The St. John\’s Choirs sing for worship each Sunday during the regular season. Click here for upcoming listings and latest recordings, or scroll below for archives from 2010-2017. Your browser search function is helpful to locate particular dates or items.
May 28, 2017 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude on Hyfrydol June Nixon (b. 1942)
Processional Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Song of Praise S236 Glory to you John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sequence Hymn 608 Eternal Father, strong to save Melita
Offertory Anthem God is gone up with a merry noise Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Words: Alleluia Verse of Ascension
God is gone up with a merry noise, and the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. The Lord is among them as in the holy place of sinai; he is gone up on high, he hath led captivity captive. Alleluia!
American composer Ned Rorem composed the first of his Seven Motets for the Church Year in 1977 on a commission from Christ Church Cathedral, Trinity and St. James’s in Hartford/West Hartford; the cycle was completed in 1986 for the 75th anniversary of All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This fifth movement is a joyous acclamation of the belief in Jesus’ ascent into heaven.
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Sing me to heaven Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949)
Words: Jane Griner
In my heart’s sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet’s gloss.
Words alone are vain and vacant, and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence memory summons half-heard voices,
And my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.
If you would comfort me, sing me a lullaby.
If you would win my heart, sing me a love song.
If you would mourn me and bring me to God,
Sing me a requiem, Sing me to heaven.
Touch in me all love and passion, pain and pleasure,
Touch in me grief and comfort; love and passion, Pain and pleasure.
Sing me a lullaby, a love song, a requiem,
Love me, comfort me, bring me to God:
Sing me a love song, Sing me to heaven.
Sing me to heaven is perhaps the most written-about choral work of the 20th century, as many different meanings can be derived from the beautiful text. Composed by American Dan Gawthrop, he says of its commission: “The director said she wanted something which speaks to the way that we, as singers, feel about music in our lives.” Choral director Dan Wagner sums it up best: “I believe the Sing me to heaven text is really about music’s ability best express life’s deepest mysteries, greatest joys, and deepest sorrows. It is an ode to musical mysticism, in my opinion. I listen to it and am moved from my own point of view. My personal life experience – too much talking, not enough music! – leads me to affirm this piece and its text…when I die, I hope there’s more singing than talking!”
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Voluntary Toccata in F Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Full Sermon Text:
The United Kingdom grieves – we all grieve – after the terrorist attack at a concert in Manchester. St. John’s grieves too, after four deaths in our community: Marie Montas’ daughter Carol, who was only 57 years old and Nathan-Edward, the son of Faith Weidner and Jim Miller who died in a cycling accident at 30. We lament the loss of long time parishioners Bill Faude and Wende Taylor, firmly fixed in the heart of St. John’s over their many years in this community. The sadness and loss multiply. Fear and anxiety creep into our hearts and lodge there as we face the fragility of life.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” says Jesus.
There is a certain peace that comes from remembering these lives and the gifts they brought to this world, a peace that comes from believing that, “to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended.” There is also much peace in seeing grief conquered by faith and pain eased by hope and love.
On a dark night ten years ago, a young woman was on her way back to college with her boyfriend John when they stopped on the side of the road to switch drivers. As she stepped from the car, a drunk driver swerved and killed her while John watched helplessly at the carnage.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” says Jesus. The young woman’s parents have come to that peace. They celebrated John’s marriage to another young woman this year, and they work for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. They have forgiven the driver and they pray for him. They have all known anguish and loss, anger and pain, but they have gained a peace that allows them to entrust their daughter to God and start to smile again.
Their peace is not a cheap peace. They do not believe that “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world.” You have heard such platitudes. I have said them myself. “Everything will be all right. He is better off now that his suffering is over. You always have your memories. It will all work out for the best.” In the midst of life’s tragedies, such pious pronouncements fall flat. When someone you love dies, your heart will never be the same shape again. When the disease is terminal, when the divorce is final, when the last paycheck has been cashed, everything is not going to be all right. And it is then that we need to hear, we need to believe in something bigger and stronger than we are. We need to trust Jesus’ words, “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you.”
The peace the world gives always falls short. The world’s idea of peace is the absence of struggle and tension and pain. Peace, we are assured, can be had when we pop a pill, take a drink, buy a car, or go on vacation. The world’s peace always leaves us frustrated when we realize that these anodynes don’t work because there will always be discord and pain in this life, we will all die, and there is no perfection this side of heaven.
Those who know the peace of Christ know this. They know the discouragement and anguish in this “real” world, but they face it and live it with the confidence that God is present and powerful and that God is working God’s purpose out and bringing healing and reconciliation.
Christians know the story of Christ’s peace come in the middle of defeat. A week after the crucifixion, Jesus comes to his disciples with his wounds still raw and proclaims peace to them. It is as if he is saying, “Look, here are my hands and my feet, marked by the signs of betrayal and shame and pain, by death itself. And now look again. Here I am standing among you as living proof that God’s power is greater than any evil. Therefore, peace be with you. Be not afraid.”
In the valley of death and desolation, nothing can save us but the peace of God. Alcohol, activity, possessions, vengeance – none of these can bring peace. We can – and should – get help from support groups, therapists, and the passing of time, but these can never bring the full and true peace that our hearts ache for. It is only God’s peace that can break through the walls we erect and shine light into our dark nights and blow open the windows of our closed rooms. A long time ago, St. Augustine said it another way, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
There would be little hope for us if there were not a difference between the world’s peace and Christ’s peace. We have heard the vain promises, “This is a war to end all wars.” And still we live in the fear of bombs falling and Memorial Day lists grow longer each year. We have invested our hopes in social programs like the War on Poverty, and still the homeless lie under the bridges of our city. Now we are fighting the War on Terrorism and 22 are dead after the suicide bomb exploded at the rock concert in Manchester.
Cast all your anxiety on [God], says today’s Epistle. Sometimes that is hard to do.
It was hard to trust in God during the London blitz in World War II. Bombs fell nightly obliterating house and families. After one bombing raid, a father found his wife and daughter buried under the rubble. He searched frantically for his son and found him in the garden looking up at the sky. Silently the father stood by the son and held him close as they wept. After a long while, the boy pointed up and said, “Look Father, it’s going to be all right. God is hanging out the stars again.”
Nothing could ever fill the hole torn in the heart of that family, but God’s stars say that tragedy doesn’t get the last word, that we are in God’s hands even when we can’t stop crying. It is a peace that allows us to live in the midst of violence, in a world where Coptic Christians are murdered for their theology, and people are mowed down by runaway cars in Times Square, and where Bill Faude and Wende Taylor and Carol Montas and Nathan Miller have died.
How can some walk in that peace while others are prisoners of their own fear and anger. How can some grow beyond tragedy when others allow snarled traffic to ruin their day?
As we listen to Jesus, we hear the answer. The problem is not so much in the tragedies of life as in our response to them. Jesus tells us to fear not and we bind ourselves up in fearful worry. Jesus tells us to trust that there IS life eternal, and we are too scared and sad to believe it. Jesus tells us to forgive and we insist on getting even.
The Bible promises that “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace … will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” And somehow we don’t believe it or can’t believe it and so we don’t open our hearts to receive God’s comfort and God’s love and we stay anxious and afraid.
The people who have great gardens are not those who spend their time paging through catalogues but those who get out and weed and till the soil and dig in fertilizer and water their seeds. The people who are filled with God’s peace are no different. They are those who practice keeping God’s word. What the risen Lord offers us is not a safe place to snuggle down but the command, “Be not afraid. Follow me.” He says if you feel weak, bear the burdens of others and I will strengthen you. If you are poor, share what little you have and I will give you more. If you are lonely, open your heart and I will fill it up. If you are afraid, put your trust in me.”
The family who lost their daughter on the highway found a way to do that. They put their trust in God. They came to church because they always came to church, and they heard the words of faith and stories of faith’s power. They came, but they left early because they didn’t trust themselves to talk without weeping. As they sat there they heard stories of faith and they began to remember that this was their faith too. The family who lost their daughter began to pray for the drunk who killed her, not because they were especially pious or religious but because they didn’t know what else to do. At first they prayed that he would go to hell and they prayed that he would know just as much pain as they did. And as they prayed through clenched teeth, they began to pray that he would find sobriety and know what he had done and they prayed that he too would find peace.
As they found faith, they found their own peace in Christ’s promise that nothing, no weakness, no pain, no conflict, no terrorism can ever separate us from the love of God.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
May 21, 2017 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter: Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton, and Youth Presentations.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary for Organ Morning has broken Fred Bock (1939-1998)
Voluntary for Viola and Cello Morning has broken Elsa Ciscel and Britt Emerick
Processional Hymn 287 For all the saints, who from their labors rest Sine Nomine
Song of Praise Morning has broken St. John’s Children and Youth
Sequence Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Gospel Procession When the saints go marching in Youth Orchestra
Offertory Anthem I sing a song of the saints of God Michael Bedford, 2004
Words: Lesbia Scott, found at hymn 293
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem O Gracious Light David Hogan (1949-1986)
Post-communion Anthem The Lord is my shepherd Children’s Choir
Closing Hymn 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
Voluntary Offertorio Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
May 14, 2017 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Jesu, joy of man’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Berceuse Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Louis Vierne was the blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937 (where he died during a recital 80 years ago this month). His tender Berceuse, an arrangement of a traditional French lullaby, was written in 1913 and dedicated to his daughter.
Processional Hymn 366 1-4 Holy God we praise thy Name Grosser Gott
Song of Praise S236 Glory to you John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sequence Hymn 487 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life The Call
Offertory Anthem Antiphon: Let all the world in every corner sing Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
from Five Mystical Songs
Words: George Herbert (1593-1633), found at Hymn 402
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ein Blümlein wenn’s die Sonne spüret Jan Berger (1909-2002)
Words: Maria Brubacher, 1825
Ein Blumlein wenn’s die Sonne spuret Sich offnet stille, sanft und froh;
Wann Gottes Gnade dich beruhret, Lass auch dei Herz bewirken so.
A rose touched by the sun’s warm rays, all its petals gently do unfold;
So you, when touched by God’s great mercy, let joy and gladness win your soul.
Jean Berger was a German-born American pianist, composer, and music educator. He composed extensively for choral ensemble and solo voice. This setting of a Pennsylvania German hymn is miniature gem – light, transparent, and beautiful. Special thanks to Olivia Tummescheit for coaching our German pronunciation.
Communion Hymn 455 Let us break bread together on our knees Let Us Break Bread
Closing Hymn 455 O Love of God, how strong and true Dunedin
Voluntary Voluntary in D William Croft (1678-1727)
Assisting Organist: Kari Miller
Full Sermon Text:
May 7, 2017 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Sheep may safely graze Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude on Dominus regit me June Nixon (b. 1942)
Dr. June Nixon is Organist Emerita at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia, where she was Director of Music for 40 years. She now divides her time between composing, teaching, examining, mentoring, and looking after her cat Tottie. She is a widely-published composer, writing music which is accessible and enjoyable for both musicians and listeners. Her works have been recorded by several English and American cathedral choirs, and her arrangement of the traditional carol The Holly and the Ivy was included in the Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College Cambridge in 2010.
Processional Hymn 495 Hail, thou once despised Jesus In Babilone
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 646 The King of love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Offertory Anthem The Lord is my shepherd Thomas Matthews (1915-1999)
Words: Psalm 23
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lord, lead us still Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Words: Helen A. Dickinson, 1916
Along the varied paths of life,
Through hours of joy and sorrow keen,
In grim temptation’s mortal strife,
In doubt or confidence serene,
Lord, lead us still, O lead us still.
Through all the changes of the years,
Whate’er of good or ill betide,
In laughter gay or bitter tears,
O keep us ever at thy side;
Lord, lead us still, O lead us still.
And when at last the tale is told,
The vict’ry won by thy good grace,
May we thy glory, Lord, behold,
In that blest homeland see thy face;
Lord, lead us still, O lead us still.
Closing Hymn 205 Good Christians, all, rejoice and sing! Gelobt sei Gott
Voluntary Fantasy on Gelobt sei Gott Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
April 30, 2017 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by Deacon Walter McKenney.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Aria Flor Peeters (1903-1986)
This Aria was originated in 1943 as the slow movement of a Sonata for trumpet and piano, and it is still a permanent fixture on exam syllabuses for aspiring young trumpeters. Peeters himself arranged it for organ. The expressive melody unfolds above an accompaniment of soft repeated chords. As in so much of his finest work, there is a simplicity and sincerity in this music that speaks directly to the heart. (Notes courtesy David Gammie)
Processional Hymn 432 O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height Laudate Dominum
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 Sung by the choir; Anglican chant by Thomas Pavlechko, 2010
Sequence Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised and dies no more Engelberg
Offertory Anthem They that go down to the sea in ships Herbert Sumsion (1899-1995)
Words: Psalm 107:23-30
They that go down to the sea in ships:
and occupy their business in great waters;
These men see the works of the Lord:
and his wonders in the deep.
For at his word the stormy wind ariseth:
which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They are carried up to the heaven,
and down again to the deep:
their soul melteth away because of the trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man;
and are at their wits’ end.
So when they cry unto the Lord in their trouble:
He delivereth them out of their distress.
For he maketh the storm to cease:
so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are they glad because they are at rest:
and so he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.
Herbert Sumsion was born in Gloucester, and sang in the choir of the cathedral as a chorister. He gained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists at the age of only 17. He was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967 and is remembered as a cathedral musician, organist and teacher. They that go down to the sea in ships (1979) was written for the choir of Repton Preparatory School. The piece unfolds with a remarkable economy of material: a rippling, listless organ part suggests the sea, with an attractive solo melody over it; and rising and falling choral writing depicts the movement of the ship and the staggering of its sailors.
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Motet Ubi caritas Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
Words from the Maundy Thursday liturgy
- Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
- Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
- Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
- Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one.
- Let us rejoice and be pleased in him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
- And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Closing Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Voluntary Toccata on I Believe This Is Jesus Spiritual, setting by Dennis Janzer (b. 1954)
Assisting Organist: Kari Miller
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
April 23, 2017 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. sung by Daaé Ransom, soloist, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Short Prelude & Fugue in F Major, BWV 556 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional 208 Alleluia! The strife is o’er, the battle done Victory
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 178 Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks Alleluia No. 1
Offertory Anthem He shall feed his flock (Messiah) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Words: Isaiah 40:11
Daaé Ransom, soloist
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem How beautiful are the feet of them (Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Words: Romans 10:15
Daaé Ransom, soloist
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Closing Hymn 182 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing Truro
Voluntary Toccata Flor Peeters (1903-1986)
Full Sermon Text:
April 16, 2017 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs with brass and timpani, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
The Adult Choir sings alone at 8:00 a.m.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Sonata III in A Major Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Con moto maestoso – Andante tranquillo
Worship begins this Easter with a “resurrection” Sonata by Felix Mendelssohn. It’s opening fugal theme builds in turmoil and intensity, set on top of the hymntune Aus tiefer not (Out of the depths). In the end, however, the clouds are parted in a triumphal hymn, and our antiphonal Trompette en Chamade (which has been silent in worship during the Lenten season) heralds a bright new day.
Introit Break forth into joy! Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006)
Processional Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 199 Come, ye faithful, raise the strain St. Kevin
Offertory Anthem Hallelujah (Messiah) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Agnus Dei (2010) Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
Composed for the Phoenix Chorale, Gjeilo’s Agnus Dei is symphonic in nature, and is one of those pieces where the text is a servant of the music, not the opposite. Images of the Arizona desert bring the text to life, similar to works by Samuel Barber (Adagio) and Elgar (Nimrod from Engima Variations).
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Voluntary Toccata (Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Music: The St. John’s Adult Choir (8:00), The Saint John’s Youth and Adult Choirs (10:30)
Organist/Choirmaster: Scott Lamlein
Assisting Choirmaster: Nicholas Filippides
Trumpeters: Tom Hintz, Jeff Higgins
Timpani: Bill Solomon
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
April 14, 2017, 7:00 p.m. + Good Friday
Good Friday Liturgy at 7:00 p.m. sung by the combined choirs of St. John’s and St. James’s Churches, and messages by the clergy of both parishes.
This service takes place at St. James’s Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin.
Choral Anthem Pilgrims’ Hymn Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Words: Michael Dennis Brown
Even before we call on Your name
To ask You, O God,
When we seek for the words to glorify You,
You hear our prayer;
Unceasing love, O unceasing love,
Surpassing all we know.
Glory to the father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
Even with darkness sealing us in,
We breathe Your name,
And through all the days that follow so fast,
We trust in You;
Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace,
Beyond all mortal dream.
Both now and forever,
And unto ages and ages,
Amen.
Choral Anthem To mock your reign, O dearest Lord Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
Words: Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000), found at Hymn 170.
April 14, 2017, 12:10 p.m. + Good Friday
Good Friday Liturgy at 12:10 p.m. with hymns, and messages by the clergy of both parishes, at St. John’s.
Hymn 167 There is a green hill far away Horsley
Hymn 160 Cross of Jesus, cross of sorrow Cross of Jesus
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin.
Full Service Audio:
April 14, 2017, 7:00 a.m. + Good Friday
Spoken Good Friday Liturgy with Reserved Sacrament Eucharist at 7:00 a.m., sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin.
April 13, 2017 + Maundy Thursday
Agape Meal at 6:00 p.m.; Maundy Thursday Eucharist at 7:00 p.m. with hymns and chant, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Chorale Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 171 Go to dark Gethsemane Petra
Hymn at the Maundy Stay with me Stay with me
Offertory Music Ah, holy Jesus Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Psalm 22 Plainsong Chant
Daaé Ransom and Scott Lamlein, soloists
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
April 9, 2017 + Sunday of the Passion – Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Palm Procession from the Cloister Garden
Hymn in Procession 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended Herzliebster Jesu
Sung in unison; men sing verse 2, women sing verse 3, all sing remaining verses.
Offertory Anthem Sanctus (St. Cecilia Mass) Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Words from the Liturgy of the Eucharist
Soloist: Omar Mulero, tenor
Charles Gounod, because of his great popularity (especially from his operas) and his stylistic influence on the next generation of composers, was a towering figure in French music in the mid-nineteenth century. For two years he studied theology, but chose not to take holy orders; still, he was often referred to as “l’Abbé (Father) Gounod.” This mass setting is dedicated to Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music), written in 1855.
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Crucifixus Antonio Lotti (1667-1740)
Aside from two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of this brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described.
Hymn in Procession 168 O sacred head, sore wounded Passion Chorale
Assisting Organist: Kari Miller
Full Sermon Text:
I imagine you have seen many a hometown parade on Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. I imagine you have seen little kids pedaling bikes trimmed with streamers, school bands earnestly trying to keep in step, and veterans of assorted wars proud that they can still fit into their uniforms. Along the parade route you see daddies holding toddlers on their shoulders, mothers pushing babies in strollers, grandmas and grandpas, some of them in wheelchairs, and teenagers flirting. When you take in the breadth of humanity in such a parade, it can bring a lump to your throat.
All of life is also there in the parade of characters we will encounter in the Passion Story this morning. We will hear of fickle crowds, threatened authorities, a compromising politician, cynics and scoffers, soldiers carrying out their orders and a few who hope for something better. We will recognize these people because we know them from our own experience. And some of them will even bear an uncomfortable resemblance to our own selves.
Take for instance the fickle crowds. These are the same folks who welcomed Jesus only days before, shouting ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ and waving their palm branches. Now only a few days later they shout, “Let him be crucified!” and “Give us Barabbas instead!” As we say those words, we might feel a shiver because the words cut close to the bone because we are little different from those people of old Jerusalem. We come to church and sing hymns and recite creeds that proclaim Jesus as Lord and then go out to speak and act in ways that deny any allegiance to Jesus.
We will meet Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate sees very clearly that Jesus is innocent and yet Pilate is perfectly willing to let an innocent man be put to a horrible death in order to please the crowd, keep the peace, and stay in power. We are familiar with politicians like Pilate who are willing to sacrifice their integrity just to stay in office. But are not all of us like Pilate whenever we lie to keep our jobs, wash our hands of responsibility instead of doing what is right, remain silent to keep a friendship, or sacrifice the truth for the easy way out or because we are afraid?
Then we will hear about the soldiers who do the dirty work of nailing Jesus to the cross. The soldiers are the men and women of every generation and place who carry out the orders of those in authority. They are just doing their job. And are we not just like the soldiers whenever under the guise of minding our own business we abdicate accountability for what goes on in the world around us? “It’s not my problem what happens in Syria or in Hartford; it’s just the way it is. I can’t worry about refugees or health care reform or global warming. I just need to deal with my own life because that’s all I can handle.” And every time we turn away to mind our own business, do we not pound the nails deeper into the One who died for the whole world?
We will encounter plenty of cynics in the Passion Story. There are people who don’t believe that there is anything or anyone who is ultimately good or true. We will glimpse such cynicism in Pilate, in the soldiers and bystanders at the cross who take pleasure in mocking Jesus’ supposed kingship. They cannot or will not see in the suffering of the crucified Jesus anything more than a figure of failure, someone to be made fun of. Such cynicism has not ended. Even children mock the weak among us.
But we will also meet two characters in the Passion Story who seem to rise above the sordidness of other characters. There is Pilate’s wife who begs her husband to have no part in Jesus’ condemnation. And finally, there are the Roman centurion and his companions who have the story’s final line: “Truly this man was God’s Son.”
There is much in the parade of characters in the Passion Story to make us weep about the frailty of our faith, for we are little different from those folks in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. But the Good News of Christ’s Passion Story is that God is right there in the midst of that parade of characters. God loves the fickle crowds, Pontius Pilate, and his soldiers; God loves the mockers and the cynics and God loves us. The question we are left with is what will we make of the Passion Story? Is it merely the record of our failure, the same old endless parade of human foibles? Or is the Passion Story amazing and life-changing Good News, Good News of how God so loves you and me and ALL the world? If it is, then there is hope for ourselves and for the world and we have got a job to do.
April 2, 2017 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Wesley Winterbottom.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Brahms is hardly known for his organ music, and indeed he wrote very little of it – an hour’s worth in total, a mere five works. Yet the Lutheran music he grew up with exerted a major influence on him and his compositions. The 11 Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 constituted Brahms’s very last work, although they were not published until 1902. Among these is found this elegiac setting of the familiar hymn-tune Herzliebster Jesu, with musical suspensions reminiscent of Christ’s pain on the cross.
Kyrie eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 151 From deepest woe I cry to thee Aus tiefer Not
Offertory Anthem Out of the depths Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)
Words: Psalm 130, found at Hymn 151
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Lay up for yourselves Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Words: Matthew 6: 20-21
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
And where thieves do not break through and steal.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Post-communion Anthem Rejoice in the Lord always Traditional
Children’s Choir
Hymn in Procession 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
The timeless words of this great hymn were written in 1680 by Joachim Neander (who also brought us Praise to the Lord, the almighty). The hymn’s popularity increased in the 20th century when its pairing with a tune Michael by the English composer Herbert Howells became more widely known. Howells’ son, Michael, born in 1925, had died in childhood in 1935 from spinal meningitis. It is believed that shortly after this, in 1936, Howells received a request for a new hymn tune in the morning’s post, and he is said to have written the tune, which he named after his late son, over breakfast.
Voluntary Agincourt hymn John Dunstable (c. 1390-1453)
Children’s Choir Directors: Daaé Ransom, Katherine Foust
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March 26, 2017 + Choral Evensong
Choral Evensong Rite I at 5:00 p.m. sung by the Bishop’s Choir School of Springfield.
March 26, 2017 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Passacaglia: the prodigal son James Biery (b. 1956)
A passacaglia is a musical work in which a single line of music is repeated over and over, usually in the bass, and continuous thematic development happens in the upper parts – much like the famous Pachelbel Canon. James Biery’s Passacaglia takes the listener through all of the emotions of the Prodigal Son story – questioning, loss, pain, quiet resolution, gently quoting the hymn-tune St. Columba at its conclusion.
Kyrie eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Psalm 23 Iona Chant, sung by the choir arr. John Bell (b. 1949)
Soloist: Julia Foust, soprano
Sequence Hymn 645 The king of love my shepherd is St. Columba
Offertory Anthem Pilgrims’ Hymn Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Words: Michael Dennis Brown
Even before we call on Your name
To ask You, O God,
When we seek for the words to glorify You,
You hear our prayer;
Unceasing love, O unceasing love,
Surpassing all we know.
Glory to the father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
Even with darkness sealing us in,
We breathe Your name,
And through all the days that follow so fast,
We trust in You;
Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace,
Beyond all mortal dream.
Both now and forever,
And unto ages and ages,
Amen.
This work is from an opera titled The Three Hermits and is powerful in its subtlety. Paulus uses straightforward harmonic progressions and melodic writing in such a deft way as to point the listener not to the notes and rhythms but to the intent and message of the piece. This is one of the most stunningly effective (and affective) pieces in the choral repertoire. (Notes courtesy Randall Z. Stroope)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Motet Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Ave, verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine, vere passum immolatum in Cruce pro homine,
Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxit sanguine, esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.
Hail, true body born of the Virgin Mary, who truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for man,
Whose pierced side overflowed with blood, Be for us a foretaste in the test of death.
Hymn in Procession It is well with my soul Ville du Havre
Voluntary Chaconne Louis Couperin (1626-1661)
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March 19, 2017 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Choral Dorien Jehan Alain (1911-1940)
Kyrie eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 167 There is a green hill far away Horsley
Offertory Anthem Abide with me William Henry Monk (1823-1889), arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
Words: Henry Frances Lyte (1793-1897), found at Hymn 662
The setting of this timeless hymn by Moses Hogan melds his own harmonic language with the uncomplicated melody. Hogan masterfully drafted an arrangement using contemporary harmonies and stylistic devices such as sforzandos, suspensions, and dissonance resolving to consonance that effectively keep your ear interested and your heart totally engaged.
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem A Gaelic blessing John Rutter (b. 1945)
Words: Ancient Gaelic rune
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace of Christ,
of Christ the light of the world to you.
Deep peace of Christ to you.
Communion Hymn 676 There is a balm in Gilead Balm in Gilead
Hymn in Procession 522 Glorious things of thee are spoken Austria
Voluntary Litanies Jehan Alain (1911-1940)
Jehan Alain, a Parisian composer whose life was cut short when his plane was shot down during WWII, wrote this morning’s organ music. The opening voluntary is two haunting Chorals that explore modal tonalities. Litanies is a breathless and relentless prayer. The desperation of prayer in time of deep need is illustrated by a repetitive litany and rhythms written while traveling on a train – all building to a frenzy. Alain writes, “When the Christian soul in its despair can no longer find any new words to implore the mercy of God, it repeats the same incantation over and over again in blind faith. The limits of reality are surpassed and faith alone continues upward.”
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March 12, 2017 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Service Music:
Voluntary Final: Andante (Sonata VI) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Introit Lift thine eyes (Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn
Words: Psalm 121:1-3
Trio: Emily, Julia, & Katherine Foust
Lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help.
Thy help cometh from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
He hath said, thy foot shall not be moved, thy keeper will never slumber.
Kyrie eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 604 When Christ was lifted from the earth San Rocco
Offertory Anthem He, watching over Israel (Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn
Words: Psalm 121:4,Psalm 138:7
He, watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps.
Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish, he will quicken thee.
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem God so loved the world (The Crucifixion) John Stainer (1840-1901)
Words: John 3:16-17
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,
that whoso believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him should be saved.
John Stainer’s choral setting of the famous John 3:16-17 text is a standard of the choral repertoire, and part of a larger work, The Crucifixion. The full oratorio is still performed annually at St. Marylebone in London, which commissioned it in 1887. The short text of God so loved the world is so well-known because it explains the whole Easter story, encapsulating the essence of the Christian Gospel in under 30 words.
Hymn in Procession 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Voluntary Fugue (Sonata VI) Felix Mendelssohn
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March 5, 2017 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Assisting Organist: Kari Miller
Voluntary
Préambule Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Prelude on Lonesome Valley Robert Powell (b. 1932)
Kyrie eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Lent brings us an opportunity for deeper reflection, as we take a break from musical fanfares and descants, and replace them with a silent procession and meditative chant. The service music that we will sing during Lent is all from the Gregorian Missal; both the Sanctus and Agnus Dei were famously set in Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem.
Sequence Hymn 142 Lord, who throughout these forty days St. Flavian
Offertory Anthem Kyrie eleison (Messe Solennelle) Louis Vierne
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Surely he hath borne our griefs Karl Heinrich Graun (1704-1759)
Words: Isaiah 53:4
In what is probably the best-loved Old Testament prophecy of Christ’s suffering, the prophet reveals the infamous role of the people in the unfolding drama of the Crucifixion: We were not attracted to him… We hid our faces from him… We thought him under God’s righteous judgement… We have each gone astray. It is in this context that the prophet sets the record straight. Christ is not guilty in the least: “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” Then Isaiah asserts – and here we can imagine his utter astonishment – that by his scourging we are healed. Graun depicts the grief and sorrow in this text by the use of melisma (one word, many notes) on the words grief and sorrow, chromaticism (half-step movement), and dissonance. The poignant resolution at the end of the work reminds us that the scourging is not in vain. Indeed, by it we are healed.
Hymn in Procession 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Voluntary Toccata in D minor Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667)
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Ash Wednesday + March 1, 2017
Imposition of Ashes at 7:00 p.m. with hymns and organ music, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude in E minor, BWV 555/1 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days Erhalt uns, Herr
Hymn 674 Forgive our sins as we forgive Detroit
Voluntary Fugue in E minor, BWV 555/2 Johann Sebastian Bach
Full Sermon Text:
Ash Wednesday, we call it: a solemn day of repentance when Christians go to church to begin the holy season of Lent by having a cross of ashes marked on their foreheads. It is a messy, unattractive business – the gritty, burned residue of last year’s Palm Sunday branches smudged onto our brows, sometimes with bits of ash ending up on our noses. Why do we do it?
After all, doesn’t Jesus tell us in today’s Gospel not to “look dismal like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others,” but instead to “wash your face that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who sees in secret?” Jesus’ words remind us that the ashes we use today have no value in themselves, that wearing them will not make us holy, and that if we wear them to show the world that we are Christians, we are missing the point.
The point of the ashes is an in-your-face reminder of two facts that we would like to avoid, two truths that are as messy and dirty as the ashes.
First, the ashes confront us with the fact of our mortality, the fact that we are all going to die. Today, we are not just told that, we have it rubbed in our faces. The time is coming when our hearts will stop beating and our blood will go cold and the world will go on but we will not be there. Whether we are cremated or laid in the finest coffin, we will return to the dust whereof we are made. And from the vantage point of a priest who imposes the ashes, let me tell you that it is hard to do this, hard to say those words and trace the cross on the heads of children and the elderly and those whom I know are ill. I want to soften the stark reality with pastoral words, with words of comfort, but there is no way to soften the fact that we will all die. Life is short; life is precious. Don’t waste it.
Secondly, the ashes are a symbol of our sinfulness, the ineffectiveness of our ability to please God, the incompleteness and frailty of our attempts to be good. We have left undone the things we ought to have done and not done those things we ought to have done. In a few minutes we will confess all the brokenness and deadness in our lives – our hypocrisy, frustration, envy, prejudice, dishonesty and our pollution of the creation. There is no excuse for our sin, no way to explain it away, and no way to hide it from God. “There is no health in us.” The only way to wholeness is through our honesty and God’s grace.
Today’s ashes do mark us as mortal beings and as sinners, but they also mark us as God’s beloved children because they are not smeared on us randomly but traced deliberately in the sign of the cross. There is all the difference in the world between smearing dirt on somebody’s face and marking a cross there. A smudge of black ash and the words of death are signs of abasement and despair. But the same words joined with the cross connect us with our Baptism when another cross was traced on our foreheads with the words, “You are marked as Christ’s own forever.” And so forever after, we are not homeless wanderers on the face of the earth, but people named and claimed as God’s children. As God’s beloved children, we can be confident that when we turn to God and confess our sins, God will welcome and forgive us and that when we die, we have nothing to fear.
The imposition of ashes is not the end of the liturgy. There is one more thing to do. After being marked with the ashes, we will go to the altar once again to receive the bread and to share the wine of Holy Communion, kneeling in recognition of our mortality and sinfulness and reaching out our hands outstretched to receive God’s very self poured out for us in love.
“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” and remember that you are precious dust, dust into which God breathed life in the beginning of creation, dust so beloved that God came to be a part of us, embraced us, died for us, and despite our sin, returns again and again to love us.
February 26, 2017 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by Rabbi Michael Pincus.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary
Tuba Tune on Laudate Dominum June Nixon (b. 1942)
Andantino Charles Tournemire (1870-1939)
Processional Hymn 432 O praise ye the Lord! Laudate Dominum
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Psalm 2 Plainsong Chant, Mode VIII.1, sung by the choir
Sequence Hymn 137 O wondrous type! O vision fair Wareham
Offertory Anthem Come, renew us Eleanor Daley (b. 1955)
Words: David Adam
Come, Lord, come to us. Enter our darkness with your light,
Fill our emptiness with your presence,
Come, refresh, restore, renew us.
In our sadness come as joy, in our troubles, come as peace,
In our fearfulness, come as hope, in our darkness, come as light,
In our frailty, come as strength, in our loneliness, come as love,
Come, refresh, restore, renew us.
Eleanor Daley is a Canadian composer, performer, and accompanist. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ Performance from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and holds diplomas in both organ and piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and Trinity College in England. She has been the Director of Music at Fairlawn Heights United Church in Toronto since 1982. During that time she has established a thriving choral program for which much of her choral music has been composed. This lovely anthem was commissioned for Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Stuart Forster, Director of Music and Organist, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, 2011.
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Motet O nata lux Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585)
O nata lux de lumine, Jesu redemptor saeculi, dignare clemens supplicum laudes precesque sumere.
Qui carne quondam contegi dignatus es pro perditis, nos membra confer effici tui beati corporis.
O Light born of Light, Jesus, redeemer of the world,with kindness deign to receive the praise and prayer of suppliants.
You who once deigned to be clothed in flesh for the sake of the lost, grant us to be made members of your blessed body.
Hymn in Procession 618 Ye watchers and ye holy ones Lasst uns erfreuen
Voluntary Fugue in C Major, BWV 547/2 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The Fugue in C Major demonstrates a concentration of material with its extremely short subject, similar to its companion Prelude, heard last week. Although it is a five-voice fugue, Bach withholds the entrance of the pedal until the end of the movement—an unusual practice during the Baroque period. Shortly after the pedal entrance, the detached chords of the prelude make an appearance to announce the final return of the subject in the home key.
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February 19, 2017 + The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Walter McKenney.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Chorale and Aria on Abbott’s Leigh Carl D.N. Klein, 1991
Processional Hymn 525 The Church’s one foundation Aurelia
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn As we gather at your table Raquel
Offertory Teach me, O Lord William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
Words: Psalm 119: 33-38
Elizabeth Proteau, soloist
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes: and I shall keep it unto the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law: yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments: for therein is my desire.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies: and not to covetousness.
O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity: and quicken thou me in thy way.
O stablish thy word in thy servant: that I may fear thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, and is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
This Psalm setting was apparently not designed as an anthem, but as a truly liturgical piece, a festal Psalm to be sung after the Preces; it was popular enough to have found its way (usually as an anthem) into several sources. The piece might almost have been written to exemplify the Royal Injunction that required “a modest distinct song, so used in all parts of the common prayers in the church, that the same may be as plainly understood, as if it were read without singing.” There is a new intimacy, partly due to the verse idiom, in which a soloist alternates with the full choir. A modern listener used to hearing Evensong cannot help noticing the similarity of the full sections, with their regular cadential formulae, to Anglican chant. (Notes courtesy Robert Quinney)
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Deep river Gerre Hancock (1934-2012)
Deep river, my home is over Jordan, Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into campground.
Oh, don’t you want to go to that gospel feast, that promised land where all is peace?
Hymn in Procession 379 God is Love, let heaven adore him Abbott’s Leigh
Voluntary Prelude in C Major, BWV 547 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The Prelude in C Major is an example of Bach’s use of concentrated material within a work. The entire musical fabric of the movement is presented in the first eight measures. The rest of the prelude explores various combinations of this material in a number of keys, often in quick succession. A sustained pedal note and several detached chords announce the return of the home key and final statement of the opening theme. Stay tuned for its companion Fugue, next week!
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February 12, 2017 + The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with hymns and organ, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
NOTE: Choirs were cancelled for the morning due to inclement weather. The music listing below reflects the service as it took place.
Full Service Audio:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Aria Flor Peeters (1903-1986)
Flor Peeters was organist of the St. Rombaut Cathedral, Mechelen, Belgium, and a renowned teacher and performer. Aria is his best known organ piece with its plaintive melody set against pulsing chords.
Processional Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn 674 “Forgive our sins as we forgive” Detroit
Offertory Preambule Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Music Berceuse Louis Vierne
Hymn in Procession I will trust in the Lord Trust in the Lord
Voluntary Prelude in G Major J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Full Sermon Text:
While you were shoveling and plowing snow this week, my husband and I were visiting a friend – in Florida. One of the things we anticipated with delight was our host’s invitation to a book group discussion of Small Great Things, a novel that focuses on modern day racism. We had read this story of an exceedingly compassionate and competent black nurse who is removed from the care of a white baby because the child’s parents refuse to let a black nurse touch him. In the discussion of this racial intolerance, several book group participants questioned whether the nurse was just a little too hypersensitive about losing her job because of her race. “It depends on how you see it,” they said, one way or another. “Two people can have the same experience and interpret it different ways – it’s like alternative facts.”
Jesus didn’t think much of alternative facts. “ Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No‘ be No’,” he said.
Just before Jesus preached the sermon in this morning’s Gospel, he told the folks on the hillside why he was preaching it. He said, “Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have … [come] to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
The Law meant a number of things to the Jews. First of all, the law was the Ten Commandments given to Moses. Secondly, the Law was the sacred Torah, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Scriptures. Finally there was the Oral Law, carefully repeated and finally written down by the Scribes.
Just like pious Christians, pious Jews, the ones known as the Pharisees, found it hard to keep the Ten Commandments not only because it was difficult but also because the commandments were confusing. And so the attorneys of their day, the Scribes, piled up law books ceiling high with thousands of regulations spelling out what the Ten Commandments actually specify. An example: the Commandments say, “Do no work on the Sabbath.” But how do you define work?
The Scribes said that carrying a burden was work. But then what was a burden? It was “Food equal in weight to a dried fig, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, honey enough to put on a wound.” But you couldn’t actually put honey on a wound because healing was forbidden on the day of rest – remember how much trouble Jesus got into for healing on the Sabbath? The Law said that, on the Sabbath, you could prevent a patient from becoming worse, but you couldn’t promote healing, so you could put a plain bandage on a wound but certainly not any honey.
It was to a people caught up in this kind of exhausting legalism that Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” On that basis, we are all convicted, because none of us seems to keep Ten Commandments, let alone thousands of Scribal additions. So when Jesus continues, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not kill,’ but I say that if you are angry with a brother or a sister, you will be liable to judgment,” we cringe because we all have been angry. And when Jesus persists, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say that it is better to pluck your eye out that to look lustfully at another,” we want to say, “Oh Jesus, I can never be more righteous than the Pharisees for not only Jimmy Carter but I have done that myself.”
So Jesus explains to the people and to us that obeying the laws is not as complicated as we make it. He says that we should start by living the law of love, a matter that goes beyond legal observance to the habits of the heart. When a lawyer asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the greatest?” Jesus told him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:35-39). Jesus didn’t pick his favorite law; he summarized the essence of the Law as respect for people, for the earth, and for truth. Jesus says that keeping the Law is not so much a matter of justice as a matter of mercy, not so much narrow legalism but abundant love and care and respect for all creation.
We need the Laws of Moses, because we don’t do a very good job of living the law of love. The commandments come first, before the Good News, because we always need help figuring out what is right and what is wrong, but Jesus says that following the law, obeying the commandments, doesn’t make us holy, it just keeps us honest. It’s a waste of our lives, he says, to worry about dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s, because even if we follow every jot and tittle of the Law, we are condemned if we fail to love.
Here’s how it works. Jesus says that a man can divorce his wife if she has committed adultery, because there is no love left in that marriage, but … that a man cannot divorce his wife because he has grown tired of her, for that would break his marriage vows. Now I know a divorced man who married a divorced woman – and you probably do too. Their prior marriages failed for good reasons, and they have been happy for decades now, and their love spills out and blesses the world. But one of their children has become a fundamentalist Christian and he quotes this morning’s Gospel. The son says that these people are both adulterers, and his father should leave the stepmother so his parents can get remarried. Jesus says that the Law is bigger than that. Jesus says that the law of love trumps the holiness code, and commands us to live where love is, to weep whenever love fails, and to do all we can to birth love in this world.
Over and over Jesus quotes the Law and extends it beyond the words to the heart of the matter. “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not kill,’ but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother is liable to judgment.” But how do we keep from becoming angry. Sometimes anger just washes over us, and sometimes folks who don’t get angry get ulcers instead. Too often Christians have misinterpreted Jesus’ dictum as saying that Christians should put on nice faces along with their nice clothes and cover up what troubles them. But Jesus tells us to address our anger and be honest, to bring it out into the light of day and deal with it fairly. Jesus isn’t talking about an indignant blast of fury, but about anger that festers and seeks revenge. We once saw this kind of anger on a visit to Sardinia where vendetta is a pivotal social value and many hillsides are blasted by explosions set by angry enemies. As we stood inside a church there, we watched one woman sneak inside while another woman was lighting a votive candle. As soon as the first woman left, the second woman grabbed the candle, spat on it and blew it out. Sardinian vendetta even permeates prayer.
Another woman in another place harbored a terrible anger toward her brother for 65 years. She was sodomized by this brother when she was ten years old, and she kept her terrible secret until his death. She never told her sister or her husband or her children or her priest; she just let the shame and fear and anger gnaw at her. Oh there were reasons for the secret, the reasons of any incest victim, but, as Jesus knew, the anger festered and killed a part of her life. Once she let the secret out, her anger disappeared. “Why did I carry this for so long?” she asked. The victim who won’t forgive is forever in bondage to the victimizer.
“You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that if you have looked lustfully you have already committed adultery in your heart.” Jesus was not naïve. He knew about lusts of the heart. But it is not the momentary passion, the quickening of the breath, that Jesus condemns – after all, physical desire is God’s gift to us. Rather Jesus condemns the choice to enjoy a lust that might lead to infidelity, and he warns us that adultery starts long before the affair.
“You have heard it said, ‘You shall not swear falsely,’ but I say to you ‘Do not swear at all.” Jesus is not referring to profanity. He is talking about swearing in the name of God. So what is the matter with that? Jesus is saying that we don’t need to put God behind our oaths because God is already there. It doesn’t matter if we swear by God because even liars can do that. What matters is the integrity of our word. There can’t be one kind of integrity in the boardroom and another in church. All promises are sacred because all promises are made in the presence of God. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no,’ Jesus says; no one’s word should need an oath to guarantee its truth. And although there can be alternative interpretations, there can never be alternative facts.
Jesus makes it very simple. Don’t harbor anger; don’t destroy someone’s good name through gossip; be faithful to your spouse; tell the truth. And above all, first of all, most important of all, live the law of love. Not a bad idea for Valentine’s Day and for all the days ahead.
February 5, 2017 + The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rabbi Stephen Fuchs.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude on Leoni Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Meditation on Slane June Nixon (b. 1942)
Processional Hymn 372 Praise to the living God Leoni
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn 543 O Zion, tune thy voice Eastview
Children’s Anthem This little light of mine Traditional
Offertory O for a closer walk with God Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Words: William Cowper (1731-1800), found at Hymn 683
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Ubi caritas Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Words from the Maundy Thursday communion rite
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
This is perhaps the best known work of french composer Maurice Duruflé, and the most moving and finely wrought harmonization of this ancient Gregorian Chant. The beautiful harmonies and repeated moment on the word “sincerity” make it a perfect reminder that God’s central message is one of love.
Hymn in Procession 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Voluntary Fantasy on St. Anne Christa Rakich, 2011
Christa Rakich is an internationally recognized concert organist and recording artist, and Director of Music/Organist at St. Mark the Evangelist Church, here in West Hartford. She has won particular acclaim for her interpretation of early music and the works of J.S. Bach. This delightful fantasy is from a set of variations written in the style of Johann Pachelbel (yep, the Canon guy). Stick around for the 12:30 Pipes Alive! concert and you’ll get to hear the whole work!
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
January 29, 2017 + Choral Evensong
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. sung by the choir of Center Church, Hartford, William Ness, organist/choirmaster
January 29, 2017 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude Robert Paoli, 1991
Processional Hymn 556 st. 1-5 Rejoice ye pure in heart! Marion
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Psalm 15 Gregorian Chant sung by the choir
Sequence Hymn 593 Lord, make is servants of your peace Dickinson College
Offertory My eyes for beauty pine Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
Words: Robert Bridges (1844-1930)
My eyes for beauty pine; My soul for God’s grace; No other care nor hope is mine;
To heaven I turn my face; One splendour thence is shed from all the stars above;
Tis named when God’s name is said; Tis love, ’tis heavenly love;
And every gentle heart that burns with true desire
Is lit from eyes that mirror part of that celestial fire.
Whether for voices or organ or orchestra, Herbert Howells could most certainly write grand, sweeping musical phrases. As the Youth Choir sings, note the crest of the phrase on the word “eyes” from the outset. The highest note of the first section occurs on the word “heaven” not by accident, indeed. In the middle section, not only does he write another high passage for “heavenly Love,” he even slows down the tempo and harmonic rhythm to make sure we pay close attention to the use of “Love” (capitalized) as an equivalent name for God. He then uses similar tempo and rhythm techniques with the words “celestial fire” at the end with similar sublime effectiveness. (Notes courtesy David Perry Ouzts)
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Nunc dimittis George Dyson (1883-1964)
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace:
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation:
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles:
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
Hymn in Procession 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! Woodlands
Voluntary Processional Robert Paoli, 1991
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
January 22, 2017 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
Click here for service bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude on Land of Rest George Shearing (1919-2011)
Blind from birth, George Shearing was one of the most well-loved of the 20th century jazz pianists. Wanting to express his faith through his music, he composed a set of jazz preludes for organ, including this prayerful setting of Land of Rest, the hymn-tune for I come with joy. This hymn text, written in 1968 by living hymn-writer Brian Wren, gradually changes perspective from the inward “I come with joy to meet my Lord” to the outward togetherness in Christ that is embodied in communion. Through the singing of this hymn, we are molded into the body of Christ in worship and return to the world to witness, not as individual Christians, but as Christ’s “people in the world.”
Processional Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn Lord, you have come to the seashore Pescador
Sung in English.
Written in 1979, “Tú has venido a la orilla” is based on the parallel passages found in the synoptic gospels on Jesus’ calling of his first disciples (Matthew 4:18-20; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). As found in the Scripture, the hymn-writer captures the total obedience of disciples and their willingness to give up everything. The hymn entreats us to follow Christ with the same obedience and commitment. The refrain is a call to surrender to Jesus in response to his command to follow him. The gentle melody, Pescador de Hombres (Fisher of Men), is reminiscent of a rocking boat by the lakeshore. This hymn was used in the 1993 movie Alive, based on a book about the survivors of the Andes plane crash in 1972, and the Spanish film Camino (2008), about a girl who died of spinal cancer in 1985 who is in the process of canonization by the Catholic Church. (Notes courtesy C. Michael Hawn)
Offertory Before the morning star begotten Ned Rorem, 1988
Words from the Liber Usualis
Before the morning star begotten,
and Lord from everlasting,
Our Saviour is made manifest unto the world today.
This composition is one of seven works in a set of a cappella motets titled Seven Motets for the Church Year, by New York composer Ned Rorem. Each of the works is brief, yet lyrical and powerfully individual. The choir will present the entire collection during 2017.
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Hide not thou thy face from me, O Lord Richard Farrant (1525-1580)
Words from Psalm 27
Hide not thou thy face from us, O Lord, and cast not off thy servant in thy displeasure;
For we confess our sins unto thee and hide not our unrighteousness.
For thy mercy’s sake, deliver us from all our sins.
Hymn in Procession 550 Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult Restoration
Voluntary Fanfare John Cook, 1952
Full Sermon Text:
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January 15, 2017 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Jazz Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Hymns by the Hot Cat Jazz Band
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
What a Wonderful World
This Little Light of Mine
By now you have noticed that things are a little different this morning! Our music today is led by the Hot Cat Jazz Band, a local Dixieland-style band that specializes in Jazz Worship – they do many of these services throughout Connecticut every year. The service music responses continue to be our traditional music with organ to provide an anchor in our traditional worship style; but everything else, including and especially the hymns, are a time for you to tap your toes, move about, and sing praise with freedom and joy. Don’t be afraid – join in and sing loudly!
Processional Hymn How great thou art O Store Gud
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn Take my hand, precious Lord Precious Lord
Offertory Amazing grace arr. Jack Shrader, 1998
Words: John Newton (1725-1807), found at Hymn 671.
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Agnus Dei (from A Little Jazz Mass) Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)
Latin words from the Eucharist liturgy, at the Breaking of the Bread.
Hymn in Procession I have decided to follow Jesus Assam
Voluntary When the saints go marching in
Full Sermon Text:
Now is a time of looking ahead. It is the time of New year’s resolutions when we make lists of what we are going to do differently in the future – things like losing weight, exercising regularly, spending less and saving more. The days are getting longer. Seed and plant catalogues have started to arrive, and gardeners are beginning to think about what they are going to grow when spring comes. Travel brochures get us dreaming about where we might go on vacation. Year-end financial statements signal the beginning of the tax season and the run-up to April 15. As a nation, we will enter this week upon a new era with the inauguration of Donald Trump as our 45th President. Who knows what lies ahead for America in the next four years? Now is also the season of annual meetings like the one we will have at St. John’s in two weeks. What lies ahead for this parish in the coming year? What are the challenges and opportunities for us as people of God? And what do we need to do about them?
Now is a time when we might well ask ourselves the question that Jesus asks in today’s Gospel: “What are you looking for?” It is the most fundamental question in life. All of our busyness, all of our plans – where are they taking us? To what purpose and to what good? Unless we know where we are headed and why, we might end up losing our way. We might even end up crying like Isaiah, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.”
