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    Home Articles

    Plough Music Series

    “Where words fail, music speaks.”
    —Hans Christian Anderson

    The Plough Music Series is a regular selection of music intended to lift the heart to God. It is not a playlist of background music: each installment focuses on a single piece worth pausing to enjoy.

    a painting of animals at The Nativity Article

    Revelation and Mystery

    Joel Clarkson

    The hymn “O Magnum Mysterium” celebrates the joy of Christ’s birth while simultaneously foreshadowing his crucifixion and resurrection.

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    painting of harvest time in Transylvania, 1909 Article

    Harvest Song

    Joel Clarkson

    William Byrd captures the essence of Psalm 126 in his motet “Turn Our Captivity, O Lord.”

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    large green palm branches with sun shining through Article

    Humble Grass

    Maureen Swinger

    The thorns, unable to be anything but ruthless in their design, still acknowledge a crowned king.

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    statue of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig Article

    Bach’s Great Passion

    Chris Zimmerman

    Living for years in Germany, in Bach’s home state of Thuringia, it often struck me how his music was everywhere you looked, whether at churches, in...

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    WrightPalmSundayListing Article

    A Hymn for Palm Sunday

    Marianne Wright

    A classic hymn by Henry Hart Milman gives voice to the joy and foreboding of the Passion Week, as Jesus approaches his “last and fiercest strife.”...

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    a choir singing the Christmas Oratorio Article

    A Prayer for the New Year

    Marianne Wright

    It seems appropriate to start the year with a selection from the master of sacred music, Johann Sebastian Bach. The Christmas Oratorio (written in...

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    detail of Aurora Triumphans, a painting by Evelyn De Morgan Article

    Divine Light in the O Antiphons

    Joel Clarkson

    Resplendent Advent music that casts away the gathered dark.

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    detail of Saturday Night at Sea by George Cruikshank Article

    Clerk Songs

    Peter Blair

    Today, the phrase “work music” is more likely to bring to mind a playlist than a rhythmic shanty.

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    The Angel Standing in the Sun, a painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner Article

    Michaelmas and The Dream of Gerontius

    Joel Clarkson

    The angels assist humans, seeking their good and safeguarding them from harm.

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    lastjudgementdetaillisting2 Article

    Allegri’s Miserere for Lent

    Marianne Wright

    There’s no better way to enter the Lenten season than with the Miserere, King David’s psalm of repentance and new faith. Listen to this soaring...

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    A medieval icon of St. Ephrem the Syrian, sitting behind a music stand composing hymns. Article

    The Coming Light: Hymns of St. Ephrem the Syrian

    Marianne Wright

    Ephrem the Syrian helped spread Christianity into inner Syria after his baptism around AD 320.

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    illustration of an old shepherd looking after a flock of sheep Article

    The Shepherd’s Pipe

    Georg Johannes Gick

    The words of a poet draw us to kneel beside the manger with the humblest, on Holy Night and every day.

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    painting of farmland, lake and mountains in Switzerland Article

    Beethoven’s Homage to Summer

    Marianne Wright

    “No one loves the country as I do,” wrote Beethoven, and immortalized the loveliness of a summer landscape in music.

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    Night Scene in Winter with Moon and a Church Tower in the Background Article

    Motet for a New Year

    Marianne Wright

    Andreas Hammerschmidt was a refugee during the Thirty Years' War, yet he wrote this spirited New Year's motet that proclaims, "Joy, joy upon joy!"...

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    portrait of Pablo Casals Article

    Carol of the Birds

    Marianne Wright

    In 1971, Pablo Casals was awarded the UN Peace Medal. He responded with his cello, and a soaring Catalan carol.

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    illustration of a lamb Article

    None Other Lamb

    Marianne Wright

    Pre-Raphaelite poet Christina Rossetti penned this poem of grief, doubt, and faith after the death of her mother and brother. This radiant setting by...

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    calligraphy of hebrew psalm Article

    Prayer for Yom Kippur

    Marianne Wright

    This ancient prayer for the holiest day of the Jewish calendar is both a request for cleansing and a celebration of God’s power. Yair Rosenblum’s...

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    'The Picnic' by Thomas Cole, 1846 Article

    The Miracle of Simple Happiness

    Marianne Wright

    What better time than high summer to enjoy the miracle of our “wonderful, inscrutable, magical” world? Wynton Marsalis’s joyous playing of Hummel’s...

