Opus50          Opus51           Opus52           Opus53nr1      Opus53nr2      Opus53nr3      Opus53nr4           Opus53nr5      Opus53nr6      Opus53nr7           Opus55

 

Opus 50 - Triptych for double choir

Opus 50 No. 1

   The Creation

         Chantry, 1975. COA 7557

             choir SATB/SATB

             Text: Sermon no. 1 from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

                      Composed: 1969

                      Dedicated to L. David Miller

                      First performance: Dec. 20, 1970, conducted by Grover Baber

 

Opus 50 No. 2

   The Crucifixion

         Chantry, 1977. COA 7759

             choir SATB/SATB

             Text: Sermon no. 5 from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

                      Composed: 1968

                      Dedicated to L. David Miller

                      First performance: March 9, 1972, conducted by John Williams

 

Opus 50 No. 3

   The Judgement Day

         Chantry, 1977. COA 7760

             choir SATB/SATB

             Text: Sermon no. 7 from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

                      Composed: 1968

                      Dedicated to L. David Miller

                      First performance: May 12, 1968, conducted by the composer

     In his Tagebuch, (see excerpt reproduced below) Bender indicated his intention to set all seven sermons to music (January 19, 1968). He actually only completed three of the sermons. No. 3 in this opus, written first, was intended for the South America Tour of the Wittenberg Choir, but that tour didnÕt materialize.

 

(Shortly I will set a sermon by James Weldon Johnson. No. 7 from the series: ÒGodÕs Trombones: [Seven Negro Sermons in Verse, published in 1927].Ó Mine is titled ÒThe Judgment Day.Ó I want to set all seven to music, for 4-voice choir or two 4-voiced choirs. But it is already so much to do. Good that I can begin anyway. It is conceived for the South America Tour of the Wittenberg Choir.)

--excerpt (dated 19. Januar 1968) from Tagebuch 3

 

Opus 51

   Three Songs for Elizabeth Slocum

         unpublished (as of September 2005)

             soprano solo, piano

             Contents:

                  Bright is the Ring of Words (No. 1)

                      Words by Robert Louis Stevenson

                  Communicate (No. 2)

                      Text by Elizabeth Slocum

                  When Love Beckons to You (No. 3)

                      Text by Kahlil Gibran from The Prophet

                      Composed: 1968

 

Opus 52

   Missa pro organo

         Merseburger, 1971. EM-885

             chorale preludes

                      Composed: 1970

             Contents:

                  Kyrie

                       Kyrie, Gott Vater

                        Christe, aller Welt Trost

                        Kyrie, Gott Heiliger Geist

                  Allein Gott in der Hšh sei Ehr

                  Wir glauben all an einen Gott

                  Jesaia, dem Propheten das geschah

                  Christe, du Lamm Gottes

                      First performance: July 1, 1970 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, by the composer.

 

Opus 53 - Single Settings

Opus 53 No. 1

   Angel Hosts Rejoiced With Mirth

         Chantry, 1975. COA 7352

             choir SATB

             Translation by F. W. Otto

             Tune: Da Christus geboren ward

             3 movements

 

Opus 53 No. 2

   Like Silver Lamps in a Distant Shrine

         Concordia Choral Series

         Concordia, 1970. 98-1967

             choir SATB

             Text by William Dix

                      Composed: 1956

 

Opus 53 No. 3

   In Thee Is Gladness

         Concordia Choral Series

         Concordia, 1970. 98-1968

             choir SATB

             Tune: In dir ist Freude

                      Composed: 1956

 

Opus 53 No. 4

   How Lovely Shines the Morningstar

         Concordia, 1975. 98-2211

             choir SATB, S solo, trumpet, organ

             chorale cantata

             Tune: Wie schšn leuchtet

            1 new setting (7 strophes)

             Outline:

                  st. 1: setting for trpt, S solo, SATB, organ

                  st. 2: from op. 22 no. 1

                  st. 3: trpt & organ only from st. 1

                  st. 4: ad libitum

                  st. 5: trpt, S solo, organ from st. 1

                  st. 6: another setting from op. 22 no. 1

                  st. 7: same as st. 1

 

Opus 53 No. 5

   Psalm 1

         unpublished (as of September 2005)

             choir and brass

                      Dedicated to Fred Jackisch

 

Opus 53 No. 6

   Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling

         Concordia, 1980. 98-2501

             choir SATB and organ

             chorale concertato

             Tune: In Babilone

             2 movements

                      Composed: 1. Sunday in Advent, 1979

     Òdedicated to my dear friend David and his choir.Ó

                                   --from the Autograph score

     [Bender told this author that this dedication to ÒDavidÓ was meant to cover all three Davids mentioned in the Tagebuch entry reproduced below.]

 

     (Today is our Margo [daughter-in-law] half as old as I am. Over Thanksgiving we spent four wonderful days in Des Moines with David and Lori Hermann and were very spoiled. In 1965 he was my student in composition, she my organ pupil. He wrote his doctoral thesis on my compositions and my biography in 1979. Three true Davids have I in the USA: David Fienen, David Herman and L. David Miller. God grant them their reward for what they have done for me. HermanÕs new congregation is called Messiah in the new AELC.)

excerpt from Tagebuch 15.1 (27. Nov. 1979)

 

Opus 53 No. 7

   O Lord, We Praise You

         Anniversary Anthem Series

         Fortress Press, 1983. 3-8304

             choir SATB and organ

             Tune: Gott sei gelobet

             3 movements

                                                                       

Opus 54

   Concerto

         unpublished (as of September 2005)

             brass, timpani and organ or grand piano

             3 movements:

                  Allegretto

                  Cantabile

                  Allegro

                      Composed: 1970

                      Dedicated to Robert and Joan Bergt

     First performance: Feb. 16, 1971, Richard Butts, conductor, the composer at the keyboard.

                                                                       

Opus 55

   Experimentum organo

         Chantry, 1974. ORG 749

             12 pieces for organ

                      Composed: Feb. 1971.

                      Dedicated to Theodore Beck

             Contents:

                  Prelude

                  Canon

                  Invention

                  Fughetta

                  Passacaglia (on Series II)

                  Voluntary (Perpetuum Mobile)

                  Anthem

                  Canzona

                  Pastorale (for one rank only)

                  Electronics

                  Fugue

                  Postlud