Jesus knew how vital it is for us to get the right priorities and put them in the right order. In this morning’s Gospel two men are following Jesus. There was something about him that had caught their imagination and awakened hope. Could he indeed be the Messiah, God’s Promised One? And so they follow Jesus at a distance, perhaps out of shyness, perhaps just waiting to see what would happen next. It is then that Jesus turns and looks them in the eye and asks them, “What are you looking for?” Are you following me because, like the scribes and Pharisees, you want to get me to debate fine points of the Law? Are you following me because, like the Zealots, you are looking for a political demagogue and military commander to overthrow Roman rule? Are you perhaps looking for a position of power and privilege in the new order that Messiah will usher in? Or are you simply men of prayer looking for God? If that’s what you are, if God’s light and love is what you seek, then come follow me. The two men answer Jesus’ question, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” We want to be where you are and learn whatever you have to teach us. And Jesus invites them to “Come and see.”
“What are you looking for?” Jesus’ question is the essential question for us as well. What’s your aim and goal in life? What are you really trying to get out of your years on this earth?
Some people are searching for security. They want to have enough money to take care of any need they might have. They want to feel safe from danger, and they try to stay as healthy and fit as possible. In our hearts, however, we know that there is no complete safeguard against the changes and chances of life.
Some people are searching for love, for someone who will understand and cherish them as they really are. Others are looking for someone to love, someone to dedicate their life to. However, like wealth, safety, and health, all human relationships are imperfect and transitory. In the end, even the best of loves is interrupted by death.
Some people are searching for a career – somewhere and someplace to use their abilities and talents in a way that gives personal satisfaction. Some people are looking to achieve recognition, prestige, power, and wealth. Others work to make the world a better place.
I wonder, though, if any career, any relationship, or any other aspect of our life can be as deeply meaningful and satisfying as it might be if we are not also searching for God. This is the quest in which we wonder about the whys and wherefores of our existence and look for that which is of enduring value.
This is the path that Christian people – and all seekers – have travelled throughout the ages, the path that Martin Luther King took when he left being a pastor of his church to become a civil rights activist, a vocation that led both to the Nobel Peace Prize … and to his assassination. It is the path that a man I’ll call John took when he left his law career to fight for justice another way – to work as a priest. It is the path a couple took when they sold their house to share their wealth with a land trust that preserves our environment. It is the path a young woman took when she decided to dedicate all her energy and her talents to be an artist.
Matthew Arnold describes this quest movingly in his poem The Buried Life:
But often in the world’s most crowded streets
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life. …
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us, to know
Whence our lives come and whence they go.
Isn’t that why we are here this morning? We want to “know where our lives come from and where they go.” And like those two disciples of long ago, we want to be where Jesus is because we believe that Jesus has answers to our questions. There is something we can learn from being in his presence. And did not Jesus promise, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my Name, there I am in the midst of them”? So we gather here with other Christian seekers after God to meet the One we call Lord. We come to read together from God’s Word and consider together what God is saying to us now. What is God calling us to do with our lives? How is God calling us to use the resources that God has placed into our care both as individual Christians and as a congregation of Christian disciples? We come to ask, as Martin Luther King did, what is God is saying to us as a nation? So we come to offer our prayers for the needs of the world around us and for our political leaders whether we voted for them or not. We come to share with Christian brothers and sisters the joys and sorrows, the perplexities and wonders of our lives. We come to tell each other stories of where we have found God. And we come to do what Jesus told us to do for the remembering of him. In thanksgiving for all that God has given us, we eat the broken bread and drink the cup of wine that are sacraments of God’s love for us. And then we go out as the people of God to be Christ’s continuing presence in the world.
“What are you looking for?” Jesus asked the question of his disciples long ago. And Jesus asks the same question of us today: “What are you looking for?” Let the question resonate in our hearts and minds in the days ahead and let us take careful stock of our priorities and consider where our lives are headed. Jesus invites us, like those disciples of old, to “Come and see.” If we do that and follow him, who knows what he has in store for us? Who knows where we will be led as a parish? But of two things we can be certain: Christ will be with us always as he promised, and following him will be well worth the journey.
January 8, 2017 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Holy Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude in E-flat, BWV 552 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Chorale: Schmucke dich
Opening Hymn 76 On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry Wincester New
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmucke dich
Offertory What cheer? Good cheer! Peter Warlock (1894-1930)
Lift up your hearts and be ye glad, in Christ His birth the angels bade.
Say each to other if any be sad:
What cheer? Good cheer! Be merry and glad this good new year!
The King of Heaven His birth hath take: now joy and mirth we ought to make.
Say each to other for His dear sake:
What cheer? Good cheer! Be merry and glad this good new year!
I tell you all with heart so free, right welcome ye be all to me;
Be glad and merry for charity.
What cheer? Good cheer! Be merry and glad this good new year!
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Away in a manger Normandy Tune, arr. Reginald Jacques (1894-1969)
Closing Hymn 435 At the name of Jesus King’s Weston
Voluntary Carillon Herbert Murrill (1909-1952)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
January 1, 2017 + The Feast of the Holy Name
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with chant and hymns, sermon by Postulant Michael Corey.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary What star is this? Alec Wyton (1921-2007)
Opening Hymn 109 The first Nowell the angels did say The First Nowell
Sequence Hymn To the Name of our salvation Regent Square
Gospel, Offertory and Communion Music Chant for the Feast of the Holy Name, sung by John Nowacki
Closing Hymn 450 All Hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Coronation
Voluntary Postlude in F Eric Thiman (1900-1975)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
December 25, 2016 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m. with congregational carols, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing? Dale Wood (1934-2003)
Opening Hymn 96 Angels we have heard on high Gloria
Sequence Hymn 79 O Little town of Bethlehem St. Louis
Offertory Pastorale Louis Lefebvre-Wely (1817-1869)
Closing Hymn 100 Joy to the world! Antioch
Voluntary In dulci jubilo Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
December 24, 2016 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
3:50 p.m. Choral Prelude (Youth Choir)
4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist sung by the Youth Choir
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with string quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir with string quartet
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin: 4:00 – 11:00 ; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio (4pm):
Full Service Audio (11pm):
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m. with Youth Choir
Hymn 102 Once in Royal David’s city Irby
Stanzas 1 & 2, choir; stanzas 3-6, congregation
Anthem Jesus Christ the apple tree Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)
Words from Divine Hymns of Spiritual Songs, compiled Joshua Smith, 1784
The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree
His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne’er can tell
His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
I missed of all but now I see
‘Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
I’m weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
I’m weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
Under the shadow I will be
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m. with Youth Choir; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn 101 Away in a manger Cradle Song
Offertory Anthem Brightest and Best Malcolm Archer (b. 1952)
Words: Reginald Heber, 1783-1826
Ted Babbitt, soloist
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
Star of the East, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining;
Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall.
Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,
Maker and Monarch and Savior of all.
Shall we not yield Him, In costly devotion
Odors of Edom and offerings divine,
Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?
Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
Vainly with gifts would His favor secure.
Richer by far is the heart’s adoration;
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke (1888-1976)
Words: Christina Rosetti (1830-1894), found at Hymn 112
Communion Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Post-communion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Voluntary Joy to the world Wilbur Held (1914-2015)
+ + + + +
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
String Quartet Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 Per la notte di Natale Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
I. Vivace – Grave – Allegro
Ave Maria Franz Biebl (1906-2001)
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae et concepit de Spiritu sancto.
The angel of God visited Maria and she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (John Nowacki, soloist)
Maria dixit: Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Maria said: See the servant of the Lord. May it happen to me according to your word. (Doug Engwall, soloist)
Et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us. (Lynn Brooks, soloist)
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Blessed art thou among women,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Sussex Carol English Carol, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
On Christmas night all Christians sing, to hear the news the angels bring –
News of great joy, news of great mirth, news of our merciful King’s birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad, since our Redeemer made us glad?
When from our sin he set us free, all for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before his grace, then life and health come in its place,
Angels and mortals with joy may sing, all for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness we have light, which made the angels sing this night:
“Glory to God and peace on earth, now and forevermore. Amen.”
String Quartet Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 Per la notte di Natale Arcangelo Corelli
II. Adagio – Allegro – Adagio
The blessed son of God, from Hodie Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Words: Miles Coverdale, after Martin Luther
The blessed Son of God only in a crib full poor did lie;
With our poor flesh and our poor blood was clothed that everlasting good. Kyrie eleison.
The Lord Christ Jesu, God’s son dear, was a guest and a stranger here;
Us for to bring from misery, that we might live eternally. Kyrie eleison.
All this did he for us freely, for to declare his great mercy;
All Christendom be merry therefore, and give him thanks for evermore. Kyrie eleison.
No sad thought his soul affright, from Hodie Ralph Vaughan Williams
Words: Anonymous, second stanza by Ursula Vaughn Williams (1911-2007)
No sad thought his soul affright,
Sleep it is that maketh night;
Let no murmur nor rude wind
To his slumbers prove unkind:
But a quire of angels make
His dreams of heaven, and let him wake
To as many joys as can In this world befall a man. (quartet: Anne Harney, Mary Beth Lamlein, Paul Smith, John Church)
Promise fills the sky with light,
Stars and angels dance in flight;
Joy of heaven shall now unbind
Chains of evil from mankind,
Love and joy their power shall break,
And for a new born prince’s sake;
Never since the world began
Such a light such dark did span.
String Quartet Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8 Per la notte di Natale Arcangelo Corelli
V. Largo – Pastorale
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Gloria S280 Robert Powell (b.1932)
Sequence Hymn 101 Away in a manger Cradle Song
Offertory Anthem The shepherd’s carol Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)
Words: Clive Sansom (1910-1981)
We stood on the hills, Lady,
Our day’s work done,
Watching the frosted meadows
That winter had won.
The evening was calm, Lady,
The air so still,
Silence more lovely than music
Folded the hill.
There was a star, Lady,
Shone in the night,
Larger than Venus it was
And bright, so bright.
Oh, a voice from the sky, Lady,
It seemed to us then
Telling of God being born
In the world of men.
And so we have come, Lady,
Our day’s work done,
Our love, our hopes, ourselves,
We give to your son.
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke (1888-1976)
Words: Christina Rosetti (1830-1894), found at Hymn 112
Communion Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, st. 3 arr. Wolfgang Lindner
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Voluntary Joy to the world Wilbur Held (1914-2015)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
December 18, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The St. John’s Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Jeffrey Higgins and Thomas Hintz, trumpets
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin.
Full Service Audio:
Service Music:
Choral Voluntary Ave Maria Franz Biebl (1906-2001)
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae et concepit de Spiritu sancto.
The angel of God visited Maria and she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (John Nowacki, soloist)
Maria dixit: Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Maria said: See the servant of the Lord. May it happen to me according to your word. (Doug Engwall, soloist)
Et Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us. (Lynn Brooks, soloist)
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Blessed art thou among women,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Anthem Sussex Carol English Carol, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
On Christmas night all Christians sing, to hear the news the angels bring –
News of great joy, news of great mirth, news of our merciful King’s birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad, since our Redeemer made us glad?
When from our sin he set us free, all for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before his grace, then life and health come in its place,
Angels and mortals with joy may sing, all for to see the newborn King.
All out of darkness we have light, which made the angels sing this night:
“Glory to God and peace on earth, now and forevermore. Amen.”
Traditional Carols
Voluntary My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
December 11, 2016 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Due to a technical issue, the recordings of this service are unavailable.
Service Music:
Voluntary Savior of the nations, come Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 640 Watchman, tell us of the night Aberystwyth
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Sequence Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Offertory Anthem No small wonder Paul Edwards (b. 1955)
Text: Paul Wigmore (b. 1925)
Small wonder the star, small wonder the light,
The angels in chorus, the shepherds in fright;
But stable and manger for God – no small wonder!
Small wonder the kings, small wonder they bore
The gold and the incense, the myrrh, to adore:
But God gives his life on a cross – no small wonder!
Small wonder the love, small wonder the grace,
The power, the glory, the light of his face;
But all to redeem my poor heart – no small wonder!
Paul Edwards began his career as a young chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. His text writer, Paul Wigmore, relays the story of No small wonder, which eventually was included in the famous service of Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge: “One November morning in 1983 the young composer, Paul Edwards, gathered up his week’s bundle of laundry and was about to leave for the local launderette when he opened a letter from me. The letter ended with a new poem – a carol for Advent and Christmas, just three short verses. Paul Edwards had already set a number of my lyrics for choir and this was a new one. He slipped it into his pocket. It would be something to read while he waited for the machine to do the washing, he thought. In the launderette he loaded the machine and sat down, read the poem, grabbed a scrap of manuscript paper and began writing. Trying to imagine how any composer could write this profound music while surrounded by the noise of washing machines is practically impossible.” God at work!
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Communion Anthem The Lamb John Tavener (1944-2013)
Text: William Blake (1757-1827)
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed.
By the stream & o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice!
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,
Little Lamb I’ll tell thee!
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek & he is mild,
He became a little child:
I a child & thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
“The Lamb” is a setting of a poem by William Blake, depicting the innocence of the Christ child, the beautiful creation of God. Part of Blake’s collection “Songs of Innocence” of 1789. Although the original poems were meant to be sung, Blake’s original tunes are lost to the ages. Sir John Tavener set the poem to music, explaining, “ ‘The Lamb’ came to me fully grown and was written in an afternoon and dedicated to my nephew Simon for his 3rd birthday.”
Closing Hymn 72 Hark! the glad sound! Richmond
Voluntary Toccata Scott Lamlein (2010)
Cantor: John Nowacki
Full Sermon Text:
Have you ever been disappointed? Looked forward eagerly to something happening that never appeared beneath the tree, looked forward to a vacation or some occasion that failed miserably to live up to expectation? Sometimes, we even get disappointed in God when we look at our lives and look at a world and see so much that is painfully broken. Where are you, God, we wonder? Have we trusted in you in vain?
Take, for example, John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading. He was once so confident about what God was up to. God’s Promised One was about to break in upon the world to establish justice, separating the good folks from the bad like a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff. “Repent and prepare the way of the Lord,” had been John’s ringing cry. Furthermore John had been convinced that his cousin Jesus was the very one God had sent to carry out the divine judgment. John had even heard a voice from heaven saying of Jesus, “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
But now a short time later, John is not so sure he had heard aright. In the prison cell where John has been locked up after getting himself in trouble with the authorities, John listens anxiously for news about what Jesus, God’s Chosen One, is doing. And what John hears is not what he had expected. Where is the promised Day of Judgment? Where are the thunderbolts of divine intervention, the unquenchable fire of divine punishment? Jesus isn’t denouncing the tax collectors, harlots, and other sinners; he is sitting down to have supper with them. What’s going on here? And so John starts to think: perhaps I was wrong about you, Jesus. Maybe that voice I heard at your Baptism didn’t come from heaven after all but was merely the whistling of the wind. So John sends messengers to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come or must we wait for another?”
There’s a very good reason why we need to hear this story of John the Baptist’s bewilderment and discouragement as we head into the Christmas season. Truth be told, we sometimes are very much like that puzzled, questioning servant of God of long ago. We too know what it is like to feel disappointed, let down, and depressed even at this very time of the year when we are supposed to be full of Christmas cheer.
Christmas is a season of great expectations. We know the Christmas angels proclaim peace on earth and good will among men and women. We would dearly like to experience that peace and good will in our hearts and in our homes. And we go to great lengths, cooking special foods, trimming trees, putting up wreaths, shopping for just the right presents for everybody on our list – all in hopes of having the best Christmas ever. But our actual experience often falls short of what we had hoped for. We get exhausted and irritable, the relatives and family get into squabbles, fuss over what they will eat and not eat; not everybody is grateful for what you have given them. Then we turn on the news and hear about threatened government shutdowns, angry dissent over the recent election, wars and rumors of ears, political gridlock in Washington, crazy people shooting innocent people in bars. And we start to wonder if Christmas and the Good News it proclaims is really all it’s cracked up to be. “Are you the One we expected, Jesus, or should we look for someone else?”
Now when John the Baptist asks his question, the answer Jesus gives is simple. He tells John to look at what was going on. There are amazing things happening that John is not noticing: blind people are receiving sight, people who haven’t walked in years are skipping and running, deaf folks are swapping stories, untouchable lepers are hugging their children, and the poor are hearing sermons that make them smile. It was all straight out of the Book of the prophet Isaiah, the promise of what happens when God’s power is stirred up and comes among us with great might.
In effect Jesus is saying to John: Think again, my friend. You don’t understand the big picture of what God is doing. You, John have focused on a message of repentance, and repentance is necessary because it opens people’s hearts to recognize their need of God’s love and mercy. And God’s love and mercy is just what I, Jesus, have come to bring. As God’s Chosen One, I have come to fulfill God’s promises of old: I have come to give sight to the blind, to open deaf ears, to bring the dead to life, and to preach the Good News of God’s love to all who are poor in spirit. So, John, the word of God is not as you supposed, “Repent, lest you be judged,” but “Repent and receive with joy God’s redeeming work.” Could it be that we, and not just John the Baptist, need to grow in our understanding of the new order that Jesus Christ ushers in?
There are Christians who seem more ready to sound the note of God’s judgment than to herald the good news of God’s compassion and mercy. Last month a man in the city of Decatur, Illinois, was refused permission to sing at his grandmother’s funeral because the priest had seen the man’s picture in the newspaper participating in a Gay Pride rally. A few years ago, the parents in Newtown received letters from avowedly Christian people telling them that the children were shot as God’s punishment for the sins of their parents. Putting such extremists aside, however, we must all learn to appreciate more fully, as the old hymn reminds us, that “there’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea…. For the love of God is broader than the measure of [our] mind and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.”
Why does God allow war and injustice to continue? Why does God allow innocent people to suffer and evildoers to prosper? Perhaps it is because God is incredibly more patient with the creation than we can imagine. Perhaps in divine forbearance, God’s timetable of redemption is slow but nonetheless sure. And perhaps we would do better to focus more closely on the signs of God’s Kingdom breaking into our world than on the evidence of human sinfulness.
There are signs of God’s Kingdom all around us if we would open our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts.
“Look,” Jesus tells John, “the poor have good news brought to them.” Well the good news today is that the number of people living in extreme poverty is in steep decline. So says a recent study published by the World Bank. In 2013, less than 11% of the global population was living in extreme poverty, a dramatic decrease from 35% only 25 years ago. Thanks to better education, better health care, improved rural infrastructure, especially roads and electrification, and employment opportunities brought on by the growth of the global economy, billions of the world’s poorest people have been given new life.
“Look,” says Jesus, the dead are raised. Well, it happened over in Glastonbury just this week. I read about it in the Hartford Courant. Pastor Nancy Butler of the Riverfront Family Church, who for the past year has been dying of ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, made a decision to go off her feeding tube and breathing vent and let herself die. She did so trusting that God did not want her to suffer any longer and trusting that in dying, she would in her words, “go home to God.” Last Wednesday, Nancy Butler passed away peacefully at home. A note announcing Pastor Butler’s death posted on her church’s Facebook page reads, “We are deeply saddened by her loss but also share her joy in Christ, trusting that she is rejoicing in God’s presence and dancing with the saints.”
“Look,” says Jesus, “the lepers are cleansed.” Well haven’t we seen this right here in West Hartford? The Kattoubs, a refugee family from Syria, are in many ways modern-day lepers, exiled from their own country, homeless, and dependent on the charity of others. And we at St. John’s, along with people from St. James’s Parish have welcomed them to our community and done everything we can to give them a fresh start in life in a new land and culture. And thanks to the Max Restaurant Group, Mr. Kattoub, a former auto mechanic, now is earning a living making pizza on LaSalle Road.
“Do you hear what I hear? Do you see what I see?” These are questions from a Christmas song that, I imagine, we will hear many times in the days ahead. They might serve to remind us to be alert, attentive, looking for the signs of God’s reign breaking into our world. The song concludes, “the Child, the Child, sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light.” Yes, there will be times when we will doubt whether that is true. But as God promised long ago by the prophet Isaiah: “as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth making it bring forth and sprout, so shall my word be … it shall not return empty but it shall accomplish that for which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” And isn’t that Good News!
December 4, 2016 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Two settings of Es ist ein ‘Ros Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927)
Processional Hymn 56 (st. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8) O come, O come, Emmanuel Veni, veni Emmanuel
The origins of “O come, O come, Emmanuel” date to medieval times. In the 800s, a series of Latin hymns were sung, called the “O” Antiphons. Over time, these were restructured, and the first draft of the beloved hymn we know came from Anglican priest John Mason Neale, in 1851. Born to a family of clergy, Neale wanted to become a parish minister, but his poor health prevented this. He instead became the director of Sackville College, a home for elderly men. This proved to be a good match, as Neale was compassionate with a great heart for the needy. A traditionalist, he was outspoken against the change that other hymn writers like Isaac Watts stood for, but today we find Neale and Watts side-by-side in our hymnals. We owe Neale our gratitude for this great hymn, as well as “Good King Wenceslas,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” and “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.”
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Sequence Hymn 597 O day of peace that dimly shines Jerusalem
Offertory Anthem Jesus Christ the apple tree Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)
Words from Divine Hymns of Spiritual Songs, compiled Joshua Smith, 1784
The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The tree of life my soul hath seen
Laden with fruit and always green
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree
His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne’er can tell
His beauty doth all things excel
By faith I know but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
For happiness I long have sought
And pleasure dearly I have bought
I missed of all but now I see
‘Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
I’m weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
I’m weary with my former toil
Here I will sit and rest a while
Under the shadow I will be
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
This fruit does make my soul to thrive
It keeps my dying faith alive
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Communion Anthem Lo, how a rose e’er blooming Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), Hugo Distler (1908-1942)
Words: Hymn 81
Closing Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord’s anointed Es flog kleins Waldvögelein
Voluntary Fantasy on Veni, veni Emmanuel Wilbur Held (1914-2015)
Cantor: Daaé Ransom
Full Sermon Text:
“The wolf shall lie down with the lamb,” says the prophet Isaiah, “and the leopard with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together.” But this is not reasonable, we say. We know that if you put a lamb in a wolf’s lair, all we have done is to provide lunch for the wolf. A little child cannot lead wild animals without being in grave danger and probably soon dead. And since we are all reasonable people, we interpret Isaiah’s words as unreasonable, as poetry, as a dream outside of reality.
But the very reason we come to church is to hear the dreams of God, not just to sing wonderful hymns and see our friends. The very reason we come to church is to hear prophets like Isaiah tell us that things don’t have to be the way they have always been, that God’s dream for us is bigger and better that a dog-eat-dog world. We come here to see things from God’s point of view, a peculiar way of seeing that is anything but reasonable.
If we believe that this world is designed for nothing more than the survival of the fittest, then the vision of lions and lambs lying down together is only a foolish imagination. And yet Isaiah’s words have a certain ring to them; Edward Hicks painted over sixty versions of the Peaceable Kingdom of pacified wolves and child leaders. So maybe Isaiah is pointing us to something important, to a bigger and better and holier reality than the one we’ve got.
There shall be an abundance of peace, says the Psalmist, and the mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. St. Paul tells us that Christ has come to confirm these promises of peace on earth, good will to all. At the center of Christian belief is the conviction that there is an omnipotent God with whom all things are possible, who really can make wolves lie down with lambs. And the way we live and the way we will die depend on whether or not we believe this.
If we don’t believe that there can be peace on earth, if we continue to trust in the power of our guns and bombs more than we trust in the power of God, we will always be at war. If we don’t believe that God can build the bridges that are too hard for us to build, we will continue our family feuds and vendettas against our neighbors and hostilities toward our boss. If we don’t believe Jesus promise that sins can be forgiven we will keep our secrets and harbor shame. If we don’t repent because we fear God’s harsh judgment, we will live with despair and anxiety and never feel the “God of hope filling us with all joy and peace in believing.”
If we don’t believe in God’s possibilities we will be stuck with our own convictions and live like the two brothers who once owned Manganaro’s grocery store in New York City. Let me tell you the story. Their shop had been around for a hundred years or so until Sal and Jimmy dell’Orto had an argument and split the business in two. Although they worked right next door to each other, they never again spoke to each other nor did their children speak to each other because the feud extended through three generations. At issue in their battle was which shop had the right to take phone orders for Hero-Boy sandwiches. Jimmy said “to have a reconciliation, one of the parties has to say ‘I’m sorry,’ and I won’t. I don’t feel the need to apologize to him for anything and I don’t think he is going to apologize to me.” After years of court battles and petty retaliations, both shops closed. Over a hundred years of family business died with him because a wolf couldn’t lie down with a lamb, because one dell’Orto couldn’t lie down with another.
But in Isaiah’s words, when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea,” then hope and justice and peace can flourish. I have seen it happen. I have seen a husband hurt a wife in a way that left her demeaned and embarrassed and so angry that she could barely stop shouting. She wanted him to grovel and he was so afraid to admit his wrongdoings he couldn’t speak. He wanted her to forgive him, and she was afraid that forgiveness would diminish the issue so that he would feel free to do it again. Realistically, there was no hope. But they were people of faith, these folks. They remembered their wedding vows and prayed that God would rescue them. And they waited in their shame and anger until the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, came upon them, and they began the long task of rebuilding trust and making love – and now, at least one wolf and lamb are lying down together.
I have known it to happen. I have seen a man who embezzled from his business and got away with it. He thought he was clever and he was. He also had no self-respect because he knew he was a sinner. He wasn’t caught by the law, but he was caught by his guilt. It took quite a while for him to figure out what he needed to do. He started by making his confession to a priest and then realized that he had to give the money back and admit his wrongdoing. And he did. His partners didn’t condemn him and they commended his honesty and let him keep his job, and he now knows that “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea.”
You have seen it happen in this world too. In our country, slavery and civil war threatened to divide us and oppress us all, but we found a way to live as one people committed to liberty and justice for all. In Germany, the Berlin Wall finally fell after thirty years of division and separation.
God sent Jesus to show us that dreams like these can be more than dreams, that we need not give up and live in tired resignation, that we are not limited to what WE can imagine because God’s dream for us is more than we can ask or imagine. John the Baptist shouted it in the wilderness, proclaiming that if we turn and say we are sorry and admit that we are wrong, we will see the Kingdom of heaven staring us in the face. Paul wrote it to the Romans, that we CAN live together in harmony, that walls can tumble down, that Gentiles and Jews and Christians and Muslims and Afghans and Americans can live together in love.
When I was ordained many years ago on a cold day in December, the Bishop gave me a charge. He said, “Live up to your name, Hope, and be an Advent priest so that Christmas may come to pass in unlikely lives and unlikely seasons and unlikely places.”
If we open our hearts to God’s love and dream big, it just may be so.
November 27, 2016 + The First Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 57 Lo! He comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Sequence Hymn 61 “Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us Wachet auf
Offertory Anthem Let all mortal flesh keep silence Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Text: Liturgy of St. James, found at Hymn 324
Gustav Holst is best known for his 1919 orchestral suite The Planets. But church musicians know that Holst wrote a large body of very effective music for choirs. He grew up idolizing Wagner, and in 1895 while a student at the Royal College of Music met Ralph Vaughan Williams where the two became good friends. His choral works are supremely crafted miniature masterworks with a profound sense of harmony and finely planned dramaticism. (Notes courtesy John W. Ehrlich)
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx
Communion Anthem The blessed son of God Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Text: Miles Coverdale, after Martin Luther
The blessed Son of God only in a crib full poor did lie;
With our poor flesh and our poor blood was clothed that everlasting good. Kyrie eleison.
The Lord Christ Jesu, God’s son dear, was a guest and a stranger here;
Us for to bring from misery, that we might live eternally. Kyrie eleison.
All this did he for us freely, for to declare his great mercy;
All Christendom be merry therefore, and give him thanks for evermore. Kyrie eleison.
The Communion Anthem is an a capella choral hymn from Vaughan Williams’ Oratorio, Hodie. Late in life, the composer had always wanted to write a large-scale Christmas work, and here he fused the religious spirit of the festival with British overtones, with associations to English countryside carols. Vaughan Williams used no specific folk tunes in this work, but by this point in his career he had so synthesized their character that his folk tune-like themes sound fully authentic.
Closing Hymn 68 Rejoice! rejoice, believers Llangloffan
Voluntary Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Paul Manz, 1987
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
November 24, 2016 + Thanksgiving Day
Holy Eucharist at 10:00 a.m. with hymns; sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary All Things Bright and Beautiful Scott Lamlein, 2014
Opening Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God Nun danket
Sequence Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Music at the Offertory Great is thy faithfulness William Runyan (1870-1957)
Cleveland Williams, soloist
Closing Hymn 290 Come ye thankful people St. George’s, Windsor
Voluntary Nun Danket Alle Gott Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Full Sermon Text:
Check back soon.
November 20, 2016 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost – Christ the King
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the St. John’s Schola, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Guest Organist: Kari Miller
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude in G Major, BWV 541 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 441 In the cross of Christ I glory Rathbun
Music at the Offertory Meditation Jacob Arcadelt (c.1505-1568)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Motet Ave verum corpus Stephanie Martin (b. 1962)
Communion Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Closing Hymn 290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George’s, Windsor
Voluntary Grand Chœur Théodore Salomé (1834-1896)
Full Sermon Text:
“The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken…”
These words from today’s Psalm are an apt description of the current time. Certainly the “kingdom” in which we live has been shaken severely by the recent presidential contest. First there was a seemingly endless and exceedingly bitter election campaign with both parties and both candidates hurling invective at each other. Then there was the election itself, which has revealed a deeply divided nation where one candidate won the popular vote while losing to the other in the all-important electoral vote. The winning candidate ran on a platform promising to drain the political swamp in Washington and make widespread changes in the domestic and foreign policies of the outgoing president and his administration. The political party of the new president-elect has won control of both houses of congress and potentially, at least, can enact whatever changes the president-elect wants to make. Not only we Americans but the citizens of other nations are making “much ado” over the shaking up of our nation’s political order. We are all left wondering what to expect in the months and years ahead.
Our current turmoil offers a powerful reminder of the Bible’s warning about the ultimate unreliability of human rulers. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them.” The writer of those verses from Psalm 146 must have been well acquainted with political upheaval, with unexpected power changes, and with leaders who say one thing but do another. The Bible teaches that though human leaders are to be respected as agents of justice and order, we must never forget that only God is entitled to our ultimate loyalty. Human rulers can be misguided, ignorant, and sinful; they can also make mistakes and be evil. And human rulers are transitory. They come and go; they rise and fall. Only God endures and can be trusted no matter what.
This last Sunday in the church year, the feast of Christ the King, is an annual reminder of where our ultimate loyalty and confidence need be placed. Christ the King is a feast of comparatively modern origin, introduced by Pope Pius IX in 1925 as an antidote to the godlessness of contemporary culture and in particular to the rise of Fascism. Benito Mussolini had been head of Italy for three years. The Nazi Party and a rabble-rouser named Adolph Hitler were rapidly growing in popularity in Germany. The new feast of Christ the King was a critique of the rise of 20th century totalitarian dictatorships. It remains a critique of earthly potentates to this day.
Christ the King is a powerful statement about who is really in charge of the world and who is deserving of our obedience and trust. To some it may appear that there is no one in charge and that we live in a world of chaos, random accident, and anarchy. To many it may seem that money and might make the world go round. To others it may appear that the world in in the hands of evil forces and bent on destruction. Over against these views, the Christian faith asserts that it is God who is in charge of the universe and that God is like the King Jesus we see in today’s Gospel reigning from a cross.
Jesus hangs on the cross, naked and powerless, mocked, rejected, suffering, dying, and wearing a crown of thorns. He has nothing that the powers of this world hold out to their devotees – comfort, success, popularity. All Jesus has is his trust in God’s love and God’s power. This trust refuses to give up; it becomes his dying prayer, “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.” By his steadfast trustfulness, by his refusal to serve any of the gods of this world in order to serve God alone, Jesus robs the gods of this world of their power to rule and proclaims the sovereignty of God. Jesus’ trust in God alone is vindicated when on Easter morn God raises Jesus from the dead. Jesus outstretched on the cross becomes the sign of God’s triumph and God’s rule. If that Good News is true, if God really is in charge of this world, it makes a huge difference in the way we live. This Gospel bids us live thankfully, responsibly and hopefully.
First. Be thankful. Thanksgiving is not just a day on November when we eat turkey. Thanksgiving needs to be an attitude and a practice that is a part of our everyday lives. Cultivate an awareness of how much God has blessed us, so that we do not begin to think that what we have and who we are are all our own doing. Pausing when we awake and when we sit down to eat and when we go to bed to say “Thank you, God, for all that you have given me” keeps our lives centered on God and makes us conscious of how much we have,
Second. Be responsible. The more we are conscious of God’s gifts to us and God’s presence in our lives, the more we shall want to use what God has given us for Godly purposes. God has given us the planet Earth not to have its resources selfishly exploited by one people or one generation but to have its resources treasured and shared by all the people of the earth, for generations to come. Be a responsible steward of what God has given us. That also means being a responsible citizen.
When the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, its proceedings were held in strict secrecy. As a result anxious folks gathered outside Constitution Hall when the Convention ended in order to learn what had been decided. A woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Dr. Franklin, what kind of government have you given us, a republic or a monarchy?” Without hesitation Franklin responded, “A republic, Madam, if you can keep it.”
Franklin was right. A republic like the United States only works if its citizens do their part, informing themselves about the issues of the day, engaging in civil conversation with their fellow citizens and expressing their opinion by voting. A republic does not work if citizens abdicate these responsibilities out of apathy or a mistaken belief that political leaders can govern effectively without the vigilance and active participation of all citizens. If we believe representative democracy is one of God’s gifts to us as a nation, we had better show our gratitude by being responsible Americans.
Finally, we must be hopeful. If God is ultimately in charge of the world, if Christ is indeed King, then we can face the future with confidence. The nations may make much ado and the kingdoms of this world may be shaken but God is still ruler over all and slowly but surely is restoring the creation to the way God has always intended it to be. With this as our confidence, God expects us to labor on in good times and bad times, always seeking to do what is just and what is right, supporting Godly leadership ands speaking out when our leaders go astray.
Too often we Christians forget or fail to live up to the Good News that God reigns. Confronted by daunting realities like political upheaval and uncertainty, we sit on our hands or pull up the bedcovers and hide in fear and despair. If we really believe what we proclaim today, that it is God’s will to restore all things in Jesus Christ who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then we must never give up doing our part to make God’s great dream come true. And God whose power brought a universe into being put of nothing, God whose love raised Jesus from the dead, God will weave our lives and feeblest efforts into God’s unconquerable purpose.
So be thankful. Be responsible. And always be hopeful.
November 13, 2016 + The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Variations on “Simple Gifts” Noel Goemanne (1926-2010)
Processional Hymn 7 Christ, whose glory fills the skies Ratisbon
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 635 If thou but trust in God to guide thee Wer nur den lieben Gott
Offertory Anthem Lead, kindly light William Henry Harris (1883-1973)
Text: John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem My Lord, what a morning African-American Spiritual, arr. Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949)
My Lord, what a mornin’, when the stars begin to fall. Done quit all my worldly ways – join that heavenly band.
The arranger of this anthem was an influential black composer who was passionate about preserving the tradition of African American spirituals. Spirituals, said Burleigh, are hymns of soulful depth and rhythm that express the profound faith of slaves in the face of unspeakable injustice. The striking imagery of “My Lord, What a Morning” offers a glimpse of this faith. The hymn even carries a double name that is revealing – My Lord, What a Mourning/Morning. What is the meaning of this double name? The bitter tears of mourning that flow out of oppression and marginalization give way to a new morning in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. (Notes courtesy Jill Crainshaw)
Communion Hymn 679 Surely it is God who saves me Thomas Merton
Closing Hymn 599 Lift every voice and sing Lift Every Voice
Voluntary Wer nur den lieben Gott Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
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November 6, 2016 + All Saints’ Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by Michael Corey.
Worship at Home:
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Voluntary The Lost Chord Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
Sir Arthur Sullivan was an English composer best known for his operas, but is remembered mostly for this work, and his hymn “Onward soldiers.” Sullivan’s brother, Fred, an actor, was very dear to him, and when he fell ill, Arthur spent many hours by his bedside. During the final week of Fred’s illness, Arthur composed “The Lost Chord”, setting a poem by Adelaide Anne Procter. The piece went on to become the biggest commercial success of the 1870s and 80s in both Britain in America. The final verse reads: It may be that death’s bright angel / Will speak in that chord again, / It may be that only in Heav’n / I shall hear that grand Amen.
Processional Hymn 287 v. 1-4 For all the saints, who from their labors rest Sine Nomine
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 620 Jerusalem, my happy home Land of Rest
Offertory Anthem Hark, I hear the harps eternal Southern Harmony tune, arr. Alice Parker (b. 1925)
Text: Attributed to F. R. Warren
Hark, I hear the harps eternal ringing on the farther shore,
As I near those swollen waters with their deep and solemn roar.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Hallelujah, hallelujah, Glory to the great I AM!
And my soul, tho’ stain’d with sorrow, fading as the light of day,
Passes swiftly o’er those waters, to the city far away.
Souls have cross’d before me, saintly, to that land of perfect rest;
And I hear them singing faintly in the mansions of the blest.
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Souls of the righteous T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953)
Text: Wisdom 3: 1-8
- Souls of the righteous in the hand of God, no hurt, no torment, comes to them now. They rest in peace. They live in heavenly joy. To those who loved them they seemed to die, they are at peace, God is their life and light. On earth as children they were chastened by Love’s rod, As gold in furnace tried, so now in heaven, they shine like stars, they live in heavenly joy. Souls of the righteous in the hand of God.
Thomas Tertius Noble was organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas Church, New York, from 1913-1943), and founder of the choir school there, which is one of two such full-time day schools for young choristers still operating in our country (many such schools still exist in Britain). Two of our parishioners have connections with this choir school – one having been a chorister there under Gerry Hancock, another having a brother who sang with Noble in the very early years. “Souls of the righteous” has been described as “an old chestnut that proves its vitality again and again.”
Communion Hymn 253 Give us the wings of faith to rise San Rocco
Closing Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Voluntary Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
Full Sermon Text:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen
Good morning!
Many years ago I was at a historical reenactment, there was a vendor there selling various wares. One item he had was a medal of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen. As I was looking at it the vendor said “Oh, it comes with a warranty!” What kind of warranty I asked. “If you get hit by an artillery shell I’ll replace it at no cost.”
With Barbara and many other saints in mind – Happy All Saints Sunday.
This is truly one of my favorite days in the Christian calendar. It is the day we remember the Holy Ones of God that have gone before us.
Earlier this week, during Evening Prayer, we had a moment to reflect on the Communion of Saints 1. I recalled when I was young I asked my Mom about “the communion of saints” in the Apostle’s Creed. Not a question she was expecting and it took some time to get an answer. In time she explained “when you go forward to take communion the communion of saints are all the people behind you praying for you, especially the ones you cannot see.” What she didn’t realize was that she had planted the seed in me for a fascination for all those holy women and men that have gone before, the saints, both official and….well….not so official.
On a cork board over my desk at work, amongst the various work related memos and maps, are several prayer cards featuring saints. My work day holy companions include Saint Patrick, Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles, a Portuguese devotion), Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Junipero Serra, and several cards sent to me from a friend who is an abbot at a monastery in northern Greece. Even in my wallet you will find a card for St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of finding things; and I find it reassuring that since picking up that particular card I have not lost my wallet once.
This morning I want share with you the stories of two saints, two of my favorites. Chances are you haven’t heard of either one of them, that’s OK. The first is one of our ancient saints and the second would never have considered himself to be saint worthy, both are Cornishmen; and both put God first, others second and themselves last2. Finally, and very important, they were sinners.
First is Piran, a 5th century abbot in Ireland3. He is from that time of legendary Celtic saints like Bridget and Patrick in Ireland, David in Wales, and Columba who was associated with Iona in Scotland, that form a large part of our Anglican tradition. Far lesser known than these, Piran is now held close to the hearts of Cornishmen everywhere as their patron saint.
Piran, Irish by birth, began his ministry in Ireland. Legend says that he was blessed with the gift of miracles and his ministry was marked by healing the sick and raising the dead as well as founding schools and churches and tending to the needs of poor. Tribal kings, fearful of his power and influence, seized Piran and, in what may be his first lesson to us today – that no good deed goes unpunished, they chained him to a millstone, took him to a cliff, and – as lightning, rain and thunder raged – threw him into the Irish Sea.
This was not to be the end of our good abbot though! The storm calmed as did the sea. And, as the millstone hit the water, the chains fell and Piran floated away from Ireland, the millstone became a raft, and he eventually landed in Cornwall in a place that now bears his name, Perranporth.
Piran built a small chapel on the sand dunes near his landing site. His first converts were a fox, a badger and a boar. Contrary to rumors this was not the first vestry in Cornwall. Locals quickly flocked to him as word of his preaching and miracles spread. And over time Piran became the driving spiritual force for the Cornish people and even an economic force as he has been given credit for rediscovering the richness of tin in Cornwall.
Now, going back to that cork board above my desk I mentioned, I want to introduce you to the second saint. Next to my daily Holy companions there is an old picture showing a gray haired man, smiling…waving, as he walks out of a hardware store; a stack of flooring tiles under his arm. He was not a priest, monk, martyr or angel; instead he was a sailor, an artist, a husband/father/grandfather, and a proud Cornishman. I would like to introduce you to Saint Fred. OK, Fred isn’t a recognized Saint in the church, so consider this in honor of All Souls Day which is the day after All Saints Day.
Fred was born in Torpoint, Cornwall in 1919 and was the son of a sailor. He moved many times with his family before settling in Indiana and starting a family following his service in World War 2. I don’t remember meeting him for the first time, I was rather young then. But I do remember, as I got older, looking up to and admiring this wise, humble, friendly man. He was my grandfather. He taught me many things – never quit learning, have plenty of hobbies, and always have a good book handy. I think in his life he mastered the philosophy of Saint Francis – Preach the gospel and when necessary use words. He had a quiet faith, a typical Anglican. He was eager to help others, including strangers and would do so anonymously if he could. His approach to church was simple “If you miss church once it’s too easy to miss is twice, so go to church – no matter what.” A unique look at dealing with the ups and downs of life “Always expect the worst and you’ll never be disappointed.” And he taught me about faith and how to pray as he stood next to an acolyte’s candle during the Gospel reading on Sunday mornings with his oxygen tank next to him.
Fred was a true blessing and gift to all who knew him. He went back to his heavenly home about a dozen years ago or so, but he left something special behind. You see, he genuinely understood how to be a wise steward of God’s gifts. He understood that in the time he was given he had to share the gifts God had given him – faithfulness, charity, wisdom, and love – so that it was said of him “Well done good and faithful servant”.
I tell you the story of these two saints for a reason; whether it’s a 5th century abbot or a 20th century grandfather, God calls us each not to goodness, but to holiness4. You and I have the same call to holiness that Piran and Fred did. One of the beautiful parts of our tradition is that we recognize and celebrate this. And even at this very moment the communion of saints, who have given us wonderful examples of faithfulness to God, are bound together with us through Christ in sacrament, prayer and praise5. But how are we called to Holiness? What are the qualities of a saint?
In the Billy Joel song, Only the Good Die Young, is the line “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints” This one line expresses very well a misconception we sometimes have about saints – that they are somehow not sinners. The first qualification of a saint is to be a sinner. We cannot move from one to the other, they are one and the same. The difference is that in seeking the holiness of being a saint of God we also seek harmony with God through reconciliation, through the price paid on the Cross, through Christ. The saints we met today understood this and were no less prone to sin than any one of us. The legend goes that Piran was rather fond of a drink and today in Cornwall one can be “as drunk as a Piranner”. My dear grandfather had a stubbornness that is now a secure part of our family’s history. And, a saint we will soon be seeing everywhere, Saint Nicholas, once struck a fellow bishop in the face in a fit of anger at the first council of Nicaea. The council that began the work that we now know as the Nicene Creed.
Second is to accept the vocation of holiness to which we’re all called. The essence of holiness can be found in Christ’s instruction to us “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”6 And it is spelled out for us so beautifully in today’s Gospel where Christ reminds us – don’t worry about the stuff – riches, being satisfied, or whether you’re a weeping saint or laughing sinner; it won’t be easy, in fact others will hate you for it; and despite it all love, pray, bless, give.
Give…aha! You thought I forgot about the stewardship campaign! Part of the vocation of holiness involves giving with a loving heart. It is far more than pledges, although pledges are quite important. It is knowing how God has gifted us and then passing on the gift, with Christ-like love to others. We are not really the recipient of God’s gifts, we are the packaging, the caretakers. The 19th century novelist George Eliot said “’Tis God gives skill, but not without men’s hand: He could not make Antonio Stadivarius’s violins without Antonio: Get thee to thy easel.”7 This gives us insight into the wise stewardship we must practice when we seek the vocation of holiness. Piran did not work miracles for his own benefit, Fred did not encourage faithfulness in worship for his gain, and we are not called to use the gifts of God solely for our own benefit as doing so will not get us one step closer to the vocation we are called. You are gifted with time – use it to pray for your enemy, to serve those in need, or to spend with someone who is sick. You are gifted with talent – use it to sing, preach, evangelize, and teach. You are gifted with treasure – use it to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless. God has given you the gift, you are its steward, now “Get thee to thy easel”!
You and I are called to the vocation of holiness. God has given you the gifts to live this vocation. And you are not alone in this journey. Look around you, look to your right and left, look behind you your sisters and brothers, the saints of God, along with Barbara, Piran, Fred and Nicholas, are praying for you every step of the way. Through the example and the prayers of the saints we too will reach the vocation to which God calls us.
Notes
1 – Wisdom 3:1-9
2, 4 – Sheridan, William C.R., “A Gathering of Homilies” An Account of Four of “Our” Special Saints (1997)
3 – St. Piran Trust, www.stpiran.org, (2016)
5 – The Book of Common Prayer p.862
6 – Luke 10:27
7 – Eliot, George, “God Needs Antonio”, Delphi Classics (2014)
October 30, 2016 + Choral Evensong
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. sung by the Youth & Adult Choirs.
Worship at Home:
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October 30, 2016 + The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
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Voluntary Sonata II in C minor Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Grave – Adagio – Allegro maestoso e vivace
Mendelssohn was a skilled organist and during his visits to Britain gave a number of well-received organ recitals. These often included the improvisations for which he was famous. His sonatas take on his improvisatory style, as well as the lyric “songs without words” character for which he is well-known. After the Mendelssohn organ sonatas were publicly released, Robert Schumann described them as ‘intensely poetical, … what a perfect picture they form!’
Processional Hymn 546 Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve Siroë
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Psalm 119:137-144 Anglican Chant by Herbert Hall Woodward (1847-1909)
Sequence Hymn 640 Watchman, tell us of the night Aberystwyth
Offertory Anthem Treasures in heaven Joseph Clokey (1890-1960)
Text: Matthew 6:19-21, 7:7-8
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ubi caritas Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
- Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
- Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
- Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
- Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one.
- Let us rejoice and be pleased in him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
- And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Gjeilo writes about this work: “The first time I sang in a choir was in high school; I went to a music high school in Norway and choir was obligatory. I loved it from the very first rehearsal, and the first piece we read through was Maurice Duruflé’s Ubi caritas. It will always be one of my favorite choral works of all time; to me, it’s the perfect a cappella piece. So when I set the same text myself a few years later, it was inevitable that the Duruflé would influence it, and it did. While Duruflé used an existing, traditional chant in his piece, I used chant more as a general inspiration, while also echoing the form and dynamic range of his incomparable setting of the text.”
Communion Hymn 301 Bread of the world, in mercy broken Rendez a Dieu
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Voluntary Sonata II in C minor: Fugue Felix Mendelssohn
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October 23, 2016 + The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Hope Eakins.
Worship at Home:
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Service Music:
Voluntary The Peace may be exchanged (from Rubrics) Dan Locklair (b. 1949)
The inspiration for Dan Locklair’s five-movement suite, Rubrics, was the italicized rubrics (instructions) found within the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Finding power within these simple notes, Dan brings them to life in music. The peace may be exchanged is a beautiful, lyric peace-prayer, using the warm string and diapason sounds of the organ.
Introit Beatus wir Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594)
Beatus vir qui in sapientia morabitur, et qui in justitia meditabitur, et in sensu cogitabit cirumspectionem Dei.
Blest is the man who is wisdom continues through all his days, and who in his righteousness loves to meditate, and forgets not to consider how in mercy watchful God is.
Processional Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 641 Lord Jesus, think on me Southwell
Offertory Anthem Come, pure hearts Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Text: 12th c. Latin, tr. R. Campbell
Come, pure hearts, in sweetest measure; sing of those who spread the treasure
In the holy gospels shrined; blessed tidings of salvation,
Peace on earth their proclamation, love from God to lost mankind.
See the rivers four that gladden, with their streams, the better Eden
Planted by our Lord most dear; christ the fountain, these the waters;
Drink, O Sion’s sons and daughters, drink, and find salvation here.
O that we, thy truth confessing, and thy holy word possessing,
Jesus may thy love adore; unto thee our voices raising,
Thee with all thy ransomed praising, ever and forevermore. Amen.Time Magazine called Ned Rorem “the world’s best composer of art songs,” When
speaking of his passion for writing art songs, Rorem states, “it has to do with being
obsessed with poetry as well as music.” Although best known for his art songs, Rorem
has also composed ten operas, four symphonies, chamber works, choral works, ballets,
and has also written sixteen books, many of them diaries. Rorem has received many
awards for his works including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his suite Air Music, and was
chosen as Composer of the Year by Musical America. He currently resides in New York.
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Notre Père Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, que ton nom soit sanctifié,que ton règne vienne, que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel. Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour. Pardonne-nous nos offences comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés. Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation, mais délivre-nous du mal, car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne, la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles. Amen.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn 686 Come, thou fount of every blessing Nettleton
Voluntary Carillon Herbert Murrill (1909-1952)
Full Sermon Text:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. …”
Woops! I’d like a different Gospel, please. St. John’s is in the middle of the Every Member Canvass, on an important stewardship drive, and in the Gospel reading we just heard, Jesus condemns a man who gives a tenth of everything he has to the temple. Surely Jesus got it backwards. Surely Jesus meant to commend the Pharisee for his generosity and to encourage us to tithe, to give 10% of our income away too — but Jesus didn’t.