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    illustration of mountains in China Article

    Learning the Joy of Mission: Bach and Hudson Taylor

    Marianne Wright

    The missionary Hudson Taylor was known for his joy – a joy expressed by J.S. Bach and Kathleen Battle in this jubilant recording. ...

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    Article

    The Lord’s Prayer in the Language of Jesus

    Marianne Wright

    The Lord’s Prayer, Thomas Aquinas once wrote, is “the most perfect prayer that we can say.” This week’s Plough Music selection is that prayer sung in...

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    Title page of the Luther Hymnal Article

    Martin Luther’s Pentecost Hymn

    Marianne Wright

    This thirteenth-century poem, given its most famous setting by Luther, implores the Holy Spirit to ignite in us “the fire of love: that we from our...

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    a mother hugging her child Article

    Ye Now Have Sorrow

    Marianne Wright

    The composer Brahms used some of Jesus’ final words to his disciples, “Ye now have sorrow,” to lend expression to his grief at his mother’s death...

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    cross_Rock_of_Cashel Article

    Saint Patrick’s Breastplate

    Marianne Wright

    “Christ to shield me today…” This ancient Irish prayer, once recited by knights riding into battle, remains a powerful hymn of faith thirteen...

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    Archbishop Oscar Romero with two children, one of whom is holding his archbishop's cross in his hand and gazing at it. Article

    An Offering to God

    Marianne Wright

    Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned down at the altar while saying Mass in San Salvador on March 24, 1980. Remember him today by listening to the...

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    Four Iraqi refugee children in a camp Article

    And He Shall Be Our Peace

    Marianne Wright

    With Christmas approaching and fresh news of horrifying violence arriving daily from around the world, read again God’s plan for all people, as...

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    A golden full moon rising over dark water and silhouetting rocks jutting out of the water. Article

    Medieval Halloween: A Poem for All Hallows Eve

    Marianne Wright

    Since at least the seventh century, Christians have observed a vigil on All Hallows Eve to pray for the souls of the recently departed. Listen to an...

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    stained glass window Article

    The Glory of the Lord Revealed

    Marianne Wright

    The glorification of God is the subject of this piece from the Messiah: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it...

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    painting of The Annunciation Article

    And He Was Made Man: The Annunciation as Interpreted by Mozart

    Marianne Wright

    Pope Francis has called it “matchless:” the “Et incarnatus est” from Mozart’s Mass in C minor which speaks of the...

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    detail of The Garden of Eden painted by Thomas Cole Article

    Love in Haydn’s Creation

    Marianne Wright

    This Valentine’s Day, forget the winter weather to enjoy Haydn’s exuberant celebration of the love of man and woman as a creation of God. Here in a...

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    A photograph of Khor Virap monastery with a large snow-covered mountain in the background. Article

    How Christianity Came to Armenia

    Marianne Wright

    As a child, Gregory narrowly escaped death as punishment for his father’s role in the assassination of Armenia’s king. Hidden and raised by a...

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    Detail from painting "He Is Not Here" by Walter Rane, showing grave clothes in a stone tomb. Article

    Peter at the Empty Tomb

    Marianne Wright

    The gospel record of the actions of the apostle Peter during Holy Week – the enthusiasm with which he expresses his love for Jesus, his cowardice at...

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    Lili Boulanger, composer. Article

    The Joyous Prayers of Lili Boulanger

    Marianne Wright

    The first woman composer to win the Prix de Rome, Lili Boulanger, died at age twenty-four in 1918. Although she wrote much of her music...

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    Mark Ludy imagines the animals entering Noah's ark in this comic-book style drawing. Article

    A 600-Year-Old Play Set to Music for Today’s Children

    Marianne Wright

    A mystery play set to music by Britten, this delightful imagining of the flood of Noah as a one-act opera performed by both children and professional...

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    detail, Norham Castle, Sunrise by J.M.W. Turner Article

    More than the Watchman

    Marianne Wright

    Composer Marlys Swinger’s interpretation of Psalm 130 conveys the penitent’s journey toward mercy and forgiveness.

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    Heiner Köppschall (1938-2014) Article

    Love Knocks at our Hearts

    Marianne Wright

    Once a homeless war orphan who would sing for a meal or a night's lodging, Heiner kept on sharing his gift of song to the very end. ...

