Black History Month: Come Sunday

"Come Sunday" was written by Ellington as an instrumental set piece in his 1943 jazz suite Black, Brown and Beige, scored for big band, solo sax, and jazz violin. Ellington composed the lyrics in 1958 and included the piece in the first performance of his Sacred Service No. 1 in 1965. It is that version that appears as number 728 in The United Methodist Hymnal. Hymnal editor Carlton Young characterizes "Come Sunday" as a "slow and sustained pop-style optimistic religious song" (Companion to the United Methodist Hymnal, page 299).

There are a number of songs and hymns in our hymnal that are difficult to sing or that have troublesome lyrics, theologically or otherwise. "Come Sunday" is both. Perhaps because of its difficulty (the Hymnal Revision Committee thought it would need a skilled choir, soloist, and accompanist to successfully transform it into a congregational song), and perhaps because of its nontraditional hymn style, "Come Sunday" may be among the least sung songs in our hymnal.

What is so troublesome about "Come Sunday"? What makes it so difficult? Why is it so infrequently sung by congregations? Here are some reasons:

• It opens, not with a strong lyric, but with a plaintive, extended "Oh," almost a moan. It raises questions: Is someone in pain? pleasure? questioning? surprise?
• The music is not joyful, triumphant, or jazz-like; rather, it is slow, almost mournful.
• It has a melodic range substantially greater than most hymns, nearly two octaves, with both the upper and lower extremes outside the normal congregational range.
• The song contains numerous rich pop and jazz harmonies and progressions, which are objectionable to some people.
• The lyrics are often regarded as theologically "light," more appropriate for a pop song, with their sun, moon, sky, gray skies, and clouds.
• The second stanza calls for a suspension of singing in favor of a spoken line.
• Stylistically, it should be sung rubato rather than in strict rhythm, a strange technique for most congregations.

On the other hand, there are those who find the song entirely worthy of learning and singing by congregations in worship. Here are some of their reasons:

• It's by Duke Ellington, one of the great American composers and jazz artists.
• It broadens the musical style of the hymnal and most congregations.
• It moves worship out of a previous century and closer to the present day.
• The song offers great flexibility of performance: by soloist, choir, and/or congregation.
• To quote William McClain, it expresses the concept of "the importance of Sunday in almost every aspect of black life."
• It underlines the special nature of Sunday in the wider culture.
• It allows the congregation the opportunity to sing emotionally and expressively. This is heart music.

If you have avoided this hymn, or if you've used it only with a soloist or choir, it's time to try it with your people. Prepare them. Point out the difficult spots, the opening "Oh," the range, the small cue notes to be sung only after the third verse, the rubato phrasing, and so on. Explain the significance of Sunday in the African American tradition. What will you do with the spoken phrase? One option is to have the people simply continue singing through it using eighth notes and making a contraction out of "you would." Demonstrate for them as follows, with each bar consisting of a single beat: "Do / unto / others/ as you'd / have them / do to / you / and." Prepare the choir; rehearse the rubato and the spoken line. You may decide to have the choir sing the "Oh" opening.

"Come Sunday" first appeared in a congregational hymnal in the groundbreaking 1977 collection Ecumenical Praise. It was still largely unknown to most worshipers twelve years later when it was included in our hymnal. While it remains unsung by the people in many of our congregations, none of the reasons given above are insurmountable. Black History Month is an ideal time to introduce it.

For other Black History Month-related Music Musings, see:

• Music Musing #31: December 31, 2004
  Watch Night of Freedom
• Music Musing #36: February 4, 2005
  Lift Every Voice and Sing
• Music Musing #37: February 11, 2005
  A Tale of Two Choirs
• Music Musing #38: February 18, 2005
  Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933), Grandfather of Gospel Music
• Music Musing #39: February 25, 2005
  When I Fall on My Knees
• Music Musing #88: February 3, 2006
  Black History Month -- African, Africana, and African American Music
• Music Musing #89: February 10, 2006
  "We Shall Overcome"
• Music Musing #90: February 17, 2006
  Four Great Arrangers of Spirituals
• Music Musing #139: February 2, 2007
  Zion Still Sings
• Music Musing #145: June 8, 2007
  Juneteenth
• Music Musing #173: January 11, 2008
  Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Favorite Hymn