The parable seems a simple enough story. The Pharisee almost pounds his chest proudly and thanks God that he is better than other people, while the tax collector beats his breast humbly and begs for mercy. Jesus concludes, “He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
But the parable is not that simple. Jesus does not tell us parables to make elementary points about the danger of bragging. He tells us parables to get us thinking about complex questions; he tells stories so that his words will break into our hearts and challenge our minds and stir our souls. We fall into a trap if we hear this parable as the tale of a good guy (that would be the tax collector) who gets the prize for being humble versus a bad guy (the Pharisee) who gets denounced for being too big for his britches.
The Pharisee is not actually a bad man. Look. He fasts twice a week, when the law only requires once. He tithes, gives a tenth of his income to the synagogue, and he probably returns his pledge card the day it arrives in the mail (that’s a hint for you). The Pharisee knows his Scripture, and he follows the Law scrupulously. And where is he when we meet him? He’s right there in the temple saying his prayers.
Now while the Pharisee, was such not a bad guy, the tax collector, whom Jesus praises, was no saint. You have to ask yourself what he was doing there in the back, beating his breast, and actually it’s not too hard to figure out. He was a tax collector, he made his living by bleeding his people to pay the Roman overlords while keeping a bit of the proceeds for himself. No wonder he did not lift his eyes towards God. If he repented, Jewish law required him to quit his job and pay back what he had put in his own pocket and then some. The tax collector didn’t pray to change his life; he prayed only, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Yet this sinner is the one, Jesus tells us, who went home right with God.
I think Jesus is telling this story to stop us from measuring our worth by comparing ourselves with other people. Surely both parties in this year’s political campaigns could learn a lesson here, could learn that blaming the other candidate for doing something worse than you have done is not a very good defense.
I think Jesus is telling us this story to challenge our pride, to stop us from trying to persuade God that we are paragons of virtue, because God knows who we really are without being told.
I think Jesus tells us this story to lead us to recognize our sins and not thinking we can cover them up by writing a big check.
Jesus’ story insists that when we do see our failures and repent and beg for God’s help, God pours so much mercy and love and grace upon us that we finally understand that we are beloved, precious, cherished children of God – and then, knowing that we are loved, start living that way.
For when we start to believe that God loves us just as we are, when we are filled with gratitude for all the blessings we have, when we know that we actually do have enough, when we figure out that God has left the care of this world in our hands, when we know that we are one family in Christ … well, then we start being good stewards of our blessings and start using our blessings to heal God’s world. So one way or another we get back to stewardship, and the question of how we should use our gifts.
To start doing that, I am going to tell you some stories about Pharisees and tax collectors that I have know.
Mary and John, I will call them, have a good income, but they are recently retired and careful about their spending because they want enough money to leave to their children. Mary and John love their church, and they love their boat too. When their church had a capital campaign, they wanted to be a part of building classrooms for the kids that were filling the church school. But they didn’t know if they could make a significant gift and still meet their expenses. And then it dawned on them. They could sell their boat. John came to church to say a prayer about that decision. Now John says he had never, in his whole life, never ever been in his church except for funerals, weddings, and Sunday services. But when he went there alone for the first time and said the Lord’s Prayer, it came clear to him that he’d get more joy from being a part of something big than from taking care of his boat. And so they sold it. Mary and John delight in sailing on other people’s boats now, and they BOTH volunteer in the church school. “Never been happier,” says John.
Tom, we’ll say, also delights in helping churches. He often goes on driving trips in the South, and when he does, he looks for the church most in need of paint. On Sundays, Tom goes to the service there with a twenty-dollar bill in his pocket. “Their eyes are going to bug out when they see this one,” he says and then he puts the bill on the top of the alms basin and looks to see if the usher noticed. Tim doesn’t do this because he is a Pharisee, beset by pride. He wants to make a contribution where it counts, he says, where his gift matters, not at some cathedral where they have more silver candlesticks than they can use.
Larry grew up poor, the tenth of eleven children, and he was financially successful in later life. Shortly before he died, Larry asked his wife for the checkbook, and with a trembling hand signed his name. “Fill out the rest of it,” he said, “and give a big gift to help poor kids. Don’t give it to the church because they’ll waste half of it, and don’t give it to Boys’ Town because they’re corrupt. Just find someplace that takes care of poor kids and give it to them.” Larry was neither Pharisee nor tax collector in his last days. All he knew was that where his heart was, his treasure had to follow.
Finally, a story about a young woman who has just moved into her own apartment: Ann is actually going to her local church, and this fall she received a pledge card. And she pledged. “I can’t believe how grown up I feel,” she laughs. “Pledging is something my parents did, and now I’m doing it too. I feel a part of things. I feel a responsibility for this church. And I feel like God is smiling at me.”
Sometimes we give to look good; sometimes we give to meet a great need. Sometimes we give because our heartstrings are pulled. Sometimes we give because we remember that we were once needy. Sometimes we figure out that because of St. John’s support, kids at a little school in Haiti will learn to read, and without our support, they won’t. Sometimes we stop and say a prayer and remember that giving has a lot to do with being faithful to God.
Sometimes we don’t give at all because we think what we can afford is too small to matter, or we don’t give because we are saving for a rainy day, or because we are mad at the Every Member Canvass chair or let down by the church. Sometimes we are too proud to give; sometimes we are too humble to give. So Jesus told us a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector and asked us to think about it. He told us that the Pharisee was missing out because he prayed to tell God that he was doing everything right. Then Jesus told us that the tax collector was made right with God, because, knowing he was doing wrong, he begged God’s mercy on his selfishness and greed – and when he received it, his life changed forever.
Those who have ears to hear let them hear.
October 16, 2016 + The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Assisting Organist: Kari Miller
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Introduction-Choral Leon Boellmann (1837-1897)
Morning Song Joe Utterback (b. 1944)
Processional Hymn 372 Praise to the living God! Leoni
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 630 Thanks to God whose Word was spoken Wylde Green
Offertory Anthem Come Sunday Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
Famous jazz musician and composer Duke Ellington didn’t like categories of any kind. He resisted the designation of “jazz” as too narrow for his compositions and preferred that his works be known just as “music.” This applied to other areas of his life as well. He once said, “I don’t believe in categories of any kind, and when you speak of problems between races in the U.S.A., you are referring to categories again.” The song is ultimately about the providence of God in all our lives. The refrain addresses God directly, “Lord, dear Lord above, God Almighty, God of love,” and then makes a petition, “please look down and see my people through.” The stanzas point to hope and heaven, concluding that “With God’s blessing we can make it through eternity.” (notes courtesy C. Michael Hawn)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
A powerful, pleading “where is my God” is the central message of the Howells Psalm setting, but even more powerful is the imagery of the deer in placid fields, yet thirsty. From the first notes of the introduction, the listener is drawn into a musical landscape, which sounds as if it was already in progress long before we began hearing it.
Closing Hymn 530 Spread, O spread, thou mighty word Gott sei Dank
Voluntary Fantasia in C Major, BWV 570 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Full Sermon Text:
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October 9, 2016 + The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d William Eakins.
Guest organist/choirmaster: Douglas Johnson
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
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Service Music:
Voluntary Aria; Pastorale from BWV 590 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 1 Father, we praise thee, now the night is over Christe sanctorum
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn No saint on earth lives to self alone Song 1
Offertory Anthem Since by man came death (from Messiah) George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Samuel Sebastian Wesley seemed destined for the life of a church musician, as his middle name was taken from Johann Sebastian Bach. He did not disappoint: in a time that English church music had become less than satisfactory, Wesley was largely responsible for raising this standard through his own work as a composer and organist. In all his music, Wesley strived for an expressive and accessible sound, as evidenced in the three works presented in today’s worship. The exquisite Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace remains one of the most-loved anthems in the repertoire.
Closing Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Voluntary Larghetto; Allegro moderato from op. 6, No. 2 Samuel Wesley (1766-1837)
The Wesley family contributed three generations of master musicians to British music. John the Anglican divine and reformer, his brother Charles, the “celebrated hymn writer” (per the Grove Dictionary), and his son Samuel Wesley, who in turn was the father of Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the composer of today’s communion anthem.
Full Sermon Text:
They were ten desperate people. They had leprosy, the incurable and dreaded disease of the ancient world. It separated them from their families and friends and turned them into outcasts and beggars. Then one day these ten lepers crossed paths with Jesus and were healed. Their skin suddenly became clear and whole, and they were outcasts no longer. All they had to do was show themselves to the priests, and they could return home. Imagine their joy and their relief. Life could begin again!
In the midst of the celebration, one of the former lepers leaves the party to fall at Jesus’ feet and say thank you. “Were not ten cleansed?” asks Jesus. “Why has only one returned to give thanks to God? Where are the other nine?”
What about us? Are we more like the thankful leper or are we more like those nine lepers who went on their way and never said thank you?
What was going on with the nine who were cleansed of their disease but did not return to give thanks? Why didn’t they return? Well perhaps they were simply swept away by the surprise and sheer joy of not being lepers anymore, giddy at the thought of not having to ring a bell and shout “unclean” wherever they went, free to return to their families and friends and resume their old lives. It was like being b born again or rising from the dead. Perhaps the nine said to themselves, “We’ll find Jesus later and say thank you. But first we’ve got to get to those priests in the temple and get certified as cured. Then we can go home and see our loved ones.”
And when the nine cleansed lepers had done all that, they just got caught up in one thing and another. In a while they forgot about Jesus in the midst of their new life at home. Maybe they began to think they’d just been lucky, that they were going to get well anyway and it was just a coincidence that Jesus had happened by. Or maybe they began to think that they never had leprosy in the first place, not real leprosy; they just had a skin problem that would have healed on its own.
Today’s Gospel story is a striking reminder of the ingratitude of which we are all capable. How often we fail to express our thanks to those to whom we owe so much – a friend, a teacher, a doctor perhaps. We thought we’d never forget what that person did and the difference it made in our lives; but we did forget, because it is all too easy as time goes by to take people’s kindness for granted. It is all too easy to forget how much we owe to others and thing we have done it all ourselves. The truth is that there are not really any self-made men or women: we have all got where we are because of the help we have received along the way.
We are also ungrateful to God. How easy it is to take God’s gifts to us for granted:
– every breath we take
– the wonderful intricacy of our bodies
– the splendor of autumn leaves
– the starry heavens above us
– the people we love and the people who love us
– the Good News of God’s faithful love in Christ.
All of these are gifts that God has given us. We have done nothing to earn them.
But without gratitude we miss the gift. If someone gives me a present and all I do is consider its face value – how it looks, how much it may have cost, what I am going to do with it – and fail to appreciate the kindness, the thoughtfulness, the generosity that lie behind the present, have I actually received the gift intended? So it is with God’s gifts.
In the Gospel story, the only leper to whom Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well” is the one who returns to give thanks and praise to God. All ten are cleansed of leprosy; only one is made whole. He is the leper who recognizes that God has touched him – not luck, not coincidence, but God. Bowled over by the wonder of it all, that he a leper and a Samaritan, a double outcast, should have been visited and been healed by God, he bows low at Jesus’ feet. The former leper can do no other because he knows that God has reached out and blessed him. He has been made whole.
Gratitude opens up a whole new way of looking at life.
If I take my existence for granted, never marveling at the mysterious complexity of my humanity, never wondering why I am here on this planet, have I ever truly lived? Gratitude, the sense of giftedness, opens the door to delight in the experience of living and to the discovery that life has immense value and that God has a purpose for me.
If I do not appreciate the beauty and wonder of creation, I could become a selfish exploiter of earth’s resources, but if I see the hand of the Creator in the world around me, a crisp fall day will fill me with joy and make me want to preserve earth’s beauty.
If I take my family and friends for granted, I will grow indifferent and selfish in my relationships. But if I see my family and friends as gifts of God’s love to me, gratitude will move me to cherish these relationships.
If I see my money as simply the result of my good fortune or my talent or my hard work, then I will consider my money as mine, all mine, to do with as I please. If I come to see that whatever I have is a gift, the result not just of my efforts but of opportunities, abilities, and advantages beyond my efforts, then my attitude will change. Gratitude will transform possessions into blessings and selfish indulgence into responsible stewardship.
This past week my wife and I were in Ireland exploring the origins of the Eakins family. We located the house in which my great-great-grandfather was born and from which he emigrated to New York in 1837. We met far-distant Eakins cousins still living in that part of Ireland. The whole experience has left me with a feeling of connectedness not only with my Eakins forbears but with all the people who have gone before me and are a part of me. I am particularly conscious of my parents and grandparents and a host of other people whose affection for me and whose good examples have shaped my life. I have been blessed by all these people, and I am grateful not only to them but to God.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that true gratitude requires action. The grateful leper doesn’t just feel grateful; he moves his feet, returns to Jesus, falls on his knees and says, “Thank you” and “Praise God” in a loud voice. We need to put our gratitude into action. When someone gives us a gift, we need to send an email, write a thank you note, make a phone call. We need to express our thanks to God by coming here to God’s house and offering our prayers and by singing out lustily. We need to offer our time and our abilities and our money to do God’s work in the world. We need to respond generously when our brothers and sisters need help, like our friends in hurricane devastated Haiti.
Don’t let today go by without thanking someone. Don’t let today go by without thanking God. But once we have caught a glimpse of the abundant generosity both human and divine that has gotten us where we are, it would be wise to keep on saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.
October 2, 2016 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude Johann K. F. Fischer (1665-1746)
Bach biographer Philipp Spitta (1841-1894) considered the Prelude and Fugue D Major, BWV 532 to be “one of the most dazzlingly beautiful of all the master’s organ works.” Composed in Weimar during Bach’s early years, the work is notable for its charm, drama, and virtuosity of the pedal line. Obviously wanting to demonstrate his skill at the organ, Bach shows his youth in this fugue in other ways as well (the closing Voluntary today) – the relentless repetition inherent in the main theme is reminiscent of a child pulling on a parent’s shirttail, trying to go home!
Processional Hymn 541 Come, labor on Ora Labora
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Offertory Anthem O Lord, increase my faith Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Draw us in the Spirit’s tether Harold W. Friedell (1905-1958)
The hymn-tune ‘Union Seminary’, named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue. The matched Percy Dearmer text ‘Draw us in the Spirit’s tether’ is a powerful message of our common gathering as disciples, offering our lives as sacrifice to God.
Closing Hymn Great is thy faithfulness Faithfulness
Voluntary Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach
Full Sermon Text:
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September 25, 2016 + Choral Evensong: The Ninteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. sung by the choir of St. James’s Church, West Hartford.
Vaughn Mauren, organist/choirmaster
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin.
Full Service Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Psalm Prelude Set 1, No 2 Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
Preces and Responses Philip Radcliffe (1905-1986)
Canticles (in D) Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Psalm 119: 81-96 (Coverdale)
Anthem Evening Hymn Balfour Gardiner (1870-1950)
Hymn Christ, mighty Savior Mighty Savior
Voluntary Postlude in D minor Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
September 25, 2016 + The Ninteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Helen Moore.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Prelude on Forest Green Richard Purvis (1917-1992)
From 1947 through 1971, Richard Purvis held the position of Organist and Master of Choristers at Grace Cathedral, where he helped to form a cathedral school for boys. Upon his retirement from Grace Cathedral, he continued to compose, teach and give recitals into his 70’s. He died on December 25, 1994 at the age of 81. He left a legacy of over 200 works and an uncounted number of choristers, students and satisfied listeners. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and his 7 Choral Preludes, including this work, were composed while he was in a foxhole under enemy fire.
Processional Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! Woodlands
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 Anglican Chant by Thomas Pavlechko (b. 1962)
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory Anthem Zion’s walls Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
In the 1930s and ‘40s, Brooklyn-born and Paris-trained Aaron Copland produced orchestral ballets such as
Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and especially Appalachian Spring, which illustrated his firm belief that American composers should write on American themes. To aid him in fashioning a uniquely “American” sound, the
definition of which is still argued by musicologists today, Copland extensively researched nineteenth-century musical Americana such as minstrel-show songs, traditional ballads, children’s songs, political campaign tunes, and Revivalist hymns such as Zion’s Walls. Copland sets Zion’s Walls—a gathering-song which first appeared in the 1855 tune-book Sacred Harp—as alternately raucous or contemplative, but always heartfelt.
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Teach me, O Lord William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
Closing Hymn 552 Fight the good fight with all thy might Pentecost
Voluntary Procesión Algre Garry Cornell (b. 1940)
Full Sermon Text:
“Help us, Lord, to be masters of ourselves that we may become the servants of others. Take our minds and think through them; our lips and speak through them; and our hearts and set them on fire for Thee.” Amen. (Theodore Parker Ferris)
Do you remember The New York Times best-seller entitled Tuesdays with Morrie? Written by Detroit sports journalist, Mitch Albom, the story reveals the author’s own radical shifts in life attitudes and habits by way of Tuesday visits with his former Brandeis University sociology professor, Morris Schwartz. In his last days suffering from ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Morrie Schwartz should have been a barely-whispering shell; instead his was the strong voice of a prophet, for in learning how to cross death’s chasm, Morrie was gaining new-life in double-time to his painfully losing earthly life minute-by-minute. Widely interviewed by the international media, Morrie explained his fame and the millions impacted by his philosophy: “I’m on the last great journey here”, he exclaimed, “and people want me to tell them what to pack.”
St. Luke’s Gospel could not be more definitive about what God expects US to pack for OUR last great journey. Jesus’ parable highlights two dueling dimensions: on one side, there’s Dives’ tormented existence WITHOUT God. On the other side, there’s Lazarus’ heavenly life WITH God. And what did Dives pack for the journey? Worldly icons: access to the material, not the heart; character formed by shallow sound bites; spiritual values jettisoned for comfortably expedient ones. Dives and his five brothers, indulging themselves in the protective environment of their life station, were totally unconscious to God’s mission right at their very feet: LAZARUS. God’s eternal principles weren’t on their minds, The Dives Company was…set for life but not eternity. What are you and I packing for the journey?
Shedding some wisdom on this what-to-pack question, NPR and PBS commentator David Brooks distinguishes between “resume virtues”, talents developed for external success, and “eulogy virtues”, the deeper ones formed at our core. “Resume virtues” start with the self and end there; “eulogy virtues” reverse our typical self-questioning: “What do I want from life?” with “What does life want from me?” (“The Road to Character”) Life, as Morrie Schwartz proclaimed, is a morality play, and we each have a part. What is yours? Mine?
Startling, Jesus’ parable illustrates there IS continuity between our lives now and our lives on the other side. No, we can’t take the proverbial “it” with us, but Jesus warns we DO take ourselves. If we choose not to do inner, “eulogy virtues” work; develop spiritual practices that strengthen relationship with the Lord; discern the spirits as to whether presenting values are of God or “resume virtues”; we too shall be stuck on the dark side of fleeting, earthly mediocrity. What ARE we packing for the journey?
We live in a tumultuous time; lightning-fast shifts are blowing our minds; it’s as if we’re straddling the San Andreas Fault, paralyzing us as either the powerless victim or the passive observer but NOT victors in Christ Jesus. It seems we’re caught in secular demise, a slow-death dilemma that really necessitates deep inner change. Deep Change means stepping outside human-made safety nets and humbly surrendering control to the Lord God Almighty. Deep Change frightens; yet God’s promise of steadfast presence can enable us to overcome habitual resistance and stagnation to walk naked into what feels a land of uncertainty but is, in fact, the land of promise. Deep Change by the Holy Spirit of God removes the old layers, revealing the divinely-created-resume, the potential to transform our little corner of God’s Vineyard…prayer, humility, and vulnerability…all keys to The Kingdom. What ARE we going to pack for the journey?
Jesus strongly warns that what we stake out, we live out. Even in a punitive after-life, Dives will not bend. Dives. Dives: resume hubris in tact, STILL demanding: “Father Abraham, send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Father Abraham forces Dives into eternal truth “… between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to there cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” Salvation, God’s transformational cycle, only comes through real repentance and the fruit of our actions, never from ancestral or earned privilege.
“I’m on the last great journey here,” exclaimed Morrie, “and people want me to tell them what to pack.” You and I need to prayerfully live life now in a way that is on good speaking terms with the life-to-come. Dying to self is the gateway to rising. But, no matter what’s in our suitcases today, our loving God awaits, enabling us to re-pack with unending grace and mercy. You and I are called into the dynamic process of God’s gift of eternal Salvation in Christ Jesus. Whatever fills us, controls us; but through the power of the Holy Spirit, by Grace, we can store up within our souls eternal virtues…set for earth or set for eternity? So, St. John’s Church, what shall we pack for the journey? Amen.
September 18, 2016 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Susan Pinkerton.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Cortège et Litanie Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Dupré, the composer of this Voluntary, was organist at Saint-Sulpice, Paris, following the great Charles-Marie Widor. In fact, those two organists presided over that great organ for just over 100 years (1870-1971), with a 28 year overlap during which Dupré was Widor’s assistant. Dupré was a master improvisor, having famously played what would later be his “Symphonie-Passion” in concert at the Philadelphia Wanamaker organ, making up those 30 minutes of music on the spot! Dupré was the most beloved teacher of Clarence Watters, who was organist/choirmaster here at St. John’s for many years, as well as professor and college organist at Trinity College.
Processional Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 583 O holy city, seen of John Morning Song
Offertory Anthem O how amiable Dudley Buck (1839-1909)
Dudley Buck grew up in St. John’s – the Hartford version – and learned how to play the organ while there, assisting the main organists on a regular basis. Buck went on to become the most well-known and popular church music composer of the late 1800s, writing hundreds of pieces for choir and organ.
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Bread of the World Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525-1594)
Communion Hymn 676 There is a balm in Gilead Balm in Gilead
Closing Hymn 345 Savior, again to thy dear Name we raise Ellers
Voluntary Toccata (Symphony No. 5) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
The “Widor Toccata” is arguably the second-famous of all organ works (just behind the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor), and has traditionally been played as the Easter postlude since well before anyone can remember. The first of the great French toccatas to take literally the title (meaning “touch”), it is a whirlwind of chords and arpeggios with a pedal melody that travels through many keys. And, it is pure joy!
Full Sermon Text:
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September 11, 2016 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d Walter McKenney.
Worship at Home:
Click here for the Service Bulletin; scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
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Service Music:
Voluntary Praeludium in G Major Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Bruhns is one of the tragic figures of the organ world. He died aged just 31, and there are only four surviving authenticated organ works. Praeludium in G is one of the finest examples of the mature 17th century North German High Baroque organ school — having the feeling of a mini opera, with its sudden changes of mood and character. Bruhns was a young master of the north German stylus phantasticus style, having studied with Buxtehude in Lübeck. A highly talented performer, he was known to play violin while accompanying himself with the organ pedals. (courtesy Andrew Benson-Wilson)
Processional Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn This is my song Finlandia
Offertory Anthem Ev’ry time I feel the spirit arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
Nicholas Filippides, soloist
In addition to being an obvious moment of praise, this beloved spiritual is full of traditional images and code words referencing the Underground Railroad and the escape from slavery. The Jordan River was most often code for the Ohio River, which had to be crossed to get to the free states. Many of the references to water in spirituals also refer to the practice of walking in the rivers and streams at night. That way, the tracking dogs that were used to hunt them down would lose the scent. (courtesy Reginald Unterseher)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Hide not thou thy face from me, O Lord Richard Farrant (1525-1580)
Communion Hymn 439 What wondrous love is this Wondrous Love
Closing Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Voluntary Fugue in G Major Nicolaus Bruhns
Full Sermon Text:
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June 12, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev’d John Gedrick.
Click here for Service Bulletin. Scroll to read full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Carillon de Westminster Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Processional Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 470 There’s a wideness in God’s mercy Beecher
Offertory Anthem The secret of Christ (1980) Richard Shephard (b. 1949)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lead me, Lord Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Katherine Foust and Naomi Cipriano, soloists
Communion Hymn 301 Bread of the world, in mercy broken Rendez a Dieu
Closing Hymn To God be the glory To God Be the Glory
Voluntary Prelude in G Major, BWV 550 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
June 5, 2016 + The Third Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev’d Walter McKenny.
Click here for Service Bulletin. Scroll down to read the full sermon text.
Full Service Audio:
Sermon-only Audio:
Service Music:
Voluntary Allegro Cantabile (Symphony V) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Processional Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 685 Rock of ages, cleft for me Toplady
Offertory Anthem Be not afraid from “Elijah” Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ein Blümmlein wenn’s die Sonne spüret Jan Berger (1909-2002)
Closing Hymn Great is thy faithfulness Faithfulness
Voluntary Fantasy on Lobe den Herren (1967) Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927)
Below is an exhaustive listing of service music from 2010. Using your browser \”search\” function is very helpful for locating specific hymns, anthems, and organ music. Links to podcast recordings are generally active. Links to service bulletins are less reliable.
June 12, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Voluntary Carillon de Westminster Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Processional Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 470 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy Beecher
Offertory Anthem The secret of Christ (1980) Richard Shephard (b. 1949)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lead me, Lord Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Katherine Foust and Naomi Cipriano, soloists
Communion Hymn 301 Bread of the world, in mercy broken Rendez a Dieu
Closing Hymn To God be the glory To God Be the Glory
Voluntary Prelude in G Major, BWV 550 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
June 5, 2016 + The Third Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Water McKenny.
Voluntary Allegro Cantabile (Symphony V) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Processional Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 685 Rock of ages, cleft for me Toplady
Offertory Anthem Be not afraid from \”Elijah\” Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ein Blümmlein wenn\’s die Sonne spüret Jan Berger (1909-2002)
Closing Hymn Great is thy faithfulness Faithfulness
Voluntary Fantasy on Lobe den Herren (1967) Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927)
May 29, 2016 + The Second Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Gedrick.
Voluntary Brother James\’s Air M. Searle Wright (1918-2004)
Processional Hymn 718 God of our fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 676 There is a balm in Gilead Balm in Gilead
Offertory Anthem Let us with a gladsome mind Alan Ridout (1934-1996)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Brother James\’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob (1895-1984)
Closing Hymn 719 O beautiful for spacious skies Materna
Voluntary Toccata in F Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Words of comfort and memory combine in this Memorial Weekend service. The paraphrase of Psalm 23 that fits with beautiful Brother James\’s Air is a familiar hymn of comfort. \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. He has been compared to St. Francis for his mystic insights combined with an irresistible charm and childlike trust of one who loves all people and all creatures. The tune upon which the communion anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\”
May 22, 2016 + The First Sunday after Pentecost + Trinity Sunday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Voluntary Andante quasi allegretto (Symphony V) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Promenade on Nicaea (2015) June Nixon (b. 1942)
Processional Hymn 362 Holy, holy holy! Lord God almighty! Nicaea
Gloria in excelsis S278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Canticle S236 Glory to you John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sequence Hymn 367 Round the Lord in glory Rustington
Offertory Anthem You are the center (1997) Margaret Rizza (b. 1929)
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Agnus Dei (2010) Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
Closing Hymn 368 Holy Father, great Creator Regent Square
Voluntary Carillon de Longpont Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
The music of Margaret Rizza is fascinating, as she only began composing in 1997, at the age of 68. In those ten years, the compelling, clearly God-led works that have come from her pen have become very popular, both for the serious choral musician, and the seeker of quiet and meditation. + Composed for the Phoenix Chorale, Gjeilo\’s Agnus Dei is symphonic in nature, and is one of those pieces where the text is a servant of the music, not the opposite. Images of the Arizona desert bring the text to life, similar to works by Samuel Barber (Adagio) and Elgar (Nimrod from Engima Variations). This work is a little taste of this afternoon\’s concert, and the choir has been hard at work on its complexities for several months.
May 15, 2016 + The Day of Pentecost + Youth Sunday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by our young people.
Processional Hymn 225 Hail thee, festival day! Salve festa dies
Song of Praise S236 Glory to you John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sequence Anthem This is the Day (Trad., arr. Mary Scripko)
Offertory Anthem Gracious spirit, dwell with me K. Lee Scott (b. 1950)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Veni Creator Spiritus Gregorian Chant
Closing Hymn 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
May 8, 2016 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d
John Gedrick.
Organ Jesu, Joy of man\’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 435 At the name of Jesus King\’s Weston
Song of Praise S236 Glory to you John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory Anthem Christ is our cornerstone Noel Rawsthorne (b. 1929)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Oculi omnium Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ Trumpet Voluntary Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707)
Charles Wood was an influential Irish composer and folksong collector. Among his pupils were the British musical luminaries Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells. His setting of the Latin motet Oculi omnium dates to the period after 1889, when he taught as a Fellow at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and exercised the role of Director of Music and Organist there. He was deeply involved in the reflorescence of music at the college, and also composed chamber music and edited collections of Irish folk songs. + The organ music framing the service on this Mother\’s Day are the two most-often used wedding processionals, melodies that are both timeless and familiar, prayerful and triumphant.
May 1, 2016 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Prelude on Hyfrydol Peter Niedmann (b. 1960)
Processional Hymn 657 Love divine, all loves excelling Hyfrydol
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 550 Jesus calls us; o\’er the tumult Restoration
Offertory Anthem You are my God Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem A Gaelic blessing John Rutter (b. 1945)
Communion Hymn 510 Come Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove St. Agnes
Closing Hymn 387 We sing of God, the mighty source Magdalen College
Organ Jerusalem Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918)
Bob Chilcott, described by The Observer as “a contemporary hero of British Choral Music”, has become one of the most widely performed composers of choral music in the world. HisYou are my God is indicative of his style: melodic and singable, yet with a new and fresh twist + Today\’s Closing Voluntary celebrates one year of the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton\’s ministry with us. Far from just an Aglophilic anthem, Hubert Parry\’s Jerusalem is a powerful and dramatic musical setting of the poem with the same title by William Blake that imagines a visit to England by Christ himself during a time of great strife and tumult.
April 24, 2016 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Stacey Kohl.
Piano Largo (from Xerxes) Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Prelude on Let Us Break Bread H. Thomas Manning, 1999
Processional Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 487 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life The Call
Offertory Anthem And I saw a new heaven Edgar Bainton (1880-1956)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Sing my soul, his wondrous love Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Communion Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let Us Break Bread
Closing Hymn 544 Jesus shall reign where\’er the sun Duke Street
Organ Toccata Brevis Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949)
Edgar Bainton’s most iconic anthem, And I saw a new heaven, is a tone-poem of ecstatic beauty. Borne aloft by the composer’s wonderfully wrought harmonization, it brings the story of creation to its ordained climax – that ultimate moment when “the former things are passed away” – and evokes St. John’s vision of heaven, one so sublime as to ease the pain and sorrow of even the saddest heart. + Ned Rorem\’s plaintive Sing my soul uses a simple hymn-like texture combined with modern harmonies to create a beautiful lullaby.
April 17, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Walter McKenney.
Organ Sheep may safely graze Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 366 Holy God, we praise thy Name Grosser Gott
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 645 The King of love my shepherd is St. Columba
Offertory Anthem The Lord is my shepherd John Rutter (b. 1945)
with Marilyn Krentzman, oboe
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Bread of the world, in mercy broken John Abdenour (b. 1962)
Closing Hymn 522 Glorious things of thee are spoken Austria
Organ Grand Choeur on Austria Richard Purvis (1913-1994)
Quiet and serene, this pastoral setting of Psalm 23 offers a sweeping Rutter melody and a gorgeous oboe solo that hovers gently above the choir. It creates an ethereal moment that so capably interprets the peaceful assurance of the beloved text. + Richard Purvis was for many years organist/choirmaster at Grace Church, San Francisco, and was adept at playing the organ in both classic and theatrical styles. He clearly focuses on the first word of the text here: ‘Glorious.’
April 10, 2016 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Borden Painter.
Organ Trumpet Voluntary Henry Heron (1725-1795)
Priere à Notre Dame (Suite Gothique) Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897)
Processional Hymn 205 Good Christians all, rejoice and sing! Gelobt sei Gott
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 204 Now the green blade riseth Noël nouvelet
Offertory Anthem This joyful Eastertide arr. Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem God be in my head Walford Davies (1869-1941)
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Paderborn
Organ Gelobt sei Gott Healey Willan (1880-1968)
The tune of popular Easter carol This joyful eastertide is Dutch and fist showed up in the 1680s. This arrangement from 1901 is by the Irish composer Charles Wood. He studied with Stanford at the Royal College of Music in London, and he would himself become a Professor of Music there, where his pupils would include Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells. + The apparent simplicity of God be in my head, with its repetition of the key phrase, suddenly gives way to very effective harmonic sophistication on the word ‘heart’ that lays the path for the twilit ambience of the final phrase. H. Walford Davies was composer and musical director at the University of Wales as well as Organist at, among others, Temple Church, where his student Leopold Stokowski (later one of the leading conductors of the 20th century) assisted him.
April 3, 2016 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Link to: Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by vocal quartet, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Overture and Peace (Suite for the Royal Fireworks) Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Processional Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o’er Victory
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 178 Alleluia, Alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord Alleluia No. 1
Offertory Anthem O how amiable Dudley Buck (1839-1909)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem O sons and daughters, let us sing! O filii et filiae
Closing Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Organ Menuet Finale (Suite for the Royal Fireworks) Georg Frideric Handel
March 27, 2016 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir,
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Allegro Vivace (Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Processional Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Song of Praise 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 199 Come, ye faithful, raise the strain St. Kevin
Offertory Anthem Hallelujah (Messiah) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx (1937-2010)
Fraction Anthem Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Alleluia Randall Thompson (1899-1994)
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Our opening Easter music is the opening movement from Widor’s Fifth Symphony (from which the famous Toccata comes). The work is a set of variations on a relentless theme, stated in the background. All of the emotions of death and resurrection are felt throughout the fiery build up and heroic culmination. + Ever-popular Easter Hymn was among the first hymns of a new popular style (for the early 1700s), in which more movement and spirit was attained by using more than one note per syllable. + The traditional St. John’s pairing of two great choral “Alleluias” continues this year, from the triumphal Handel chorus at the Offertory to the prayerful and so beautiful Randall Thompson during communion. Both works are rightly sung by almost every choir – symbols of choral singing and spiritually powerful to singer and listener alike.
March 25, 2016 + Good Friday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Bulletin
Good Friday Liturgy at 7:00 p.m., sung by the combined Youth and Adult Choirs of St. James\’s and St. Johns, and messages by the clergy of both parishes, at St. John\’s.
Hymns: Were you there when they crucified my Lord; What wondrous love is this; O sacred head, sore wounded
Anthem The crown of roses Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Anthem God so loved the world Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)
March 24, 2016 + Maundy Thursday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Maundy Thursday Eucharist at 7:00 p.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinterton.
Organ Were you there? Charles Callahan (b. 1951)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread
Anthem at the Maundy Ubi caritas Jacques Berthier (1923-1994)
Offertory Anthem Pie Jesu (Requiem) John Rutter (b. 1945)
Madeline Green, soprano
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Sunday, March 20, 2016 + The Sunday of the Passion – Palm Sunday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Palm Procession from the Cloister Garden
Hymn in Procession 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Offertory Anthem Sanctus (Requiem) John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem The crown of roses Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Communion Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Closing Hymn 168 O sacred head, sore wounded Passion Chorale
The origin of Crown of roses is a poem of 1857, ‘Roses and Thorns’ written by the American Richard Henry Stoddard. Twenty years later it was translated into Russian by Aleksey Pleshcheyev and set by Tchaikovsky in what has since been recognized as a minor masterpiece. It was performed by a cappella choir under Tchaikovsky at the opening of Carnegie Hall in New York in 1891, where, according to the New York Times “it made a great hit.” It has since been retranslated into English.
Sunday, March 13, 2016 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ O man, bewail thy grievous sin Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory Anthem Surely he hath borne our griefs Carl Graun (1704-1759)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem God so loved the world Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)
Closing Hymn 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Organ We believe in one God J. S. Bach
The short text of God so loved the world is so well-known because it explains the whole Easter story, encapsulating the essence of the Christian Gospel in under 30 words. Bob Chilcott’s setting is an unsentimental and profoundly beautiful alternative to the familiar movement by John Stainer. + This morning’s service is framed by two monumental chorale settings by Bach. The poignant, ornamented treatment of O man, bewail thy grievous sin is interrupted with slow, long tones during the text that refers to Christ’s passion and death. We believe in one God is a setting of our Nicene Creed, with a repeated figure in the bass that illustrates the strength of our faith.
Sunday, March 6, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by Paul Shaker.
Organ Passacaglia: The prodigal son James Biery (b. 1957)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 470 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy Beecher
Offertory Anthem And I saw a new heaven Edgar Bainton (1880-1956)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Precious Lord Traditional Spiritual, arr. Arnold Sevier (b. 1969)
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ Agincourt Hymn John Dunstable (1390-1453)
A passacaglia is a musical work in which a single line of music is repeated over and over, usually in the bass, and continuous themeatic development happens in the upper parts – much like the famous Pachelbel Canon. James Biery\’s Passacaglia takes the listener through all of the emotions of the Prodigal Son story – questioning, loss, pain, quiet resolution. + Edgar Bainton’s most iconic anthem, And I saw a new heaven, is a tone-poem of ecstatic beauty. Borne aloft by the composer’s wonderfully wrought harmonization, it brings the story of creation to its ordained climax – that ultimate moment when “the former things are passed away” – and evokes St. John’s vision of heaven, one so sublime as to ease the pain and sorrow of even the saddest heart.
Sunday, February 28, 2016 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Michael Corey.
Organ Choral Phrygien, Choral Dorien Jehan Alain (1911-1940)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn Blessed Assurance Assurance
Offertory Anthem There is a season Alfred Fedak (b. 1953)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Music Choral Cistercien pour une elevatión Jehan Alain
Ave verum corpus William Byrd (1543-1623)
Closing Hymn 525 The church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Organ Litanies Jehan Alain
Jehan Alain, a Parisian composer whose life was cut short when his plane was shot down during WWII, wrote this morning’s organ music. The opening voluntary is two hauntingChorals that explore modal tonalities. Litanies is a breathless and relentless prayer. The desperation of prayer in time of deep need is illustrated by a repetitive litany and rhythms written while travelling on a train – all building to a frenzy. Alain writes, “When the Christian soul in its despair can no longer find any new words to implore the mercy of God, it repeats the same incantation over and over again in blind faith. The limits of reality are surpassed and faith alone continues upward.”
Sunday, February 21, 2016 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, with Kathy Schiano, cello; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Cello Suite Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 685 Rock of ages, cleft for me Toplady
Offertory Anthem Out of the deep (Requiem) John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Hide not thou thy face from me Richard Farrant (c. 1525-1580)
Closing Hymn 688 A mighty fortress is our God Ein feste Burg
Organ Ein feste Burg Calvin Hampton (1938-1984)
John Rutter is a mainstay of the choral tradition, as his melodic writing is equally beautiful and accessible. His Requiem was written in 1985, in memory of his father, and is his most serious work. Out of the deep is the most pleading movement, prominently featuring the solo cello. The full Requiem will be presented here in concert with orchestra on May 22. + Calvin Hampton was one of the most prolific twentieth century church music composers; his music is featured in almost every church hymnal. This arrangement of Ein feste Burgsuccessfully blends the well-known rhythms of the hymn with the isometric original version.
Sunday, February 14, 2016 + The First Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Rabbi Stephen Fuchs.
Organ Short Prelude & Fugue in E minor, BWV 555 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 635 If thou but trust in God to guide thee Wer nur den lieben Gott
Offertory Anthem Surely He hath borne our griefs (Messiah) Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem Call to remembrance Richard Farrant (c. 1525-1580)
Closing Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East or West McKee
Organ Wer nur den lieben Gott J. S. Bach
Lent brings us an opportunity for deeper reflection, as we take a break from musical fanfares and descants, and replace them with a silent procession and meditative chant. The service music that we will sing during Lent is all from the Gregorian Missal; both the Sanctus and Agnus Dei were famously set in Maurice Duruflé\’s Requiem. + You will find other liturgical changes at St. John’s during Lent. Each Sunday, the choir and clergy enter in silent procession, recognizing the solemnity of our journey with Christ to the cross. There is a new acclamation, recognizing our sin and God’s great mercy. Alleluia is neither said nor sung, and the praises of the Gloria are replaced by the cry, \”Lord, have mercy.\” We know that death is around us and we wait. We wait for Easter.
Sunday, February 7, 2016 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Fanfare March Thomas Donohue, 1991
Prelude on Slane Scott Lamlein (b. 1972)
Processional Hymn 126 The people who in darkness walked Dundee
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Offertory Anthem Christ whose glory fills the skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn (1892-1964)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem O nata lux Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ Fanfare John Cook (1918-1984)
The Light of Christ is shared in different ways, and today is remembered most vividly in his transfiguration on the mountain. This morning’s music portrays that magnificence, and also one last bit of Alleluia and celebration before we enter the Lenten Season. T. Fredrick H. Candlyn was a Briton who emigrated to the U.S. to undertake church music in New York, first at St. Paul\’s, Albany and later at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. His style is in lines with the Wesley family and other very \”tuneful\” composers. One of his most beloved works, Christ, whose glory fills the skies uses a soaring melody for the first and final stanzas, while the second stanza is a completely different four-part texture. Text painting occurs at words such as \”unaccompanied\” when the organ stops playing.
Sunday, January 31, 2016 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Due to a technical issue, there is no podcast of this service.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Short Prelude & Fugue in F, BWV 556 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude Robert Paoli (b. 1937)
Processional Hymn 569 God the Omnipotent! Russia
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Liebster Jesu
Offertory Anthem Psalm 23 Howard Goodall (b. 1958)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem The call Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Closing Hymn Lord, you give the great commission Down Ampney
Organ Short Prelude & Fugue in C, BWV 553 J. S. Bach
This morning\’s service music is sung by the Youth Choir in celebration of our Parish Annual Meeting. \”The Call\” by Vaughan Williams is one of the more familiar and moving melodies by this composer, found in his 1911 collection, \”Five Mystical Songs.\” Michael wrote that it \”Is one of those simple tunes which came naturally to Vaughan Williams…and are entirely personal to him yet sound as if they had always existed.\” + Goodall\’s setting of Psalm 23 is better known as the theme to the BBC show, \”The Vicar of Dibley.\” His intent to write a piece of church music that could have a life of its own beyond the TV show was successfully realized with this very popular anthem.
Sunday, January 24, 2016 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Ave Maria Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Heidi Tummescheit, violin
Processional Hymn 427 When morning gilds the skies Laudes Domini
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Psalm 19 Anglican Chant Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Sequence Hymn 539 O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Offertory The Spirit of the Lord Philip Stopford (b. 1977)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem The Lord\’s prayer Scott Lamlein (b. 1972)
Communion Hymn 531 O Spirit of the living God Melcombe
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord Woodlands
Organ Trumpet Voluntary in D Major David N. Johnson (1922-1988)
This morning’s Psalm will be chanted by the choir, with the whole congregation responding by singing a common Antiphon. A very traditional style of Anglican psalmody, the chant serves the text by presenting it in a way that magnifies the meaning behind the words. Not a time to “sit and listen”, the congregation is encouraged to follow the words in the bulletin while experiencing the sounds and and inspiration that the choir provides. + Scott\’s setting of the Lord\’s Prayer was written in 2003 and premiered by the Wesley Methodist Church choir, Worcester, Mass., in 2005. It was composed in about two hours while his young boys were running through the house on an otherwise quiet Saturday, and he was providing a soundtrack to that activity at the piano. Eventually that frivolousness gave way to inspiration and music that (hopefully) invokes the mystery of prayer.
Sunday, January 17, 2016 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele, BWV 654 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 423 Immortal, invisible, God only wise St. Denio
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Offertory Thou God of truth and love Malcolm Archer (b. 1952)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Bread of heaven, on thee we feed Peter Niedmann (b. 1960)
Closing Hymn 599 Lift every voice and sing Lift Every Voice
Organ Marching to Zion Gordon Young (1919-1998)
The great master Johann Sebastian Bach composed a series of eighteen so-called \”great\” choral preludes, sort of a \”greatest hits\” of Lutheran chorales, close to the mid-point of his career. This setting of today\’s sequence hymn contains a highly ornamented melody line, which, although a common stylistic practice of the time, beautifully \”decks the tune with gladness.\” + Malcolm Archer\’s setting of this Charles Wesley text contains a highly lyrical melody and emotional connection. Pay special attention to the dramatic treatment of the middle verse: \”Didst Thou not make us one, that being one we must remain? Together, travel on, and bear each others\’ pain.\” The text and tune lift up a universal message of following Christ, serving others, and God being with us in times of trouble. + Bread of heaven, an early work by Newington composer Peter Niedmann, prepares us for communion with this timeless prayer: ‘Jesus, may we ever be grafted, rooted, built in thee.’
Sunday, January 10, 2016 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Gordon Bates.
Organ Adagio from Symphonie No. 5 Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)
Processional Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank, the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 513 Like the murmur of the dove\’s song Bridegroom
Offertory Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks Herbert Howells (1892-1993)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Closing Hymn Shall we gather at the river Hanson Place
Organ Fugue in D minor Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
The Bach communion anthem, a perennial favorite, is from a cantata (No. 147) written originally in Weimar in 1716 for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Later in Bach\’s career he found it impossible to perform in Leipzig, because that city observed silence for the last three Sundays of Advent. Thus he revised it for the feast of the Visitation, where it was first performed in Leipzig in July, 1723. On many occasions Bach recycled and revised his own music, sometimes as a result of genuine inspiration, sometimes to create meaningful connections between pieces, and sometimes simply to find a way to be sure something as beautiful as \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring’ didn’t simply disappear. + Buxtehude’s Toccatas are very different from the French Toccatas, made famous by Widor. Written in a free style in many tiny sections, each passing phrase brings on higher and more intense emotion. Presented today is the final fugue from one of these great works. Buxtehude was one of Bach’s mentors, and, after travelling to North Germany to study with him, Bach was nearly fired from his own church position for playing music that was too “out there.”
Sunday, January 3, 2016 + The Second Sunday after Christmas
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Bulletin
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Nativity Suite Wilbur Held (1915-2015)
Veni Emmanuel – Silent Night – Shepherds – The Three Kings
Processional Hymn 94 While shepherds watched their flocks Winchester Old
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 124 What star is this Puer nobis
Offertory The first nowell Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem The shepherds\’ farewell Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Closing Hymn 109 The first nowell The First Nowell
Organ Joy to the world (Nativity Suite) Wilbur Held
Sunday, December 27, 2015 + The First Sunday after Christmas
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Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with Margaret Beers, soprano, and Douglas Johnson, organ; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Noel: Joseph est bein marié Claude Balbastre (1724-1799)
Opening Hymn 89 It came upon a midnight clear Carol
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Offertory Solo He shall feed his flock (Messiah) George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Music Prayer for a new mother Richard Shephard (b. 1949)
Closing Hymn 93 Angels from the realms of glory Regent Square
Organ From heaven above Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Claude Balbastre was a phenomenally successful organist and composer, whose playing attracted crowds to church. His compositions on the humble Noel tunes are the late flowering of the genre. Though he served at the highest courts both secular and ecclesiatical, he managed to keep his head during the French revolution by playing popular songs at the organ. + Johann Pachelbel was a cousin to the Bachs. He developed a variety of South German approaches to composing on chorale tunes. In this morning\’s selection, the tune is in the pedal, while the hands weave fanfares and flourishes, as if to announce the joyous birth of our Savior, the lowly-born child who is the King.
Friday, December 25, 2015 + Christmas Day
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m. with congregational Carols, sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ When Christmas morn is breaking Elmer Arne Hovdesven (1893-1994)
Opening Hymn 96 Angels we have heard on high Gloria
Sequence Hymn 79 O Little town of Bethlehem St. Louis
Offertory Go tell it on the mountain Robert Powell (b. 1932)
Closing Hymn 100 Joy to the world! Antioch
Organ Carillon Scott Lamlein (b. 1972)
Thursday, December 24, 2015 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
3:50 p.m. Choral Prelude (Youth Choir)
4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist sung by the Youth Choir
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with string quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir with string quartet
Music Listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m. with Youth Choir
Once in royal David\’s city arr. Paul Halley (b. 1952)
O little one sweet Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Nativity carol John Rutter (b. 1945)
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. West, Berton
Madeline Green, soloist
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m. with Youth Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Leaflet
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Offertory Anthem Mary\’s lullaby Max Reger (1873-1916)
Britt Emerick, soloist
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem No small wonder Paul Edwards (b. 1955)
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Organ In dulci jubilo Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
Once in royal David\’s city arr. Paul Halley (b. 1952)
O little one sweet Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Organ: In Dulci Jubilo J. S. Bach and Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Rejoice in the Lord alway Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Nativity carol John Rutter (b. 1945)
Organ and Strings: Greensleeves Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Leaflet
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Offertory Anthem Christmas lullaby Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem No small wonder Paul Edwards (b. 1955)
Communion Hymn 101 Away in a manger Cradle Song
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, st. 3 arr. Wolfgang Lindner
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Organ In dulci jubilo Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
December 20, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Link to: Service Leaflet
The St. John\’s Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Jeffrey Higgins and Thomas Hintz, trumpets
Organ and trumpets: Voluntary for two trumpets Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Choral Prelude: Ave Maria Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert (b. 1927)
Organ and trumpets: My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
December 13, 2014 + Candlelight Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Sung by the St. John\’s Choirs at 3:00 p.m. Link to: Poster – Event Details – Service Leaflet
December 13, 2015 + The Third Sunday of Advent
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing? Dale Wood (1934-2003)
Processional Hymn 66 Come, thou long-expected Jesus Stuttgart
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx, 1991
Sequence Hymn 76 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry Winchester New
Offertory Anthem Rejoice in the Lord alway Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Communion Anthem E\’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Paul Manz (1919-2009)
Communion Hymn 104 A stable lamp is lighted Adújar
Closing Hymn 72 Hark! the glad sound! the Savior comes Richmond
Organ Carillon-Sortie Henri Mulet (1878-1967)
The great choral anthem E\’en so, Lord Jesus is a collaborative effort of Paul and Ruth Manz. Here is the story behind it: Early in Paul\’s career, one of the Manz\’s children, their 3 year old son, came down with a childhood illness that threatened to end his life. \”And at one point he was given up by the doctor as well as the staff,\” Paul says. Paul and Ruth Manz took turns at their son\’s bedside – Ruth by day, Paul by night. During their vigil Ruth brought Paul some words she\’d crafted based on a text in Revelation. \”It is just a compilation of the theme in Revelation, Revelation 22, where it speaks of the longing of the Advent, actually, the coming of the Christ\” she adds. \”I think we\’d reached the point where we felt that time was certainly running out so we committed it to the Lord and said, \’Lord Jesus quickly come,\’\” Ruth says. \”I made a sketch that night at the bedside and miraculously through prayer by a lot of people John survived,\” Paul says. Ruth and Paul Manz\’s son John is now in his 50s and has the original score of the hymn written while he was ill.
