Church Music Luminary Paul Manz Called to His Eternal Home

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ST. PAUL, MINN. (10/30/2009)(readMedia)-- Dr. Paul Manz, former CSP faculty member and one of the most renowned church musicians and composers of his time, died Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the age of 90.

Memorial biography written by his former student and biographer Paul Hyslop available at http://www.csp.edu/News/Manz%20Memoriam.pdf

Obituary available at http://www.gloriadeistpaul.org/Paul_Manz_Memorial_Eucharist.html.

Memorial Music -- Monday. Nov. 2

The Mount Olive Lutheran Church sanctuary will be open on Monday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., to host a unique tribute to Manz, who served as the Mount Olive Cantor for 37 years beginning in 1946. Every hour, on the hour, a short composition by Paul Manz will be played on the organ. At 7:20 p.m., the hour of his last breath, the "Partita on St. Anne" will be played. Following that, the organ will remain silent until the Eucharist on Sunday, Nov. 8. People may come to sit in the balcony, in the nave, or in the columbarium to meditate, pray and remember him in the space in which the remarkable ministry of Paul Manz was shaped, which in turn helped re-shape and re-energize the Church and its song.

Memorial Eucharist -- Sunday, Nov. 8

2 p.m.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

700 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55116

Concordia University Choral Chapel Service -- Friday, Nov. 13

Service of Comfort and Celebration of the Life of Paul and Ruth Manz

Friday, Nov. 13

11 a.m.

Graebner Memorial Chapel

Those presented are welcome to join in singing "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come" at the conclusion of the service.

Paul Otto Manz was a Concordia University, St. Paul professor and Music department chair for 19 years (1957 to 1976). He was a pivotal advocate for the creation of a permanent home for the Department of Music that would include music classrooms, practice rooms and performance spaces a dream that was realized with the 1974 dedication of Herbert P. Buetow Music Center. Manz and his wife, Ruth (who passed away in 2008) are perhaps best known to the campus community as the composer and lyricist of the beloved hymn, "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come," which has been sung at the conclusion of nearly every major campus event for many years. With more than one million copies sold, this classic hymn has been performed extensively by choirs throughout the world. Manz received countless awards and honors throughout his illustrious career. His former student, Scott M. Hyslop, made Manz the subject of his doctoral dissertation, which was published in 2007 by St. Louis-based MorningStar Music Publishers as "The Journey Was Chosen: The Life and Work of Paul Manz."

Through the example of his life, through the legacy of his family, and ultimately through the legacy of music that he graced us with, we hear the essence of Paul Manz reflected in his words: "Thank you for the grace of singing with me across the years in good times and in bad, when our words have stuck in our throats and when our eyes have overflowed with joy. It has ever been a Song of Grace: 'Love to the loveless shown that we might lovely be.' I have just been the organist. Thank you for letting me play.

Concordia University, St. Paul is a comprehensive, private university of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and one of 10 schools that comprise the Concordia University System. Established in 1893, Concordia offers more than 40 liberal arts majors, including business administration, education, fine arts, the sciences and church professions. Concordia is a regional leader in accelerated undergraduate and graduate programs in business, education, criminal justice and Christian outreach. Concordia is the only private university in Minnesota to offer NCAA Division II athletics for men and women. On the web: www.csp.edu.

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