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    after the battle by Walter Kleinfeldt Article

    A Requiem for World War I

    Marianne Wright

    “My subject is war, and the pity of war.” Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” transfigures the poems of soldier Wilfred Owens into music that is both...

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    Marc Chagall window, Chichester Cathedral Article

    Bernstein’s Psalms of Peace

    Marianne Wright

    The ancient Hebrew song “The Lord Is My Shepherd” never sounded more sublime than in Bernstein’s “The Chichester Psalms.”

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    student volunteers at a civil rights training camp Article

    Music of Freedom

    Marianne Wright

    Fifty years ago this July, the Civil Rights Act was signed, outlawing racial discrimination in response to the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin...

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    AbrahamPetherdetail Article

    Mozart’s Music of Forgiveness

    Marianne Wright

    Was Mozart an early pioneer of nonviolent conflict resolution? This stirring aria from his opera “The Magic Flute” imagines a world freed from the...

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    Stanthony Article

    Saint Anthony’s Fish Sermon

    Marianne Wright

    Inspired by his mentor Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony of Padua preached the gospel to the carp, pike, and eels in the Marecchia river. Gustav...

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    sunrise over Kinneret, Israel Article

    Music for Ascension Day

    Marianne Wright

    Charles Villiers Stanford’s two-choir anthem expresses the joy and the significance of Ascension Day.

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    supper at Emmaus painting Article

    Abide With Us

    Marianne Wright

    “Stay with us,” begged the disciples who walked with Jesus to Emmaus. These two arrangements capture our longing for Christ’s presence at our table...

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    Detail from Isaak Levitan painting June Day (Summer) Article

    Dvorak’s Song of Gladness

    Marianne Wright

    This gorgeous setting of the Psalms by Antonin Dvorak, composed one year after his “New World Symphony,” rejoices in the great works of God. ...

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    fernandez_vidacampesina Article

    Jesus the Worker in ‘Misa Campesina’

    Marianne Wright

    Nicaraguan folk sounds and lyrics inspired by liberation theology join together in this exuberant celebration of Jesus, “the God who sweats in the...

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    drawing of nightingale Article

    Mendelssohn’s “Nightingale”

    Marianne Wright

    This exquisite spring song, based on Goethe’s poem, is so sublime you may find yourself listening to it over and over. ...

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    Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece (detail) Article

    Bach’s “Saint Matthew Passion”

    Marianne Wright

    J.S. Bach’s music helps us experience the cosmic yet personal significance of the Good Friday story, in what many consider the greatest work of art...

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    eastereggred Article

    The Hymn for Orthodox Easter

    Marianne Wright

    The oldest Easter song of Christianity has been sung in Orthodox churches since the second century. Listen to the Paschal Troparion in a stirring...

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    Gehtsamane Olive trees Article

    Beethoven’s “Christ on the Mount of Olives”

    Marianne Wright

    Choirs of angels sing in triumph at the close of Beethoven’s oratorio about Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. With good reason, this music is known as...

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    annunciation by Lorenzo Costa Article

    Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

    Marianne Wright

    This week, the Feast of the Annunciation commemorates Mary of Nazareth’s willingness to become the mother of God. This thirteenth-century poem...

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    still life painting of cups, saucers and oranges Article

    Love Bade Me Welcome

    Marianne Wright

    George Herbert’s poem dramatizes the true meaning of Lent – the power of the transforming love of Christ.

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    Sophie Scholl Article

    The Trout Quintet

    Marianne Wright

    Sophie Scholl, a twenty-one year old student at the University of Munich, wrote this in a letter to a friend on February 17, 1943.

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    boat by water Article

    Shall We Gather at the River

    Marianne Wright

    What will it look like when the heavenly kingdom comes on earth? Robert Lowry’s beloved hymn imagines the new life of the world to come, based on the...

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    abstract illustration of a piano Article

    God’s Counting on Me

    Marianne Wright

    What was folk legend Pete Seeger focused on in the last years before his death this last Monday? Children, teaspoons of sand, and the future of...

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    abstract illustration of a piano Article

    Dona nobis pacem

    Marianne Wright

    “Give us peace.” Humankind has longed for peace throughout history, and – the world being what it is – many musical settings of this prayer have a...

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    Jesus walking with two disciples on a path Article

    Holy Saturday and the Journey to Emmaus

    Joel Clarkson

    Josef Rheinberger’s motet “Abendlied” juxtaposes sorrow and joy.

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