December 6, 2015 + Late Church & Early Supper
Link to: Full Service Podcast
Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m., with meditative music and prayers with candlelighting.
December 6, 2015 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Pastorale Louis Lefebvre-Wely (1817-1869)
Veni Emmanuel Pietro Yon (1886-1943)
Opening Hymn 56 O come, O come, Emmanuel Veni Emmanuel
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx, 1991
Sequence Hymn 67 Comfort, comfort ye my people Psalm 42
Offertory Anthem Tomorrow shall be my dancing day John Gardner (1917-2011)
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Communion Anthem I wonder as I wander arr. John Rutter (b. 1945)
Closing Hymn 601 O day of God, draw nigh St. Michael
Organ Veni Emmanuel Wilbur Held (1915-2015)
The origins of “O come, O come, Emmanuel” date to medieval times. In the 800s, a series of Latin hymns were sung, called the “O” Antiphons. Over time, these were restructured, and the first draft of the beloved hymn we know came from Anglican priest John Mason Neale, in 1851. Born to a family of clergy, Neale wanted to become a parish minister, but his poor health prevented this. He instead became the director of Sackville College, a home for elderly men. This proved to be a good match, as Neale was compassionate with a great heart for the needy. A traditionalist, he was outspoken against the change that other hymn writers like Isaac Watts stood for, but today we find Neale and Watts side-by-side in our hymnals. We owe Neale our gratitude for this great hymn, as well as “Good King Wenceslas,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” and “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.”
November 29, 2015 + The First Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Opening Hymn 412 Earth and all stars Earth and All Stars
Kyrie Eleison from Litany of the Saints adapt. Richard Proulx, 1991
Sequence Hymn 61 \”Sleepers, wake!\” Wachet auf
Offertory Anthem O little one sweet Johann Sebastian Bach
Sanctus from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Fraction Anthem Agnus Dei from Missa Emmanuel Richard Proulx, 1991
Communion Anthem No small wonder Paul Edwards (b. 1955)
Closing Hymn 436 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates Truro
Organ Prelude in G Major, BWV 550 Johann Sebastian Bach
Paul Edwards began his career as a young chorister at St. Paul\’s Cathedral, London. His text writer, Paul Wigmore, relays the story of No small wonder, which eventually was included in the famous service of Lessons and Carols at King\’s College, Cambridge: \”One November morning in 1983 the young composer, Paul Edwards, gathered up his week’s bundle of laundry and was about to leave for the local launderette when he remembered the envelope. It had come in the post that morning. He quickly opened it and scanned the letter. It was from me. The letter ended with a new work – a carol for Advent and Christmas, just three short verses. Paul Edwards had already set a number of my lyrics for choir and this was a new one. He slipped it into his pocket. It would be something to read while he waited for the machine to do the washing, he thought. Then, as an afterthought, he picked up a sheet of music manuscript as well. He just might get an idea while he waited for his laundry. In the launderette he loaded the machine and sat down. He took out the envelope and read the poem. He grabbed the scrap of manuscript paper and began writing. Trying to imagine how any composer could write this profound music while surrounded by the noise of washing machines is practically impossible.\” God at work!
November 26, 2015 + Thanksgiving Day
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:o0 a.m. with hymns; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Variations on Simple Gifits Noel Goemanne (1926-2010)
Opening Hymn 291 We plow the fields and scatter Wir Pflugen
Sequence Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Offertory Music Great is thy faithfulness William Runyan (1870-1957)
Cleveland Williams, soloist
Closing Hymn 290 Come ye thankful people St. George\’s, Windsor
November 22, 2015 + Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
Service at 4:00 p.m., sung by the combined choirs of St. John\’s and Congregation Beth Israel.
Link to: Full Service Podcast
Organ Trumpet Tune Aaron David Miller (b. 1949)
Opening Hymn O be joyful in the Lord Rock of Ages
Anthem (combined choirs) For the beauty of the earth John Rutter (b. 1945)
Anthem (St. John\’s Choir) The Spirit of the Lord Philip Stopford (b. 1977)
Anthem (Beth Israel Choir) Hinei ma tov arr. Sargon
Closing Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God Nun danket alle Gott
Organ Processional William Mathias (1934-1992)
November 22, 2015 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ Two Pieces Gordon Young (1919-1998)
Trumpet voluntary – Chanson religieuse
Opening Hymn 290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George\’s, Windsor
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God Nun danket alle Gott
Offertory Anthem The last words of David Randall Thompson (1899-1984)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem For the beauty of the earth John Rutter (b. 1945)
Communion Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Closing Hymn 288 Praise to God, immortal praise Dix
Organ Marche triomphale: Nun danket alle Gott Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Randall Thompson was a 20th Century composer, best known for his Alleluia, often sung here on Easter Day. Educated at Harvard, he was initially rejected from the Harvard Glee Club, but later rose to teach such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber. His setting of this poetic text from 2 Samuel is vivid in its tone painting, taking the listener to many places in a brief period of time. + We gather together is a Christian hymn of Dutch origin written in 1597 by Adrianus Valerius as Wilt heden nu treden to celebrate the Dutch victory over Spanish forces in the Battle of Turnhout. In the United States, it is popularly associated with Thanksgiving Day and is often sung at family meals and at religious services on that day. + Sigfrid Karg-Elert struggled to gain recognition in native Germany as a composer, often supplementing his income by playing piano in bars and wearing a fake beard to conceal his identity. Finally, late in life, his 66 Chorale Improvisations for organ were published, from which this well-known setting of Nun danket is drawn.
November 15, 2015 + The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev\’d Helen Moore.
Organ Cantabile César Franck (1822-1890)
Opening Hymn 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn Oh, let the Son of God enfold you Spirit Song
Offertory Anthem The Spirit of the Lord Philip Stopford (b. 1977)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem O taste and see Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Madeline Green, soloist
Communion Hymn 439 What wondrous love is this Wondrous Love
Closing Hymn 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate Munich
Organ Processional William Mathias (1934-1992)
Cesar Franck premiered his Trois Pièces in recital on the great Trocadéro Exhibition organ in 1878. They are the first pieces by this great Parisian master that show the dramatic influence of Richard Wagner. The only three published works of his that have no printed dedication, the Trois Pièces were written for recital only, not religious use. However, the faithful undertones of Cantabile are undeniable. Later, French composer Charles Tournemire wrote of the work: ‘The soul’s unsatisfied desire—a saint’s inner supplication—incessant pleas—faith in divine mercy.’ + Philip Stopford is a contemporary English composer who began his career as a youth chorister at Westminster Abbey, singing under Simon Preston and Martin Neary. Those formative years are the backbone of his current life as a full-time choral composer, conductor, and clinician. His music is equally popular with American choirs as it is with English ones, due to his accessible yet thought-provoking compositional style. Our choirs enjoyed singing under Philip at the Trinity Church Festival Evensong in October.
November 8, 2015 + The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Prelude on Forest Green Richard Purvis (1917-1992)
Opening Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 686 Come, thou fount of every blessing Nettleton
Offertory Anthem Pilgrims\’ Hymn Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem The Lord\’s Prayer John Tavener (1944-2013)
Closing Hymn 57 Lo, he comes with clouds descending Helmsley
Organ Procésion Alegre Garry Cornell (b. 1940)
Stephen Paulus and John Tavener are two recent choral composers that have brought us a wealth of musical inspiration – American and British, respectively. + Stephen Paulus passed away just a year ago, a tragic loss to the choral community. He was quite prolific, having over 450 works in his opus list, and was nonimated for a Grammy award last December. As you’ll hear in his Pilgrims\’ Hymn (which has been sung at presidential funerals), his style is very accessible, romantic, and inspiring. + John Tavener was one of the leading British composers of recent history. His predominantly religious and contemplative music – called “holy minimalism” by some critics – has an unmistakable resonance. The repetition of musical phrases becomes its own spirit.
November 1, 2015 + All Saints\’ Day
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs with assisting organist David Chrzanowski; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Suite Gothique Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897)
Introduction/Choral – Menuet Gothique – Priere à Notre Dame
Opening Hymn 287 For all the saints, who from their labors rest Sine Nomine
Sequence Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Offertory Anthem Requem aeternam – Kyrie (Requiem) John Rutter (b. 1945)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lux aeterna (Requiem) John Rutter
Teddy Babbitt, soloist
Closing Hymn 286 Who are these like stars appearing Zeuch mich, zeuch mich
Organ Toccata (Suite Gothique) Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897)
Two movements from John Rutter’s Requiem form the choral music for this All Saints\’ Sunday. Premiered in Dallas, TX, in 1985, this Requiem has become a favorite of choirs everywhere, and holds up to the Requiem standards set by Mozart, Brahms, and Fauré. While there are necessary dark moments in this setting of the burial rite, the message of hope, paradise, and eternal light are the overall musical themes that shine through, with melodies that captivate and inspire. It is presented this day in honor and memory of those who have gone before us.
October 25, 2015 + The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir with assisting organist Charlotte Beers Plank; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Aria Flor Peeters (1903-1986)
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 671 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound New Britain
Offertory Anthem Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lay up for yourselves Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Communion Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul St. Thomas
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your master proclaim Paderborn
Organ Allegro con Brio (Sonata IV) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
With the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of sins committed and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,Amazing Grace is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world. Its writer, John Newton, wrote the text out of personal experience: After being been forced into service in the English Royal Navy, Newton found work in the slave trade. A huge storm battered his trade ship in 1779, and in his despair Newton had a profound conversion experience, and wrote the now-famous hymn as soon as he reached shore.later dedicated his life to Christian theology. He later dedicated his life to Christian theology. + The text of today’s Communion anthem are words of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” These are powerful words, and remind us that our earthly things are but temporary, and life in Christ is eternal. It also reminds us that our treasure should be in alignment with our hearts. Jesus calls us to be generous, and to invest in things that are meaningful and powerful.
October 18, 2015 + The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 555 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Opening Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Anthem Psalm 150 John Harper (b. 1947)
Sequence Hymn 644 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds St. Peter
Offertory Anthem I am the bread of life Simon Lole (b. 1957)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Adoro te devote Gregorian Chant, arr. Paul Halley (b. 1952)
Closing Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Organ Alleluyas Simon Preston (b. 1938)
This morning’s worship music is ably led by our Youth Choir, leading the hymn singing, and presenting three choral anthems in varying styles. The Psalm setting by John Harper is an exciting call to praise. Simon Lole’s I am the bread of life is a successful blend of popular and classic writing. Paul Halley’s arrangement from Missa Gaia is the source of the accompaniment and final English verse for the timeless Gregorian Chant Adoro te devote, sung during communion. + The closing voluntary by Simon Preston is an unusual acclamation of praise. Preston, for many years music director at Westminster Abbey and well-known as a concert organist, uses a tension-building 4-note theme and jazz harmonies to set the word “Alleluia” with a strong emphasis on the third syllable.
Thursday, October 15, 2015 + A Renewal of Ministry: Installation of the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton as Rector of St. John\’s Church
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Holy Eucharist at 6:30 p.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs.
Organ Prelude on Abbot’s Leigh Carl D.N. Klein, 1991
Opening Hymn 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Sequence Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East or West McKee
Hymn 482 Lord of all hopefulness Slane
Offertory Anthem The Lord is my shepherd Howard Goodall, 1994
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ubi caritas Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Closing Hymn Lord, you give the great commission Abbot’s Leigh
Organ Jerusalem C. Hubert. H. Parry (1848-1918)
October 11, 2015 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir with Douglas Johnson, guest organist/choirmaster; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Toccata in F Franz Xaver Murschhauser (1663-1738)
Opening Hymn 475 God himself is with us Tysk
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 684 O for a closer walk with God Caithness
Offertory Anthem Lord, Lead us still Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem O send out your light Scott Lamlein (b. 1972)
Closing Hymn 601 O day of God, draw nigh St. Michael
Organ Herzlich tut mich erfreuen, op. 122, #4 Johannes Brahms
Franz Xaver Murschhauser was born in Alsace and studied in the cathedral school in Munich. From 1683 on, he served as music director of the Munich Frauenkirche. His music exemplifies the florid South German organ style, which was influenced by the music of Italian virtuosi such as Frescobaldi. + Johannes Brahms composed the Eleven Chorale Preludes, op. 122 in May and June 1896, while staying in Bad Ischl, a resort town in Upper Austria. Perhaps he worked them out at the organ in the parish church there. In any case, when he was so near the end of his life, Brahms left us these miniature organ pieces, examples of his ripest compositional style.
October 4, 2015 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by the Rev\’d John Gedrick.
Organ Now pray we all, God the comforter Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Opening Hymn 400 All creatures of our God and King Lasst uns erfreuen
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn Love divine, all loves excelling Blaenwern
Offertory Anthem O sacrum convivium Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Silent, surrendered Margaret Rizza (b. 1929)
Communion Hymn 301 Bread of the world in mercy broken Rendez à Dieu
Closing Hymn 482 Lord of all hopefulness Slane
Organ Fantasy on Lasst uns erfreuen David Schack, 1971
The organ works of Buxtehude are especially beautiful and, knowing that Bach drew much inspiration from his works, we can trace the lineage of so much music that we hold dear back to this great master. These two ornamented chorale preludes form a great contrast to some of the more heroic works, and they naturally lift the spirit heavenward with each harmonic step. + The well loved John Wesley hymn text Love divine, all loves excelling is sung to a different tune today. The hymntune Blaenwern has long been associated with that text in England, having been sung famously at the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate. Don’t worry, I love Hyfrydol also, and it will be back in the rotation. + The music of Margaret Rizza is fascinating, as she only began composing in 1997, at the age of 68. In those ten years, the compelling, clearly God-led works that have come from her pen have become very popular, both for the serious choral musician, and the seeker of quiet and meditation.
September 27, 2015 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev\’d Linda Criddle.
Organ Cantilena Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Opening Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn Great is thy faithfulness Great is thy faithfulness
Offertory Anthem Amazing Grace arr. Jack Shrader, 1998
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem He watching over Israel (from Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Communion Hymn 668 I to the hills will lift mine eyes Burford
Closing Hymn 450 All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Coronation
Organ Fantasy on Lobe den Herren Emma Lou Diemer, 1967
This morning’s Psalm will be chanted by the choir, with the whole congregation responding by singing a common Antiphon. A very traditional style of Anglican psalmody, the chant serves the text by presenting it in a way that magnifies the meaning behind the words. Not a time to “sit and listen”, the congregation is encouraged to follow the words in the bulletin while experiencing the sounds and and inspiration that the choir provides. + Jack Shrader’s arrangement of Amazing Grace is written in Blues/Gospel style that brings this familiar hymn to life with high drama. Let’s see if our English-style choir can make that happen!
September 20, 2015 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; sermon by Stacey Kohl.
Organ Fugue in C Major, BWV 545 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Opening Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 602 Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love Chereponi
Offertory Anthem O for a closer walk with God Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Lord, make me to know Thy ways William Byrd (1540-1623)
Communion Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let Us Break Bread
Closing Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Organ Prelude in C Major, BWV 545 Johann Sebastian Bach
The great Johann Sebastian Bach frames our service today, with a Prelude and Fugue from his early days as court musician in Wiemar. Bach’s genius and faith are evident in all of his works, and each is signed Soli Deo gloria – “to the glory of God alone.” + Tom Colvin, the writer of the hymn Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love, was a pastoral missionary from Scotland to Ghana and a longtime member of the Iona Community. He successfully adopted many African tunes for use with Christian texts, in this case making loving connections between all races and classes as well as our service to God and each other. + Born around 1540, William Byrd studied music in his youth with the great Thomas Tallis, with whom he shared the position of organist at the Chapel Royal. Probably the most intellectual and varied of all of the British Renaissance composers, Byrd wrote not only Latin but also English language religious works as well as madrigals and a significant amount of great keyboard music. Today’s motet Lord, make me to know thy ways is a simple, direct prayer.
September 13, 2015 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Préambule Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Opening Hymn 427 When morning gilds the skies Laudes Domini
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 455 O Love of God, how strong and true Dunedin
Offertory Anthem I was glad C. Hubert. H. Parry (1848-1918)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem Ubi caritas Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Communion Hymn 345 Savior, again to thy dear Name we raise Ellers
Closing Hymn 522 Glorious things of thee are spoken Austria
Organ Carillon de Longpont Louis Vierne
As we begin anew today, our choir brings two uplifting messages to our worship: “I was glad! Glad when they said unto me: we will go into the house of the Lord.” This Psalm text was set to music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry in 1902, and has been sung at every English Coronation since, as well as at the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate. There is a middle section of the work that can only be performed in the presence of the reigning monarch. + Ubi caritas is perhaps the best known work of french composer Maurice Duruflé, and the most moving and finely wrought harmonization of this ancient Gregorian Chant. The beautiful harmonies and repeated moment on the word “sincerity” make it a perfect reminder that God’s central message is one of love. + Two organ voluntaries of french composer Louis Vierne bookend our worship service. A master of fantasy and tone-painting, Vierne invokes visions of a slow and beautiful sunrise inPréambule, and of church bells pealing after a celebration in Carillon de Longpont.
September 6, 2015 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist and Baptism at 9:00 a.m. sung by the Summer Singers; sermon by the Rev\’d William J. Eakins.
Organ Adagio (Sonata I) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Opening Hymn 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above Mit freuden zart
Sequence Hymn 470 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy Beecher
Baptism Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised Engelberg
Offertory Anthem As we gather at your table Skinner Chávez-Melo, 1989
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Organ Postlude in G G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
August 30, 2015 + The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. sung by the Summer Singers; sermon by Stacey Kohl.
Organ Slow Air for Organ Samuel Wesley (1766-1837)
Opening Hymn 423 Immortal, invisible, God only wise St. Denio
Sequence Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Offertory Anthem Taste and see James E. Moore, 1992
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 436 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates Truro
Organ Choral Song Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
August 23, 2015 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. sung by the Summer Singers; sermon by the Rev\’d Timothy Hodapp.
Organ Canzona on Liebster Jesu Richard Purvis (1917-1992)
Opening Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Sequence Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Liebster Jesu
Offertory Anthem I am the bread of life Jack Warren Burnam (b. 1946)
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 563 Go forward, Christian soldier Lancashire
Organ Rondeau Jean Joseph Mouret (1682-1738)
August 16, 2015 + The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns and solo music by Caitlyn Semanie, harp; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Harp Prelude The Nightingale Deborah Henson-Conant (b. 1953)
Opening Hymn 460 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Sequence Hymn All who hunger gather gladly Holy Manna
Offertory Music Prelude on Slane Robert Edward Smith, 1996
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Communion Music Prelude in C Major Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Closing Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Organ Toccata in F Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
August 9, 2015 + The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns and solo music by Elizabeth Proteau, soprano; sermon by the Rev\’d William Eakins.
Organ Rhosymedre Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1920
Opening Hymn 48 O day of radiant gladness Es flog ein kleins Waldvogelein
Sequence Hymn 674 Forgive our sins as we forgive Detroit
Offertory Anthem If with all your hearts (from Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 344 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing Sicilian Mariners
Organ Andante Largo in D for Trumpet John Stanley (1713-1786)
August 2, 2015 + The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns and solo music by Margaret Beers, soprano; sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ Aria from the 12th Concerto George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Opening Hymn 527 Singing songs of expectation Ton-y-Botel
Sequence Hymn 302 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Rendez à Dieu
Offertory Anthem Domine Deus (from Gloria) Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Communion Anthem The Twenty-Third Psalm Albert Hay Malotte, 1937
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ Processional Robert Paoli, 1991
July 26, 2015 + The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d William Eakins, guest organist Douglas Bruce Johnson.
Opening Hymn 635 If thou but trust in God to guide thee Wer nur den lieben Gott
Offertory Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 309 O food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
July 19, 2015 + The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton, guest organist Douglas Bruce Johnson.
Opening Hymn 537 Christ for the world we sing Moscow
Offertory Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless St. Agnes
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
July 12, 2015 + The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton, guest organist Douglas Bruce Johnson.
Opening Hymn 372 Praise to the living God Leoni
Offertory Hymn 671 Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound New Britain
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 686 Come, thou font of every blessing Nettleton
July 5, 2015 + The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d William Eakins, guest organist Douglas Bruce Johnson.
Opening Hymn 718 God of our fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Offertory Hymn 599 Lift every voice and sing Lift Every Voice
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn 719 O beautiful for spacious skies Materna
June 28, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ: Prelude on Cwm Rhondda Paul Manz
Opening Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Psalm 130 Anglican Chant, Henry Walford Davies
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory Anthem: The Lord is my shepherd Howard Goodall
Daaé Ransom, soloist
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Communion Hymn: Nothing can trouble Taizé Chant, Jacques Berthier
Closing Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be consecrated Hollingsdale
Organ: Trumpet Voluntary in D Major Jeremiah Clarke
June 21, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d William J. Eakins.
Organ: Berceuse Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 565 He who would valiant be Monk\’s Gate
Sequence Hymn 636 How firm a foundation Foundation
Offertory Anthem: Pie Jesu (Requiem) Gabriel Fauré
Madeline Green, soloist
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Communion Anthem: God so loved the world John Stainer
Madeline Green, soloist
Closing Hymn 608 Eternal Father, Strong to Save Melita
Organ: Psalm 19 Benedetto Marcello
June 14, 2015 + The Third Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. with hymns, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ: Pastorale in F J.S. Bach
Opening Hymn 524 I love thy kingdom, Lord St. Thomas (Williams)
Sequence Hymn 209 We walk by faith, and not by sight St. Botolph
Offertory Anthem: God is my shepherd Antonín Dvo?ák
Nicholas Filippides, soloist
Sanctus S-125 Richard Proulx, 1971
Closing Hymn I love to tell the story Hankey
Organ: Short Prelude & Fugue in F Major J. S. Bach
Hymn Sing in the Chancel follows the service, at approximately 10:00 a.m.
June 7, 2015 + The Second Sunday after Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, with Youth Choir recognition and promotion, sermon by the Rev\’d Willam J. Eakins.
Organ: Carillon de Westminster Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 620 Jerusalem, my happy home Land of Rest
Offertory Anthem: Ev\’ry time I feel the Spirit arr. Moses Hogan
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem: Set me as a seal René Clausen
Closing Hymn 525 The church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Organ: Prelude in G Major, BWV 550 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
After the loss of his child, Rene Clausen, composer of Set me as a seal wrote: \’Normally, when I am asked about the \”inspiration\” process, I laugh and deny inspiration in favor of work and effort. In this case, however, I just sat down and wrote the piece. I don\’t know what is wrapped up inside these few, simple notes. I can say actually very little about the piece. Whenever I return to it, however, I am struck by the phrase \”for love is strong as death\”, because when I wrote it my actual feeling was \”for love is stronger than death\”; abiding, all-encompassing love absorbs even the pain of death. If the piece is about anything, it is about the simple but powerful conviction of permanent love that seeks to overflow the boundary between life and death. I can\’t imagine a choir singing it without open hearts.\’
May 31, 2015 + Trinity Sunday
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton.
Organ: Prelude on Nicaea Thomas Canning, 1955
Prelude on Picardy James Southbridge, 1969
Opening Hymn 362 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty Nicaea
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Canticle S236 Glory to you John Rutter
Sequence Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Offertory Anthem: In the year that King Uzziah died David McK. Williams
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem: God so loved the world Bob Chilcott
Closing Hymn 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Organ: Allegro maestoso e vivace (Sonata II) Felix Mendelssohn, 1845
In 325 AD, Church leaders convened in the town of Nicaea in Bithynia to formulate a consensus of belief and practice amongst Christians. What resulted was the Nicene Creed, a document passed on through the ages as one of the pillars of church doctrine. The primary function of this creed was to establish a firm belief in the Trinity, countering the heresy of Arius, who believed that Jesus was not fully divine. It was this creed that inspired Reginald Heber to write his great hymn, Holy, holy holy, with the intent that the hymn be sung on Trinity Sunday – eight weeks after Easter. + The prophet Isaiah had a remarkable vision of the heavenly realm, beginning In the year that King Uzziah died. His celestial vision depicts the highest order of angels, Seraphim. The name Seraphim is associated with the Hebrew verb which means “to burn”, suggesting that the Seraphim burn with devotion for God. The Seraphim, from Isaiah’s vision, have six wings. In the choral arrangement heard today, tone painting is used to dramatic effect, depicting the angels flying around the throne of God, using the lowest 32’ tones of the organ for quasi-tympani effects, and presenting the familiar Sanctus text with great emotion – here heard within its original context. The work ends plaintively, with Isaiah answering God’s call. + The short text ofGod so loved the world is so well-known because it explains the whole Easter story, encapsulating the essence of the Christian Gospel in under 30 words. Bob Chilcott’s setting is an unsentimental and profoundly beautiful alternative to the familiar movement by John Stainer.
12:30 p.m. Pipes Alive! Organ Concert: The Trumpet Shall Sound
with Jacob Humerick, trumpeter. Click here for details.
May 24, 2015 + The Day of Pentecost
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Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d Willam J. Eakins.
Organ: Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Opening Hymn 225 Hail thee, festival day Salve festa dies
Gloria S-278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Sequence Hymn 513 Like the murmur of the dove\’s song Bridegroom
Offertory Anthem: Hark, I hear the harps eternal Southern Harmony tune, arr. Alice Parker, 1967
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias (1934-1992)
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near (b. 1942)
Communion Anthem: Veni Creator Spiritus Gregorian Chant
Closing Hymn 516 Come down, O Love divine Down Ampney
Organ: Toccata on Veni Creator Spiritus Maurice Duruflé, 1931
Part two of the Bach organ series brings us the Fugue in D Major. Obviously wanting to demonstrate his skill at the organ, especially with the pedals, Bach here shows his youth in other ways as well – the relentless repetition inherent in the main theme is reminiscent of a child pulling on a parent’s shirttail, trying to go home! + Hark, I hear the harps eternal is a perfect combination of the dancing Holy Spirit and the comforting Holy Spirit, as it presents a rhythmic, joyful image of our souls’ joyful entrance into heaven. + Veni Creator Spiritus is believed to have been composed by Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century. An invocation of the Holy Spirit, it has been included in many musical arrangements, including Gustav Holst’s 8th Symphony, as well as in the Duruflé set of variations for organ, the final movement of which we hear as this morning’s postlude.
May 17, 2015 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter + Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Youth Choir, reflections by Youth Group (YAC), homily by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton. Liturgical Dance choreographed by Susan Thaxton; Ray Palagy, percussionist.
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Prelude: Sonata No. 1 (Six Canonic Sonatas) Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
The Tummescheit Family Musicians
Opening Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn Here I am, Lord Here I Am, Lord
Gospel Response: Deep River Allan Bevan, 1998
Offertory Anthem: Jubilate Deo Richard Purvis, 1943
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx, 1977
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard, 1986
Communion Hymn: Bless the Lord, my soul Taizé song
Closing Hymn 400 All creatures of our God and King Lasst uns erfreuen
Postlude: Nocturne in E-flat Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Britt Emerick, piano
Heidi Tummescheit writes: A Canonic Sonata is one in which the players play the exact same music, but one or more measures apart, and that it forms a duet that sounds much like a conversation with a common vocabularly. + Susan Thaxton writes: Every culture throughout history has used dance to express faith and spirituality. The focus of Liturgical Dance is to deepen the worship experience and to express oneself through movement. Children are natural “movers” and including Liturgical Dance in the Youth Sunday service is another way that children can express their faith and spirituality. + Britt Emerick writes: Frédéric Franciszek Chopin was a Polish composer of mainly piano solo pieces in the Romantic era. He wrote the Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, at the age of 20. The piece is reflective in mood but turns passionate near the end, subsiding to a calm finish.
May 10, 2015 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult Choir, Sermon by the Rev\’d William Eakins.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Rhosymedre (\”Lovely\”) Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1920
Opening Hymn 412 Earth and all stars Earth and All Stars
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 657 Love divine, all loves excelling Hyfrydol
Offertory Anthem: Cantate domino Hans Leo Hassler
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx, 1977
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard, 1986
Communion Anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Closing Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Prelude in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Today’s prelude shows the God-given talent of Vaughan Williams at work: Though the hymntune Rhosymedre is remarkably simple (basically a collection of quarter notes), Vaughan Williams’ organ setting is remarkably lyrical and beautiful, employing a moving singing obligato and running bassline that all contribute to a soaring musical landscape. + The two anthems shared by our adult choir today are well-known pillars of the choral repertoire. Hans Leo Hassler often wrote in the polychoral style, meaning that two groups of singers trade off parts, but sometimes sing together as well. That device, along with alternation between a feeling of two and three to the bar really bring alive the “Sing to the Lord a new psalm” text. + Thomas Tallis wrote choral music under four different monarchs with widely differing religious practices. Under Edward VI (1547-1553), it was decided that all sacred choral music should be in English and be succinctly composed. Thus, If ye love me is one of the earliest examples of an anthem written in the vernacular. + Bach biographer Philipp Spitta (1841-1894) considered the Prelude and Fugue D Major, BWV 532 to be “one of the most dazzlingly beautiful of all the master\’s organ works.” Composed in Weimar during Bach’s early years, the work is notable for its charm, drama, and virtuosity of the pedal line. The full work is presented in a “postlude series”… You’ll need to wait for Pentecost to hear the Fugue!
May 3, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs.
Sermon by the Rev\’d Susan Pinkerton: \”Connections\”
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Trumpet Voluntary Gordon Young, 1969
Meditation on Abbott\’s Leigh Carl D.N. Klein, 1991
Opening Hymn 379 God is Love: let heaven adore him Abbott\’s Leigh
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 602 Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love Chereponi
Offertory Anthem: Thou God of truth and love Malcolm Archer
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx, 1977
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard, 1986
Communion Anthem: Send out your light Scott Lamlein, 2009
Communion Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord Woodlands
Organ: Toccata Flor Peeters, 1955
The familiar hymntune Abbott\’s Leigh appears in over 75 hymnals, and is considered to be the Rule Brittania of hymns. It was composed by Cyril Taylor (d. 1991), who was director of the BBC\’s Religious Broadcasting department during World War II, while stationed at Abbot\’s Leigh in England. + Malcolm Archer\’s setting of this Charles Wesley text contains a highly lyrical melody and emotional connection. Pay special attention to the dramatic treatment of the middle verse: \”Didst Thou not make us one, that being one we must remain? Together, travel on, and bear each others\’ pain.\” The text and tune lift up a universal message of following Christ, serving others, and God being with us in times of trouble.
April 26, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. An African liturgy sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Hope H. Eakins.
Congregational Rehearsal: African songs for the liturgy
Processional Hymn: Hallelujah! We sing your praises! African Tune
Psalm Response: The Lord is my shepherd African Tune
Sequence Hymn: Christ is risen, Alleluia Tanzanian Tune
Offertory Anthem: The Lord is my shepherd Thomas Matthews, 1956
Sanctus Betty Carr Pulkingham, based on African melodies
Communion Hymns: Thuma mina Zulu Hymn
665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Closing Hymn: We are marching in the light of God South African Hymn
In celebration of the ministry of Interim Rector Hope Eakins, this service is a compilation of African songs and prayers, with a slightly modified prayer of Bishop Desmond Tutu.
12:30 p.m. Pipes Alive! Organ Concert: Monumental Mendelssohn
Click here for podcast and printed program.
April 19, 2015 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by the Rev\’d William J. Eakins.
Organ: The peace may be exchanged (Rubrics) Dan Locklair, 1988
Opening Hymn 195 Jesus Lives! Mowsley
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised Engelberg
Offertory Anthem: Be not afraid (Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn, 1846
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx, 1977
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard, 1986
Communion Anthem: There is a season Alfred Fedak, 1988
Closing Hymn 182 Christ is alive! Let Christians Sing Truro
Organ: Andante Largo in D for Trumpet John Stanley (1713-1786)
The inspiration for Dan Locklair\’s five-movement suite, Rubrics, was the italicized rubrics (instructions) found within the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Finding power within these simple notes, Dan brings them to life in music. The peace may be exchanged is a beautiful, lyric peace-prayer, using the warm string and diapason sounds of the organ. + Be not afraid is a brief, yet forcefully effective, reminder that God is with us at every moment, found halfway though the epic oratorio describing the vivid story of Elijah. + There is a season: It is difficult to hear this comforting text from Ecclesiates without calling to mind the popular 60\’s song Turn, turn, turn. Seeing a far greater need to inspire the hearing of these powerful words, Albany, New York composer Al Fedak has crafted a melody that allows the choir to communicate the deep meaning of the text clearly and with great feeling.
April 12, 2015 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., with hymns and youth soloists, sermon by the Rev\’d Borden Painter.
Organ: Basse de Trompette Jean-Adam Guilain (d. 1703)
Organ and Harp: Sanctus (Requiem) Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Jia-Lin Koh, harp
Opening Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o\’er Victory
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Offertory Anthem: I want to walk as a child of the light Kathleen Thomerson, 1970
Jia-Lin and Kay-Lin Koh, soloists
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx, 1977
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard, 1986
Communion Hymn Give peace to every heart (Taizé)
Closing Hymn 205 Good Christians all, rejoice and sing! Gelobt sei Gott
Organ: Good Christians all, rejoice and sing! Healey Willan, 1950
April 5, 2015 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir,
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani; sermon by the Rev\’d Hope E. Eakins.
Prelude: Sonata III in A Major Felix Mendelssohn
Opening Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 199 Come, ye faithful, raise the strain St. Kevin
Gospel Response: Hallelujah (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Offertory Anthem: Christ the Lord hath triumphed over death Raymond Weidner
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction Anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion Anthem: Alleluia Randall Thompson
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (from Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Notes: Worship begins this Easter with a “resurrection” Sonata by Felix Mendelssohn. It’s opening fugal theme builds in turmoil and intensity, set on top of the hymntune Aus tiefer not (Out of the depths). In the end, however, the clouds are parted in a triumphal hymn, and our antiphonal Trompette en Chamade (which has been silent in worship during the Lenten season) herald a bright new day. + Ever-popular Easter Hymnwas among the first hymns of a new popular style (for the early 1700s), in which more movement and spirit was attained by using more than one note per syllable. + The traditional St. John’s pairing of two great choral “Alleluias” continues this year, from the triumphal Handel chorus as a choral response to the Gospel, to the prayerful and so beautiful Randall Thompson during communion. Both works are rightly sung by almost every choir – symbols of choral singing and spiritually powerful to singer and listener alike.
April 3, 2015 + Good Friday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Leaflet
Good Friday Liturgy at 12:00 p.m. messages by the clergy of St. John\’s and St. James\’s Church, at St. John\’s
April 2, 2015 + Maundy Thursday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Maundy Thursday Eucharist at 7:00 p.m. sung by the Youth Choir
Organ: Choral dorien Jehan Alain
Opening Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Sequence Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread
Offertory anthem: Ubi caritas Maurice Duruflé
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion anthem: Ubi caritas Jacques Berthier
March 29, 2015 + The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II sung by the Adult Choir. The Liturgy begins in the Cloister at 10:30 a.m.
Processional Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Sequence Hymn 168 O sacred head, sore wounded Passion Chorale
Offertory Anthem: Sing me to heaven Daniel E. Gawthrop
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: Fragrant the prayer Curt Oliver
Closing Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Sing me to heaven is perhaps the most written-about choral work of the 20th century, as many different meanings can be derived from the beautiful text. Composed by American Dan Gawthrop, he says of its commission: \”The director said she wanted something which speaks to the way that we, as singers, feel about music in our lives.\” Choral director Dan Wagner sums it up best: \”I believe the Sing me to heaven text is really about music\’s ability best express life\’s deepest mysteries, greatest joys, and deepest sorrows. It is an ode to musical mysticism, in my opinion. I listen to it and am moved from my own point of view. My personal life experience – too much talking, not enough music! – leads me to affirm this piece and its text…when I die, I hope there\’s more singing than talking!\”
12:30 p.m. Pipes Alive! Organ Concert: Bach to Basics
Click here for program and podcast.
Thursday, March 25, 5:30 p.m. + Stop, Rest Pray: A Time for Lenten Reflection and Meditation
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Leaflet
Officiants: The Rev\’d Hope and Bill Eakins
Piano: Scott Lamlein
Taizé Songs: Bless the Lord, my soul; Bring peace to every heart
Sunday, March 22, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Partita Diverse Sopra: Christ, you are the light of day Johann Sebastian Bach
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory: I hear a voice a-prayin\’ Houston Bright, 1955
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: Ave verum corpus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Closing Hymn 699 Jesus, Lover of my soul Aberystwyth
Organ: Prelude in E minor, \”Cathedral\” Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Notes: On March 31st, we wish Johann Sebastian Bach a happy 330th birthday! Unlike the “partitas” of Bach and others, the “partite diverse” is a set of variation on a chorale tune. This set of variations, written in Bach’s youth, is a beautiful, colorful reminder of the light of Christ – always in our lives, even in darkness. Also written during his younger years, the “cathedral” prelude is improvisational in style. Both works employ a tension-building figure utilizing a single repeated note in the theme.
Sunday, March 15, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Variations on Wondrous Love Samuel Barber, 1959
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 439 What wondrous love is this Wondrous Love
Offertory: God so loved the world (The Crucifixion) John Stainer, 1887
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: A Gaelic blessing John Rutter, 1978
Communion Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Liebster Jesu
Closing Hymn 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Organ: Fugue (Sonata VI) Felix Mendelssohn, 1845
Well-loved hymn What wondrous love is this has its roots in the shape-note tradition of the early 1800s. The hymnal titled The Southern Harmony includes the hymn, written in 3-part harmony, with notes whose shapes (triangles, squares, circles) indicated the distance between the notes. Samuel Barber\’s variations on the tune are very engaging, beginning with a statement of the hymn much the same as the shape-note version, and then moving into expressive tone-painting. While the final verse of our sung version leaves us with a profound sense of hope, the final Barber variation keeps us at the Cross: a haunting descending figure depicts the downward stretch of crucifixion. + John Stainer\’s choral setting of the famous John 3:16-17 text is a standard of the choral repertoire, and part of a larger work, The Crucifixion, that was written as a meditation to aid in the understanding of the passion and death of Christ. The work is still performed annually at St. Marylebone in London, which commissioned it in 1887.
4:00 p.m. Concert: Choral Music for the Soul
St. John\’s Youth and Adult Choirs and Orchestra: Click here for details.
Thursday, March 12, 5:30 p.m. + Stop, Rest Pray: A Time for Lenten Reflection and Meditation
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Leaflet
Officiants: The Rev\’d Hope and Bill Eakins
Piano: Scott Lamlein
Taizé Songs: Bless the Lord, my soul; O Lord, hear my prayer
Sunday, March 8, 2015 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Introitus and Kyrie (Organoedia ad missam lectam) Zoltán Kodály, 1942
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Anthem (Youth Choir): My eyes for beauty pine Herbert Howells
Sequence Hymn 372 Praise to the living God Leoni
Offertory: You are the center Margaret Rizza
Violin: Douglas Bruce Johnson
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: Agnus Dei (Mass in G) Franz Schubert
Soloists: Margaret Beers, soprano; Aaron Krerowicz, bass
Closing Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Organ: Ite, missa est (Organoedia ad missam lectam) Zoltán Kodály, 1942
Margaret Rizza is a relative newcomer to the choral music scene, and her music has quickly taken its place among that of the Taizé community (Jacques Berthier) and Iona (John Bell). As those, Rizza\’s music is meditative and prayerful, and hauntingly repetitive, bringing the listener into a new place of prayer and connection to God. + The organ prelude and postlude are by Zoltán Kodály, who revolultionized the method by which we teach theory and especially ear training to students of music. Though most of his music is based in the hungarian folk tradition, this organ mass is in a late romantic style, with many moods and dramatic tone painting. This work was later transformed into a Missa Brevis for choir, organ, and orchestra.
Thursday, March 5, 5:30 p.m. + Stop, Rest Pray: A Time for Lenten Reflection and Meditation
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Leaflet
Officiants: The Rev\’d Hope and Bill Eakins
Piano: Scott Lamlein
Taizé Songs: Bless the Lord, my soul; Nothing Can Trouble
Sunday, March 1, 2015 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir; Sermon by Rev\’d William Eakins.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Deo gratias John Dunstable
Lonesome valley Robert Powell
Kyrie Eleison S-84 Gregorian Chant, Orbis factor
Sequence Hymn 441 In the cross of Christ I glory Rathbun
Offertory: Lord, lead us still Johannes Brahms
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks Herbert Howells
Closing Hymn 237 Let us now our voices raise Gaudeamus pariter
Organ: Chaconne Louis Couperin (1626-1661)
The organ music this morning spans several centuries, from the early 1400\’s (John Dunstable), 1600\’s (Louis Couperin), 1800\’s (Brahms), and on up through the 20th century and still living today (Howells and Powell, respectively). Music is a timeless and powerful connection to God through the ages. + In his Lord, lead us still, Brahms has taken a simple German folk-melody and woven the verse together with his trademark inner voice lines and beautiful harmony. + A powerful, pleading \”where is my God\” is the central message of the Howells Psalm setting, but even more powerful is the imagery of the deer in placid fields, yet thirsty. From the first notes of the introdction, the listener is drawn into a musical landscape, which sounds as if it was already in progress long before we began hearing it.
Thursday, February 26, 5:30 p.m. + Stop, Rest Pray: A Time for Lenten Reflection and Meditation
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Service Leaflet
Officiant: Stacey Kohl, Postulant for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Connecticut
Piano: Scott Lamlein
Taizé Songs: Bless the Lord, my soul; Stay with me
Sunday, February 22, 2015 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs; sermon by Rev\’d Hope Eakins.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Prelude au Kyrie Jean Langlais, 1952
Procession: The Great Litany The Rev\’d William Eakins, celebrant
Sequence Hymn 150 Forty days and forty nights Aus der Tiefe rufe ich
Offertory: O for a closer walk with God George Villiers Stanford
Sanctus Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Agnus Dei Gregorian Chant, Deus Genitor alme
Communion Anthem: Kyrie Eleison (Mass in G) Franz Schubert
Closing Hymn 688 A mighty fortress is our God Ein feste Burg
Organ: A mighty fortress Calvin Hampton, 1979
Lent brings us an opportunity for deeper reflection, as we take a break from musical fanfares and descants, and replace them with a silent procession and meditative chant. The service music that we will sing during Lent is all from the Gregorian Missal; both the Sanctus and Agnus Dei were famously set in Maurice Duruflé\’s Requiem. + Schubert\’s Mass in G is the most famous of his shorter mass settings. It was composed in less than a week in March of 1815, and creates an over-all devotional mood in his musical style. + Calvin Hampton (1938-1984) was one of the most prolific twentieth century church music composers; his music is featured in almost every church hymnal. This arrangement of Ein feste Burg successfully blends the well-known rhythms of the hymn with the isometric original version.
12:30 p.m. Pipes Alive! Organ Concert: Organ Fireworks
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 + Ash Wednesday
Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes at 7 a.m. (spoken) and 7 p.m. (with hymns)
Organ: Antiphon Marcel Dupré, 1921
Hymn 144 Lord Jesus, Sun of Righteousness Cornhill
Hymn 674 Forgive our sins as we forgive Detroit
Sunday, February 15, 2015 + The Last Sunday after Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with hymns and organ music, sermon by Rev\’d William Eakins. (Choir was cancelled due to inclement weather.)
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: La Paix (Suite for the Royal Fireworks) G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
Processional Hymn 137 O wondrous type! O vision fair Wareham
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 129 Christ upon the mountain peak Mowsley
Offertory: Overture (Suite for the Royal Fireworks) G. F. Handel
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ: Fanfare John Cook, 1952
Sunday, February 8, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by the Rev\’d Hope Eakins.
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Méditation Maurice Duruflé, 1964
Processional Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul St. Thomas
Offertory: Let all the world in every corner sing Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Ubi caritas Maurice Duruflé, 1960
Closing Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East or West McKee
Organ: Toccata on Veni Creator Spiritus Maurice Duruflé, 1931
This morning we share three works by Parisian composer Maurice Duruflé. A powerfully spiritual impressionist, Duruflé’s music is almost all based in ancient chant, yet all of music has a mystical, “music for the soul” feel. Ubi caritas is perhaps his most cherished work, and perhaps the most moving setting anywhere of the so-important words: “from a sincere heart let us love one another.” See if you can hear the importance of the word “sincero” in that thought. + A completely different take on “mystical” is the Vaughan Williams setting of Let all the world in every corner sing. The final work in the composer’sFive Mystical Songs, it is a joyful song of praise, with a bell-ringing and cymbal-crashing mood.
Sunday, February 1, 2015 + The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Bishop Laura Ahrens
Link to: Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Organ: Processional Robert Paoli, 1991
Air for organ Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Processional Hymn 381 Thy strong word did cleave the darkness Ton-y-Botel
Sequence Hymn 348 Lord, we have come at your invitation O quanta quallia
Offertory: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Sing, my soul, his wondrous love Ned Rorem, 1962
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord Woodlands
Organ: Choral Song Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Samuel Sebastian Wesley seemed destined for the life of a church musician, as his middle name was taken from Johann Sebastian Bach. He did not disappoint: in a time that English church music had become less than satisfactory, Wesley was largely responsible for raising this standard through his own work as a composer and organist. In all his music, Wesley strived for an expressive and accessible sound, as evidenced in the three works presented in today’s worship. The exquisite Thou wilt keep him in perfect peaceremains one of the most-loved anthems in the repertoire.
Sunday, January 25, 2015 + The Third Sunday after Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, Sermon by Hope Eakins
Organ: Berceuse Louis Vierne, 1914
Processional Hymn 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above Mit Freuden zart
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Offertory: O God, my heart is ready Peter Niedmann, 2005
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Bread of the world, in mercy broken John Abdenour, 1992
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Organ: Carillon de Longpont Louis Vierne, 1914
O God, my heart is ready was written by two friends of St. John’s: Jane Penfield wrote the text, and Newington composer Peter Niedmann was commissioned to write the music in 2005. As all of Peter’s works, it is characterized by a beautiful, accessible melody and accompaniment. + Louis Vierne was one of the long line of geniuses that were organist at Notre Dame de Paris, and made glorious music to the glory of God despite being blind.Berceuse (\”Lullaby\”) and Carillon de Longpont are from a collection of pieces written for home organ, and can be played with or without pedals. However, the repetitive carillon theme in the bass lends itself well to those largest pipes in the organ.
Sunday, January 18, 2015 + The Second Sunday after Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, Sermon by Bill Eakins
Organ: Two settings of Liebster Jesu
Richard Purvis, 1949; George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987)
Processional Hymn 7 Christ, whose glory fills the skies Ratisbon
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 549 Jesus call us, o\’er the tumult St. Andrew
Offertory: Thou art the way Robert Edward Smith, 2005
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Agnus Dei (Mass for four voices) William Byrd (1674-1744)
Communion Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Liebster Jesu
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Rondeau (Symphonies de Fanfares) Jean Joseph Mouret (1682-1738)
Robert Edward Smith, a prolific composer of works for choir and organ, has been Composer-in-Residence at Trinity College, Hartford, since 1979. As evidenced by today’s setting of Thou art the way, his music has been described as “enthusiastically tonal and melodic.” + Richard Purvis and George Thalben-Ball provide two unusual settings of the german chorale Liebster Jesu in the prelude. Purvis was organist/choirmaster at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, for many years, where he combined his talents as an Anglican musician with his theatre organ stylings, the latter of which is heard clearly in this beautiful arrangement.
Sunday, January 11, 2015 + The First Sunday after Epiphany
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, sermon by Hope Eakins
Organ: Short Prelude & Fugue in G Major, BWV 557 J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude on Stuttgart Malcolm Archer, 1991
Processional Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Sequence Hymn 295 Sing praise to our Creator Christus, der ist mein Leben
Baptism Hymn: Child of blessing, child of promise Stuttgart
Offertory: Beati quorum via Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Gracious spirit, dwell with me K. Lee Scott, 1984
Closing Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord\’s Anointed Es flog ein kleins Waldvögelein
Organ: Rigoudon André Campra, 1712
The eight “Short” Preludes and Fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach are often attributed to one of his students, Ludwig Krebs, as compositional exercises or teaching works. However, they remain among the most accessible and popular of the Bach opus list. + Our choirs aid us in worshiping God this morning with two beautiful melodies: Beati quorum via is perhaps the most perfect of English choral compositions, with a coda that invokes wonder and delight. Gracious Spirit, dwell with me matches the familiar chant,Adoro te devote, with a modern text and mystical accompaniment.
