 500 years, people singing their faith, people singing in worship.

Underlying the hymn melody, an accompaniment of chords has been added. These chords, except for a few brief holds, are constant, incessant. The chords are meant to be heavy. They represent the weight of our sins. They are heavy. They represent the weight of the cross. They are constant. Though we try, we continual to fail and sin again. They are relentless. They represent every footstep on the way to Calvary. They are the heavy, constant, relentless footsteps of the soldiers, and of our sins, on the way to Calvary. They are the heavy, pain-filled, oppressed footsteps of Christ, struggling to carry the Cross. The bell ringers themselves can tell they feel these footsteps. They can feel the burden and weight of sin. Every chord, every rehearsal, they feel the never-ending, constant, relentless oppression of sin.

Layered, above the chords, and usually above the melody, is added thematic material called motifs. The arranger does not give us words or lyrics to this material. However, the material lends itself well to being set to words. Setting words to this material helps us to add meaning to the music and helps the music become a prayer.

The first motif we verbalize and pray as, “Jesus died…for us”. It is immediately echoed and personalized as, “Jesus died...for me”. We remember this, collectively and individually, every Sunday when we celebrate Communion. We are a community of believers, a community made up of each and every faithful individual, bound together by our common faith in Christ. This motif will be heard over and over again throughout the piece.

The second motif, written in triplets, we verbalize as “Died for our sins.” We hear this over and over in the piece, followed by quicker sixteenths saying, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry”, followed by the chimes ringing/singing “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”.

A third motif, in the lower bells, enters as a mournful cry, “Oh, dear Jesus.” This cry, “Oh, dear Jesus”, is rung in response, in sorrow and repentance. First we hear the statement, “Died for our sins”, in the upper bells. Then we hear the mournful response, “Oh, dear Jesus”, in the lower bells. All the while, we are marching, plodding, heaven laden, every chord, every step, on our way to Calvary, singing/praying/crying “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”.

These motifs are woven back and forth, repeated again and again. We are constantly reminded of Christ’s sacrifice, of His suffering, of our guilt. Then it is over. We are at Calvary. We are in the crowd. Christ has given up his life. People in crowd cry out, their voices overlapping, high voices, low voices, voices full of abandonment, disbelief, crying out, “Died for our…, died for our…, died for our sins…”. The sound lingers in the air. Again we hear, “Died for our…, died for our…, died for our sins…”.

Silence. He is gone. Emptiness. Then slowly, the chimes ring the last phrase, the last verse of “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”, “For he who dies believing, Dies safely in thy love.” Hope. Christ has conquered sin. Christ has conquered death. Hope. The promise of eternal life. Life in Christ.

The final motif rings softly, “Died that we might live”, eight times in only six measures, in all voices, upper bells, lower bells, medium bells, chimes. Christ died for all.

The piece ends with both this final motif, in all voices, bells and chimes; and with two final chords, bells and chimes. The chimes ring last, with a wavering sound, the tears of humanity, repenting for their sins.

By Jeanne Wernly