Sunday, January 4, 2015 + The Second Sunday after Christmas
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast – Printed Sermon – Service Leaflet
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, sermon by Bill Eakins
Organ: Kings of Orient, Puer Nobis Alex Wyton, 1964
Processional Hymn 109 The first Nowell The First Nowell
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 124 What star is this Puer nobis
Offertory What cheer? Good cheer! Peter Warlock
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem Saw you never in the twilight Harold Friedell, 1955
Closing Hymn 119 As with gladness men of old Dix
Organ: Fugue on From heaven above Johann Pachelbel
Sunday, December 28, 2014 + The First Sunday after Christmas
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. with Margaret Beers, soprano, and Douglas Bruce Johnson, organ
Organ: Pastorale J. S. Bach
Processional Hymn 82 Of the Father\’s love begotten Divinum mysterium
Gloria in Excelsis S-280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 89 It came upon a midnight clear Carol
Offertory Gesù Bambino Pietro Yon
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd G. F. Handel
Closing Hymn 107 Good Christian friends, rejoice In dulci jubilo
Organ: In dulci jubilo J. S. Bach
Thursday, December 25, 2014 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m. with congregational Carols, and Jia-Lin Koh, harp
Organ: Good Christian friends, rejoice (In dulci jubilo) Marcel Dupré
Opening Hymn 96 Angels we have heard on high Gloria
Sequence Hymn 79 O Little town of Bethlehem St. Louis
Offertory: Noel nouvelet, Away in a manger
Communion: Let all mortal flesh keep silence, Silent night
Closing Hymn 100 Joy to the world! Antioch
Organ: Joy to the World! Wilbur Held
Wednesday, December 24, 2014 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
3:50 p.m. Choral Prelude (Youth Choir)
4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist sung by the Youth Choir
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with string quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir with string quartet
Music listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m. with Youth Choir
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. West, Berton
Torches John Joubert
Away in a manger Normandy Tune
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m. with Youth Choir
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Offertory anthem: In the bleak mid-winter arr. Robert Hugh
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Nativity Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion Anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Carillon-Sortie Henri Mulet
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
Link to: Service Podcast – Prelude Podcast
Once in Royal David’s City arr. Paul Halley
Torches John Joubert
Sussex Carol arr. David Willcocks
Away in a Manger Normandy Tune
Glory to God (Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Pastoral Symphony (Messiah) Handel
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. West, Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Offertory anthem: Sing of a girl Peter Niedmann
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: Nativity Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 101 Away in a manger Cradle Song
Postcommunion Anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, st. 3 arr. Wolfgang Lindner
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the herald angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Carillon-Sortie Henri Mulet
December 21, 2014 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast
The St. John\’s Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Jeffrey Higgins and Thomas Hintz, trumpets
Prelude: Sung by the Choirs
Come, thou long-expected Jesus German Tune
Ave Maria Tomas de luis Victoria
People, look east Besançon Carol
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
Ding dong! merrily on high arr. Charles Wood
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert
Offertory Anthem: Glory to God (Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 87 Hark, the herald angels sing Mendelssohn
Organ and trumpets: My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
December 14, 2014 + Advent Procession of Lessons & Carols
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Printed Program – Event Details
December 14, 2014 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland J. S. Bach
Processional Hymn 66 Come, thou long-expected Jesus Stuttgart
Kyrie S-89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 65 Prepare the way, O Zion Breden bag for Herran
Offertory Anthem: The Lamb John Tavener
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Franz Schubert
Communion Hymn 104 A stable lamp is lighted Adújar
Closing Hymn 72 Hark! the glad sound! the Savior comes Richmond
Organ: Carillon Scott Lamlein
Music Notes: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland is a Lutheran chorale from 1524. The tune is presented here in a highly ornamented and emotionally charged setting by the master Bach as we prepare for worship. + “The Lamb” is a setting of a poem by William Blake, depicting the innocence of the Christ child, the beautiful creation of God. Part of Blake’s collection “Songs of Innocence” of 1789. Although the original poems were meant to be sung, Blake’s original tunes are lost to the ages. Sir John Tavener set the poem to music, explaining, “ ‘The Lamb’ came to me fully grown and was written in an afternoon and dedicated to my nephew Simon for his 3rd birthday.”
December 7, 2014 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Three Settings of Veni Emmanuel
Paul Manz – Pietro Yon – Wilbur Held
Processional Hymn 56 O come, O come, Emmanuel Veni Emmanuel
Kyrie S-89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 76 On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry Winchester New
Offertory Anthem: A spotless rose Herbert Howells
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: While all things were in quiet silence Ned Rorem
Closing Hymn 67 Comfort, comfort ye my people Psalm 42
Organ: Prelude in C Major (“9/8”), BWV 547 J. S. Bach
Music Notes: The origins of “O come, O come, Emmanuel” date to medieval times. In the 800s, a series of Latin hymns were sung, called the “O” Antiphons. Over time, these were restructured, and the first draft of the beloved hymn we know came from Anglican priest John Mason Neale, in 1851. Born to a family of clergy, Neale wanted to become a parish minister, but his poor health prevented this. He instead became the director of Sackville College, a home for elderly men. This proved to be a good match, as Neale was compassionate with a great heart for the needy. A traditionalist, he was outspoken against the change that other hymn writers like Isaac Watts stood for, but today we find Neale and Watts side-by-side in our hymnals. We owe Neale our gratitude for this great hymn, as well as “Good King Wenceslas,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” and “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.”
November 30, 2014 + The First Sunday of Advent
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Processional Hymn 57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Kyrie S-89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 61 “Sleepers, wake!” A voice astounds us Wachet auf
Offertory Anthem: People, look east Besancon Carol
Sanctus S-130 Franz Schubert
Fraction Anthem S-164 Franz Schubert
Communion Anthem: A new heaven Robert Prizeman, 2004
Closing Hymn 601 O day of God, draw nigh St. Michael
Organ: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Paul Manz, 1987
Music Notes: As we begin the season of advent, our music encourages us to watch, wait, and most importantly, keep awake! Two very different settings of the German chorale that forms the tune of our Sequence Hymn show the timelessness of both text and tune, with a dancelike, rhythmic prelude paired with a triumphant fanfare postlude. + Robert Prizeman’s choral setting of “A New Heaven,” written for the famous English choral ensemble Libera, reminds us of a different kind of waiting and watching… transporting us beautifully to a new heaven right here on earth.
November 27, 2014 + Thanksgiving Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m.
Prelude: All Things Bright and Beautiful Scott Lamlein, 2014
Opening Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God Nun danket
Sequence Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Offertory: Gratitude John Purifoy, 2000
Closing Hymn 290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George\’s, Windsor
Organ: Nun Danket Alle Gott Robert Edward Smith, 1996
November 23, 2014 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Now thank we all our God Russell Schultz-Widmar (1944-)
Prelude on Kremser John Ferguson, 2001
Processional Hymn 290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George\’s, Windsor
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 291 We plow the fields and scatter Wir pflugen
Offertory Anthem: The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion Anthem: Eternal Light Leo Sowerby, 1958
Communion Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Processional William Mathias (1934-1992)
Music Notes: Perhaps it will feel like the longest ever introduction to the Presentation Doxology, but the full setting of Ralph Vaughn Williams “Old Hundredth” is one of the most powerful acts of gratitude in the choral repertoire, originally written for choir, congregation, organ and orchestra for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. + \”We Gather Together\” is a Christian hymn of Dutch origin written in 1597 by Adrianus Valerius as \”Wilt heden nu treden\” to celebrate the Dutch victory over Spanish forces in the Battle of Turnhout. In the United States, it is popularly associated with Thanksgiving Day and is often sung at family meals and at religious services on that day. + Our closing organ work celebrates the music of William Mathias, composer of the Gloria and Sanctus settings in use for the last several months. As the seasons change next Sunday and new music graces our service, we give thanks for the composer of these uplifting pieces.
November 16, 2014 + The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Trumpet Tune Henry Heron (1727-1789)
Prelude on Cwm Rhondda Julia Calkins, 2002
Processional Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 593 Lord, make us servants of your peace Dickinson College
Offertory Anthem: How can I keep from singing arr. Edward Tyler, 1995
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion Anthem: Oculi omnium Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Closing Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Trumpet Tune David N. Johnson (1922-1981)
Music Notes: “God of grace and God of glory” was written in 1930 for the dedication of the famous Riverside Church in New York City by its pastor, Harry Emerson Fosdick. Its petitions reflected the trials of the day, and are still relevant in this age. Originally paired with the familiar tune Regent Square, the Welsh tune we use, Cwm Rhondda, was paired with the hymn by the Methodist Church in 1935 and gained huge popularity. Fosdick, however, disapproved of this, saying, “My views are well known – you Methodists have always been a bunch of wise guys.” Fortunately, such denominational competition is a thing of the distant past.
November 9, 2014 + The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Voluntary in F Eric Thiman, 1943
Prelude on Land of Rest George Shearing (1919-2011)
Processional Hymn 436 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates Truro
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 68 Rejoice! Rejoice, believers Llangloffan
Offertory: Let all mortal flesh keep silence Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion Anthem: Jesu, Joy of Man\’s Desiring J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Closing Hymn 620 Jerusalem, my happy home Land of Rest
Organ: Toccata in F Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Music Notes: Blind from birth, George Shearing was one of the most well-loved of the 20th century jazz pianists. Wanting to express his faith through his music, he composed a set of jazz preludes for organ, including this prayerful setting of ‘Land of Rest.’ + The Bach Communion anthem, a perennial favorite, is from a cantata (No. 147) written originally in Weimar in 1716 for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Later in Bach\’s career he found it impossible to perform in Leipzig, because that city observed silence for the last three Sundays of Advent. Thus he revised it for the feast of the Visitation, where it was first performed in Leipzig in July, 1723. On many occasions Bach recycled and revised his own music, sometimes as a result of genuine inspiration, sometimes to create meaningful connections between pieces, and sometimes simply to find a way to be sure something as beautiful as \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring’ didn’t simply disappear. + Buxtehude’s Toccatas are very different from the French Toccatas, made famous by Widor. Written in a free style in many tiny sections, each passing phrase brings on higher and more intense emotion. Buxtehude was one of Bach’s mentors, and, after travelling to North Germany to study with him, Bach was nearly fired from his own church position for playing music that was too “out there.”
November 1, 2014 + All Saints\’ Sunday
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Adagio in G minor Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)
Processional Hymn 287 For all the saints Sine Nomine
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Youth Choir Anthem: I sing a song of the saints of God Michael Bedford, 2004
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory Anthem: Souls of the righteous T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion Music: Holy, holy, holy! arr. Sylvia Wood – Jia-Lin Koh, harp
White\’s Air William Churchill Hammond
Closing Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Organ: Psalm 19 Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
Music Notes: This morning’s choral music contrasts our Adult Choir’s a capella singing of the emotional setting of this Wisdom text with our Youth Choir’s joyful new tune for an old Episcopal favorite. The original text and tune for “I sing a song of the saints of God” was written in England, but never gained popularity there. Its inclusion in the 1940 Episcopal hymnal brought it to attention in the United States, and attempts to remove it from The Hymnal 1982 prompted a passionate letter-writing campaign. + Albinoni and Marcello were contemporaries during the Italian Baroque period, and Marcello was an aristocrat who wrote music as a hobby. “The heavens declare the glory of God” is the inspiration for this opening transcription of a larger choral work. + The person that served my home church as organist for 60 years arranged “White’s Air” in the mid-20th century. Played at almost all parish funerals, the inscription on the score reads: “Nobody knows where the original tune came from – it must have come from heaven.”
October 26, 2014 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Pastorale in F, S. 590 (Sec. 1 & 2) J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude on St. Anne Robert Edward Smith, 1996
Processional Hymn 680 O God, our help in ages past St. Anne
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be consecrated Hollingside
Offertory anthem: Christ is our cornerstone Noel Rawsthorne, 1993
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Lord, make me to know Thy ways William Byrd (1540-1623)
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore Thee Adoro devote
Closing Hymn 609 Where cross the crowded ways of life Gardiner
Organ: Fugue in E-flat Major, S. 552 (“St. Anne”) J. S. Bach
Music Notes: Johann Sebastian Bach is famous for weaving numbers into his works, adding deeper meaning for the theologian and scholar, and amazingly having beautiful music come forth at the same time, or even resulting from, the math. The Fugue in E-flat is loaded with 3s – three sections with distinct themes, representing the strength of God the Father, the youth of God the Son, and the joyful dancing of God the Holy Spirit. There are three distinct meters, yet they all “work together”, suggesting unity of the three parts. It gets much more complicated than that, and I’ll be happy to show you some very daunting formulas that show how Bach literally embedded theological meaning into the notes. It is a coincidence (or is it?) that the Father section echoes the hymn-tune for O God, our help in ages past.
October 19, 2014 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Sonata II in C Minor Felix Mendelssohn, 1841
Grave – Andante
Processional Hymn 718 God of our fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Anthem: You are my God Bob Chilcott, 2005
Sequence Hymn 591 O God of earth and altar King’s Lynn
Offertory anthem: Bread of heaven, on thee we feed Peter Niedmann, 1996
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion Hymn 685 Rock of ages, cleft for me Toplady
Closing Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Organ: Fugue from Sonata II in C Minor Felix Mendelssohn, 1841
Music Notes: Our choirs share two contrasting anthems this morning: You are my God, written by Bob Chilcott of the King’s Singers, combines a haunting melody with a dramatic piano accompaniment. It was composed for AIDS victims in Scotland. + Bread of heaven, an early work by Newington composer Peter Niedmann, prepares us for communion with this timeless prayer: ‘Jesus, may we ever be grafted, rooted, built in thee.’ + After the Mendelssohn organ sonatas were publicly released, Robert Schumann described them as ‘intensely poetical, … what a perfect picture they form!’
October 12, 2014 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, with Douglas Bruce Johnson, guest organist/choirmaster
Organ: Miserere. 3 parts & 4 parts William Byrd
Processional Hymn 645 The King of love my shepherd is St. Columba
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 683 O for a closer walk with God Caithness
Offertory anthem: Oculi omnium Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O taste and see Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
with Daaé Ransom, soprano soloist
Communion Hymn 316 This is the hour of banquet and of song Canticum refectionis
Closing Hymn 569 God the omnipotent! Russia
Organ: Tiento XXVII Francisco Fernández Palero
Music notes: Music has a way of drawing people and things together, and connecting what appears to be disparate, drawing us into circles of relationship and connectedness. This morning’s selections illustrate this phenomenon quite well.
In his long career, William Byrd (ca 1540-1623) served in both the courts and the chapels of three English sovereigns. Byrd’s two settings of the plainchant Miserere come down to us in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, a manuscript collection of pieces for keyboard that encompasses music from the long time-span of 1562-1612. The music of the 3-part settings is full of variety, exploiting the technique of rhythmic variation; the 4-part setting builds large phrases in the style that has its origin in the motets of the 15th century masters.
Charles Wood (1866-1926) was an influential Irish composer and folksong collector. Among his pupils were the British musical luminaries Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells. His setting of the Latin motet “Oculi omnium” dates to the period after 1889, when he taught as a Fellow at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and exercised the role of Director of Music and Organist there. He was deeply involved in the reflorescence of music at the college, and also composed chamber music and edited collections of Irish folk songs.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) is regarded as the greatest English composer since Purcell (who died in 1695—a long time in between “greats”). His compositions span the entire breadth of styles and genres, from symphonies and oratorios to folksong collections. He served as editor of the 1906 English Hymnal, with Percy Dearmer. The spirit of the Sussex folksongs he knew and loved permeates the music of the brief motet, “O Taste and See,” which has become a perennial favorite.
Today is Columbus Day, and the postlude offers an aural glimpse of music that the explorer may himself have heard in church, either in his native Italy or in Spain. The music of Francisco Fernández Palero (? – 1597) is found in several important 16th century Spanish and Portuguese manuscript collections, alongside that of Antonio Cabezon. Together they are regarded as the founders of the Spanish school of organ playing, and may have influenced contemporary English keyboard composers (such as Byrd) in developing a widely imitated variation technique. The full title of this Tiento, “sobre Cum sancto spiritu de la missa De beata virgine de Jusquin,” alludes to its own musical heritage as a variation of a movement from a mass by the 15th century Flemish master Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450-1521), whose music influenced composers for more than a century after his death.
October 5, 2014 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Partita on In Babilone Michael Burkhardt
Processional Hymn 495 Hail, thou once despised Jesus! In Babilone
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 628 Help us, O Lord, to learn St. Ethelwald
Offertory anthem: I Hear a Voice A-Prayin\’ Houston Bright
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O nata lux Morten Lauridsen
Closing Hymn 546 Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve Siroe
Organ: Carillon Herbert Murrill
Music Notes: Houston Bright, son of a Methodist minister and long-time professor of music at what is now West Texas A&M University, composed over a hundred choral works, but ‘I Hear a Voice’ is by far his most famous, and one of the few pieces written in this Gospel style. + ‘O nata lux’ is has been described as ‘eerily beautiful’… This motet is a moment in a larger orchestral work of Morten Lauridsen, in which the orchestra just falls away and the choir alone offers a poignant prayer.
September 28, 2014 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Aria Flor Peeters
Opening Hymn 435 At the Name of Jesus King’s Weston
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 564 He who would valiant be St. Dunstan\’s
Offertory anthem: Cantate Domino Hans Leo Hassler
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Set Me as a Seal Rene Clausen
Communion Hymn 309 O Food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Postlude on Cwm Rhondda Paul Manz
Music Notes: After the loss of his child, Rene Clausen, composer of \”Set Me As a Seal\” wrote: \’Normally, when I am asked about the \”inspiration\” process, I laugh and deny inspiration in favor of work and effort. In this case, however, I just sat down and wrote the piece. I don\’t know what is wrapped up inside these few, simple notes. I can say actually very little about the piece. Whenever I return to it, however, I am struck by the phrase \”for love is strong as death\”, because when I wrote it my actual feeling was \”for love is stronger than death\”; abiding, all-encompassing love absorbs even the pain of death. If the piece is about anything, it is about the simple but powerful conviction of permanent love that seeks to overflow the boundary between life and death. I can\’t imagine a choir singing it without open hearts.\’
September 21, 2014 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Offertorio in G G.F. Handel
Trio on St. Agnes Richard Blake
Opening Hymn 522 Glorious things of thee are spoken Austria
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Offertory anthem: O How Amiable Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Day by Day (Youth Choir) Martin How
Communion Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls St. Agnes
Closing Hymn 541 Come, labor on Ora Labora
Organ: Grand Choeur on Austria Richard Purvis
Music Notes: ‘O How Amiable’ is a staple of Anglican choral music; its pastoral imagery reflection on God’s glory culminate in a statement of one of our most beloved hymns, ‘O God our help in ages past.’ + Richard Purvis was for many years organist/choirmaster at Grace Church, San Francisco, and was adept at playing the organ in both classic and theatrical styles. He clearly focuses on the first word of the text here: ‘Glorious.’
September 14, 2014 + The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Nun danket alle Gott Georg Friedrich Kaufmann
Adagio (Sonata I) Felix Mendelssohn
Opening Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe denn Herren
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 674 Forgive our sins, as we forgive Detroit
Offertory anthem: Dear Lord and Father of Mankind C. Hubert H. Parry
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Draw Us in the Spirit\’s Tether Harold W. Friedell
Closing Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God Nun danket alle Gott
Organ: Postlude on Lobe denn Herren Emma Lou Diemer
Music Notes: The hymn-tune \’Union Seminary\’, named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew\’s Church on Park Avenue. The matched Percy Dearmer text ‘Draw us in the Spirit’s tether’ is a powerful message of our common gathering as disciples, offering our lives as sacrifice to God. + Emma Lou Diemer’s setting of the favorite hymn-tune ‘Lobe denn Herren’ is a fantastic act of praise, using rock rhythms in the middle section and ending with a climactic gesture of sound.
September 7, 2014 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Link to: Full Service Podcast – Sermon Podcast
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Sheep May Safely Graze Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 614 Christ is the King! Christus Rex
Offertory anthem: If Ye Love Me Thomas Tallis
Sanctus S-128 William Mathias
Fraction anthem: S-166 Agnus Dei Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Bread of the World John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 302 Father, we thank thee Rendez a Dieu
Closing Hymn 657 Love divine, all loves excelling Hyfrydol
Organ: Prelude in G Major, S. 550 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: On this Sunday of gathering and welcome, we share music of Thomas Tallis and Johann Sebastian Bach, two pillars of church music that are immortalized in the front left clerestory stained-glass window of the Nave. Transcribed from an alto aria, Sheep May Safely Graze presents a beautiful image of pastoral gathering. + John Abdenour is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, CT. His unison setting of this ancient text is both simple and moving.
May 25, 2014 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory anthem: Sanctus (from St. Cecilia Mass) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: I will bless the Lord at all times John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 680 O God, our help in ages past St. Anne
Organ: Fugue in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Charles Gounod, because of his great popularity (especially from his operas) and his stylistic influence on the next generation of composers, was a towering figure in French music in the mid-nineteenth century. For two years he studied theology, but chose not to take holy orders; still, he was often referred to as \”l\’Abbé (Father) Gounod.\” The Sanctus sung at the offertory is from his Mass dedicated to Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music), written in 1855. † The communion anthem, written in 2007, is dedicated to Peter, Jenn, and Sophie Rose. † The genius of J. S. Bach manifested itself in many ways, including a fascination with numerology and symbolism. Bach\’s fugue associated with the hymn-tune \”St. Anne\” (O God, our help in ages past) is a testament to the Trinity, written in triple meter, with a key signature of three flats, and in three sections. The first section represents God the Father with the stately foundation stops of the organ; God the Son is depicted in the lighter second section; the exuberant conclusion evokes the power of the Holy Spirit.
May 18, 2014 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter – Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir, with Adult Choir joining in Offertory anthem
Prelude: Allegro from Sonata I, S. 525 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 412 Earth and all stars Earth and All Stars
Sequence Hymn 413 New songs of celebration render Louez a Dieu
Offertory anthem: Freedom Trilogy Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Youth Choir and Church School: The Lord\’s Prayer arr. Peter S. Berton
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: God be with you till we meet again Barry Rose
Communion Hymn 303 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Albright
Closing Hymn Love Divine, all loves excelling Beecher
Organ: Toccata on \’Beecher\’ Berton
Music Note: The prelude is a merry piece written to teach Bach’s sons how to play the organ. † The opening hymn, an exuberant contemporary Benedicite, Omnia opera Domini (a canticle, see S-229 in The Hymnal) brings into our repertoire of songs of praise traditional images as well as those that are very much a part of our present-day experience of God’s creation. The text was written in 1964 for the 90th Anniversary of St. Olaf College, Northfield MN; a tune of similar vitality lifts the text to heights of pure and almost uninhibited joyfulness. (Hymn note by Raymond F. Glover.) † British–born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then became founder and artistic director of Connecticut’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus andGaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George’s Anglican Church and at the University of King’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In his Freedom Trilogy(1997), Halley freely integrates elements from a diversity of styles into a convincing new entity. † Barry Rose, former organist and choirmaster of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, composed the communion anthem as a commission for the boy and girl choristers of Grace Church in New York City in 2000. The text’s poet, Jeremiah Eames Rankin, was an abolitionist, champion of the temperance movement, minister of Washington D.C.’s First Congregational Church, and correspondent with Frederick Douglass. Rankin is best known as author of this hymn and \”Tell It to Jesus.\” † The communion hymn, by the late University of Michigan composition professor William Albright, is one of four tunes commissioned for a conference of musicians and clergy held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, in 1972. Its accompaniment includes a prescribed sequence of notes executed randomly, from tuned percussion instruments to create a celestial effect; in this context the ancient poetry takes on an even more cosmic dimension. † The final hymn’s tune is named for another famous abolitionist, The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, founding Minister of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, NY. The tune, originally composed for the text “Love divine, all loves excelling,” was composed by John Zundel, Beecher’s organist at Plymouth. Our organist was formerly organist of that church 1995-2002 and composed this Toccata in 2000 in a celebratory turn-of-the-last-century rock idiom within a traditional French Romantic structure.
May 11, 2014 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, with Youth Choir anthem
Prelude: Sheep may safely graze Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Youth Choir: The Lord is my Shepherd Howard Goodall
Sequence Hymn 516 Come down, O Love divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: The Lord is my shepherd John Rutter
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Brother James\’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob
Communion Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Closing Hymn 646 The King of Love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Organ: Hornpipe from Water Music George Frideric Handel
Music Note: The Fourth Sunday of Easter, \’Good Shepherd Sunday,\’ could not be more fitting for Confirmation. The image of God as a shepherd was immensely appealing to the farming societies of Jesus\’s day, as well as before (the Psalter) and through to the present age. So many versions of Psalm 23 exist partly through this timeline of over two thousand years, and additionally because of the practice of \”metrical psalmody\” beginning with the Reformation in the 1500s. † The Youth Choir anthem is the theme music of the popular humorous British television show, \”The Vicar of Dibley.\” It includes a solo at the end for the smallest sheep, which was sung several years ago by our oldest singers when they were the smallest sheep. † Metrical psalmody was created to permit the easy congregational singing of psalms to pre-existing familiar hymn tunes, such as Psalm 100 paired with the tune of that name, \”Old Hundredth\” which we sing weekly at the presentation of the offering. Metrical versions of psalm texts are by nature paraphrases, adjusting the number of syllables per line into a formula determined by the meter of the music. \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. He has been compared to St. Francis for his mystic insights combined with an irresistible charm and childlike trust of one who loves all people and all creatures. (Once when walking in the woods he caught his cast on a tree branch, and in freeing himself accidentally broke the branch, much to his annoyance. When asked to explain his annoyance, he responded \”Man, I\’ve just lost a real good friend. Many a fine cast have I found on that self-same branch.\”) The metrical tune upon which the communion anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\”
May 4, 2014 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: Prelude from Prelude and Fugue Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised and dies no more Engelberg
Baptism Hymn 294 Baptized in water (sung to the tune of Hymn No. 8) Bunessan
Offertory anthem: Mercy and truth are met together Douglas Bruce Johnson
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: A Welcome World Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 192 This joyful Eastertide Vruechten
Closing Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o\’er, the battle done Victory
Organ: Awake, thou wintry earth Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Douglas Bruce Johnson is a retired professor of composition at Trinity College, Hartford. \”Mercy and truth are met together\” was written for the consecration of The Rev. Canon Wilfrido Ramos-Orench as Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut in 2000. It pays homage to Bishop Ramos-Orench\’s Puerto Rican heritage by quoting the adorable call of the coqui, a species of small frog common in Puerto Rico. The brief text is revealed within a mystical mood, as if (in the words of teh composer) \”a small window opened up to heaven and closed again.\” This anthem is being sung in the concert \’Celebrating Connecticut Composers\’ this afternoon. † The communion anthem, written in 2007 for the baptism of another composer\’s first child, is like a lullaby to describe the calm and joy both on earth and in heaven, to welcome a newly baptized person into the church family. At the end of the music is a place to mention by name the person or people being baptized. This anthem is the prologue to A Poet\’s Requiem being performed with orchestra as part of the concert this afternoon. The first part of the music (before the choir enters) introduces a melody from a later movement of the Requiem, \”To Love,\” tying together a soul\’s entry into the world, the love of God shown throughout a lifetime, and that love\’s continuation after death.
4:00 pm CONCERT Celebrating Connecticut Composers
Click for further information and to order tickets online
April 27, 2014 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Death and Resurrection Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 193 That Easter day with joy was bright Puer nobis
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 209 We walk by faith, and not by sight St. Botolph
Offertory anthem: Haec est dies Jacob Gallus
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Rise up, my love Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 212 Awake, arise, lift up your voice Richmond
Closing Hymn 206 O sons and daughters, let us sing O filii et filiae
Organ: Toccata on \’O filii et filiae\’ Lynnwood Farnam
Music Note: Today\’s organ prelude bears the inscription, \”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\” (I Corinthians 15:55). One of Langlais\’s earliest works, it portrays a vision of the life hereafter. Death is heard in the somber opening melody in the pedals; eternal life is represented by a Gregorian chant, the Gradual from the Requiem Mass, announced by a trumpet. These two ideas are combined, significantly, not so much in a struggle as in a unified crescendo toward the work\’s victorious conclusion. † Healey Willan, often referred to as the \’Dean of Canadian composers\’ of church music, penned many ravishing miniatures. His 1929 motet \”Rise up, my love\” uses gentle flowing chords to describe flowers appearing in Eastertide, and ends with a reiteration of the invitation to \’come away.\’ † Lynnwood Farnam was an exceptional Canadian organ recitalist who moved to New York in 1918, first to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and then to the Church of the Holy Communion. His tremendous American touring career tragically was cut short by a brain tumor. His only composition is this brief Toccata, and reportedly he launched into it invariably as a test piece when trying out an instrument new to him. \’O filii et filiae\’ is a hymn tune of uncertain origin, assumed to be either a French folk melody probably dating from the late fifteenth century, or perhaps a tune which began as a chant melody.
April 20, 2014 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani
Prelude: Final on Haec Dies (from Symphonie Romane) Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Offertory anthem: The Resurrection Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Alleluia Randall Thompson
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Postcommunion anthem: Hallelujah (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (from Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: The prelude is Widor’s ‘other’ Easter toccata, from his tenth and last organ symphony, based on the day\’s traditional plainsong hymn Haec Dies (“This is the Day the Lord has made”). Widor describes this hymn as “a graceful arabesque…as difficult to fasten upon as the song of a bird…The rhythmical freedom of Gregorian chant clashes with out stern metronomic time…The only mode of fixing on the auditor’s ear so undefined a motive is to repeat it constantly.” In the symphony’s triumphant conclusion, the energy of the toccata rises and falls several times before arriving at a crowning Resurrection hymn, which recedes into a rich texture suggesting the ringing of bells. † The Resurrection was composed in 2000, commissioned by poet M. David Samples in memory of Wayne F. Maxwell Jr. The text’s inherent dramatic possibilities are set for varied choral forces as a mini-cantata, with soloists which narrate the proceedings and inhabit characters as in a Bach Passion. The opening fanfare is that of another plainsong hymn for Easter Day Victimae Paschali Laudes (“To the Paschal Victim let Christians offer their praises”), which recurs in the opening solo (“The bitter cross is over now”) and in the sparkling organ accompaniment preceding the announcement of the angel. The final choral section, with merry polyrhythms, briefly quotes the Hallelujah motive from Handel’s Messiah. † Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia,” surely established as one of the most beloved American choral compositions, was written in 1940 for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Composed during wartime, the piece’s many moods around a single word of acclamation express the totality of the Easter message.
April 18, 2014 + Good Friday
Good Friday Liturgy at 7:00 p.m. sung by the combined Youth and Adult Choirs of St. John\’s Church and St. James\’s Church, West Hartford Center, at St. John\’s Church
Psalm 22 Plainsong, Tone IV.1
Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Anthem: Ex ore innocentium John Ireland
Hymn 166 Ah, holy Jesus! Pange Lingua
Anthem: Were you there? Bob Chilcott
Hymn 168 O sacred head, sore wounded Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Organ: O sacred head, sore wounded Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The text of \”Ex ore innocentium\” (\”From the mouths of innocents\”) does not limit the view of Christ\’s sacrifice to a child\’s perspective, but invites all to consider the meaning of the cross through its vivid imagery, accompanied by compelling music. Its author, Bishop William Walsham How, was known for his ministry to children and was commonly called the children\’s bishop. In addition to publishing several volumes of sermons he wrote a good deal of verse, including such well-known hymns as \”Jesus! Name of wondrous love!\” (the Hymnal 1982, No. 252),\”O Christ, the Word Incarnate (632), and \”For all the Saints\” (287).
April 17, 2014 + Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday Eucharist at 7:00 p.m. sung by the Youth Choir
Prelude: In wonder (Pange Lingua) (from Hereford Variations) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Sequence Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread
Offertory anthem: O mysterium ineffabile Jean François Lallouette
Sanctus S124 David Hurd
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
April 13, 2014 + The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
The Liturgy begins in the Cloister at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Choral Prelude: Hosanna to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes
Opening Hymn: Ride on! ride on in majesty! Winchester New
Processional Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory anthem: Jerusalem (from Gallia) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Crucifixus Antonio Lotti
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Closing Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Organ: Toccata: The Wondrous Cross (from Hereford Variations) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Music Note: French composer Charles Gounod, along with many others, turned to programmatic subjects in musical response to France\’s military defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870). Dating from 1871, and written in England, the oratorio Gallia is thought to draw a parallel between the then national situation and that of Jerusalem stunned by the reversal of fate upon its Messiah. The concluding section asks the populace to consider its own affliction and to turn to God for forgiveness, with an almost barbaric opening, a tender solo sung by the Youth Choir, and a rousing choral expansion of the solo. † Excepting two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark\’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of a brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described.
5:00 pm: Concert Hereford Variations
A 40-minute meditation for Holy Week, performed by the composer Peter Stoltzfus Berton with the St. John\’s Choirs. Free. For information about this music: herefordvariations.org
April 6, 2014 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude on \’Playford\’ (Harmonia Sacra, 1816) Gerre Hancock
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 641 Lord Jesus, think on me Southwell
Offertory anthem: Call to remembrance Richard Farrant
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Hear my prayer, O Lord Henry Purcell
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore thee Adoro devote
Closing Hymn 457 Thou art the way, to thee alone St. James
Organ: Lamento (Suite Latine) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: Although it is apparent from the autograph that Purcell originally intended to add to the anthem \’Hear my Prayer,\’ it seems quite likely that having written it he realized how difficult it would be to match its brilliance, and deliberately wrote no more. What makes the music so outstanding is not so much its skillful construction for eight parts out of the most economical of means, namely two simple phrases and their inversions (one based on two notes only and the other on a short chromatic scale), but its strong sense of climax in the final bars. Not only is this prepared in gradually increasing intensity, but the reservation of the full eight-part texture, and the restrained range of the parts up to the last few bars, gives this climax the maximum effect. Then, very quickly and inevitably, the music comes to rest as the sonoroties clarify, and resolve into a simple four-part chord. (Purcell note by Christopher Dearnley.) †
March 30, 2014 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: Out of the deep (Requiem) John Rutter
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks Herbert Howells
Communion Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmucke dich
Closing Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johannes Brahms
Music Note: One of the penitential Psalms, Psalm 130 is part of the prayers for the faithful departed in Western liturgical tradition, is recited as part of the High Holidays in Jewish tradition, and has inspired countless musical settings. Its Latin title, De profundis, is used as a title to poems by Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Charles Baudelaire, Christina Rossetti and C. S. Lewis, among others. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to God (verse 1), asking for mercy (2-3). The psalmist\’s trust (4-5) becomes a model for the people (6-7). The experience of God\’s mercy leads the people to a greater sense of God. John Rutter\’s setting from his 1985 Requiem features a solo cello and traces a similar journey, however ending where it began with a return to the opening text and music.
March 23, 2014 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Fantasie in C minor, S. 652 Johann Sebastian Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 455 O love of God, how strong and true Dunedin
Offertory anthem: The pelican Randall Thompson
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
Communion Hymn 692 I heard the voice of Jesus say The Third Tune
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ: I call to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, S. 673 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Randall Thompson, well-known composer of choral and orchestral music, was born in New York City and educated at Harvard. He subsequently continued his musical studies in Europe and then held a series of academic appointments in music in the United States. The offertory anthem is from a cantata commissioned by Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, in 1968, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of its choir school. The text of this movement is quite remarkable. Its author, Phillipe de Thaun, was an Anglo-Norman poet, possibly from Caen in Normandy, who wrote a Bestiary around 1120 which he says he translated into French; evidence shows that he probably used a Latin bestiary possibly at least a hundred years old. In his volume he describes some 41 animals through the lens of Christian attributes. For example: The antelope\’s two horns represent the biblical Old and New Testaments, with which people can cut themselves free of vice. People are also warned not to play in the \”thickets of worldliness\” where pleasure kills body and soul. At https://bestiary.ca/prisources/psdetail889.htm one can read English translations from various sources of the medieval descriptions of all these animals. According to this site, Philippe\’s Bestiaire has been sometimes criticized by scholars as being poor poetry, but as one translator says, \”…it should be remembered … that no more than a translation was proposed, and that this is an early work in a language still groping to express itself. All of these scholars appear to miss the excitement inherent in the fact that a tradition already ancient and rich had now entered the vernacular to become widely read and known in the next century and a half.\” Imagine the magnificent present which a sumptuously illustrated translation of a Bestiary would have been to an adult or child some 900 years ago. Across the distance of an entire millennium, the original sources of a powerful devotional allegory continue to speak with relevance today, through modern translation and captivating music. †
March 16, 2014 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, with \’Come as you are\’ Youth Choir anthem
Organ: Surrounding the Cross (from Hereford Variations) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Anthem (\’Come as you are\’ Youth Choir) God so loved the world Joel Martinson
Offertory anthem: The secret of Christ Richard Shephard
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus William Byrd
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn 473 Lift high the cross Crucifer
Organ: So now as we journey, aid our weak endeavor Marcel Dupre
Music Note: The Prelude is based on the \”other\” tune (No. 449) for today\’s Sequence Hymn found in our Hymnal. The tune is known as the \”Agincourt Hymn\”, believed to have been written in commemoration of King Henry V\’s victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. In the context of the set of Lenten Meditations \”Hereford Variations\” to be heard here on Palm Sunday afternoon, it suggests the battles between animals depicted symbolically at the foot of a cross in a stained glass window, \”copied in the Death of his son\”, and extands also to a battle between major and minor tonality. † Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Through the Offertory anthem we are invited to take encouragement for our pilgrimage through Lent. † In 1575, Queen Elizabeth granted to Thomas Tallis and his pupil William Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing, ensuring the preservation of their compositions and their continuing prominence today. Elizabeth (1558–1603) was a moderate Protestant who eschewed the more extreme forms of Puritanism and retained a fondness for elaborate ritual, besides being a music lover and keyboard player herself. Byrd\’s output of Anglican church music (defined in the strictest sense as sacred music designed for performance in church) is surprisingly small, but it stretches the limits of elaboration then regarded as acceptable by some reforming Protestants who regarded highly wrought music as a distraction from the Word of God (Wikipedia). Byrd\’sAve verum corpus is among the most frequently sung of the composer\’s works, possibly because it is one of the least elaborate; it closely resembles music of his teacher, and combines homophony and counterpoint in a texture which allows the text clearly to be the focus of the expressive music.
March 9, 2014 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Men\’s Choir
Organ: Forty days and forty nights Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 150 Forty days and forty nights Aus der Tiefe rufe ich
Offertory anthem: Wilt thou forgive DG Mason
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Behold, the Lamb of God Paul Bouman
Communion Hymn 309 O Food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days Erhalt uns, Herr
Organ: Benedictus (from Mass for the Parishes) Francois Couperin
The Offertory anthem, sung by the men of the choir, was written in 2002 for an Ash Wednesday service at Worcester Cathedral, England. The text was conceived not as a hymn but as a poem, and a great deal of its universal appeal derives from its unabashed particularity. John Donne calls attention to himself not only by punning on his own surname but also by making it the basis of the two rhymes running through all three stanzas. Less obvious, but no less important, is the second rhyme-word that concludes every stanza: more. This is the surname of Donne\’s wife, whose maiden name was Ann More, who had died six years before. Perhaps one reason for the enduring immediacy of this poem is that, despite its particular references and its somewhat veiled theological concerns with original and habitual sin, it manages to convey a convincing sense of assurance. (Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Jeffrey Wasson.) The music amplifies this assurance with its strong final cadence, after the unresolved cadences ending the first two verses.
March 2, 2014 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Fugue in D minor, S. 539 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 129 Christ upon the mountain peak Mowsley
Offertory anthem: The Transfiguration Larry King
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: O nata lux Morten Lauridsen
Communion Hymn 137 O wondrous type! O vision fair Wareham
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ: Fugue in C Major (\”Jig\”) Dieterich Buxtehude
Music Note: The last Sunday after the Epiphany, or Transfiguration Sunday, is the last before the beginning of Lent and thus is the last opportunity until Easter to say or sing the word Alleluia. † Bach\’s Fugue in D minor \’transfigures\’ a simple theme of repeated notes with endless creativity. The music is Bach\’s own organ transcription of a piece he composed originally for the violin, hence its nickname, the \”Fiddle\” fugue. † Larry King was organist and choir director of Trinity Church, Wall Street in New York City from 1968 to 1989. He composed several works incorporating pre-recorded synthesized sounds alongside traditional organ and choral writing, of an iconoclastic yet deeply spiritual nature. Today\’s offertory anthem is one of these, and there is little that could be said to prepare the listener for the experience, intentionally as mystifying and bizarre and hopefully transcendent as the event it describes in music. The pre-recorded part is coordinated with the live performance using a stopwatch. It includes not only sounds from a synthesizer, but also echoing filtered sounds of the choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street. † Morten Lauridsen was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (1994–2001) and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 40 years. In 2007 he received the National Medal of Arts from the President in a White House ceremony, “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.” O nata lux, a text for the Feast of the Transfiguration, is certainly no exception. † The postlude reflects the day\’s spirit of joyful enthusiasm, by both the nature of the music and the \”radiant\” key of C Major. In the Baroque period of their composition, keyboard instruments were tuned in such a way that some keys sounded more pure than others. Much music was written in keys with few sharps or flats, to avoid the out of tune \”wolf\” when playing in keys with many flats or sharps. Even after an \”equal tempered\” system of tuning made all keys sound more or less in tune, C Major continued to be particularly associated in the Classical period with festivity and grandeur, and has always been a triumphant key in organ music owing to C being the lowest note on the pedalboard, thus playing the largest, lowest available pipes.
February 23, 2014 + The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
with service of Youth Choir Investiture and Promotion
Organ: Gospel Prelude on \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” William Bolcom
Opening Hymn: What a friend we have in Jesus
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem (Youth Choir): The Birds Benjamin Britten
Sequence Hymn 545 Lo! What a cloud of witnesses St. Fulbert
Offertory anthem: I hear a voice a-prayin\’ Houston Bright
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Deep River Gerre Hancock
Communion Hymn 656 Blest are the pure in heart Franconia
Closing Hymn 637 How firm a foundation Lyons
Organ: Prelude on \’Slane\’ Hancock
Music Note: In the prelude, University of Michigan composer William Bolcom captures the verve of a gospel hymn improvisation with the tune heard in very long note values. Originally a poem, \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” was never intended by the hymn writer, Joseph Scriven, for publication. Upon learning of his mother\’s serious illness and unable to be with her in faraway Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of the text. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near his bed. The friend read it with interest and asked if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, \”The Lord and I did it between us.\” (Hymn note by Kenneth J. Osbeck.) In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published, entitled Hymns and Other Verses, and the musical setting soon followed which launched the enduring popularity of the pairing. † Belloc\’s beguiling poem \”The Birds\’\” published in 1910, has inspired at least twenty-five musical settings. That by Benjamin Britten (dating from 1929 when the composer was sixteen) sets the action of the birds into the colorful accompaniment, and also into the way the range of the voices takes flight. The concluding prayer comes back to earth with disarming simplicity, both profound and childlike. † Houston Bright, son of a Methodist minister, grew up in West Texas and spent his entire career there as a composer and music educator. The most popular of his some 100 original compositions remains the 1955 spiritual heard today: unexpected fare, perhaps, from the pen of one whose Ph.D. dissertation was \”The Early Tudor Part-song from Newarke to Cornyshe,\” and revealing of a diverse and largely unknown talent. † Another West Texan, one internationally known in Anglican circles is Gerre Hancock, from 1971-2004 Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. His postlude on \’Be thou my vision\’ \”previews\” each phrase of the melody with imitative counterpoint in the manner of early Baroque hymn-tune composers, then disguises the tune somewhat by doubling its note values, all in the context of modern harmony. A second verse of the hymn is treated as an exciting build-up of the instrument with a reflective ending, reminiscent of the composer\’s legendary improvisations following Evensong.
February 16, 2014 + The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir with guests from the Greater Hartford Madrigal Singers
Organ: If thou but trust in God to guide thee Johann Philipp Kirnberger
Opening Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy Word Liebster Jesu
Offertory anthem: Cantate Domino Hans Leo Hassler
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 635 If thou but trust in God to guide thee Wer nur den lieben Gott
Closing Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Organ: Jesus, priceless treasure, S. 610 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music note: Hans Leo Hassler was born in Germany though was very much influenced by the Ventian school of musicians, studying with Andrea Gabrieli in Venice. He unites in an unusual degree the variety and warmth of harmony and expressiveness of the northern Italians with the continued traditions of the Flemish composers, who brought the art of contrapuntal polyphony to the point of perfection. (The Rev. Walter Williams) † Thomas Tallis flourished as a composer in Tudor England. He served the Chapel Royal from 1543-1585, composing and performing for four successive monarchs. He altered the language and style of his compositions according to the monarchs\’ greatly varying demands (primarily in Latin for Henry VIII, then English for Edward VI who established Protestantism in England, back to Latin for \’Bloody\’ Mary who restored Catholicism briefly, and finally English for Elizabeth I), also composing church music in French and Italian. Tallis was a teacher of William Byrd, and in 1575 Elizabeth granted to Tallis and Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing. Were it not for these political considerations, sacred choral repertoire today might not contain such a gem as \”If ye love me\” or many other works from this elegant period.
February 9, 2014 + The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Men\’s Choir
Organ: Adagio Emile Bourdon
Opening Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 381 Thy strong word didst cleave the darkness Tony-y-Botel
Offertory anthem: Thy mercy, Jehovah Benedetto Marcello
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Tranquil Light Roman Hurko
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Organ: Caprice Louis-Nicolas Clerambault
Music Note: The Men of the Choir sing alone today for some variety, as the Women sang on January 19. † Born in Venice, Benedetto Marcello was a member of a noble family and his compositions are frequently referred to as Patrizio Veneto. In 1711 he was appointed a member of the Council of Forty (in Venice’s central government), and in 1730 he went to Pola asProvveditore (district governor). Marcello composed a variety of music including considerable church music, oratorios, hundreds of solo cantatas, duets, sonatas, concertos and sinfonias. Marcello was a younger contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi in Venice and his instrumental music enjoys a Vivaldian flavor. † Roman Hurko is a contemporary Canadian composer of Ukrainian descent, who writes sacred music in a style of Russian Orthodox musicians of past generations. A graduate of The Yale Institute of Sacred Music (Master of Arts and Religion) and The University of Toronto (B.A. Music History and Theory), he also studied composition with composer Father Ivan Moody in Portugal. In 1985, he co-founded the St. Evtymyj Youth Choir at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto. He soon began setting sections of the liturgy for the choir, and in 1999 completed and recorded the entire Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in commemoration of the second millennium of Christianity.
February 2, 2014 + The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Lord God, now open wide your heaven, S. 617 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 257 O Zion, open wide thy gates Edmonton
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 259 Hail to the Lord who comes Old 120th
Offertory anthem: Nunc Dimittis Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: When to the Temple Mary went Johannes Eccard
Communion Hymn 499 Lord God, you now have set your servant free Song 1
Closing Hymn 436 Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates Truro
Organ: In peace and joy I now depart, S. 616 Bach
Music Note: The prelude is a depiction in music of the aged Simeon visiting the Temple in Jerusalem, heard in the rhythm of the pedal part which suggested to Albert Schweitzer the “uncertain steps of a pilgrim who has finished his course and now goes with weary steps to the gate of eternity.” Simeon then sang the Nunc Dimittis, having seen the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. This ‘limping’ is similarly depicted in the heavy steps of the accompaniment to the offertory anthem, which subsides in peace and becomes a radiant vision of glory.
January 26, 2014 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: The visible body of God; Pastorale (Hereford Variations) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 671 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound New Britain
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 255 We sing the glorious conquest before Damascus\’ gate Munich
Offertory anthem: Sing we merrily Sidney Campbell
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: O nata lux Morten Lauridsen
Communion Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Closing Hymn 302 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Rendez a Dieu
Organ: The runner (Hereford Variations) Berton
Music note: The preludes and postlude today are variations on the hymn tune Hereford(Hymnal 1982, No. 704), from a larger set (Theme and 14 Variations) being presented here as the Organ Meditation for Palm Sunday this year. The music is inspired by a set of stained glass windows at Hereford Cathedral, England, depicting the life and works of the 17th century Hereford priest, Thomas Traherne. In the window which inspired the first Prelude and the Postlude, a lush green landscape is seen, through which a figure is joyously running. (As we “run” to the continuation of the Annual Meeting today, you can hear the runner in the pedal part of this very brief piece.) In the window which inspired the Pastorale, hills and valleys are seen, reflected in the scales of the flute part; the middle section quotes the hymn “Nearer, my God, to thee.” † Virtuoso Sidney Campbell served successively as organist of Southwark Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, and St. George\’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. His joyous setting of Psalm 81 treats the voice in a nimble instrumental manner, similar to the choral and solo vocal writing of J. S. Bach.
January 19, 2014 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Women\’s Choir
Organ: Benedictus Max Reger
Opening Hymn 599 Lift every voice and sing Lift every voice
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 126 The people who in darkness walked Dundee
Offertory anthem: Eternal source of light divine George Frideric Handel
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Mater ora filium Charles Wood, arr. Harrison Oxley
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 7 Christ, whose glorty fills the skies Ratisbon
Organ: Fugue on \’How bright appears the morning star\’ Reger
Music notes: In the Episcopal Church\’s calendar, Common Saints are a general category of lesser saints such as martyrs, missionaries, pastors, theologians, monastics and teachers, whose personal qualities or traits include heroic faith, love, goodness of life, joyousness, service to others for Christ\’s sake, and devotion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is so recognized, with feast days on both his birth on January 15 and death on April 4. The opening hymn is sung in celebration of tomorrow\’s holiday. † The serene opening and closing music of the prelude by German Romantic composer Max Reger suggests the title text \”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,\” while the exuberant contrapuntal middle section proclaims \”Hosanna in the highest!\” Reger set today\’s final hymn as a densely written twenty-minute chorale-fantasy, with the text of five stanzas appearing in the score. Its brilliant concluding fugue combines an exuberant original subject with the hymn tune which appears in long note values. If it has been said of Mozart\’s music that there are \”too many notes,\” it is all the more justly said of Reger\’s music that there are so many notes, it would be most economical to print merely the spaces between them, using white ink on black paper! In the postlude, the text being set by the composer is \”Sing! Leap! Be jubilant, Rejoice! Thank the Lord; Great is the King of Glory.\”
January 12, 2014 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: How bright appears the Morning Star Dieterich Buxtehude
Opening Hymn 497 How bright appears the Morning Star Wie schoen leuchtet
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 121 Christ, when for us you were baptized Caithness
Offertory anthem: Christ, whose glory fills the skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: The three kings Peter Cornelius, arr. Ivor Atkins
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord\’s Anointed Es flog ein kleins Waldvoegelien
Organ: In thee is gladness, S. 616 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Psalm 96 exhorts all to ‘sing to the Lord a new song’; for 2014 we will thus sing a new psalm (chant). Today’s chant, introduced last Sunday, will be in use until Lent, when a minor-key chant introduced a few years back will give a different mood to the penitential psalms of that season of the year. With the ‘old’ familiar psalm chant as well, after a few months we will thus have a ‘repertoire’ of three chants as a congregation, available to fit the changing moods of psalms as they appear in the lectionary. Today’s chant is quite easy: it is the first eight notes of Hymn 339 (last week’s communion hymn). † Thomas Frederick Handel Candlyn was an English-born church musician who spent twenty-eight years at St. Paul\’s Church, Albany, New York, and the final ten of his career at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. The offertory anthem is an enduring favorite of his some two hundred works, and contains a splendid example of text-painting at the beginning of the second verse. \”Day-spring\” is the beginning of dawn; \”Day-star\” is the morning star. \”Sun of Righteousness\” is an attribute spoken of Christ in Malachi 4:2 (referring to God\’s blessings on the good): \”But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.\” This reference also underscores the double-meaning of \”Sun\” as \”Son\” in the context of Epiphany. † The opening hymn \”How bright appears the morning star\” (No. 497) is sung as an accompaniment to the soloist in the communion anthem, and its text is thus sung simultaneously in the background.
January 5, 2014 + The Second Sunday after Christmas
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first Anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: The shepherds Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 124 What star is this, with beams so bright Puer nobis
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): Brightest and best Malcolm Archer
Sequence Hymn 517 How lovely is thy dwelling-place Brother James\’ Air
Offertory anthem: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day John Gardner
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Epiphany Skinner Chávez-Melo
Communion Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Closing Hymn 109 The first Nowell the angel did say The First Nowell
Organ: Good Christian friends, rejoice, S. 729 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Psalm 96 exhorts all to \’sing to the Lord a new song\’; for 2014 we will thus sing a new psalm (chant). Today\’s will be in use until Lent, when a minor-key chant introduced a few years back will give a different mood to that season. With the \’old\’ psalm chant as well, after a few months we will thus have a \’repertoire\’ of three chants as a congregation, available to fit the changing moods of psalms as they appear in the lectionary. Today\’s chant is quite easy: it is the first eight notes of Hymn 339 (today\’s communion hymn). † Olivier Messiaen\’s unique musical voice was one of the most revolutionary in the twentieth century. From a set of nine meditations on the birth of Christ (1935), today\’s prelude depicts colorfully the shepherds, initially placed in a starry landscape (serene and mysterious, they have just found the babe lying in the manger); then \”having seen the child, returning, glorifying and praising God.\” The shepherds can be heard warming up their pipes, then playing a merry tune. As Messiaen\’s pupil Jon Gillock observes: \”A simple, naive melody comes forth in the style of an organ Noël popular during the French classical period (such as those of Daquin), always with variations. First we hear the simple melody…followed by its echo, taken by another instrument; and then, the melody ornamented, again repeated in echo. Perhaps two of the shepherds are taking turns playing while the others listen in contemplation.\” This is done in the context of Messiaen\’s distinctive, exotic harmonic language and rhythms. † The offertory anthem summarizes the entire life of Christ with emphasis on the coming Epiphany season of the revelation of Christ\’s divine majesty through miraculous works and events. As commonly interpreted by St. Paul from the biblical imagery of the Song of Songs, \”My true love\” is the one holy, catholic, apostolic church. \”Tomorrow\” is any time after the resurrection, which allows the disciples to look back at Jesus\’ baptism, life, suffering, and death through the filter of the resurrection. And the \”dancing day\” is the entire feast of salvation in the New Testament era. The theme of the dance is unique among traditional carols and is set by John Gardner in a lighthearted medieval-renaissance style, perhaps inspired by the medieval parallels among many fifteenth-century \”cradle prophecy\” carol texts, in which the infant Christ foretells his future to his mother while seated in her lap. (Anthem note adapted from the New Oxford Book of Carols by H. Keyte/A. Parrott; and J. Miller.)
December 29, 2013 + The First Sunday after Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Good Christian friends, rejoice Vincent Lübeck
Opening Hymn 82 Of the Father\’s love begotten Divinum mysterium
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 89 It came upon a midnight clear Carol
Offertory anthem: See amid the winter\’s snow John Goss
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke
Communion Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Closing Hymn 107 Good Christian friends, rejoice In dulci jubilo
Organ: Lord Christ, the only Son of God, S. 601 Johann Sebastian Bach
Wednesday, December 25, 2013 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 a.m. with organ music and congregational Carols
Organ: The Nativity Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 93 Angels from the realms of glory Regent Square
Sequence Hymn 78 O Little town of Bethlehem Forest Green
Offertory: Partita on Vom Himmel hoch Ernst Pepping
Communion: Good Christian friends, rejoice (In dulci jubilo) Marcel Dupré
Closing Hymn 100 Joy to the world! Antioch
Organ: Rhapsody sur les Noëls Eugène Gigout
Tuesday, December 24, 2013 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
3:50 p.m. Choral Prelude (Youth Choir)
4:00 p.m. Family Eucharist sung by the Youth Choir
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with string quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir with string quartet
Music listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m. with Youth Choir
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
This little babe (from A Cermony of Carols) Benjamin Britten
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m. with Youth Choir
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Go tell it on the mountain John Abdenour
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
Once in Royal David’s City arr. Paul Halley
Gloria from Coronation Mass in C, K. 317 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
No small wonder Paul Edwards
Pastoral Symphony from Messiah George Frideric Handel
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m. with Adult choir and string quartet
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Sing of a girl Peter Niedmann
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, st. 3 arr. Wolfgang Lindner
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
December 22, 2013 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The St. John\’s Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Jeffrey Higgins and Thomas Hintz, trumpets
Prelude: Sung by the Choirs
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Charles Wood
A merry Christmas arr. Arthur Warrell
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
Ding dong! merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert
What Child is this? arr. Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Offertory anthem: Gloria (Coronation Mass in C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Closing Hymn 87 Hark, the herald angels sing Mendelssohn
Organ and trumpets: My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
December 15, 2013 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with a Youth Choir anthem)
Organ: Magnificats I, V Marcel Dupré
Closing Hymn 72 Hark! the glad sound! the Savior comes Richmond
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Youth Choir anthem: Watchman, tell us of the night Bruce Saylor
Sequence Hymn 67 Comfort, comfort ye my people Psalm 42
Offertory anthem: This is the truth sent from above Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Let all mortal flesh keep silence Edward C. Bairstow
Communion Hymn 597 O day of peace that dimly shines Jerusalem
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Organ: My soul doth magnify the Lord, S. 648 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The preludes are based on the first and final sections of text of the Magnificat. First, \’My soul doth magnify the Lord,\’ Mary\’s song of joy and praise upon hearing she would bear the Christ child, appears in a merry lyrical texture of two against three. Then, in \’He remembering his mercy, hath holpen his servant Israel; as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever\’ the imminent fulfillment of ancient prophecy is depicted in the long-held chords and the pedals slowly descending as if from heaven to earth; the gentle dissonances resolve into meditative peace. This music is from a set of versets (organ responses to choir passages based on liturgical texts) originally improvised at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1919, and written down at the behest of Dupré\’s admirer from across the channel Claude Johnson (president of the Rolls Royce automobile company). † The communion hymn was created for the Hymnal 1982 out of urgings from the Hymnal Commission to include hymns on world peace, and also to include the tune \’Jerusalem\’ by the British composer and teacher Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. To satisfy these requests, the Commission asked Carl P. Daw, Jr. to write a text on peace that would fit the Parry tune. The tune was written in 1916 for William Blake\’s poem \”Jerusalem,\” which contains a zeal for all things English, and the setting quickly became a second \’national anthem\’, still sung on many great public occasions in England. In a musical context specifically embracing while also redirecting a nationalist association, the new text (a paraphrase of a favorite Advent passage, Isaiah 11:6-9) takes on a meaning perhaps broader than the intention of the creators of any of its individual parts. (Imagine a rendition of \’Joy to the World\’ set to the music of \’O beautiful for spacious skies.\’)(Hymn note adapted from an essay by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Alec Wyton.)
December 8, 2013 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Men\’s Choirs
Organ: Savior of the nations, come, S. 659 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 65 Prepare the way, O Zion Bereden vag for Herran
Offertory anthem: This is the record of John Orlando Gibbons
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S164 Jesus, Lamb of God Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming Dale Adelmann
Communion Hymn 54 Savior of the nations, come! Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Closing Hymn 59 Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding Merton
Organ: Savior of the nations, come, S. 599 Johann Sebastian Bach
Today\’s offertory anthem is an example of a \’verse anthem,\’ a type which developed and was very popular during the early 17th to the middle of the 18th centuries in England. In a verse anthem the music alternates between contrasting sections for a solo voice or voices and the full choir. The organ provided accompaniment in liturgical settings, but viols took the accompaniment outside of the church. Verse anthems were a major part of the English Reformation due to the use of English rather than Latin, and because the use of soloists allowed the text to be expressed more clearly as decreed by the monarchy. \’This is the record of John\’ was written by Gibbons for a visit of the Archbishop to his alma mater, St. John\’s College, Oxford. † Dale Adelmann is Music Director of the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. His alma mater is St. John\’s College, Cambridge, where he sang in the chapel choir and directed The Gentlemen of St. John\’s. His powerful setting of the sixteenth-century Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming was composed for the choir of men and boys of St. Paul\’s Cathedral, Buffalo. The music takes full advantage of the \”new\” third stanza of this hymn, added in the 19th century in Germany and added to Episcopal hymnals in 1940.
December 1, 2013 + The First Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude on Aberystwyth Claude Means
Opening Hymn 640 Watchman, tell us of the night Aberystwyth
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 56 O come, O come, Emmanuel (stanzas 1-4) Veni, veni, Emmanuel
Offertory anthem: We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God William McKie
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: E\’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Paul Manz
Communion Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Closing Hymn 57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Organ: Sleepers, wake! S. 645 Bach
Music note: The brief anthem before the candlelighting was written this year by the distinguished composer Peter Niedmann (Music Director of Church of Christ, Congregational in Newington). It contains the elements of the prayers said on each of the four Sundays in Advent. Mr. Niedmann’s newest carol Sing of a girl was commissioned by Harvard University Choir for its annual service of Nine Lessons and Carols this year, and will receive its Connecticut premiere here at St. John’s on Christmas Eve. † Prolific Lutheran composer Paul Manz wrote the communion anthem in 1954. The appeal of the composition, with modal elements lending a haunting, medieval quality to certain passages, has been enormous; it has sold over a million copies around the world and has been recorded hundreds of times. The origin of the text, assembled from Revelation 22 by the composer\’s wife (a frequent collaborator), was in response to the near death of their three year old son from a rare form of pneumonia. Their son was spared and is now a Lutheran bishop in Minnesota. † The Advent hymn-tune Helmsley was first printed with this text in London in 1765, and first published in America in 1799. An earlier version of the tune exists in an almost flippant, secular style. It was not widely used in Anglican/Episcopal circles until Ralph Vaughan Williams selected it for inclusion in The English Hymnal of 1906. He transformed it into a stately Edwardian melody by his harmonies (faithfully transcribed in our hymnal), revealing the tune\’s potential as a solemn processional. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Nicholas Temperley and Geoffrey Wainwright.)
November 28, 2013 + Thanksgiving Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m.
Preludes on Kremser Russell Schulz-Widmar & Wilbur Held
Opening Hymn 433 We gather together Kremser
Sequence Hymn Great is thy faithfulness (insert)
Offertory: Simple Gifts Alice Jordan
Communion: Meditation on Christe Sanctorum Richard Warner
Closing Hymn 290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George\’s, Windsor
Postlude: Nun Danket Alle Gott Marcel Dupré
November 24, 2013 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Intrada Grayston Ives
Opening Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: I was glad C. Hubert H. Parry
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: Laudate Dominum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Grand-choeur dialogué Eugène Gigout
Music Note: Influenced as a composer principally by Bach and Brahms, Parry evolved a powerful diatonic style which itself greatly influenced future English composers such as Elgar and Vaughan Williams. Parry joined the staff of the Royal College of Music in 1884 and was appointed its director in 1894, a post he held until his death. In 1900 he succeeded John Stainer as professor of music at Oxford University. His own full development as a composer was almost certainly hampered by the immense amount of work he took on, but his energy and charisma, not to mention his abilities as a teacher and administrator, helped establish art music at the center of English cultural life. He was knighted in 1902, the year of composition of this anthem which is traditionally sung at the coronation of British monarchs and among Parry’s most celebrated compositions. † Mozart composed two complete settings of the vesper psalms in 1779-80, for use in the celebrated evening services of Salzburg cathedral. From the more well-known setting, Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339) comes the soprano aria \”Laudate Dominum,\” written for the remarkable singer Maria Magdalena Lipp (the wife of composer Michael Haydn). Mozart composed many pieces for her, and this beguiling example, in which the choir enters for a doxology of serene simplicity, was a particular favorite of many nineteenth-century singers and arrangers.
5:00 pm Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
The St. John\’s Choirs combined with the Choir of Congregation Beth Israel
Prelude: Now thank we all our God Sigfrid Karg-Elert
ANTHEMS:
Shalom Rav (Sovereign Lord of Peace) Natasha Ulyanovsky (sung by the Congregation Beth Israel Choir)
Hine ma tov Erik Contzius (sung by the combined choirs)
A Song of Thanksgiving Peter Stoltzfus Berton (sung by the combined choirs)
A grateful heart Mary Plumstead (sung by the St. John\’s Youth Choir)
I will bless the Lord at all times John Abdenour (sung by the St. John\’s Adult and Youth Choirs)
HYMNS:
433 We gather together Kremser
424 For the fruit of all creation East Acklam
290 Come, ye thankful people, come St. George\’s, Windsor
Postlude: Now thank we all our God Johann Sebatian Bach, arr. Virgil Fox
November 17, 2013 + The 26th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: O God, thou faithful God Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Opening Hymn 482 Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy Slane
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 7 Christ, whose glory fills the skies Ratisbon
Offertory anthem: Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God T. Tertius Noble
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S166 Jesus, Lamb of God Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Batter my heart Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 313 Let thy Blood in mercy poured Jesus. meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate Munich
Organ: Now thank we all our God Karg-Elert
Music Note: T. Tertius Noble emigrated to American church music when, after serving at Ely Cathedral and York Minster, he moved to New York in 1913 to establish a choir program along Cathedral lines at then-newly-rebuilt Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue. In 1919 Dr. Noble founded the Saint Thomas Choir School to educate the parish\’s boy choristers, an institution that continues to thrive today as the only remaining such school in America (enrolling solely church-affiliated choristers), and one of only four remaining in the world. The much-beloved anthem \’Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God\’ was published in 1915, and is dedicated to Noble\’s friend and colleague Arthur S. Hyde, who in 1908 succeeded Leopold Stokowski as organist and choirmaster of nearby St. Bartholomew\’s Church, Park Avenue. Hyde had been a pupil of Charles-Marie Widor; in the music of the anthem one can hear the influence of Edward Elgar (in the harmonies and the long phrases), and perhaps also Widor (in the organ interludes when a solo tone blending into the bass register recalls textures from the French master\’s organ symphonies). † John Donne was a poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets, noted for his vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially compared to that of his contemporaries. (Wikipedia) For the last ten years of his life he was Dean of St. Paul\’s Cathedral in London. Two of his poems are set to music in The Hymnal 1982(Nos. 140-141; 322). The brief communion anthem sets lines from one of his Holy Sonnets, inviting us to be overwhelmed and made new, as a segue to the communion hymn\’s refrain, similarly imploring \”Thou didst give thyself for me, now I give myself to thee.\”
November 10, 2013 + The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with Youth Choir anthems)
Organ: Requiescat in Pace Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 401 The God of Abraham praise Leoni
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
\”Come as you are\” Youth Choir: Non nobis, Domine William Byrd
A song of Thanksgiving Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sequence Hymn 413 New songs of celebration render Rendez a Dieu
Offertory anthem: Greater love hath no man John Ireland
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: Soul of my Savior Richard Shephard
Communion Hymn 310 O saving Victim, opening wide Herr Jesu Christ
Closing Hymn 718 God of our Fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Organ: Elegy George Thalben-Ball
Music Note: Of his Requiscat in Pace, Leo Sowerby wrote: \”It was written as a tribute to those who went \’over there\’ in 1917-1918, and didn\’t return. I feel that the music tells its own story of the eventual triumph of the spirit over the unimportance of bodily or material things, but don\’t quote me…I wouldn\’t want to be taken for a Christian Scientist!\” † John Ireland excelled particularly at writing music for the piano and the solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Ralph Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal Academy of Music. \”Greater love\” resourcefully draws on several texts to illuminate our inheritance as the Redeemed of God, set to music of a fitting variety of characters. Written in 1912, the anthem predates specific reference to veterans, referring to the more general stewardship of our lives. † George Thalben-Ball was organist and choir director of London\’s famed Temple Church for nearly sixty years. He composed several anthems and organ works, of which the best known is his meditative Elegy for organ. This piece originated in an improvisation which Thalben-Ball played at the end of a live BBC daily religious service during World War II, when the service finished a couple of minutes earlier than expected. So many listeners to the broadcast telephoned the BBC to ask what the composition was, that he decided to write down his improvisation as well as he could remember it.
November 3, 2013 + All Saints\’ Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult choirs, with Susan Knapp Thomas, harp
Harp Prelude Susan Knapp Thomas, harp
Opening Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 623 O what their joy and their glory must be O quanta qualia
Offertory Anthem Introit and Kyrie (from A Poet\’s Requiem) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthems: In paradisum (from A Poet\’s Requiem) Berton
Closing Hymn 287 For all the saints Sine Nomine
Organ: Improvisation on Grand Isle (transcr. Todd Wilson) Gerre Hancock
Music Note: A now-famous ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, France has exported a large amount of small music, readily memorized and singable by all while receiving communion as a sort of deeply spiritual mantra, refrain, or catatonic meditation (perceived according to one’s ability, perhaps, to appreciate the simple things in life). The brief bit we hope YOU will sing today during communion, based on the Requiem plainchant which began the Offertory, is inspired by this tradition and also by the popular concert-audience involvement used to great effect by Bobby McFarrin. The choir does it once, you repeat ad nauseum; if you go over-count, it won’t matter as there’s a fail-safe ending. Please see page 27 of the new red St. John’s Choirs annual Program Book for background on A Poet’s Requiem, being premiered here in May with orchestra. † In the same spirit of lighthearted yet profound participation in the ongoing company of saints, or “great cloud of witnesses” in this world and beyond (expressed so well in the opening hymn), the postlude, just on the proper side of the verge of cheeky, captures the essence of delight in living for others.
October 27, 2013 + The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Aria; It is well with my soul Craig Phillips
Opening Hymn 637 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Lyons
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 656 Blest are the pure in heart Franconia
Offertory anthem: The Beatitudes Craig Phillips
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: Set me as a seal Rene Clausen
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore thee Adoro devote
Closing Hymn 680 O God, our help in ages past St. Anne
Organ: Kyrie! Thou Spirit divine, S. 671 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints Parish, Beverly Hills, California and a prolific, nationally known composer. The two preludes are from an early collection (1997), safely within the bounds of tonality. The compelling setting of the Beatitudes (2008) is essentially a set of variations (as is the text) on a melody of irregular meter, introducing gently dissonant harmony when appropriate. The text directly colors the repeated statements and the glorious crescendo at the end; one\’s peaceful reassurance culminates in a great outburst that has been building throughout the preceding variations. †
October 20, 2013 + The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prelude in B Major, Op. 99 No. 2 Camille Saint-Saens
Opening Hymn 704 O thou who camest from above Hereford
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Youth choir anthem: A grateful heart Mary Plumstead
Sequence Hymn 709 O God of Bethel, by whose hand Dundee
Offertory anthem: There is a land of pure delight Grayston Ives
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S166 Jesus, Lamb of God Gerald Near
Communion anthem: I sat down under his shadow Edward C. Bairstow
Communion Hymn 711 Seek ye first the kingdom of God Seek Ye First
Closing Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Organ: Improvisation in A minor, Op. 150 No. 7 Camille Saint-Saens
Music Note: Today\’s opening hymn is sung in anticipation of the Four Choirs Festival concert next Wednesday evening featuring the choir of Hereford Cathedral. The text is from Charles Wesley\’s Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures (1769); the Biblical text referenced is Leviticus 6:13 (The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out.) The music, by Charles Wesley\’s grandson Samuel Sebastian Wesley, was composed during the years which S.S. Wesley served as organist of Hereford Cathedral (1832-1835) for the Three Choirs Festival at Hereford. This Festival, held annually since 1715 and rotating between the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford in the west of England, is one of the world’s oldest classical choral music festivals. † Grayston Ives began his musical career as a boy chorister at Ely Cathedral and later studied music at Cambridge University. After teaching music for a period, he became a member of the King\’s Singers, from 1978 to 1985. Until 2009 he was Director of Music at Magdalen College, Oxford, and has been in great demand as a composer and arranger. The offertory anthem (2002) was written in memory of Vernon Openshaw, an organist and choirmaster who died at the age of 43. Its descriptions of heaven, and of our reluctance to look forward to the journey there, as observed centuries ago by Isaac Watts, deliver a sense of calm assurance. †
October 13, 2013 + The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prelude on St. Peter Harold Darke
Opening Hymn 655 O Jesus, I have promised Nyland
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul! St. Thomas
Offertory anthem: A Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester Louis J. White
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: Sicut cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Communion Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Closing Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Organ: Allegro maestoso e vivace (Sonata II) Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: St. Richard of Chichester is supposed to have recited the popular prayer ascribed to him on his deathbed, written down in Latin by his confessor. The first English translation to use the rhyme \”clearly, dearly, nearly\” is thought to be one from 1913; the first including the phrase \”day by day\” followed in 1931. The prayer became especially popular in America following its adaptation for the musical Godspell in 1971. Louis White\’s version dates from 1947. † Some scholars have traced the origins of Renaissance polyphony to a kind of musical representation of an ancient philosophy known as the “music of the spheres.” The Ancient Greek Philosophy of Plato, Pythagoras and many others had been “rediscovered” in the Middle Ages. Among the cosmological theories they advanced was that as the planets swept through the solar system they each made a perfect tone that together created a wonderful and perfect celestial harmony. In the 16th Century Kepler and others reintroduced this ancient cosmology. This may have been one of factors that influenced the sound of Renaissance Polyphony which captured the sounds of heaven and brought them to earth for the faithful to contemplate and pray with. Much of it is highly mystical and can assist deep prayer and express great longing for God. One of the great musical masterpieces of the Church, Palestrina’s setting of the beginning of Psalm 42 beautifully depicts a musical “sigh.” As the notes soar the longing builds and you can hear the choir giving an almost perfect expression of the human yearning for God. The music comes to a peaceful end on a note of hope that one day we shall see God. –Msgr. Charles Pope, Music to Long By: A Brief Meditation on Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus
October 6, 2013 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: All glory be to God on high, S. 676 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 11 Awake, my soul, and with the sun Morning Hymn
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 551 Rise up, ye saints of God! Festal Song
Offertory anthem: Jubilate Deo William Walton
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S166 Jesus, Lamb of God Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Bread of the world John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Paderborn
Postlude: Gigue from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, S. 1007 Tanya Anisimova, cello
Music Note: J. S. Bach is credited with at least ten settings of the hymn-tune Allein Gott in der Höh (All Glory be to God on high, Hymnal 1982 No. 421). This music and text have been paired since the early 1500s and constituted the Gloria in congregational settings of the Holy Eucharist in Bach\’s day, hence the frequent demand for creative (not to mention lengthy) material to introduce it. In the context of a three hour service, a five minute elaborate introduction to the singing of a hymn gave no one the slightest concern, but instead was expected, inviting a personal meditation on the meaning of the hymn. The prelude today is one of these, with the initial notes of the melody inspiring a florid and merry trio. † British composer William Walton wrote in many styles, including film scores and opera. His suitably joyous Psalm 100 is a late work, written for events celebrating his seventieth birthday in 1972. After a rhythmically intense opening for two four-part choirs, it contrasts two alternating trios (expressing the ‘quiet’ side of joy) with simpler choral passages supported by an ostinato organ part. † John Abdenour is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul\’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, Connecticut. His unison setting (from 1992) of a text two centuries old amplifies the poet\’s profound immediacy. † Today\’s postlude (and prelude) are offered as a part of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra\’s weeklong Bachtoberfest music festival. The performing duo of cellist/composer Tanya Anisimova (who lives in Virginia) and local pianist Pi-Hsun Shih will appear in our Sacred Music at the Red Door concert series during the 2014-2015 season; you can preview their music at www.tanyaanisimova.com.
CHORAL EVENSONG October 6 at 5:00 p.m.
SUNG BY THE ST. JOHN’S CHOIRS
COMBINED WITH THE TRINITY CHOIRS
at Trinity Church, 120 Sigourney Street, Hartford
Preces and Responses: Philip Radcliffe
Phos hilaron: Hymn 31 Most Holy God, the Lord of Heaven Dunedin (descant: Bert Landman)
Psalm: 148 (Anglican Chant by George Thalben-Ball)
Canticles: C. Villiers Stanford in C
Anthem: Give unto the Lord, Op. 74 Edward Elgar
Office Hymn 414 God, my King, thy might confessing Stuttgart
September 29, 2013 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prelude and Fugue in C Major, S. 545 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Offertory anthem: Lord, you have searched me out Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: I will bless the Lord at all times John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be Hollingside
Closing Hymn 625 Ye holy angels bright Darwall\’s 148th
Organ: Allegro from Sonata No. 1 in E-flat Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music Note: In the offertory anthem, searching is symbolized by the powerful pull between major and minor tonality heard in the opening triplet motive of the accompaniment. A variety of textures and moods suits the wide emotional range of Psalm 139 and pays homage to the long history of musical settings of the psalms, with solo, choral and chant sections. In the chant section, a duet between an adult and a child is based on the interval of the descending minor third, which research shows to be a remarkably constant first musical utterance of children around the world regardless of native cultural tradition. Is it not amazing that God would know us before we are born, each in our individualities, and also give us a common first voice? † John Abdenour is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul\’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, Connecticut. His setting (from 2007) of a bit more of the same communion text sung last week (\”O taste and see\”), is dedicated to Peter, Jenn and Sophie Berton. † The postlude is an organ-solo transcription of the first of the seventeen \”Epistle\” Sonatas for organ and instruments, composed during Mozart\’s tenure as organist of Salzburg Cathedral. These brief single-movement works were played between the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. Shortly after Mozart left Salzburg, the Archbishop mandated that an appropriate choral motet or congregational hymn be sung at that point in the liturgy, and the \”Epistle Sonata\” fell into disuse.
September 22, 2013 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, with ceremony of Youth Choir investiture and promotion
Prelude: Praise to the Lord, the almighty, S. 650 Bach
Opening Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Youth choir anthem: Bless, O Lord, us thy servants Martin How
Sequence Hymn 488 Be thou my vision Slane
Offertory anthem: The last words of David Randall Thompson
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S166 Jesus, Lamb of God Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O taste and see Ralph Vaughan Williams
Communion Hymn 345 Savior, again to thy dear Name we raise Ellers
Closing Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Fugue in C Major (“Jig”) Dieterich Buxtehude
Music Note: The prelude is Bach\’s transcription from his own cantata No. 137 \”Praise to the Lord, the Almighty\” (today\’s opening hymn). In the original cantata movement, as in so many of Bach\’s sacred choral works, a solo role is played by a specific instrument, reflecting the character of the text simultaneously being sung. In this case an alto is singing stanza 2 (shelters thee under his wing…), accompanied by a violin evoking (in Albert Schwietzer\’s estimation) the description of a light, majestic, floating motion. On the organ this arrangement results in wide leaps for the hand, more easily played on a violin on adjacent strings, while the melody, including trills, is played by the feet. This and five other transcriptions of cantata movements were collected and published sometime in the three years before Bach\’s death, perhaps indicating the composer\’s special attachment to music which otherwise would have languished, given the impossibility of publishing the complex cantatas themselves. † Composer and church musician Martin How is the son of a former Primate of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. He spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music where he initiated and developed the chorister training scheme used in many parts of the world. † The dramatic offertory anthem, by the distinguished Harvard professor and composer Randall Thompson, was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1949. Its text is an oracle from the psalmist David, and the context of its message is clarified by the Revised Standard translation of 2 Samuel 23:2-4:
The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me, his word is on my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me:
“When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth upon a
cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.\”
† The brief communion motet was composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and first sung as the Queen made her personal communion.
September 15, 2013 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir
Prelude: Meditation (Improvisation) Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 684 O for a closer walk with God Caithness
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 469 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy St. Helena
Offertory anthem: How can I keep from singing arr. Gwyneth Walker
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S158 O Lamb of God (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Communion anthem: O mysterium ineffabile Jean-François Lallouette
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Organ: Communion (from Triptych) Louis Vierne
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the blind organist of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris from 1900-1937 (where he died during a recital 75 years ago this year), improvised today\’s prelude for a 78 rpm recording in 1928. The music was limited by what could fit onto one side of a record in those days. Vierne\’s beautiful creation was later transcribed from the recording by one of his pupils, Maurice Duruflé. This written version permits the listener to have an unusual opportunity: to travel back in time and hear the spontaneous muse of Vierne. † Gwyneth Walker was born in New York of a Quaker family and grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. She began her first efforts at composition at an early age, and went on to receive BA, MM and DMA degrees in Music Composition from Brown University and the Hartt School of Music, where she studied under Arnold Franchetti. She taught music for fourteen years at Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Conservatory and the Oberlin College Conservatory, and then went to work as a full-time composer. Her arrangement of the popular Quaker hymn \”How can I keep from singing?\” was commissioned by Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford and published in 1996. The choral writing, in up to four parts, makes use of the complete range of children\’s voices and you might be surprised to hear our newest \”basses\”! This jubilant piece will open a concert of Connecticut Composers here next spring. † Jean-Francois Lalouette began his musical education as a boy in the choir of the church of St. Eustache in Paris. After a varied career as violinist, choirmaster, composer and court musician, he held the post of choirmaster of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris from 1700-1717 and again from 1718 to 1727. His quietly ecstatic anthem is well suited to describe the mystery of communion. † The adult choir has a rare Sunday off this morning so that they could attend the special adult forum at 9:15.
September 8, 2013 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Prelude on \’Rhosymedre\’ Ralph Vaughan Williams
Opening Hymn 372 Praise to the living God! Leoni
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 603 When Christ was lifted from the earth St. Botolph
Offertory anthem: O how amiable are thy dwellings Vaughan Williams
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S166 Jesus, Lamb of God Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Draw us in the Spirit\’s tether Harold W. Friedell
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 555 Lead on, O King eternal Lancashire
Organ: Tuba Tune in D Major Craig Sellar Lang
Today’s prelude is played by Ralph Valentine, organist of St. John’s Church from 1976 to 2010. Happily, Ralph is also able to play this morning’s service at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Denver, Colorado, where he currently serves as organist. This logistical miracle is made possible by a computer playback device; this and three other of Ralph\’s favorite pieces recorded in 2010 are being included in a Christmas CD of music from St. John\’s available this December. † The hymn-tune \’Union Seminary\’, named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew\’s Church on Park Avenue in 1946. † Next Sunday the youth choir will sing the service on its own, allowing adult choir members to attend the special forum at 9:15.
September 1, 2013 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. sung by Margaret Beers, soprano
Prelude: Cantabile César Franck
Opening Hymn 598 Lord Christ, when forst thou cam\’st to earth Mit Freuden zart
Sequence Hymn 376 Joyful, joyful, we adore thee Hymn to Joy
Offertory anthem: Erbarme dich (from St. Matthew Passion) Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion anthem: Panis angelicus César Franck
Closing Hymn 541 Come, labor on Ora labora
Organ: Salvation unto us has come, S. 638 Johann Sebastian Bach
August 25, 2013 + The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m. sung by members of the St. John\’s Choirs
with string trio and Susan Knapp Thoms, harp
Prelude: Aria in Classic Style for organ and harp Marcel Grandjany
Opening Hymn 409 The spacious firmament on high Creation
Sequence Hymn 382 King of glory, King of peace General Seminary
Offertory anthem: Eternal Source of Light Divine George Frideric Handel
Communion anthems: O mysterium ineffabile Jean-François Lallouette
God be with you till we meet again Barry Rose
Closing Hymn 525 The Church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Postlude: Sonata in C Major K. 336 for organ and strings Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
August 18, 2013 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. sung by Marjorie Hardge and Nancy Sichler, sopranos
Prelude: Lotus William Thomas Strayhorn
Opening Hymn 495 Hail, thou once-despised Jesus In Babilone
Sequence Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Offertory anthem: The Father\’s love Simon Lole
Communion anthem: Pie Jesu (from Requiem) Andrew Lloyd Webber
Closing Hymn 552 Fight the good fight Pentecost
Organ: Rejoice greatly, O my soul Sigfrid Karg-Elert
August 11, 2013 + The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m. sung by members of the St. John\’s Youth Choir
Prelude: Blessed Jesus, at thy word, S. 731 (Hymn 440) Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 709 O God of Bethel, by whose hand Dundee
Sequence Hymn 510 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove St. Agnes
Offertory anthem: How can I keep from singing arr. Gwyneth Walker
Communion anthem: Bread of the world John Abdenour
Closing Hymn 637 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Lyons
Organ: If thou but trust in God to guide thee, S.642 (Hymn 635) Johann Sebastian Bach
August 4, 2013 + The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. sung by Margaret Beers, Jennifer Berton, Corrinne Harney and Whitney Perrine, quartet
Prelude: O love, how deep (Hymn 449) Paul Manz
Opening Hymn 542 Christ is the world\’s true light St. Joan
Sequence Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Offertory anthem: The Lord is my shepherd Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
Closing Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Organ: God of grace and God of glory Paul Manz
During the month of July, services were held without music in the Cloister Garden at 9:00 a.m.
June 30, 2013 + The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by Adult and Youth Choir members
Prelude: Passacaglia Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 525 The Church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love Unknown
Offertory anthem: I was glad Henry Purcell
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Laudate Dominum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Closing Hymn 432 O Praise ye the Lord! Laudate Dominum
Organ: Finale (Symphony No. 1) Louis Vierne
Music Note: The title of the prelude refers to a set of variations on a bass melody (a form originating in early seventeenth-century Spain). It is a theme with nineteen variations, honoring twenty years of The Rev’d Joseph L. Pace as Rector of St. John’s. The music was inspired by the Austin organ at St. John\’s, and by the circumstances early in Fr. Pace\’s Rectorship, when in 1992 a tragic fire caused heavy damage to the church interior. Rebuilding the organ and church took several years; the journey is represented by a surprise embedded in the music. † Henry Purcell is honored together with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on July 28. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell\’s legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no other native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar. He was appointed Organist of Westminster Abbey at the age of twenty, and three years later he was appointed organist of the Chapel Royal, an office which he was able to hold simultaneously with his position at the Abbey. In these capacities he composed music for Royal occasions, including I was glad in 1685 for the Coronation of King James II. (Wikipedia.) I was glad contains four sections contrasting merriment and peace. Its rich texture throughout is derived from two intertwining soprano parts in addition to alto, tenor and bass; all five parts contain delightfully complex rhythms. There are a few daringly colorful cross-relations between the parts, jarring even to a modern ear, for example one part singing an F-sharp while simultaneously another sings F-natural. † Mozart composed two complete settings of the vesper psalms in 1779-80, for use in the celebrated evening services of Salzburg cathedral. From the more well-known setting,Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339) comes the soprano aria Laudate Dominum, written for the remarkable singer Maria Magdalena Lipp (the wife of composer Michael Haydn). Mozart composed many pieces for her, and this beguiling example, in which the choir enters for a doxology of serene simplicity, was a particular favorite of many nineteenth-century singers and arrangers. †
ORGAN RECITAL at 8:30 p.m. by Isabelle Demers, the opening recital of the Region I/II Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists. Voluntary donation at the door.
June 23, 2013 + The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Aria (Concerto No. 10) George Frideric Handel
Opening Hymn 388 O worship the King, all glorious above! Hanover
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East or West McKee
Offertory anthem: Go, return upon thy way (Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn
Sanctus S114 Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Sicut cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Closing Hymn 450 All hail the power of Jesus\’ name! Coronation
Organ: Allegro maestoso e vivace (Sonata II) Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: Perhaps the best-known representation of the story of Elijah is Felix Mendelssohn\’s oratorio. It chronicles many episodes of Elijah\’s life, including his challenge to Ahab and the contest of the gods, the miracle of raising the dead, and his ascension into heaven. Composed and premiered in 1846, the oratorio remains one of the most popular Romantic choral-orchestral works in the repertoire. † Some scholars have traced the origins of Renaissance polyphony to a kind of musical representation of an ancient philosophy known as the “music of the spheres.” The Ancient Greek Philosophy of Plato, Pythagoras and many others had been “rediscovered” in the Middle Ages. Among the cosmological theories they advanced was that as the planets swept through the solar system they each made a perfect tone that together created a wonderful and perfect celestial harmony. In the 16th Century Kepler and others reintroduced this ancient cosmology. This may have been one of factors that influenced the sound of Renaissance Polyphony which captured the sounds of heaven and brought them to earth for the faithful to contemplate and pray with. Much of it is highly mystical and can assist deep prayer and express great longing for God. One of the great musical masterpieces of the Church, Palestrina’s setting of the beginning of Psalm 42 beautifully depicts a musical “sigh.” As the notes soar the longing builds and you can hear the choir giving an almost perfect expression of the human yearning for God. The music comes to a peaceful end on a note of hope that one day we shall see God. –Msgr. Charles Pope, Music to Long By: A Brief Meditation on Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus
June 16, 2013 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Adagio (Symphony III) Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 469 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy St. Helena
Offertory anthem: Dear Lord and Father C. Hubert H. Parry
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ubi caritas Maurice Durufle
Closing Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Organ: Méditation (Improvisation) Louis Vierne
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900-1937 (where he died during a recital 75 years ago this month), composed six organ symphonies. His third (1911) is widely regarded as a masterpiece of form and melodic development. The poetic Adagio was later orchestrated by Vierne, and is especially marked by the influence of his two great teachers, Franck and Widor. Described as a \”Song without words,\” it is based entirely on the material heard in the first two measures; a sense of melancholy is resolved when the material is recast in a major key at the luminous conclusion. The postlude was improvised for a 78 rpm recording in 1928. The music was limited by what could fit onto one side of a record in those days. Vierne\’s beautiful creation was later transcribed from the recording by one of his pupils, Maurice Duruflé. This written version permits the listener to have an unusual opportunity: to travel back in time and hear the spontaneous muse of Vierne.
June 9, 2013 + The Third Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: Partita on \’Grosser Gott\’ Grayston Ives
Opening Hymn 366 Holy God, we praise thy Name Grosser Gott
Youth Choir Anthem God be with you till we meet again Barry Rose
Sequence Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Baptism Hymn 516 Come down, O Love Divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: Come, Holy Spirit, Dove Divine Jeffrey L. Martin
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: A welcome world Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 303 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Albright
Closing Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
Organ: Variations on a Theme by Handel Jeffrey L. Martin
Music Note: The prelude, several non-continuous variations on today\’s opening hymn, was composed for the 2011 Sewanee Church Music Conference. The music is cast in the traditional dance forms of the keyboard suites of the 17th and 18th century. For 18 years Grayston Ives was music director of Magdalen College, Oxford. † The offertory anthem was written for today\’s service by one of our choir members and the father of one of the children baptized today. The composer writes: \”The texts chosen for this piece are a lesser known hymn by Adoniram Judson (a missionary to Burma in the 19th century) and the words of Christ as found in the tenth chapter of St. Mark’s gospel. The hymn text (attributed by some to Isaac Watts) offers a heartfelt prayer for the Holy Spirit, the Dove Divine, to be present in the waters which seal the baptized for resurrection with Christ. The scripture text presents not only Christ’s love for little children, but also his call to all believers to maintain a childlike faith. The musical motives and ideas contained within this piece possess great significance to the birth and early life of Andrew. The hymn text is treated with a theme from the adagio movement of Haydn’s “Sunrise” string quartet which played in the background of the delivery room in the very earliest moments of Andrew’s life. The voices of the chorus sing much of the melodic and harmonic material contained within the quartet, and the organ plays florid passages found in the first violin of the music’s original context. The scripture text, placed between the two hymn verses, is presented with original material which offers a modern musical contrast to the classical sound of Haydn. Woven throughout the piece is a simple melody most often found in the pedals of the organ. This motive was an improvised melody I would (and still do) sing to Andrew to calm him. My hope is that this piece captures a simplicity that is representative of the love that exists instantly between a parent and child.\” † The communion hymn, by the late University of Michigan composition professor William Albright, is one of four tunes commissioned for a conference of musicians and clergy held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, in 1972. Its accompaniment includes random notes from tuned percussion instruments to create a celestial effect in this context the second century poetry of our eternal covenant with God through Christ, from the earliest years of the Christian Church, takes on an even more cosmic dimension. The instruments are played by several students from Covenant Preparatory School in Hartford, who are present with their families this morning in anticipation of joining our youth choir program this fall. † The communion anthem, written in 2007 for the baptism of another composer\’s first child, is like a lullaby to describe the calm and joy both on earth and in heaven, to welcome a newly baptized person into the church family. At the end of the music is a place to mention by name the person or people being baptized. † The postlude was written in 2010 as the composer\’s wedding recessional. The joyous melodyfrom Handel\’s Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks serves as the “constant” as accompaniment patterns, full use of the organ manuals and pedals, contrapuntal and imitative interaction, and even a shift to the relative minor key serve to present contrast within the many presentations of the theme. Near the end a second celebratory tune appears — \”La Rejouissance\” (Rejoicing) from the same Handel suite.
June 2, 2013 + The Second Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: Prelude (Prelude and Fugue) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 372 Praise to the living God Leoni
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: Jesu, the very thought of thee Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Pilgrims\’ Hymn Stephen Paulus
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Fugue (Prelude and Fugue) Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Music Note: Prelude and Fugue for Organ was commissioned in 2001 by Joseph Vitacco in memory of Thomas Coleman, a Trustee of The University of Notre Dame. The Prelude, in a modern French harmonic style reminiscent of Duruflé and Poulenc, introduces over a continuously flowing accompaniment two themes from The University of Notre Dame: the football \”Fight Song\” (Notre Dame Victory March) well-disguised as a langorous flute melody, and the University\’s Alma Mater (the hymn \”Notre Dame our Mother\”), played by a quiet clarinet. The Fugue takes as its primary subject the name COLEMAN spelled out in musical notation. A second fugue subject of merry triplets is combined with the first subject and with the two Notre Dame themes in various ways, leading to a triumphant expression of the Alma Mater as a Resurrection Hymn and a final statement of COLEMAN in long notes in the pedal in a toccata-like coda. † British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral\’s music into a rich combination of the classical and contemporary. He then became founder and artistic director of Connecticut\’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George\’s Anglican Church and at the University of King\’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The basis of today\’s offertory anthem is the hymn-tune St. Botolph (Hymnal 1982 No. 209), set with highly imaginative harmony and a virtuosic accompaniment. As in his work \’Ubi Caritas\’ heard two weeks ago on Youth Sunday, Halley\’s pen forges new territory combining the traditional with the distinctly modern. After one sustained high note creates a magical transition back to the opening accompaniment figure, the anthem concludes (as do many hymn-anthems) with a descant soaring over the final stanza, and an ecstatic Amen. † Minnesota-based composer Stephen Paulus, in over 40 years of composing, has come to write over 450 works for chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, opera, solo voice, piano, guitar, organ, and band. His poignant anthem \”Pilgrims\’ Hymn\” was sung at the funerals of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.
May 26, 2013 + Trinity Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Music for string trio
Martha Kayser, violin; Pat Daly Vance, viola; Kathy Schiano, cello
Opening Hymn 409 The spacious firmament on high Creation
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 368 Holy Father, great Creator Regent Square
Offertory anthem: Sanctus (St. Cecilia Mass) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Agnus Dei (Little Organ Mass) Franz Joseph Haydn
Communion Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Closing Hymn 362 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Nicea
Organ and strings: Sonata in C, K. 336 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music Note: Charles Gounod, because of his great popularity (especially from his operas) and his stylistic influence on the next generation of composers, was a towering figure in French music in the mid-nineteenth century. For two years he studied theology, but chose not to take holy orders; still, he was often referred to as \”l\’Abbé (Father) Gounod.\” The Sanctus sung at the offertory is from his Mass dedicated to Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music), written in 1855. † The communion anthem is from Haydn’s ”Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo,” written in 1775 for the Barmherzige Brüder in Kismarton, Hungarian Kingdom (now Eisenstadt, Austria), whose patron saint was St. John of God. It is sometimes known as the \”Kleine Orgelmesse\” (\”Little Organ Mass\”) because of an extensive organ solo in the Benedictus. The Agnus Dei contrasts two volume levels with poignant effect. † Instrumental music formed an important part of the eighteenth-century church service. We know that Mozart composed a trumpet concerto for the inauguration of Vienna\’s Orphanage Church and that he played a violin concerto in a service in 1773. The term church sonata or epistle sonata or sonata in the example of the postlude covers a total of seventeen single-movement instrumental compositions by Mozart (two of which were discovered and published as late as 1940). Some of them are simple trios for two violins and bass; others are more elaborate with solo organ roles. In a letter to his teacher in 1776, Mozart introduces the term Sonata al Epistola, which would have been played between the choir\’s singing of the Gloria and the Creed during the celebration of the Eucharist. Oddly, no other composers at Salzburg Cathedral cultivated this genre. In 1783, a few years after Mozart had left for Vienna, the Archbishop decreed that the epistle sonatas be replaced by vocal pieces. (Note from Mozart\’s publisher, Carlus Verlag.) Perhaps Mozart had written \”too many notes\” for the Archbishop\’s taste; we are fortunate that these delightful creations survived to be enjoyed today.
May 19, 2013 + The Day of Pentecost and Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs, with instrumental ensemble
Prelude: Fanfares to the Tounges of Fire Larry King
Opening Music You are holy Michael W. Smith
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Music Only You Joel Weldon
Youth anthem: Sunshine in my soul arr. John Abdenour
Offertory anthem: Ubi caritas Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Agnus Dei from Missa Gaia Paul Winter and Jim Scott
Communion Hymn 507 Praise the Spirit in creation Julion
Closing Music Step by step/Forever we will sing Michael W. Smith
Organ: Final on \’Veni Creator Spiritus\’ Maurice Duruflé
Music Note: Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, is celebrated in many parts of Christendom as a major festival whose significance surpasses that of Christmas and equals that of Easter. From the time of the earliest recorded sacred melodies, music for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost has proliferated more uniformly and survived longer than any other music associated with Christian worship. Much as the Latin hymn \”Adeste Fidelis\” (O Come, all ye faithful) is associated with Christmas in many different traditions, the ninth-century \”Veni Creator Spiritus\” (basis of the prelude and postlude) is the hymn most universally associated with Pentecost.
Just as the Apostles were overcome on the first Pentecost by the force of a mighty wind, and unfamiliar language, so the youth of St. John’s hope to inspire the energy of our service with some “Contemporary Christian” rock music today. The term is cumbersome, as such music is no more or less contemporary, or ‘popular’, than other traditions or expressions of modern practice be they old or new. However it could certainly be said that these songs of Michael W. Smith and Joel Weldon are Christian, and contain more than the measure of sound theology sometimes found in the genre. The congregation may feel free to sing along. Contrasting these is a Gospel number begun by the Youth Choir, the text of which might seem like a song from the 1970s but which is over a century old. And then, possibly defying description other than by comparison to last year’s ‘Freedom Trilogy’ by the same composer, is Paul Halley’s offertory anthem, incorporating additional youth as percussionists.
British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then was founder and artistic director of Connecticut’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George’s Anglican Church and at the University of King’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In his Ubi Caritas(1991), Halley freely integrates elements from a diversity of styles into a convincing new entity. He writes of the work’s creation at St. John the Divine: “There is a wonderful kind of upstairs/downstairs scenario at the Cathedral. There is the daily round of services in the church itself, while below in the crypt all these groups are doing their own forms of worship—whether in the soup kitchen, the gymnasium, the theater, or the studios. One of the downstairs groups is called “The Forces Of Nature,” an African chant group of great power and vibrancy. Occasionally during a service we’d be in the middle of some sublime Gregorian chant, when we would hear “Forces Of Nature” start up their rehearsal with some intense drumming, giving us some stiff competition! At the time, it irritated me. Now it is one of my favorite combinations.” Halley was also responsible for co-creatingMissa Gaia at the Cathedral.
The inspiration for the Agnus Dei from Missa Gaia (Earth Mass, 1981) came from the words of Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell, a medical missionary to Labrador in 1909: “It has not been easy to convey to the Eskimo mind the meaning of the Oriental similes of the Bible. Thus the ‘lamb of God’ had to be translated ‘kotik’ or young seal. This animal, with its perfect whiteness, as it lies in its cradle of ice, its gentle, helpless nature, and its pathetic innocent eyes, is probably as apt a substitute, however, as nature offers.” The voices in the distant background during the introduction and later in the middle of the piece are those of harp seal pups, recorded on the ice near the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
May 12, 2013 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after the Ascension
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with one anthem by Youth Choir)
Prelude: Prayer of Christ Ascending Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 214 Hail the day that sees him rise Llanfair
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Youth Choir: For the beauty of the earth John Rutter
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: Laudate Jehovam omnes gentes Georg Philipp Telemann
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: The Lord ascendeth up on high Michael Praetorius
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Trumpet Voluntary Jeremiah Clarke
Music Note: Messiaen\’s quietly ecstatic prayer of \’Christ ascending towards his Father\’ is from his 1932 Ascension Suite, described by the composer as \”Four meditations for orchestra.\” He arranged it for organ the next year, and it is still one of his most frequently performed pieces. Over the course of some nine minutes the music takes on a radiant glow, using gradually ascending notes and progressively ascending sections, as part of a typically weightless, timeless experience created by very long note values and unpredictable rhythms. † Telemann was one of the most prolific composers in history (at least in terms of surviving works) and was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time. He was compared favorably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally. Telemann’s music incorporates several national styles (French, Italian) and is even at times influenced by Polish popular music. He remained at the forefront of all new musical tendencies and his music is an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of the city’s five main churches. With just two verses and sixteen words in Hebrew, Psalm 117 is the shortest of all 150 psalms. Telemann makes the most of the brief text by setting it in three sections, each giving ample opportunity for text repetition and bearing a distinct mood. † Clarke was organist of the Chapel Royal and is best remembered for a popular keyboard piece: the “Prince of Denmark\’s March,” also commonly called Trumpet Voluntary, written about 1700. From c. 1878 until the 1940s this work, often used at Royal weddings, was attributed to Henry Purcell.
May 5, 2013 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: Prelude on \’Rhosymedre\’ (\”Lovely\”) Ralph Vaughan Williams
Opening Hymn 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 513 Like the murmur of the dove\’s song Bridegroom
Offertory anthem: And I saw a new heaven Edgar L. Bainton
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 510 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove St. Agnes
Closing Hymn 387 We sing of God, the mighty source Magdalen College
Organ: Sortie in E-flat Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély
Music Note: Today’s prelude and postlude are played by Ralph Valentine, organist of St. John’s Church from 1976 to 2010. Happily, Ralph is also able to play this morning’s service at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Denver, Colorado, where he currently serves as organist. For more information about this technological miracle, and how you can take Ralph’s playing home with you in a Christmas stocking this year, please see the insert in today’s bulletin. Or, visit kickstarter.com and search for “West Hartford” to hear part of today’s postlude again. † Edgar Bainton is remembered today primarily for one anthem And I saw a new heaven, secure in the annals of Anglican church music. Son of a Congregational minister, he was a child prodigy pianist and wrote many works including anthems, songs and symphonic music, only recently coming to light and being recorded. After fifty years in England, Bainton spent another twenty-three working in Australia. In the offertory anthem, the dramatic vision from Revelation is splendidly matched by changing musical moods. An especially lovely melody introduced by the tenors partway through is echoed at the vision\’s peaceful conclusion. † Thomas Tallis flourished as a composer in Tudor England. He served the Chapel Royal from 1543-1585, composing and performing for four successive monarchs. He altered the language and style of his compositions according to the monarchs\’ greatly varying demands (primarily in Latin for Henry VIII, then English for Edward VI who established Protestantism in England, back to Latin for \’Bloody\’ Mary who restored Catholicism briefly, and finally English for Elizabeth I), also composing church music in French and Italian. Tallis was a teacher of William Byrd, and in 1575 Elizabeth granted to Tallis and Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing. Were it not for these political considerations, sacred choral repertoire today might not contain such a gem as \”If ye love me\” or many other works from this elegant period.
4:00 p.m. CONCERT A Celebration of Psalms
Click for further information
April 28, 2013 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Women\’s Choirs
Organ: Choral from Symphonie Romane Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 583 O holy city, seen of John Morning Song
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 529 In Christ there is no East nor West McKee
Offertory anthem: Christo resurgenti Francois Couperin
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy Maurice Bevan
Communion Hymn 487 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life The Call
Closing Hymn 457 Thou art the Way St. James
Organ: Rondeau from Sinfonie de Fanfares Jean-Joseph Mouret
Music Note: The second movement of Widor\’s tenth organ symphony is a calm, pastoral piece based on the Gregorian chant for Easter Day \”Haec dies\” (This is the day the Lord has made). A passage in the middle of the piece, for flutes played high on the keyboard, is possibly a description of the singing of Easter birds. † Maurice Bevan was best known as the lead baritone with the a cappella ensemble, the Deller Consort, a group whose main focus was early vocal works, particularly those of Baroque-era British composers like Henry Purcell and John Dowland. Bevan appeared in numerous concerts and on countless recordings with the ensemble. He also appeared often on the BBC children\’s radio program Listen With Mother (1950-1982), and sang in the choir at St. Paul\’s Cathedral, London. In addition, he was a music editor and composer of several hymn tunes, among them \”Corvedale,” heard today at communion in the composer’s own anthem arrangement, to the familiar Frederick Faber text. In our Hymnal (Nos. 469/470) and most others, this hymn is severely truncated, paired with music requiring two quatrains (half-stanzas) of the poem to be fit to one stanza of music, an adjustment already required when setting a hymn of an uneven number of quatrains. Hymnal editors have always imparted a certain slant on a hymn’s meaning by what is included or omitted in such cases. Bevan’s arrangement of original music permitted his inclusion of the one of Faber’s original thirteen quatrains most frequently suppressed in the hymn’s long history. Could there be a more direct appeal to rational interpretation of the Bible than “But we make his love too narrow by false limits of our own; And we magnify his strictness With a zeal he will not own”? That these lines were first published in 1854 makes them only all the more striking.
April 21, 2013 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Confirmation and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Sheep may safely graze Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 516 Come down, O Love divine Down Ampney
Sequence Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Offertory anthem: Faithful Shepherd Grayston Ives
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Brother James\’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob
Communion Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Closing Hymn 646 The King of Love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Organ: Hornpipe from Water Music George Frideric Handel
Music Note: The Fourth Sunday of Easter, \’Good Shepherd Sunday,\’ could not be more fitting for Confirmation. The image of God as a shepherd was immensely appealing to the farming societies of Jesus\’s day, as well as before (the Psalter) and through to the present age. So many versions of Psalm 23 exist partly through this timeline of over two thousand years, and additionally because of the practice of \”metrical psalmody\” beginning with the Reformation in the 1500s. A modern poet\’s adaptation is heard at the offertory, commissioned last year by the Association of Anglican Musicians; Grayston Ives is former director of the choir of Magdalen College, Oxford. † Metrical psalmody was created to permit the easy congregational singing of psalms to pre-existing familiar hymn tunes, such as Psalm 100 paired with the tune of that name, \”Old Hundredth\” which we sing weekly at the presentation of the offering. Metrical versions of psalm texts are by nature paraphrases, adjusting the number of syllables per line into a formula determined by the meter of the music. \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. He has been compared to St. Francis for his mystic insights combined with an irresistible charm and childlike trust of one who loves all people and all creatures. (Once when walking in the woods he caught his cast on a tree branch, and in freeing himself accidentally broke the branch, much to his annoyance. When asked to explain his annoyance, he responded \”Man, I\’ve just lost a real good friend. Many a fine cast have I found on that self-same branch.\”) The metrical tune upon which the communion anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\”
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. sung by the St. Paul\’s Choristers, St. Paul\’s on the Green Episcopal Church, Norwalk (with Tea at 4:00 p.m.)
Preludes Toccata on \”O Filii et Filiae\” Lynnwood Farnam
Cantilene (Symphonie Romane) Charles-Marie Widor
Introit O Lord, support us Gary Davison
Phos Hilaron: Hymn 35 Christ, mighty Savior Mighty Savior
Preces and Responses John Abdenour
Psalm 103 Anglican Chants by Kellow J. Pye and John Camidge II
Evening Canticles: Vincent Edwards and John Abdenour
Hymn before the Homily: 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Anthem: And all thy children Vincent Edwards
Hymn 24 The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended St. Clement
At the conclusion of Evensong: Organ Recital by Dexter Kennedy
Symphonie Romane, Op. 73 (1900) Charles-Marie Widor
I. Moderato
II. Choral
L’Ascension (1933) Olivier Messiaen
II. Serene Alleluias from a Soul longing for heaven
III. Outbursts of Joy from a Soul before the glory of Christ
April 14, 2013 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Men\’s Choirs
Organ: All glory be to God on high, S. 676 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 492 Sing, ye faithful, sing with gladness Finnian
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 204 Now the green blade riseth Noel Nouvelet
Offertory anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem Charles Villiers Stanford
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Up, up, my heart, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 412 Earth and all stars Earth and All Stars
Organ: Awake, thou wintry earth Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Homer Whitford
Music Note: J. S. Bach is credited with at least ten settings of the hymn-tune Allein Gott in der Höh (All Glory be to God on high, Hymnal 1982 No. 421). This music and text have been paired since the early 1500s and constituted the Gloria in congregational settings of the Holy Eucharist in Bach\’s day, hence the frequent demand for creative (not to mention lengthy) material to introduce it. In the context of a three hour service, a five minute elaborate introduction to the singing of a hymn gave no one the slightest concern, but instead was expected, inviting a personal meditation on the meaning of the hymn. The prelude today is one of these, with the initial notes of the melody inspiring a florid and merry trio. † Charles Stanford, as professor of composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music, taught several generations of composers and did much to raise standards of church music in late Victorian England. His setting of a twelfth-century hymn by St. Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres, conveys the celebration of the Resurrection with jubilant “strains of holy joy” and “alleluia,” contrasted against darker musical descriptions of “devouring depths.” † In a program note for our upcoming Celebration of Psalms concert, our Rector writes: \”It is a challenge to match the exuberant invitation to worship of Psalm 150.\” If anything can, the final hymn today gives the Psalmist David a run for his shekels, with arresting modern imagery in place of the traditional instruments of praise (BCP, page 808). By words and music both from 1968, this hymn brings to mind the Eucharistic prayer imagery of \”the vast expanse of interstellar space\” (BCP, page 370) as well as examples of creation a bit closer to home. † The postlude is a chorale (a German hymn-tune) from the Bach cantata 129, transcribed for organ in the twentieth century by Homer Whitford. Phrases of the hymn are interspersed with the joyous motive of the accompaniment. The music is based on this text: \”Awake, thou wintry earth, Fling off, fling off thy sadness. Ye vernal flowers, laugh forth, laugh forth your ancient gladness. A new and lovely tale Throughout the land is sped, It floats o\’er hill and dale To tell that death is dead.\”
April 7, 2013 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Death and Resurrection Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 193 That Easter day with joy was bright Puer nobis
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Youth Choir: Praise the Lord, his glories show Peter Niedmann
Sequence Hymn 209 We walk by faith, and not by sight St. Botolph
Offertory anthem: Haec est dies Jacob Gallus
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Rise up, my love Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 212 Awake, arise, lift up your voice Richmond
Closing Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o\’er, the battle done Victory
Organ: Toccata on \’O filii et filiae\’ Lynnwood Farnam
Music Note: Today\’s organ prelude bears the inscription, \”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\” (I Corinthians 15:55). One of Langlais\’s earliest works, it portrays a vision of the life hereafter. Death is heard in the somber opening melody in the pedals; eternal life is represented by a Gregorian chant, the Gradual from the Requiem Mass, announced by a trumpet. These two ideas are combined, significantly, not so much in a struggle as in a unified crescendo toward the work\’s victorious conclusion. † Peter Niedmann is director of music at Church of Christ, Congregational in Newington, Connecticut. He is an active composer and a past member of the faculty of the Hartt School of Music and a past Dean of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. His merry setting of Henry Lyte\’s hymn responds to the text\’s basis of Psalm 150. † Healey Willan, often referred to as the \’Dean of Canadian composers\’ of church music, penned many ravishing miniatures. His 1929 motet \”Rise up, my love\” uses gentle flowing chords to describe flowers appearing in Eastertide, and ends with a reiteration of the invitation to \’come away.\’ † Lynnwood Farnam was an exceptional Canadian organ recitalist who moved to New York in 1918, first to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and then to the Church of the Holy Communion. His tremendous American touring career tragically was cut short by a brain tumor. His only composition is this brief Toccata, and reportedly he launched into it invariably as a test piece when trying out an instrument new to him. \’O filii et filiae\’ is a hymn tune of uncertain origin, assumed to be either a French folk melody probably dating from the late fifteenth century, or perhaps a tune which began as a chant melody. Speaking of Death and Resurrection, Farnam made several recordings onto automatic player rolls, and in 1953 the Austin Organ Company of Hartford arranged with St. John\’s organist Clarence Watters to transfer several of Farnam\’s rolls to long playing records. A roll-player mechanism was temporarily attached to the St. John\’s instrument, and the stops were selected by Watters, allowing Farnam, who had been deceased for 23 years, to \”return\” to \”play\” pieces by Bach, Handel and others. These can be heard on our website, in the section about the St. John\’s Organ. (Farnam recording note by Bill Uricchio.)
March 31, 2013 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani
Prelude: Final on Haec Dies (from Symphonie Romane) Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Offertory anthem: The Resurrection Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Alleluia Randall Thompson
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Postcommunion anthem: Hallelujah (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (from Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: The prelude is Widor’s ‘other’ Easter toccata, from his tenth and last organ symphony, based on the day\’s traditional plainsong hymn Haec Dies (“This is the Day the Lord has made”). Widor describes this hymn as “a graceful arabesque…as difficult to fasten upon as the song of a bird…The rhythmical freedom of Gregorian chant clashes with out stern metronomic time…The only mode of fixing on the auditor’s ear so undefined a motive is to repeat it constantly.” In the symphony’s triumphant conclusion, the energy of the toccata rises and falls several times before arriving at a crowning Resurrection hymn, which recedes into a rich texture suggesting the ringing of bells. † The Resurrection was composed in 2000, commissioned by poet M. David Samples in memory of Wayne F. Maxwell Jr. The text’s inherent dramatic possibilities are set for varied choral forces as a mini-cantata, with soloists which narrate the proceedings and inhabit characters as in a Bach Passion. The opening fanfare is that of another plainsong hymn for Easter Day Victimae Paschali Laudes (“To the Paschal Victim let Christians offer their praises”), which recurs in the opening solo (“The bitter cross is over now”) and in the sparkling organ accompaniment preceding the announcement of the angel. The final choral section, with merry polyrhythms, briefly quotes the Hallelujah motive from Handel’s Messiah. † Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia,” surely established as one of the most beloved American choral compositions, was written in 1940 for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Composed during wartime, the piece’s many moods around a single word of acclamation express the totality of the Easter message.
March 29, 2013 + Good Friday
7:30 p.m. sung by the combined Youth and Adult Choirs of St. John\’s Church and St. James\’s Church, at St. James\’s Church, West Hartford Center
March 28, 2013 + Maundy Thursday
7:30 p.m. sung by the Youth Choir
Prelude The celestial banquet Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of rest
Sequence Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread
Offertory anthem: O mysterium ineffabile Jean-Francois Lallouette
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
March 24, 2013 + The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Choral Prelude: Hosanna to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes
Processional Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory anthem: Kyrie (from Messe Solennelle) Louis Vierne
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Crucifixus Antonio Lotti
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Closing Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Organ: Ah, holy Jesus! Johannes Brahms
Music Note: Louis Vierne was organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 to 1937. In the year of his appointment there he composed his Solemn Mass in C-sharp minor, for choir and two organs. Inspired by such an arrangement at Notre Dame, the music consists of a dialogue between the terrifying power of the main organ in the rear gallery of the cathedral, and the choir (with a small \”choir organ\” accompanying it) at the front. Imagining the spatial and volume differences of the original forces is helpful when hearing a realization on one organ. † Excepting two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark\’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of a brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described.
March 17, 2013 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude funebre Louis Vierne
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Anthem (Youth Choir): God so loved the world Joel Martinson
Sequence Hymn 441 In the cross of Christ I glory Rathbun
Offertory anthem: Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks Herbert Howells
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: I heard the voice of Jesus say Thomas Tallis, arr. Donald Busarow
Communion Hymn 313 Let thy blood in mercy poured Jesus, meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 471 We sing the praise of him who died Breslau
Organ: Lamento (Suite Latine) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937, composed his early and profound \”funeral prelude\” in 1896 while serving as assistant to Charles-Marie Widor at the church of Saint-Sulpice. † Herbert Howells was a prolific twentieth-century English composer. A product of the English musical renaissance stimulated by the works of Elgar, Parry and Stanford, his compositions reflect the varied influences of Tudor polyphony, Impressionist harmonies and folk-song. Howells\’s rich and distinctive style is well-matched to the searching text of Psalm 42. † The melody of the communion anthem was revived in the twentieth century by Ralph Vaughan Williams\’s orchestral Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. It was first matched to the text heard today in the Hymnal 1940. Originally, Tallis wrote the tune in four parts for the publication in 1567 of Matthew Parker\’s The Whole Psalter translated into English Metre. (Parker was Queen Elizabeth\’s first Archbishop of Canterbury.) It appears there for Psalm 2, whose prose opening we know as \”Why do the nations so furiously rage together.\” Parker\’s opening, metricized, reads: \”Why fum\’th in sight : the Gentiles\’ spite, in fury raging stout? Wht tak\’th in bond the people fond, vain things to bring about? The kings arise, the lords devise, in counsels met thereto: Against the Lord with false accord, against his Christ they go.\” Not surprisingly, perhaps, Tallis chose this psalm for a demonstration of the \”Third\” or \”Phrygian\” mode, which Parker in a preface had described as manifesting \”anger and sharp reviling.\” (Raymond Glover and John Wilson.) While its sudden shifts from major to minor do create an unsettling effect, twenty-first century ears (perhaps especially aided by Vaughan Williams\’s treatment) may find in the music\’s sense of eventual resolution also an ideal \”resting place\” well suited to the Lenten journey. Busarow\’s arrangement for flute, organ and choir gives this journey a yet more unexpected, and resolved, extended final cadence. † Widor’s active creative life spanned nearly an entire century. The poignant but wholly unsentimentalLamento, written at age eighty-three, remains one of his most profound compositions. The effect of the piece derives partly from a classical economy in the use of the instrument. Unlike much of his well-known \”symphonic\” organ music, only one basic sound is employed throughout, expression being achieved largely through variety of texture.
March 10, 2013 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Women\’s Choirs
Organ: Prelude au Kyrie ( from Hommage a Frescobaldi) Jean Langlais
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 641 Lord Jesus, think on me Southwell
Offertory anthem: The Pelican Randall Thompson
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
Communion Hymn 469 There\’s a wideness in God\’s mercy St. Helena
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Prelude (from Three Pieces) Gabriel Pierne
Music Note: Randall Thompson, well-known composer of choral and orchestral music, was born in New York City and educated at Harvard. He subsequently continued his musical studies in Europe and then held a series of academic appointments in music in the United States. The offertory anthem is from a cantata commissioned by Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, in 1968, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of its choir school. The text of this movement is quite remarkable. Its author, Phillipe de Thaun, was an Anglo-Norman poet, possibly from Caen in Normandy, who wrote a Bestiary around 1120 which he says he translated into French; evidence shows that he probably used a Latin bestiary possibly at least a hundred years old. In his volume he describes some 41 animals through the lens of Christian attributes. For example: The antelope\’s two horns represent the biblical Old and New Testaments, with which people can cut themselves free of vice. People are also warned not to play in the \”thickets of worldliness\” where pleasure kills body and soul. At https://bestiary.ca/prisources/psdetail889.htm one can read English translations from various sources of the medieval descriptions of all these animals. According to this site, Philippe\’s Bestiaire has been sometimes criticized by scholars as being poor poetry, but as one translator says, \”…it should be remembered … that no more than a translation was proposed, and that this is an early work in a language still groping to express itself. All of these scholars appear to miss the excitement inherent in the fact that a tradition already ancient and rich had now entered the vernacular to become widely read and known in the next century and a half.\” Imagine the magnificent present which a sumptuously illustrated translation of a Bestiary would have been to an adult or child some 900 years ago. Across the distance of an entire millennium, the original sources of a powerful devotional allegory continue to speak with relevance today, through modern translation and captivating music. † The communion hymn entered our hymnal in the present altered, truncated three-stanza form in 1916. When sung to the tune of Calvin Hampton, which complements the altered text, the hymn gains a particular charm missing in other settings. Over half the original text was discarded over the years; two portions have regained urgency today and appear in some anthem settings: \”There is grace enough for thousands / Of new worlds such as this: / There is room for fresh creations / In that upper room of bliss.\” and \”But we make his love too narrow / By false limits of our own; / And we magnify his strictness / With a zeal he will not own.\” The hymn tune St. Helena was written in 1978 for this text. It honors the Sisters of the Order of St. Helena who were resident at Calvary Church, New York City, where the composer was Organist/Choirmaster. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Raymond F. Glover.)
4:00 p.m. CONCERT: Celtic Fire
Sung by CitySingers of Hartford
March 3, 2013 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude (from Prelude, Andante et Toccata) Andre Fleury
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 152 Kind maker of the world, O hear A la venue de Noel
Offertory anthem: The secret of Christ Richard Shephard
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus William Byrd
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen Adoro devote
Closing Hymn 142 Lord, who throughout these forty days St. Flavian
Organ: So now as we journey, aid our weak endeavor Marcel Dupre
Music Note: Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Through the Offertory anthem we are invited to take encouragement for our pilgrimage through Lent. † In 1575, Queen Elizabeth granted to Thomas Tallis and his pupil William Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing, ensuring the preservation of their compositions and their continuing prominence today. Elizabeth (1558–1603) was a moderate Protestant who eschewed the more extreme forms of Puritanism and retained a fondness for elaborate ritual, besides being a music lover and keyboard player herself. Byrd\’s output of Anglican church music (defined in the strictest sense as sacred music designed for performance in church) is surprisingly small, but it stretches the limits of elaboration then regarded as acceptable by some reforming Protestants who regarded highly wrought music as a distraction from the Word of God (Wikipedia). Byrd\’s Ave verum corpus is among the most frequently sung of the composer\’s works, possibly because it is one of the least elaborate; it closely resembles music of his teacher, and combines homophony and counterpoint in a texture which allows the text clearly to be the focus of the expressive music.
5:00 PM CHORAL EVENSONG
SUNG BY THE ST. JOHN\’S ADULT CHOIR
Prelude Psalm-Prelude, \”Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord\” (Psalm 130) Herbert Howells
Introit Call to remembrance Richard Farrant
Responses Plainsong
Psalm 34 (Anglican Chants by Richard Knapp)
Magnificat and Nunc dimittis Orlando Gibbons (Short Service)
Anthem Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 51) Gregorio Allegri
ORGAN RECITAL played by Stephen Buzard, organ Scholar, Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven
Concerto in C Major, S. 595 Johann Sebastian Bach
\”Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele,\” S. 654 (No. 339, The Hymnal 1982) Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite, op. 5 Maurice Duruflé
February 24, 2013 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Fantasie in C minor, S. 652 Johann Sebastian Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Youth Choir: Day by Day Martin How
Sequence Hymn 455 O love of God, how strong and true Dunedin
Offertory anthem: Call to remembrance Richard Farrant
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Hear my prayer Henry Purcell
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn How Great Thou Art
Organ: I call to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, S. 643 J. S. Bach
Music Note: Composer and church musician Martin How is the son of a former Primate of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. He spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music where he initiated and developed the chorister training scheme used in many parts of the world. St. Richard of Chichester is supposed to have recited the popular prayer ascribed to him on his deathbed, written down in Latin by his confessor. The first English translation to use the rhyme \”clearly, dearly, nearly\” is thought to be one from 1913; the first including the phrase \”day by day\” followed in 1931. The prayer became especially popular in America following its adaptation for the musical Godspell in 1971. Martin How\’s version dates from 1977. † Although it is apparent from the autograph that Purcell originally intended to add to the anthem \’Hear my Prayer,\’ it seems quite likely that having written it he realized how difficult it would be to match its brilliance, and deliberately wrote no more. What makes the music so outstanding is not so much its skillful construction for eight parts out of the most economical of means, namely two simple phrases and their inversions (one based on two notes only and the other on a short chromatic scale), but its strong sense of climax in the final bars. Not only is this prepared in gradually increasing intensity, but the reservation of the full eight-part texture, and the restrained range of the parts up to the last few bars, gives this climax the maximum effect. Then, very quickly and inevitably, the music comes to rest as the sonoroties clarify, and resolve into a simple four-part chord. (Purcell note by Christopher Dearnley.) † \”How Great Thou Art\” is based on a poem written by a Swedish preacher in 1885; the melody is a Swedish folk song. It was translated into English by British missionary Stuart K. Hine, who also added two original verses of his own composition, and was popularized during the Billy Graham crusades. Billy Graham gave Mr. Hine permission to quote his reaction to the hymn: “The reason I like \”How Great Thou Art\” is because it glorifies God. It turns Christian’s eyes toward God, rather than upon themselves. I use it as often as possible because it is such a God-honoring song.” It was voted the United Kingdom\’s favorite hymn by BBC\’s Songs of Praise, and was ranked second (after \”Amazing Grace\”) on a list of the favorite hymns of all time in a survey by Today\’s Christian magazine in 2001. (Wikipedia; for more about the origin and appeal of this hymn, see www.mannamusicinc.com/hgta.htm) † Bach\’s postlude trio has been arranged for other instruments. It is from his book of teaching pieces entitled \”Little Organ Book\” which instructs the student in techniques of both playing and composition, while also serving as a collection of music for church services and a religious statement. In the words of humanitarian and Bach scholar Albert Schweitzer, \”Here Bach has realized the ideal of the chorale prelude. The method is the most simple imaginable and at the same time the most perfect. Nowhere is the Dürer-like character of his musical style so evident as in these small chorale-preludes. Simply by the precision and the characteristic quality of each line of the contrapuntal motive he expresses all that has to be said, and so makes clear the relation of the music to the text whose title it bears.\”
February 17, 2013 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Men\’s Choir
Organ: Forty days and forty nights Johann Christoph Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn The Old Rugged Cross
Offertory anthem: Wilt thou forgive DG Mason
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Behold, the Lamb of God Paul Bouman
Communion Hymn 489 The great Creator of the worlds Tallis\’ Ordinal
Closing Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days Erhalt uns, Herr
Organ: Benedictus (from Mass for the Parishes) Francois Couperin
The Offertory anthem, sung by the men of the choir, was written in 2002 for an Ash Wednesday service at Worcester Cathedral, England. The text was conceived not as a hymn but as a poem, and a great deal of its universal appeal derives from its unabashed particularity. John Donne calls attention to himself not only by punning on his own surname but also by making it the basis of the two rhymes running through all three stanzas. Less obvious, but no less important, is the second rhyme-word that concludes every stanza: more. This is the surname of Donne\’s wife, whose maiden name was Ann More, who had died six years before. Perhaps one reason for the enduring immediacy of this poem is that, despite its particular references and its somewhat veiled theological concerns with original and habitual sin, it manages to convey a convincing sense of assurance. (Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Jeffrey Wasson.) The music amplifies this assurance with its strong final cadence, after the unresolved cadences ending the first two verses.
February 10, 2013 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Storm Update (Feb 9, 8:30 p.m.): MORNING Services Feb 10 proceed as normal, with available choir singing substitute \”blizzard anthems.\”
Afternoon Tea, Evensong and Organ Recital today have been CANCELED; please come to the next such afternoon on Sunday March 3.
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Praeludium in G minor Dieterich Buxtehude
Opening Hymn I love to tell the story
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Offertory anthem: The Transfiguration Larry King
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: O nata lux Morten Lauridsen
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ: Fugue in C Major (\”Jig\”) Buxtehude
Music Note: The first hymn today is sung in continued observance of Black History Month. The hymn before the Gospel is repeated from the Sunday of the Epiphany (January 6) as a bookend to the especially short observance of the season this year, owing to the early date of Easter. The last Sunday after the Epiphany, or Transfiguration Sunday, is the last before the beginning of Lent and thus is the last opportunity until Easter to say or sing the word Alleluia. † Larry King was organist and choir director of Trinity Church, Wall Street in New York City from 1968 to 1989. He composed several works incorporating pre-recorded synthesized sounds alongside traditional organ and choral writing, of an iconoclastic yet deeply spiritual nature. Today\’s offertory anthem is one of these, and there is little that could be said to prepare the listener for the experience, intentionally as mystifying and bizarre and hopefully transcendent as the event it describes in music. The pre-recorded part is coordinated with the live performance using a stopwatch. It includes not only sounds from a synthesizer, but also echoing filtered sounds of the choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street. † Morten Lauridsen was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (1994–2001) and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 40 years. In 2007 he received the National Medal of Arts from the President in a White House ceremony, “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.” O nata lux, a text for the Feast of the Transfiguration, is certainly no exception. † The postlude reflects the day\’s spirit of joyful enthusiasm, by both the nature of the music and the \”radiant\” key of C Major. In the Baroque period of their composition, keyboard instruments were tuned in such a way that some keys sounded more pure than others. Much music was written in keys with few sharps or flats, to avoid the out of tune \”wolf\” when playing in keys with many flats or sharps. Even after an \”equal tempered\” system of tuning made all keys sound more or less in tune, C Major continued to be particularly associated in the Classical period with festivity and grandeur, and has always been a triumphant key in organ music owing to C being the lowest note on the pedalboard, thus playing the largest, lowest available pipes.
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. CANCELED
Organ Recital following Evensong by Dr. Trisha Snyder, Storrs Congergational Church, Storrs CANCELED
February 3, 2013 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir, with Youth Choir anthem
Organ: Lord God, now open wide your heaven, S. 617 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn What a friend we have in Jesus
Anthem (Youth Choir): The Birds Benjamin Britten
Sequence Hymn 292 O Jesus, crowned with all renown Kingsfold
Baptism Hymn 298 All who believe and are baptized Es ist das Heil
Offertory anthem: When to the Temple Mary went Johannes Eccard
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Nunc Dimittis in G George Dyson
Communion Hymn 325 Let us break bread together Let us break bread
Closing Hymn 598 Lord Christ, when first thou cam\’st to earth Mit Freuden zart
Organ: In peace and joy I now depart, S. 616 Bach
Music Note: The prelude is a depiction in music of the aged Simeon visiting the Temple in Jerusalem, heard in the rhythm of the pedal part which suggested to Albert Schweitzer the “uncertain steps of a pilgrim who has finished his course and now goes with weary steps to the gate of eternity.” Simeon then sang the Nunc Dimittis, having seen the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. † The first hymn today is sung in observance of Black History Month; a hymn from the Gospel tradition will be sung each Sunday in February. Absalom Jones (1746-February 13, 1818) was the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church (1804). In the Episcopal calendar of saints he is listed on February 13 as \”Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818.\” Jones was born into slavery in Philadelphia. By 1778 he had purchased his wife\’s freedom so that their children would be free, and in another seven years he was able to purchase his own. Tired of relegation to a gallery as was the custom in interracial congregations, Jones and his followers founded the first black church in Philadelphia which petitioned to become an Episcopal parish. Jones was also part of the first group of African Americans to petition the U.S. Congress, in criticism of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. Originally a poem, \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” was never intended by the hymn writer, Joseph Scriven, for publication. Upon learning of his mother\’s serious illness and unable to be with her in faraway Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of the text. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near his bed. The friend read it with interest and asked if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, \”The Lord and I did it between us.\” (Hymn note by Kenneth J. Osbeck.) In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published, entitled Hymns and Other Verses, and the musical setting soon followed which launched the enduring popularity of the pairing. † Belloc\’s beguiling poem \”The Birds\’\” published in 1910, has inspired at least twenty-five musical settings. That by Benjamin Britten (dating from 1929 when the composer was sixteen) sets the action of the birds into the colorful accompaniment, and also into the way the range of the voices takes flight. The concluding prayer comes back to earth with disarming simplicity, both profound and childlike.
January 27, 2013 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Annual Meeting at 10:00 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Duo, Basse de cromorne, Récit de nazard (Suite du 2eme ton) Louis-Nicolas Clérambault
Opening Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord\’s Anointed Es flog ein kleins Waldvogelein
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate Munich
Offertory anthem: I was glad Henry Purcell
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Closing Hymn 537 Christ for the world we sing Moscow
Organ: Caprice sur les grands jeux Clérambault
Music Note: A prolific composer and esteemed teacher of the French Baroque period, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault was organist of the church of St. Sulpice in Paris, where later Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré were to have similar impacts on the field. His sprightly, ornamented organ works bear titles indicating the stops used to produce the sounds he intended, hence: basse de cromorne (the bass register of a pungent clarinet),récit de nazard (recitative for the nazard stop, which sounds two and a half octaves higher than written), and grands jeux (full organ). This music can be created with great authenticity with the French colors of the instrument here at St. John\’s. † HenryPurcell is honored together with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on July 28. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell\’s legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no other native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar. He was appointed Organist of Westminster Abbey at the age of twenty, and three years later he was appointed organist of the Chapel Royal, an office which he was able to hold simultaneously with his position at the Abbey. In these capacities he composed music for Royal occasions, including I was glad in 1685 for the Coronation of King James II. (Wikipedia.) I was glad contains four sections contrasting merriment and peace. Its rich texture throughout is derived from two intertwining soprano parts in addition to alto, tenor and bass; all five parts contain delightfully complex rhythms. † Thomas Tallis flourished as a composer in Tudor England. He served the Chapel Royal from 1543-1585, composing and performing for four successive monarchs. He altered the language and style of his compositions according to the monarchs\’ greatly varying demands (primarily in Latin for Henry VIII, then English for Edward VI who established Protestantism in England, back to Latin for \’Bloody\’ Mary who restored Catholicism briefly, and finally English for Elizabeth I), also composing church music in French and Italian. Tallis was a teacher of William Byrd, and in 1575 Elizabeth granted to Tallis and Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing, ensuring their continuing prominence today. Like the offertory anthem, \’O nata lux\’ demonstrates the luminous texture made possible by five voice parts, and the period practice of \”cross relations\” between the voices which may have, for example, one part singing a C natural just before, or more startlingly at the same time as, another part sings a C-sharp! Within the pure style of Tudor polyphony these colorful \’crunches\’ may sound like wrong notes to modern ears (which ironically are accustomed to all sorts of other dissonance).
January 20, 2013 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Women\’s Choir
Organ: Benedictus Max Reger
Opening Hymn There\’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place
Sequence Hymn 126 The people who in darkness walked Dundee
Offertory anthem: Kaddish Maurice Ravel
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Mater ora filium Charles Wood, arr. Harrison Oxley
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 497 How bright appears the morning star Wie schon leuchtet
Organ: Fugue on \’How bright appears the morning star\’ Reger
Music notes: In the Episcopal Church\’s calendar, Common Saints are a general category of lesser saints such as martyrs, missionaries, pastors, theologians, monastics and teachers, whose personal qualities or traits include heroic faith, love, goodness of life, joyousness, service to others for Christ\’s sake, and devotion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is so recognized, with feast days on both his birth on January 15 and death on April 4. The opening hymn is sung in celebration of tomorrow\’s holiday. † The Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God\’s name. The opening words of this prayer are inspired by Ezekiel 38:23 (a vision of God becoming great in the eyes of all the nation),, shared by the prophecy in today’s first lesson. The term \”Kaddish\” is often used to refer specifically to \”The Mourners\’ Kaddish\”, said as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services as well as at funerals and memorials. When mention is made of \”saying Kaddish\”, this unambiguously denotes the rituals of mourning. Mourners say Kaddish to show that despite the loss they still praise God. Ravel’s musical setting contains exoticism (common during the Epiphany season) and a clear fervor for God’s Kingdom. In May, our choir is combining with that of Temple Beth Israel next door to us, for a concert of Psalms celebrating another aspect of Judeo-Christian common experience. † The serene opening and closing music of the prelude by German Romantic composer Max Reger suggests the title text \”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,\” while the exuberant contrapuntal middle section proclaims \”Hosanna in the highest!\” Reger set today\’s final hymn as a densely written twenty-minute chorale-fantasy, with the text of five stanzas appearing in the score. Its brilliant concluding fugue combines an exuberant original subject with the hymn tune which appears in long note values. If it has been said of Mozart\’s music that there are \”too many notes,\” it is all the more justly said of Reger\’s music that there are so many notes, it would be most economical to print merely the spaces between them, using white ink on black paper! In the postlude, the text being set by the composer is \”Sing! Leap! Be jubilant, Rejoice! Thank the Lord; Great is the King of Glory.\”
January 13, 2013 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Men\’s Choirs
Organ: How bright appears the Morning Star Dietrich Buxtehude
Opening Hymn 544 Duke Street
Sequence Hymn 121 Christ, when for us you were baptized Caithness
Baptism Hymn 298 All who believe and are baptized Es ist das Heil
Offertory anthem: Christ, whose glory fills the skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: In thee is gladnsss, S. 615 Bach
Music Note: Thomas Frederick Handel Candlyn was an English-born church musician who spent twenty-eight years at St. Paul\’s Church, Albany, New York, and the final ten of his career at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. The offertory anthem is an enduring favorite of his some two hundred works, and contains a splendid example of text-painting at the beginning of the second verse. \”Day-spring\” is the beginning of dawn; \”Day-star\” is the morning star. \”Sun of Righteousness\” is an attribute spoken of Christ in Malachi 4:2 (referring to God\’s blessings on the good): \”But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.\” This reference also underscores the double-meaning of \”Sun\” as \”Son\” in the context of Epiphany. † The Bach Communion anthem, a perennial favorite, is from a cantata (No. 147) written originally in Weimar in 1716 for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Later in Bach\’s career he found it impossible to perform in Leipzig, because that city observed \”tempus clausum\”…literally \”closed time,\” a time of silence, for the last three Sundays of Advent. Thus he expanded and revised it for the feast of the Visitation, where it was first performed in Leipzig in July, 1723. On many occasions Bach recycled and revised his own music, sometimes as a result of genuine inspiration, sometimes to create meaningful connections between pieces, and sometimes simply to find a practical solution to avoid inutility of a movement as beautiful as \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring.\’
January 6, 2013 + The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first Anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: The wise men Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 124 What star is this, with beams so bright Puer Nobis
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem: Brightest and best Malcolm Archer
Sequence Hymn 92 On this day earth shall ring Personent hodie
Offertory anthem: The three kings Peter Cornelius
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Epiphany Skinner Chávez-Melo
Communion Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Closing Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Organ: Prelude on \’We three kings of Orient are\’ Michael McCabe
Music Note: Olivier Messiaen\’s unique musical voice was one of the most revolutionary in the twentieth century. From a set of nine meditations on the birth of Christ (1935), today\’s prelude depicts the procession of the magi beneath the guiding star; the stars are heard as brief points of light against soft shimmering chords in the background, while the journey of the kings on camels over uneven terrain is suggested by the unusual undulating rhythm of the melody. The effect of this music certainly can be considered more atmospheric than melodic, more theological-mathematical than \”beautiful\” in ordinary terms, but as with an Impressionist painting, the effect of the whole can be miraculous. From notes by Messiaen\’s student Jon Gillock: \”The men are tired, they are half-asleep on their camels, maybe even asleep some of the time – traveling at night so they can see the star. The motion of being on the camel is a mesmerizing movement, one that could put you to sleep, one that could make you feel as if you were in a dream, going on for days – a state of timelessness. It is the energy from the light of the star that seems to draw the caravan forward throughout the piece. Two times the music slows – the first time, perhaps, it is because the wise men have gone to sleep, and the camels (not being urged onward) have decided to take a rest, which in turn wakes the wise men and off they go again. After the second time, however, there is a change of tempo and registration: the wise men have now reached their destination; they are kneeling at the manger, and the music communicates the awe and reverence of being in the presence of God.\” † The season of Epiphany is rather short this year given the early date of Easter. It runs from January 6 until Shrove Tuesday, February 12. On February 10, the Sunday of The Transfiguration or the last Sunday after Epiphany, we will again sing today\’s closing hymn, which summarizes the entire life of Christ with emphasis on the Epiphany season of the revelation of Christ\’s divine majesty through miraculous works and events. † Another Epiphany hymn \”How bright appears the morning star\” (No. 497) is sung as an accompaniment to the soloist in the offertory anthem.
December 30, 2012 + The First Sunday after Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Good Christian friends, rejoice Vincent Lübeck
Opening Hymn 82 Of the Father\’s love begotten Divinum mysterium
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 89 It came upon a midnight clear Carol
Offertory anthem: See amid the winter\’s snow John Goss
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: In the bleak mid-winter Gustav Holst
Communion Hymn 115 What child is this Greensleeves
Closing Hymn 107 Good Christian friends, rejoice In dulci jubilo
Organ: Lord Christ, the only Son of God, S. 601 Johann Sebastian Bach
Sunday, December 25, 2012 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 a.m. with congregational Carols
Richard Knapp, organ, and Lucelia E. Fryer, flute
Organ: Pastorale from Le Prologue de Jesus Joseph W. Clokey
What child is this? Ralph Vaughan Williams
Opening Hymn 93 Angels from the realms of glory Regent Square
Sequence Hymn 78 O Little town of Bethlehem Forest Green
Offertory: Pastoral Symphony (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Communion: In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke
Closing Hymn 100 Joy to the world! Antioch
Organ: Noël: Josef est bien marié a la fille de Jessé Claude-Bénigne Balbastre
Music Note: Joseph W. Clokey was an American composer, whose organ suite was based on traditional French carols. † Vaughan Williams based many works such as the music of \”What child is this?\” on old country tunes, in this case \’Greensleeves,\’ dating from the 16th century. † \”Kent Treble Bob Major\” (heard during the Peace) is a peal of change ringing wherein the sequence of the music is based on mathematical permutations rather than familiar tunes. This peal was featured in Dorothy L. Sayers\’s novel \”The Nine Tailors.” † The Pastoral Symphony occurs as a brief instrumental interlude in Messiah. † Harold Darke was interim Organist and Choirmaster at King\’s College, Cambridge from 1945-51, substituting for Boris Ord while the latter served in the R.A.F. † Noëlsare French organ pieces for Christmas. \”Joseph is well-married to the daughter of Jesse\” was one such piece. While organist at the church of St. Roch in Paris, Balbastre\’s fame was so great that the archbishop of Paris had to forbid him to play during some of the services, because the churches were always crowded when Balbastre played. He became harpsichordist to the French royal court where he taught queen Marie-Antoinette. Later, he became organist of the Notre-Dame Cathedral and of the Chapelle Royale. (Notes by Richard Knapp.)
Monday, December 24, 2012 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
3:45 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult and Youth Choirs)
4:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with Susan Knapp Thomas, harp
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir
Music listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:45 p.m.
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Go tell it on the mountain John Abdenour
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, st. 3 arr. Wolfgang Lindner
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with Susan Knapp Thomas, harp
A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 (complete) Benjamin Britten
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Sussex Carol arr. David Willcocks
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: A Ceremony of Carols was written by Benjamin Britten originally for treble choir and harp in March of 1942, while at sea. Because of the immense popularity of the piece, piano accompaniment and a mixed choir arrangement are also often heard. The majority of the text is taken from poems in Middle English (late 12th to late 15th century). Medieval vocabulary and syntax informed the “translation” provided as well as the following notes by Thomas Ajack. While some of the theology is arguable in the text, it remains rich and valuable. It also serves as a springboard to clarify our own thoughts and beliefs. With this understanding may we worship through the text and the music, which transcends time and brings us closer to God.
I. Hodie. Taken from the Vespers of the Nativity, this plainchant antiphon is used as a procession and recession, rounding out the form of the composition.
II. Wolcum Yole. A miniature of the liturgical calendar of the Christmas season. The heavenly child is welcomed as important saints’ feast days of the season are referenced. December 28 is known as Holy Innocents Day, in remembrance of the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod. The New Year and Epiphany (twelfth day) are mentioned, as well as saints who have left and were dear to us. Candle Mass refers to Feb. 2, which remembers Mary’s purification at the temple, and Jesus’ presentation to Simeon. In some countries the creche is left out until Candle Mass signifies the end of the season.
III. There is no rose. The message here is that Mary was unparalleled. For the first time, heaven and earth were in the same space: within her womb. Because of her, we learn the mystery of the Trinity.
IV. That yongë child. When the baby Jesus began to cry, Mary sang a lullaby. The nightingale sang also, but Mary’s song was superior.
IVb. Balulalow. Showing great humility, Mary sings a good and proper Lullaby to the young Jesus.
V. As dew in Aprille. We are reminded of a traditional tale that Mary’s labor was painless, a gift only fitting for such a blessed lady.
VI. This little Babe. A list of metaphors depicts Christ’s battle with Satan, oddly juxtaposing infant images with weapons and battles.
VII. Interlude. This harp solo is among the classic literature for the instrument. Its key of C-flat (eight flats) is that in which the harp sounds most resonant. The Hodie chant is transformed into a bold tapestry of sound framed by quiet but no less powerful evocations of a freezing winter night.
VIII. In freezing winter night. We review the Biblical accounts of the humility of Christ’s birth.
IX. Spring Carol. A duet to thank God after winter. One could interpret that Spring (the birth of Christ) comes after Winter (four thousand years of sin since Adam).
X. Deo Gracias. This could be called “reverse psychology.” The message is “blessed was the time that Adam sinned, because now we have the joy of Salvation.” Humanity was bound by sin for Four Thousand winters (years) until Christ was born. We are to assume that time began around 4000BC. We are also to be glad because without Adam’s sin, Mary would have never been a heavenly queen. † The postlude is from Widor\’s Symphonie Gothique, based on a Christmas plainsong hymn. The final movement (Toccata) was played annually on Christmas Eve by the composer at the church of St. Sulpice in Paris where he was organist for a remarkable 64-year tenure (1870-1934). Unlike the famous toccata from Widor\’s Symphonie No. 5, which is loud throughout, this one gradually builds in excitement, and concludes softly, in a peaceful, almost plaintive mood which can be interpreted as a meditation on the full meaning of Christmas and the life of Christ.
December 23, 2012 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The St. John\’s Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Jeffrey Higgins and Steve Perrett, trumpets
Prelude: Sung by the Choirs
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Charles Wood
A merry Christmas arr. Arthur Warrell
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
Ding dong! merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
Gloria (Coronation Mass in C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert
Offertory anthem: Go tell it on the mountain John Abdenour
Closing Hymn 87 Hark, the herald angels sing Mendelssohn
Organ and trumpets: My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
December 16, 2012 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with a Youth Choir anthem)
Organ: Magnificats I, V Marcel Dupré
Closing Hymn 72 Hark! the glad sound! the Savior comes Richmond
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Youth Choir anthem: Watchman, tell us of the night Bruce Saylor
Sequence Hymn 67 Comfort, comfort ye my people Psalm 42
Offertory anthem: Rejoice in the Lord alway Henry Purcell
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Let all mortal flesh keep silence Edward C. Bairstow
Communion Hymn 597 O day of peace that dimly shines Jerusalem
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Organ: My soul doth magnify the Lord, S. 648 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The preludes are based on the first and final sections of text of the Magnificat. First, \’My soul doth magnify the Lord,\’ Mary\’s song of joy and praise upon hearing she would bear the Christ child, appears in a merry lyrical texture of two against three. Then, in \’He remembering his mercy, hath holpen his servant Israel; as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever\’ the imminent fulfillment of ancient prophecy is depicted in the long-held chords and the pedals slowly descending as if from heaven to earth; the gentle dissonances resolve into meditative peace. This music is from a set of versets (organ responses to choir passages based on liturgical texts) originally improvised at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1919, and written down at the behest of Dupré\’s admirer from across the channel Claude Johnson (president of the Rolls Royce automobile company). † As was the case last week, today\’s offertory anthem is a \’verse anthem\’which developed and was very popular during the early 17th to the middle of the 18th centuries in England. In a verse anthem the music alternates between contrasting sections for a solo voice or voices and the full choir. Verse anthems were a major part of the English Reformation due to the use of English rather than Latin, and because the use of soloists allowed the text to be expressed more clearly as decreed by the monarchy. Purcell\’s \’Rejoice in the Lord alway\’ (using the early English spelling) is known as \’The Bell Anthem\’ because of its introduction based on a recurring descending scale, such as is heard from change-ringing of eight bells in bell towers. † The communion hymn was created for the Hymnal 1982 out of urgings from the hymnal Commission to include hymns on world peace, and also to include the tune \’Jerusalem\’ by the British composer and teacher Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. To satisfy these requests, the Commission asked Carl P. Daw, Jr. to write a text on peace that would fit the Parry tune. The tune was written in 1916 for William Blake\’s poem \”Jerusalem,\” which contains almost fanatical zeal for all things English, and the setting quickly became a second \’national anthem\’, still sung on many great public occasions in England. In a musical context specifically embracing while also redirecting a nationalist association, the new text (a paraphrase of a favorite Advent passage, Isaiah 11:6-9) takes on a meaning perhaps broader than the intention of the creators of any of its individual parts. (Imagine a rendition of \’Joy to the World\’ set to the music of \’O beautiful for spacious skies.\’)(Hymn note adapted from an essay by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Alec Wyton.)
December 9, 2012 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Men\’s Choirs
Organ: Savior of the nations, come, S. 659 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 65 Prepare the way, O Zion Bereden vag for Herran
Offertory anthem: This is the record of John Orlando Gibbons
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming Dale Adelmann
Communion Hymn 54 Savior of the nations, come! Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Closing Hymn 59 Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding Merton
Organ: Savior of the nations, come, S. 599 Johann Sebastian Bach
Today\’s offertory anthem is an example of a \’verse anthem,\’ a type which developed and was very popular during the early 17th to the middle of the 18th centuries in England. In a verse anthem the music alternates between contrasting sections for a solo voice or voices and the full choir. The organ provided accompaniment in liturgical settings, but viols took the accompaniment outside of the church. Verse anthems were a major part of the English Reformation due to the use of English rather than Latin, and because the use of soloists allowed the text to be expressed more clearly as decreed by the monarchy. \’This is the record of John\’ was written by Gibbons for a visit of the Archbishop to his alma mater, St. John\’s College, Oxford. † Dale Adelmann is Music Director of the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. His alma mater is St. John\’s College, Cambridge, where he sang in the chapel choir and directed The Gentlemen of St. John\’s. His powerful setting of the sixteenth-century Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming was composed for the choir of men and boys of St. Paul\’s Cathedral, Buffalo. The music takes full advantage of the \”new\” third stanza of this hymn, added in the 19th century in Germany and added to Episcopal hymnals in 1940.
December 2, 2012 + The First Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude on Aberystwyth Claude Means
Opening Hymn 57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 73 The King shall come when morning dawns St. Stephen
Offertory anthem: Audivi vocem Thomas Tallis
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: E\’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Paul Manz
Communion Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Closing Hymn 640 Watchman, tell us of the night Aberystwyth
Organ: Sleepers, wake! S. 645 Bach
Music notes: Prolific Lutheran composer Paul Manz wrote the communion anthem in 1954. The appeal of the composition, with modal elements lending a haunting, medieval quality to certain passages, has been enormous; it has sold over a million copies around the world and has been recorded hundreds of times. The origin of the text, assembled from Revelation 22 by the composer\’s wife (a frequent collaborator), was in response to the near death of their three year old son from a rare form of pneumonia. Their son was spared and is now a Lutheran bishop in Minnesota. † The Advent hymn-tune Helmsleywas first printed with this text in London in 1765, and first published in America in 1799. An earlier version of the tune exists in an almost flippant, secular style. It was not widely used in Anglican/Episcopal circles until Ralph Vaughan Williams selected it for inclusion in The English Hymnal of 1906. He transformed it into a stately Edwardian melody by his harmonies (faithfully transcribed in our hymnal), revealing the tune\’s potential as a solemn processional. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Nicholas Temperley and Geoffrey Wainwright.)
Advent Procession of Lessons and Carols at 5 pm sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
click to download service program: December_2_AdventLC_5pm_2012.pdf
November 25, 2012 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Intrada Grayston Ives
Opening Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: Judge eternal Gerre Hancock
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Laudate Dominum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Grand-choeur dialogué Eugène Gigout
Music Note: Gerre Hancock was from 1971-2004 Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. The offertory anthem was commissioned by and dedicated to the Houston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for its National Convention of 1988, where its premiere was sung by the choir of King\’s College, Cambridge, England. The anthem\’s text, first published in 1902 and introduced into Episcopal hymnals in 1916, remains one of the strongest for social justice and national peace in our hymnal (No. 596). Originally, stanza 3 read: \”…Feed the faint and hungry heathen with the richness of thy Word: Cleanse the body of this empire through the glory of the Lord.\” (Timothy Smith) † Mozart composed two complete settings of the vesper psalms in 1779-80, for use in the celebrated evening services of Salzburg cathedral. From the more well-known setting, Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339) comes the soprano aria \”Laudate Dominum,\” written for the remarkable singer Maria Magdalena Lipp (the wife of composer Michael Haydn). Mozart composed many pieces for her, and this beguiling example, in which the choir enters for a doxology of serene simplicity, was a particular favorite of many nineteenth-century singers and arrangers.
November 18, 2012 + The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Men\’s choirs
Organ: Praeludium Circulare (Symphony No. 2) Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 598 Lord Christ, when first thou camest to earth Mit Freuden zart
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 615 \”Thy kingdom come!\” on bended knee St. Flavian
Offertory Anthem Cantique de Jean Racine Gabriel Fauré
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Soul of my Savior Richard Shephard
Communion Hymn 51 We the Lord\’s people, heart and voice uniting Decatur Place
Closing Hymn 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate Munich
Organ: Now thank we all our God Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Music Note: Along with Molière and Corneille, Jean Racine was one of the \”Big Three\” 17th-century French dramatists. His paraphrase-translation (published in 1688) of an early Latin hymn, was set to music by Fauré at the age of nineteen, as his opus 11. This piece won first prize when Fauré graduated from the Niedermeyer School in Paris, and was first performed the next year in 1866, accompanied by strings and organ. It was published about a decade later and has become one of his best-known works, sharing with his Requiem a general mood of quiet consolation, and melodic beauty. † Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.
November 11, 2012 + The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with Youth Choir anthems)
Organ: Requiescat in Pace Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Youth Choir: Non nobis, Domine William Byrd
A grateful heart Mary Plumstead
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory anthem: Greater love hath no man John Ireland
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God T. Tertius Noble
Communion Hymn 9 Not here for high and holy things Morning Song
Closing Hymn 718 God of our Fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Organ: Elegy George Thalben-Ball
Music Note: Of his Requiscat in Pace, Leo Sowerby wrote: \” It was written as a tribute to those who went \’over there\’ in 1917-1918, and didn\’t return. I feel that the music tells its own story of the eventual triumph of the spirit over the unimportance of bodily or material things, but don\’t quote me…I wouldn\’t want to be taken for a Christian Scientist!\” † John Ireland excelled particularly at writing music for the piano and the solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Ralph Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal Academy of Music. \”Greater love\” resourcefully draws on several texts to illuminate our inheritance as the Redeemed of God, set to music of a fitting variety of characters. Written in 1912, the anthem predates specific reference to veterans, referring to the more general stewardship of our lives. † George Thalben-Ball was organist and choir director of London\’s famed Temple Church for nearly sixty years. He composed several anthems and organ works, of which the best known is his meditative Elegy for organ. This piece originated in an improvisation which Thalben-Ball played at the end of a live BBC daily religious service during World War II, when the service finished a couple of minutes earlier than expected. So many listeners to the broadcast telephoned the BBC to ask what the composition was, that he decided to write down his improvisation as well as he could remember it.
November 4, 2012 + All Saints\’ Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult choirs, with Susan Knapp Thomas, harp
Harp and Organ: Aria in Classic Style Marcel Grandjany
Opening Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 623 O what their joy and their glory must be O quanta qualia
Offertory Anthem And I saw a new heaven Edgar L. Bainton
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthems: Pie Jesu, In paradisum (from Requiem) Gabriel Fauré
Closing Hymn 287 For all the saints Sine Nomine
Organ: Prelude on Sine Nomine Leo Sowerby
Music Note: Marcel Grandjany was a French-born American harpist and composer. He moved to the United States in 1926 and was appointed head of the harp department at the Juilliard School of Music in 1938 where he taught until his death. His many splendid compositions, work as an educator, and champion of an international association of harpists and the American Harp Society, continue in their influence today. The Aria in Classic Style(published 1944) is dedicated to Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (1864-1953), a major champion of chamber music and commisioner of new works. Coolidge established the Berkshire String Quartet in 1916 and started the Berkshire Music Festival at South Mountain, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, two years later. Out of this grew the Berkshire Symphonic Festival at Tanglewood, which she also supported. Coolidge\’s efforts raised the status of chamber music in the United States, where the major interest of composers had previously been in orchestral music, from curiosity to a seminal field of composition. Between 1932-1949, the Library of Congress awarded the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal for “eminent services to chamber music.” (Wikipedia) † Edgar Bainton is remembered today primarily for one anthem And I saw a new heaven, secure in the annals of Anglican church music. Son of a Congregational minister, he was a child prodigy pianist and wrote many works including anthems, songs and symphonic music, only recently coming to light and being recorded. After fifty years in England, Bainton spent another twenty-three working in Australia. In the offertory anthem, the dramatic vision from Revelation is splendidly matched by changing musical moods. An especially lovely melody introduced by the tenors partway through is echoed at the vision\’s peaceful conclusion.
October 28, 2012 + The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Aria; It is well with my soul Craig Phillips
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul St. Thomas
Offertory anthem: The Beatitudes Phillips
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Set me as a seal Rene Clausen
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Kyrie! Thou Spirit Divine, S. 671 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints Parish, Beverly Hills, California and a prolific, nationally known composer. The two preludes are from an early collection (1997), safely within the bounds of tonality. The compelling setting of the Beatitudes (2008) is essentially a set of variations (as is the text) on a melody of irregular meter, introducing gently dissonant harmony when appropriate. The text directly colors the repeated statements and the glorious crescendo at the end; one\’s peaceful reassurance culminates in a great outburst that has been building throughout the preceding variations. † The singing of the communion hymn last Sunday was thrilling, when all present were reunited by a sense of gratitude and common purpose following the testimonies of those who had experienced the fire 20 years ago. Might this experience continue on a weekly basis? The act of receiving the Eucharist similarly unites us. Particularly in those final stanzas such as today\’s where the hope of eternal life is made clear, join the throng heartily as suggested. You may find it an extra blessing. † The postlude is a setting of a German hymn version of Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy upon us) which contains additional text between its two Greek words: \”Kyrie! Thou Spirit Divine! Oh grant us thy power evermore, That we when life is o\’er With joy uprising may leave our sorrows. Eleison!\” This could be considered a variation on the theme of the Beatitudes. The sentiment therein is matched by a majestic and elaborate fantasia. The initial three rising notes of the melody (heard in long pedal tones) is also the motive upon which all the accompanying material is based, either right-side-up or upside-down. The startlingly dissonant conclusion to this music could have been written in modern times.
October 21, 2012 + The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Women\’s Choirs
Prelude: Prelude in B Major, Op. 99 No. 2 Camille Saint-Saëns
Opening Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Offertory anthem: Behold now, praise the Lord William H. Harris
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: O mysterium ineffabile Jean-François Lalouette
Communion Hymn 336 Come with us, O blessed Jesus Werde munter
Closing Hymn 680 O God, our help in ages past St. Anne
Organ: Improvisation, Op. 150 No. 7 Saint-Saëns
Music Note: One of the oldest Latin hymn texts, \”Christ is made the sure foundation\” is found in manuscript collections of hymns from the ninth century, but perhaps dates back as early as the sixth century. The stanzas of this hymn, as well as No. 519, are actually part of one long hymn traditionally associated with the dedication of a church. The verses were usually divided into two parts, part I (No. 519) being sung at the evening office and part 2 (518) reserved for morning prayer. The music is derived from concluding Alleluias of the Purcell anthem \”O God, thou art my God.\” This text/tune relationship was first introduced to Americans through the broadcast of the marraige of Princess Margaret of England in 1960. (Louis Weil and Jeffrey Wasson) † The tune of the sequence hymn is named after the composer\’s son Michael, who died from polio at age 9. † Jean-Francois Lalouette began his musical education as a boy in the choir of the church of St. Eustache in Paris. After a varied career as violinist, choirmaster, composer and court musician, he held the post of choirmaster of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris from 1700-1717 and again from 1718 to 1727. His quietly ecstatic anthem is well suited to describe the mystery of communion and also, perhaps, the mystery that so much of the sacramental area at St. John\’s survived the fire twenty years ago; photos showing the intact altar and its flowers ready for the morning Eucharist, even after the conflagration had brought down the roof, are certainly cause for thanks for some amount of divine intervention.
5:00 PM CHORAL EVENSONG
SUNG BY THE COMBINED CHOIRS OF St. JOHN\’S CHURCH AND TRINITY CURCH, HARTFORD commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the St. John\’s fire
Prelude Carillon de Westminster Louis Vierne
Responses William Smith
Psalm 115 (Anglican Chants by Robert Ashfield and John Jones)
Nunc dimittis C. Villiers Stanford in A
Anthem Sanctuary Doves Peter Stoltzfus Berton
ORGAN RECITAL played by DUO MYDO, Douglas Bruce, organ (Germany) and Myriam Hidber Dickinson, flute (Switzerland).
October 14, 2012 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with a Youth Choir anthem)
Prelude: All glory be to God on high, S. 676 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 475 God himself is with us Tysk
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Youth Choir: A Song of Thanksgiving Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sequence Hymn 684 O for a closer walk with God Caithness
Offertory anthem: There is a land of pure delight Grayston Ives
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: I sat down under his shadow Edward C. Bairstow
Communion Hymn 345 Savior, again to thy dear Name we raise Ellers
Closing Hymn 655 O Jesus, I have promised Nyland
Organ: A joyous march Leo Sowerby
Music Note: J. S. Bach is credited with at least ten settings of the hymn-tune Allein Gott in der Höh (All Glory be to God on high, Hymnal 1982 No. 421). This music and text have been paired since the early 1500s and constituted the Gloria in congregational settings of the Holy Eucharist in Bach\’s day, hence the frequent demand for creative (not to mention lengthy) material to introduce it. In the context of a three hour service, a five minute elaborate introduction to the singing of a hymn gave no one the slightest concern, but instead was expected, inviting a personal meditation on the meaning of the hymn. The prelude today is one of these, with the initial notes of the melody inspiring a florid and merry trio. † The youth choir anthem paraphrases Psalm 23, with the message that discipline is not a burden, but a source of comfort and protective love from God. The music incorporates the hymn tune Old Hundredth and was composed in 1997 for the Sesquicentennial of Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn Heights, NY; the poet Jack Faison was a member of that congregation. † Grayston Ives began his musical career as a boy chorister at Ely Cathedral and later studied music at Cambridge University. After teaching music for a period, he became a member of the King\’s Singers, from 1978 to 1985. Until 2009 he was Director of Music at Magdalen College, Oxford, and has been in great demand as a composer and arranger. The offertory anthem (2002) was written in memory of Vernon Openshaw, an organist and choirmaster who died at the age of 43. Its descriptions of heaven, and of our reluctance to look forward to the journey there, as observed centuries ago by Isaac Watts, deliver a sense of calm assurance. † Sowerby\’s postlude bears the infectious flavor of the American popular musical scene following World War I, during which the composer served as an army bandmaster.
October 7, 2012 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by soprano Marjorie Hardge
(The St. John\’s Choirs sang this morning at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City)
Prelude: Prelude on St. Peter Harold Darke
Opening Hymn 416 For the beauty of the earth Lucerna Laudoniae
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 480 When Jesus left his father\’s throne Kingsfold
Offertory solo: He\’s got the whole world in his hand arr. Margaret Bonds
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion solo: Let us break bread together Traditional
Closing Hymn 657 Love divine, all loves excelling Hyfrydol
Organ: Allegro maestoso e vivace from Sonata No. 2 Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: Margaret Bonds was born in Chicago and began musical studies at age five with her mother, a church organist, who also taught at the COleridge-Taylor Music School. After further studies at that school, she enrolled at Northwestern University and, after moving to New York in 1939, at Juilliard. She collaborated frequently with poet Langston Hughes in some of her best-known works, including the musical Shakespeare in Harlem and the cantata Ballad of the Brown King. Writes Maya Angelou: \”It was during her time at Northwestern University that she became the first African American to solo with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933. As a highly successful composer, Margaret Bonds wrote for a variety of genres including orchestral and choral music, chamber music, art songs and popular songs. Her arrangements of Negro spirituals were sung by such legendary sopranos as Leontyne Price [who made a recording of today\’s offertory anthem]. It is interesting to note, however, that there is little of her piano music in print due to the fact that as an accomplished concert pianist and improviser, most of her piano music was committed to memory and not written down. Bonds received numerous awards during her lifetime for her contributions to the music of African Americans.\” Her arrangement of \”He\’s got the whole world in his hand\” varies the traditional melody with exuberantly detailed elegance of an almost symphonic scope. One can easily imagine woodwinds of an orchestra at the moment depicting the birds and the bees, or the full brass backing up the soaring descant to which the soloist is raised in the final stanza. †
September 30, 2012 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Praise to the Lord, the almighty, S. 650 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the almighty Lobe den Herren
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Offertory anthem: Sing we merrily Sidney Campbell
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: O taste and see Ralph Vaughan Williams
Communion Hymn 313 Let thy Blood in mercy poured Jesus, meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 344 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing Sicilian Mariners
Organ: Allegro from Sonata No. 1 in E-flat Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music Note: The prelude is Bach\’s transcription from his own cantata No. 137 \”Praise to the Lord, the Almighty\” (today\’s opening hymn). In the original cantata movement, as in so many of Bach\’s sacred choral works, a solo role is played by a specific instrument, reflecting the character of the text simultaneously being sung. In this case an alto is singing stanza 2 (shelters thee under his wing…), accompanied by a violin evoking (in Albert Schwietzer\’s estimation) the description of a light, majestic, floating motion. On the organ this arrangement results in wide leaps for the hand, more easily played on a violin on adjacent strings, while the melody, including trills, is played by the feet. This and five other transcriptions of cantata movements were collected and published sometime in the three years before Bach\’s death, perhaps indicating the composer\’s special attachment to music which otherwise would have languished, given the impossibility of publishing the complex cantatas themselves. † Virtuoso Sidney Campbell served successively as organist of Southwark Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, and St. George\’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. His joyous setting of Psalm 81 treats the voice in a nimble instrumental manner, similar to the choral and solo vocal writing of J. S. Bach. † The brief communion motet was composed for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and first sung as the Queen made her personal communion.
5:00 PM CHORAL EVENSONG
SUNG BY THE CHOIR OF ST. PAUL’S CHURCH, FAIRFIELD
Prelude Cantabile César Franck
Introit I will bless the Lord John Abdenour
Responses Anthony Piccolo
Psalms 19, 46
Canticles Henry Smart in B-flat
Anthem Te Deum, laudamus (Collegium Regale) Herbert Howells
ORGAN RECITAL played by Erik Eickhoff, Westminster Presbyterian Church, West Hartford
September 23, 2012 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: All glory be to God on high, S. 662 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S202 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 660 O Master, let me walk with thee Maryton
Offertory anthem: God so loved the world John Stainer
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Draw us in the spirit\’s tether Harold W. Friedell
Communion Hymn 309 O Food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 637 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Lyons
Organ: Grand plein jeu (Suite du Premier Ton) Louis-Nicolas Clérambault
Music Note: J. S. Bach is credited with at least ten settings of the hymn-tune \’Allein Gott in der Höh\’ (All Glory be to God on high, Hymnal 1982 No. 421). This music and text have been paired since the early 1500s and constituted the Gloria in congregational settings of the Holy Eucharist in Bach\’s day, hence the frequent demand for creative (not to mention lengthy) material to introduce it. (In Bach\’s day, in the context of a three hour service, a five minute elaborate introduction to the singing of a hymn gave no one the slightest concern, but instead was expected, inviting a personal meditation on the meaning of the hymn.) The prelude today is one of these, with phrases of the melody introduced one at a time by material hinting at the section to come. Another, rather different of these ten settings (a florid and merry trio) will be heard next month. † The offertory anthem has been sung by choirs all over the world and helps to sustain the interest in the larger work from which it comes. Stainer\’s Passion meditation The Crucifixion (1887) dates from his years at St. Paul\’s Cathedral, London and is his main work still performed. \’God so loved the world\’ combines a disarming simplicity with the essence of melodic and harmonic inspiration, assuring its enduring appeal and effectiveness. † The hymn-tune \’Union Seminary,\’ named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew\’s Church on Park Avenue in 1946. † A prolific composer and esteemed teacher of the French Baroque period, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault was organist of the church of St. Sulpice in Paris, where later Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré were to have similar impacts on the field. His richly ornamented organ works bear titles indicating the stops used to produce the sounds he intended, hence: Grand plein jeu (ensemble of principal and mixture stops without reed stops). This music can be created with great authenticity with the French colors of the instrument here at St. John\’s.
September 16, 2012 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (with a Youth Choir anthem)
Organ: Prelude and Fugue in C Major, S. 545 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 376 Joyful, joyful, we adore thee Hymn to Joy
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Youth choir anthem: Bless, O Lord, us thy servants Martin How
Sequence Hymn As newborn stars were stirred to song Alexandra
Offertory anthem: O how amiable Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: A prayer of St. Richard of Chichester Louis White
Communion Hymn 312 Strenthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: Tuba Tune in D Major Craig Sellar Lang
The hymn sung before the Gospel, while new to us, has been in use in the Episcopal Church since being published in the hymnal supplement Wonder, Love and Praise in 1997. It concisely recounts instances of music throughout Jewish and Christian history, while also depicting music as a metaphor for human faithfulness to God. Its author, The Rev\’d Dr. Carl P. Daw Jr., is an Episcopal priest and writer who served as the Executive Director of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada from 1996 to 2009. Dr. Daw has been successively Secretary and Chair of the Standing Commission on Church Music of the Episcopal Church and was a consultant member of the Text Committee forThe Hymnal 1982, to which he contributed a number of translations, metrical paraphrases, and original hymns. His texts have subsequently appeared in most denominational and ecumenical hymnals published in the United States and Canada. They also can be found in hymnals in England, Scotland, and Australia and have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. † Richard de Wych is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester. His original shrine in Chichester Cathedral was a richly-decorated center of pilgrimage which was destroyed in 1538. He is supposed to have recited the popular prayer ascribed to him on his deathbed, written down in Latin by his confessor. The first English translation to use the rhyme \”clearly, dearly, nearly\” is thought to be one from 1913; the first including the phrase \”day by day\” followed in 1931. The prayer became especially popular in America following its adaptation for the musical Godspell in 1971. The communion anthem version dates from 1947.
September 9, 2012 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Prelude: O God, thou faithful God Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Opening Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: Jubilate Deo William Walton
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Bread of the world John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 51 We the Lord\’s people Decatur Place
Closing Hymn 371 Thou whose almighty word Moscow
Organ: Prelude to a Te Deum Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Music Note: British composer William Walton wrote in many styles, including film scores and opera. His suitably joyous Psalm 100 is a late work, written for events celebrating his seventieth birthday in 1972. After a rhythmically intense opening for two four-part choirs, it contrasts two alternating trios (expressing the ‘quiet’ side of joy) with simpler choral passages supported by an ostinato organ part. † The Sanctus, which we last sang throughout Epiphany, comes from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California. † John Abdenour is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul\’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, Connecticut. His unison setting (from 1992) of a text two centuries old amplifies the poet\’s profound immediacy. † Not unlike a famous Rondeau by Jean-Joseph Mouret which became known widely through its use as the theme of Public Television\’s \’Masterpiece Theatre,\’ Charpentier\’s French Baroque postlude is known as the signature tune for the European Broadcasting Union. Charpentier was trained in Rome and worked in Royal appointments in Paris, lastly as the director of music at the Sainte-Chapelle.
September 2, 2012 + The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Prelude, Fugue and Variation César Franck
Opening Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Sequence Hymn 656 Blest are the pure in heart Franconia
Offertory Hymn 9 Not here for high and holy things Morning Song
Music during Communion: Adagio from Sonata I in F minor Felix Mendelssohn
Closing Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be Hollingside
Organ: Allegro assai vivace from Sonata I in F minor Felix Mendelssohn
August 26, 2012 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m. sung by Margaret Beers, soprano and John Janeiro, baritone
Prelude: Blessed Jesus, at thy word, S. 731 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 440 Blessed Jesus, at thy word Liebster Jesu
Sequence Hymn 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above Mit Freuden zart
Offertory anthem: Domine Deus (from Mass in F Major, S. 233) Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion anthem: O worship the Lord (from Chandos Anthem No. 4) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia, sing to Jesus Hyfrydol
Organ: If thou but suffer God to guide thee, S. 642 Johann Sebastian Bach
August 19, 2012 + The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. sung by members of the St. John\’s Youth Choir
Prelude: O Love how deep Paul Manz
Opening Hymn 427 When morning gilds the skies Laudes Domini
Sequence Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Offertory anthem: A song of thanksgiving Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion anthem: In paradisum (Requiem) Gabriel Fauré
Closing Hymn 594 God of grace and God of glory Cwm Rhondda
Organ: God of grace and God of glory Paul Manz
August 12, 2012 + The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m. sung by Marjorie Hardge and Nancy Sichler, sopranos
Prelude: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Sequence Hymn 301 Bread of the world in mercy broken Rendez à Dieu
Offertory anthem: Ave verum corpus Gabriel Fauré
Communion anthem: Pie Jesu (Requiem) Andrew Lloyd Webber
Closing Hymn 48 O day of radiant gladness Es flog ein kleins Waldvogelein
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johannes Brahms
August 5, 2012 + The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. sung by Helen Douglas, Frisha Hugessen, John Church, Stephan Christiansen and Philip Chapman, quintet
Prelude: Arabesque Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 523 Glorious things of thee are spoken Abbot\’s Leigh
Sequence Hymn 709 O God of Bethel, by whose hand Dundee
Offertory anthem: Confitebor tibi Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Communion anthem: Set me as a seal Rene Clausen
Closing Hymn 309 O Food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Organ: O Food to pilgrims given Johannes Brahms
During July, services were said in the Cloister Garden.
June 24, 2012 + The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Adagio from Symphony No. 3 Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: Dear Lord and Father C. Hubert H. Parry
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: The Lord bless you and keep you John Rutter
Communion Hymn 671 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound New Britain
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Meditation (Improvisation) Vierne
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900-1937 (where he died during a recital 75 years ago this month), composed six organ symphonies. His third (1911) is widely regarded as a masterpiece of form and melodic development. The poetic Adagio was later orchestrated by Vierne, and is especially marked by the influence of his two great teachers, Franck and Widor. Described as a \”Song without words,\” it is based entirely on the material heard in the first two measures; a sense of melancholy is resolved when the material is recast in a major key at the luminous conclusion. The postlude was improvised for a 78 rpm recording in 1932. The music was limited by what could fit onto one side of a record in those days. Vierne\’s beautiful creation was later transcribed from the recording by one of his pupils, Maurice Duruflé. This written version permits the listener to have an unusual opportunity: to travel back in time and hear the spontaneous muse of Vierne.
June 17, 2012 + The Third Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Berceuse Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 623 O what their joy and their glory must be O quanta qualia
Sequence Hymn 302 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Rendez a Dieu
Baptism Hymn 516 Come down, O Love Divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: Jesu, the very thought of thee Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: A welcome world Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 303 Father, we thank thee who hast planted Albright
Closing Hymn 525 The Church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Organ: Final from Symphony No. 1 Vierne
Music Note: Louis Vierne was the blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937 (where he died during a recital 75 years ago this month). His tenderBerceuse, an arrangement of a traditional French lullaby, was written in 1913 and dedicated to his daughter. The postlude was written the year before his appointment at Notre-Dame. † Unusually, today we sing two different settings of the same hymn text, \”Father, we thank thee who hast planted.\” This text is a metrical paraphrase made in 1939, of several brief traditional prayers found in Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, an Alexandrian work dating from the second century. The prayers that were used in the paraphrase are considered still older than the main work and may very well date to the first century. (Robin A. Leaver.) Before the reading of the Gospel we sing the \’familiar\’ musical version, a 16th century tune from the Genevan Psalter. The communion hymn version, by the late University of Michigan composition professor William Albright, is one of four tunes commissioned for a conference of musicians and clergy held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, in 1972. Its accompaniment includes random notes from tuned percussion instruments to create a celestial effect; in this context the ancient poetry takes on an even more cosmic dimension. † British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral\’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then was founder and artistic director of Connecticut\’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George\’s Anglican Church and at the University of King\’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The basis of today\’s offertory anthem is the hymn-tune St. Botolph (Hymnal 1982 No. 209), set with highly imaginative harmony and a virtuosic accompaniment. As in his work \’Freedom Trilogy\’ heard last week, Halley\’s pen forges new territory combining the traditional with the distinctly modern. After one sustained high note creates a magical transition back to the opening accompaniment figure, the anthem concludes (as do many hymn-anthems) with a descant soaring over the final stanza, and an ecstatic Amen. † The communion anthem, written in 2007 for the baptism of the composer\’s child, is like a lullaby to describe the calm and joy both on earth and in heaven, to welcome a newly baptized person into the church family. At the end of the music is a place to mention by name the person or people being baptized.
June 10, 2012 + The Second Sunday after Pentecost – Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Psalm 100 Justin Heinrich Knecht
Opening Hymn: 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
Gloria S-278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Offertory anthem: Freedom Trilogy Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: God be with you \’til we meet again Barry Rose
Communion Hymn 51 We the Lord\’s people, heart and voice uniting Decatur Place
Closing Hymn 555 Lead on, O King eternal Lancashire
Organ: Festival Voluntary Flor Peeters
Music Note: British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then was founder and artistic director of Connecticut’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus andGaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George’s Anglican Church and at the University of King’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In his Freedom Trilogy (1997), Halley freely integrates elements from a diversity of styles into a convincing new entity. † Barry Rose, former organist and choirmaster of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, composed the communion anthem as a commission for the boy and girl choristers of Grace Church in New York City in 2000. The text’s poet, Jermiah Eames Rankin, was was an abolitionist, champion of the temperance movement, minister of Washington D.C\’s First Congregational Church, and correspondent with Frederick Douglass. In 1889 he was appointed sixth president of Howard College in Washington, D.C. Howard University\’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel was built during Jeremiah Rankin\’s tenure as president (1890-1903) and named after his brother. Rankin is best known as author of this hymn and \”Tell It to Jesus.\” † During the 1960s and 1970s, “The Lord’s People in the Lord’s House on the Lord’s Day for the Lord’s Service” was a saying often quoted in the Church of England and used as a teaching device to try to express succinctly the essence of Christian liturgy. Today’s communion hymn was the author’s first, and based on that idea. The music was written specifically for the text for inclusion in The Hymnal 1982 by Richard Wayne Dirksen, former Organist and Choirmaster and Precentor of Washington National Cathedral. The tune name Decatur Place honors the Washington home of Paul Callaway, the composer’s longtime friend and predecessor as Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral. (Hymn note by Raymond Glover and Russell Schulz-Widmar.)
June 3, 2012 + The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
Holy Eucharist and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 366 Holy God, we praise thy Name Grosser Gott
Sequence Hymn 368 Holy Father, great Creator Regent Square
Baptism Hymn 296 We know that Crist is raised and dies no more Engelberg
Offertory anthem: Sanctus (from St. Cecilia Mass) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: A welcome world Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 367 Round the Lord in glory seated Rustington
Closing Hymn 362 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty! Nicea
Organ: Fugue in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Charles Gounod, because of his great popularity (especially from his operas) and his stylistic influence on the next generation of composers, was a towering figure in French music in the mid-nineteenth century. For two years he studied theology, but chose not to take holy orders; still, he was often referred to as \”l\’Abbé (Father) Gounod.\” The Sanctus sung at the offertory is from his Mass dedicated to Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music), written in 1855. † The communion anthem, written in 2007 for the baptism of the composer\’s child, is like a lullaby to describe the calm and joy both on earth and in heaven, to welcome a newly baptized person into the church family. At the end of the music is a place to mention by name the person or people being baptized. † The genius of J. S. Bach manifested itself in many ways, including a fascination with numerology and symbolism. Bach\’s fugue associated with the hymn-tune \”St. Anne\” (O God, our help in ages past) is a testament to the Trinity, written in triple meter, with a key signature of three flats, and in three sections. The first section represents God the Father with the stately foundation stops of the organ; God the Son is depicted in the lighter second section; the exuberant conclusion evokes the power of the Holy Spirit.
May 27, 2012 + The Day of Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Variations on \’Veni Creator Spiritus\’ Maurice Duruflé
Opening Hymn 225 Hail thee festival day! Salva festa dies
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 516 Come down, O Love divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: Listen, sweet dove Grayston Ives
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Pilgrims\’ Hymn Stephen Paulus
Communion Hymn 504 Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire Veni Creator Spiritus
Closing Hymn 507 Praise the Spirit in creation Julion
Organ: Final on \’Veni Creator Spiritus\’ Maurice Duruflé
Music Note: Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, is celebrated in many parts of Christendom as a major festival whose significance surpasses that of Christmas and equals that of Easter. From the time of the earliest recorded sacred melodies, music for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost has proliferated more uniformly and survived longer than any other music associated with Christian worship. Much as the Latin hymn \”Adeste Fidelis\” (O Come, all ye faithful) is associated with Christmas in many different traditions, the ninth-century \”Veni Creator Spiritus\” (today\’s communion hymn, and basis of the prelude and postlude) is the hymn most universally associated with Pentecost. † Throughout Christian history, the descending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost has been portrayed in literature and art in one of two images: as a dove or in tongues of fire. The offertory anthem meditates on the image of the Holy Spirit as a dove, alongside a charming poetic image of the sun made jealous by the dazzling evangelism of the twelve apostles. The postlude, by contrast, evokes the image of the tongues of fire at its radiant conclusion.
May 20, 2012 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after the Ascension
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prayer of Christ Ascending Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 214 Hail the day that sees him rise Llanfair
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: O clap your hands Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: The Lord ascendeth up on high Michael Praetorius
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Toccata on \’Grosser Gott\’ Grayston Ives
Music Note: Messiaen\’s quietly ecstatic prayer of \’Christ ascending towards his Father\’ is from his 1932 Ascension Suite, described by the composer as \”Four meditations for orchestra.\” He arranged it for organ the next year, and it is still one of his most frequently performed pieces. Over the course of some nine minutes the music takes on a radiant glow, using gradually ascending notes and progressively ascending sections, as part of a typically weightless, timeless experience created by very long note values and unpredictable rhythms. † Dating from 1920, Vaughan Williams\’s arrangement of Psalm 47 was originally orchestrated for organ, brass and percussion, and can be heard in arrangements for organ alone and for full orchestra. The joyous mood of the text is capitalized upon in a setting of extroverted jubilation. The brass and organ parts work fanfare-like counterpoints around the vocal lines. After an anticipated climax on \”Sing praises unto our King,\” the music reaches a moment of quiet introspection. Here the vocal lines take on an almost speech-like quality that seems to pay homage to the tradition of Anglican chant. The moment, however, is quickly interrupted by the brass, and the energy of the music returns to the same joyous mood as the opening. This is a piece clearly designed to fill a space with a grand noise in praise of God. (Stephen Kingsbury)† The postlude was commissioned by the 2011 Sewanee Church Music Conference, Sewanee, Tennessee. It presents the tune of Hymn 366 in long notes in the pedal, undergirding a quickly repeated figuration above. (This is the essence of most organ toccatas which, translated from the Italian \’toccare\’, means \’to touch.\’)
Choral Evensong at 5:00 p.m. sung by the St. John\’s Youth Choir (with Tea at 4:00 p.m.)
Preces and Responses: John Abdenour
Phos Hilaron: Andrew Walker
Psalms 19 and 46 Anglican Chants by C. Hubert H. Parry and after Martin Luther
Evening Canticles: David Hogan “Washington”
Anthem: For the beauty of the earth – John Rutter
At the conclusion of Evensong: Organ Recital
Andy Kotylo, Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven
May 13, 2012 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Prelude on \’Rhosymedre\’ (\’Lovely\’) Ralph Vaughan Williams
Opening Hymn 292 O Jesus, crowned with all renown Kingsfold
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): For the beauty of the earth John Rutter
Sequence Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Offertory anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem C. Villiers Stanford
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 325 Let us break bread together Let us break bread
Closing Hymn 400 All creatures of our God and King Lasst uns erfreuen
Organ: Trumpet Tune in D Major Henry Purcell
Music Note: Charles Stanford, as professor of composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music, taught several generations of composers and did much to raise standards of church music in late Victorian England. His setting of a twelfth-century hymn by St. Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres, conveys the celebration of the Resurrection with jubilant “strains of holy joy” and “alleluia,” contrasted against darker musical descriptions of “devouring depths.” † Thomas Tallis flourished as a composer in Tudor England. He served the Chapel Royal from 1543-1585, composing and performing for four successive monarchs. He altered the language and style of his compositions according to the monarchs\’ greatly varying demands (primarily in Latin for Henry VIII, then English for Edward VI who established Protestantism in England, back to Latin for \’Bloody\’ Mary who restored Catholicism briefly, and finally English for Elizabeth I), also composing church music in French and Italian. Tallis was a teacher of William Byrd, and in 1575 Elizabeth granted to Tallis and Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing. Were it not for these political considerations, sacred choral repertoire today might not contain such a gem as \”If ye love me\” or many other works from this elegant period.
May 6, 2012 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Choral from Symphonie Romane Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 392 Come, we that love the Lord Vineyard Haven
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 513 Like the murmur of the dove\’s song Bridegroom
Offertory anthem: Blessed be the God and Father Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: The Father\’s Love Simon Lole
Communion Hymn 704 O thou who camest from above Hereford
Closing Hymn 379 God is love: let heaven adore him Abbot\’s Leigh
Organ: Hornpipe from Water Music George Frideric Handel
The second movement of Widor\’s tenth organ symphony is a calm, pastoral piece based on the Gregorian chant for Easter Day \”Haec dies\” (This is the day the Lord has made). A passage in the middle of the piece, for flutes played high on the keyboard, is possibly a description of the singing of Easter birds. † Samuel Sebastian Wesley was a grandson of the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, and he sang in the Chapel Royal as a boy. His middle name derived from his father\’s lifelong admiration for the music of Bach. Surely with this background he was destined to become a church musician; he became known as a virtuoso organist and his music endures today. He composed the offertory anthem to be sung on Easter Sunday, 1834, in Hereford Cathedral, England, where only a small number of trebles and a solitary bass (rumored to be the Dean\’s butler) were available to sing. Certainly the music makes the most of such resources! A lovely middle section (often excerpted) is a dialogue between a soprano soloist and all the sopranos, echoing clearly the theme of love running through today\’s music. † The communion hymn, first published in 1872, was written by S. S. Wesley to one of his grandfather\’s texts, specially for the Three Choirs Festival at Hereford Cathedral, from which it derives its name.
April 29, 2012 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Improvisation on \’Adoro te, devote\’ Paul Halley, transcribed by Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Opening Hymn 409 The spacious firmament on high Creation
Kyrie (Missa Gaia)
Sequence Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Offertory anthem: Canticle of Brother Sun (Missa Gaia)
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Agnus Dei (Missa Gaia)
Closing Hymn 646 The King of love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Organ: Awake, thou wintry earth Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Missa Gaia (Earth Mass), sung as part of today’s liturgical observance of Earth Day (April 22), was written in 1980-1981 by a consortium of musicians organized by renowned visionary jazz saxophonist Paul Winter, on a commission from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. It was premiered at the Cathedral on Mother’s Day, 1981, and has since been sung there annually as part of a celebration of the Blessing of the Animals observing the feast of St. Francis of Assisi in early October. The St. John’s Choirs will travel to the Cathedral this October 7 as part of that celebration featuring hundreds of animals. Coincidentally, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, which is observed in today’s psalm and hymns.
Missa Gaia incorporates the traditional movements of Kyrie, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei, interspersed with anthems, solos and instrumental pieces. It was conceived for an enormous space but is adaptable to a variety of uses; this morning we hear four excerpts, to contain the experience to our standard service length. The music is of course contemporary, but grounded in traditional sources (texts and hymn tunes centuries old), as well as elements recorded from nature. Paul Winter writes:
”The Kyrie – a prayer for mercy – is undoubtedly the first co-composed by a wolf. She sings the same four-note howl seven times, with slight embellishment each time. Hers is for me a mystical melody. It includes the interval known as the tritone – three whole-steps – which is my favorite, and to me evokes the mystery of the living earth. The occurrence of the tritone in this wolf song and our usage of it in the Earth Mass are ironic. In the aesthetics of earlier centuries in Western culture, the tritone was regarded as the interval of the Devil. It was used by composers as recently as Wagner and Richard Strauss to express the diabolical. That we can now use this interval without evoking that kind of mind-set gives me hope that we might mature as a species…For just as we are now graduating from our inherited European fear of wolves and wilderness, so may other devils and dragons we conjure with our minds disappear, as we come to resonate, once again, with the greater community of life. This is the purpose of the Earth Mass.
The inspiration for our Agnus Dei came from the words of Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell, a medical missionary to Labrador in 1909: “It has not been easy to convey to the Eskimo mind the meaning of the Oriental similes of the Bible. Thus the ‘lamb of God’ had to be translated ‘kotik’ or young seal. This animal, with its perfect whiteness, as it lies in its cradle of ice, its gentle, helpless nature, and its pathetic innocent eyes, is probably as apt a substitute, however, as nature offers.” The voices in the distant background during the introduction and later in the middle of the piece are those of harp seal pups, recorded on the ice near the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.”
April 22, 2012 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 492 Sing, ye faithful, sing with gladness Finnian
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): Praise the Lord, his glories show Peter Niedmann
Sequence Hymn 205 Good Christians all, rejoice and sing Gelobt sei Gott
Offertory anthem: Brother James\’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob
Sanctus S114 (Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena) Healey Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Up, up, my heart, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 182 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing Truro
Organ: Chaconne in C Dietrich Buxtehude
Music Note: The image of God as a shepherd was immensely appealing to the farming societies of Jesus\’s day, as well as before (the Psalter) and through to the present age. So many versions of Psalm 23 exist partly through this timeline of over two thousand years, and additionally because of the practice of \”metrical psalmody\” beginning with the Reformation in the 1500s. Metrical psalmody was created to permit the easy congregational singing of psalms to pre-existing familiar hymn tunes, such as Psalm 100 being paired with the tune of that name, \”Old Hundredth\” which we sing weekly at the presentation of the offering. Metrical versions of psalm texts are by nature paraphrases, adjusting the number of syllables per line into a formula determined by the meter of the music. \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. He has been compared to St. Francis for his mystic insights combined with an irresistible charm and childlike trust of one who loves all people and all creatures. (Once when walking in the woods he caught his cast on a tree branch, and in freeing himself accidentally broke the branch, much to his annoyance. When asked to explain his annoyance, he responded \”Man, I\’ve just lost a real good friend. Many a fine cast have I found on that self-same branch.\”) The tune upon which the offertory anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\”
April 15, 2012 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Death and Resurrection Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 193 That Easter day with joy was bright Puer nobis
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 209 We walk by faith, and not by sight St. Botolph
Offertory anthem: Haec est dies Jacob Gallus
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Rise up, my love Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 212 Awake, arise, lift up your voice Richmond
Closing Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o\’er, the battle done Victory
Organ: Toccata on \’O filii et filiae\’ Lynnwood Farnam
Music Note: Today\’s organ prelude bears the inscription, \”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\” (I Corinthians 15:55). One of Langlais\’s earliest works, it portrays a vision of the life hereafter. Death is heard in the somber opening melody in the pedals; eternal life is represented by a Gregorian chant, the Gradual from the Requiem Mass, announced by a trumpet. These two ideas are combined, significantly, not so much in a struggle as in a unified crescendo toward the work\’s victorious conclusion. † Healey Willan, often referred to as the \’Dean of Canadian composers\’ of church music, penned many ravishing miniatures. His 1929 motet \”Rise up, my love\” uses gentle flowing chords to describe flowers appearing in Eastertide, and ends with a reiteration of the invitation to \’come away.\’ † Following the communion hymn will be heard an echo of \’Nearer, my God, to thee,\’ the last music played by the musicians aboard the Titanic, which sank one hundred years ago this morning. † Lynnwood Farnam was an exceptional Canadian organ recitalist who moved to New York in 1918, first to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and then to the Church of the Holy Communion. His tremendous American touring career tragically was cut short by a brain tumor. His only composition is this brief Toccata, and reportedly he launched into it invariably as a test piece when trying out an instrument new to him. \’O filii et filiae\’ is a hymn tune of uncertain origin, assumed to be either a French folk melody probably dating from the late fifteenth century, or perhaps a tune which began as a chant melody. Speaking of Death and Resurrection, Farnam made several recordings onto automatic player rolls, and in 1953 the Austin Organ Company of Hartford arranged with St. John\’s organist Clarence Watters to transfer several of Farnam\’s rolls to long playing records. A roll-player mechanism was temporarily attached to the St. John\’s instrument, and the stops were selected by Watters, allowing Farnam, who had been deceased for 23 years, to \”return\” to \”play\” pieces by Bach, Handel and others. These can be heard on our website, in the section about the St. John\’s Organ. (Farnam recording note by Bill Uricchio.)
April 8, 2012 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani
Prelude: Improvisation Gerre Hancock
from Concerto in C for two trumpets and organ: Largo, Allegro Antonio Vivaldi
Opening Hymn 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Offertory anthem: Light\’s glittering morn Horation Parker
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Alleluia Randall Thompson
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Postcommunion anthem: Hallelujah (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 210 The day of resurrection Ellacombe
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (from Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: The prelude is a transcription of an organ improvisation recorded in 1994 at St. Thomas Church, new York, capturing the legendary genius of Dr. Gerre Hancock who passed away earlier this year. It offers in spontaneous creation a glimpse of the resurrection, out of a solemn theme possibly derived from the Maundy Thursday hymn \”Ubi caritas,\” evolving in its third section into an Easter sunrise. † Massachusetts native Horatio Parker was organist at Trinity Church, Wall Street and Trinity Church, Boston before becoming a professor and later Dean of the School of Music at Yale University. His joyous Easter anthem remains a staple of modern choral usage given its charming middle section for bass soloist and quartet (reminiscent of much American choral music in the 19th century before the Oxford movement brought the English choral tradition to this country), and incorporation of the hymn ‘The strife is o’er.” † Randall Thompson\’s \”Alleluia,\” surely established as one of the most beloved American choral compositions, was written in 1940 for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Composed during wartime, the piece\’s many moods around a single word of acclamation express the totality of the Easter message.
April 6, 2012 + Good Friday
7:30 p.m. sung by the combined Youth and Adult Choirs of St. John\’s Church and St. James\’s Church, West Hartford Center
Psalm 22 Plainsong, Tone IV.1
Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Anthem: God so loved the world (from The Crucifixion) John Stainer
Hymn 166 Ah, holy Jesus! Pange Lingua
Anthem: Crucifixus Antonio Lotti
Hymn 168 O sacred head, sore wounded Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Organ: O sacred head, sore wounded Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Excepting two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark\’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of a brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described.
April 5, 2012 + Maundy Thursday
7:30 p.m. sung by the Youth Choir
Prelude The celestial banquet Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of rest
Sequence Hymn 325 Let us break bread together on our knees Let us break bread
Offertory anthem: Ex ore innocentium John Ireland
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
Music Note: The text of \”Ex ore innocentium\” (\”From the mouths of innocents\”) does not limit the view of Christ\’s sacrifice to a child\’s perspective, but invites all to consider the meaning of the cross through its vivid imagery, accompanied by compelling music. Its author, Bishop William Walsham How, was known for his ministry to children and was commonly called the children\’s bishop. In addition to publishing several volumes of sermons he wrote a good deal of verse, including such well-known hymns as \”Jesus! Name of wondrous love!\” (the Hymnal 1982, No. 252),\”O Christ, the Word Incarnate (632), and \”For all the Saints\” (287).
April 1, 2012 + The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
The Liturgy begins in the Cloister at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Choral Prelude: Hosanna to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes
Opening Hymn: Ride on! ride on in majesty! Winchester New
Processional Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory anthem: Jerusalem (from Gallia) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Crucifixus Antonio Lotti
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Closing Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Organ: Ah, holy Jesus! Johannes Brahms
Music Note: French composer Charles Gounod, along with many others, turned to programmatic subjects in musical response to France\’s military defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870). Dating from 1871, and written in England, the oratorio Gallia is thought to draw a parallel between the then national situation and that of Jerusalem stunned by the reversal of fate upon its Messiah. The concluding section asks the populace to consider its own affliction and to turn to God for forgiveness, with an almost barbaric opening, a tender solo sung by the Youth Choir, and a rousing choral expansion of the solo. † Excepting two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark\’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of a brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described.
March 25, 2012 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prélude (Prélude, Andante et Toccata) André Fleury
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 441 In the Cross of Christ I glory Rathbun
Anthem (Youth Choir): Ex ore innocentium John Ireland
Offertory anthem: Lead, kindly light William H. Harris
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Hear my prayer, O Lord Henry Purcell
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore thee Adore devote
Closing Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Organ: Prélude (Trois Pièces) Gabriel Pierné
Music Note: Fleury\’s 1931 Prélude shows the influence of his teachers Vierne and Dupré in its rich chromaticism and sustained sense of melody. † John Ireland excelled particularly at writing for piano and solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal College of Music. The text of \”Ex ore innocentium\” (\”From the mouths of innocents\”) does not limit the view of Christ\’s sacrifice to a child\’s perspective, but invites all to consider the meaning of the cross through its vivid imagery, accompanied by compelling music. Its author, Bishop William Walsham How, was known for his ministry to children and was commonly called the children\’s bishop. In addition to publishing several volumes of sermons he wrote a good deal of verse, including such well-known hymns as \”Jesus! Name of wondrous love!\” (the Hymnal 1982, No. 252),\”O Christ, the Word Incarnate (632), and \”For all the Saints\” (287). † William Harris served the Chapel Royal in Windsor Castle from 1933 until 1961, where he had very productive years as a composer for choir festivals and two Coronations. Several of his anthems and canticles are still in regular use, as well as his hymn-tune \”Alberta\” often sung in England to the text arranged as the offertory anthem. † Although it is apparent from the autograph that Purcell originally intended to add to the anthem \’Hear my Prayer,\’ it seems quite likely that having written it he realized how difficult it would be to match its brilliance, and deliberately wrote no more. What makes the music so outstanding is not so much its skillful construction for eight parts out of the most economical of means, namely two simple phrases and their inversions (one based on two notes only and the other on a short chromatic scale), but its strong sense of climax in the final bars. Not only is this prepared in gradually increasing intensity, but the reservation of the full eight-part texture, and the restrained range of the parts up to the last few bars, gives this climax the maximum effect. Then, very quickly and inevitably, the music comes to rest as the sonoroties clarify, and resolve into a simple four-part chord. (Purcell note by Christopher Dearnley.)
March 18, 2012 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir and the Men of the Adult Choir
Organ: Prélude funèbre, Op. 4 Louis Vierne
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Anthem (Youth Choir): God so loved the world Joel Martinson
Sequence Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Offertory anthem: Wilt thou forgive DG Mason
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 489 The great Creator of the worlds Tallis\’ Ordinal
Closing Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johannes Brahms
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937, composed his early and profound \”funeral prelude\” in 1896 while serving as assistant to Charles-Marie Widor at the church of Saint-Sulpice. † The Offertory anthem, sung by the men of the choir, was written in 2002 for an Ash Wednesday service at Worcester Cathedral, England. The text was conceived not as a hymn but as a poem, and a great deal of its universal appeal derives from its unabashed particularity. John Donne calls attention to himself not only by punning on his own surname but also by making it the basis of the two rhymes running through all three stanzas. Less obvious, but no less important, is the second rhyme-word that concludes every stanza: more. This is the surname of Donne\’s wife, whose maiden name was Ann More, who had died six years before. Perhaps one reason for the enduring immediacy of this poem is that, despite its particular references and its somewhat veiled theological concerns with original and habitual sin, it manages to convey a convincing sense of assurance. (Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Jeffrey Wasson.) The music amplifies this assurance with its strong final cadence, after the unresolved cadences ending the first two verses. † Brahms\’s setting of the closing hymn is from a set of eleven chorale preludes based on Lutheran hymns, his final compositions. Written in the same year as Vierne\’s prelude, and published posthumously in 1902, they are considered a final statement on Brahms\’s life and pending death.
March 11, 2012 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Fantasie in C minor, S. 652 Johann Sebastian Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 685 Rock of ages, cleft for me Toplady
Offertory anthem: The secret of Christ Richard Shephard
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: I heard the voice of Jesus say Thomas Tallis, arr. Donald Busarow
Communion Hymn 152 Kind Maker of the world, O hear A la venue de Noel
Closing Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Organ: Andante con moto (Sonata V) Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: Bach\’s mournful Fantasie is based on sparse musical materials: a descending minor figure which begins with an ornament. The latter detail makes the theme easily recognizable within the five-part texture. A flourish of faster notes brings the searching music to rest at last on a hopeful major chord. † Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South in Tennessee. Through the Offertory anthem we are invited to take encouragement for our pilgrimage through Lent. † The melody of the communion anthem was revived in the twentieth century by Ralph Vaughan Williams\’s orchestral Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. It was first matched to the text heard today in the Hymnal 1940. Originally, Tallis wrote the tune in four parts for the publication in 1567 of Matthew Parker\’s The Whole Psalter translated into English Metre. (Parker was Queen Elizabeth\’s first Archbishop of Canterbury.) It appears there for Psalm 2, whose prose opening we know as \”Why do the nations so furiously rage together.\” Parker\’s opening, metricized, reads: \”Why fum\’th in sight : the Gentiles\’ spite, in fury raging stout? Wht tak\’th in bond the people fond, vain things to bring about? The kings arise, the lords devise, in counsels met thereto: Against the Lord with false accord, against his Christ they go.\” Not surprisingly, perhaps, Tallis chose this psalm for a demonstration of the \”Third\” or \”Phrygian\” mode, which Parker in a preface had described as manifesting \”anger and sharp reviling.\” (Raymond Glover and John Wilson.) While its sudden shifts from major to minor do create an unsettling effect, twenty-first century ears (perhaps especially aided by Vaughan Williams\’s treatment) may find in the music\’s sense of eventual resolution also an ideal \”resting place\” well suited to the Lenten journey. Busarow\’s arrangement for flute, organ and choir gives this journey a yet more unexpected, and resolved, extended final cadence.
March 11 at 5:00 p.m.: Choral Evensong for Lent (with Tea at 4:00 p.m.)
Sung by the St. John\’s Adult Choir
Organ: Cantabile Cesar Franck
Introit: Through the day thy love has spared us Philip Moore
Preces and Responses William Smith
Psalm 34 Anglican Chant by Richard W. Knapp
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis Orlando Gibbons (Short Service)
Anthem: Miserere (Psalm 51) Gregorio Allegri
Organ: Hymn Tune Fantasy on \”St. Clement\” Carl McKinley
At the conclusion of Evensong: Organ Recital
Cheryl Wadsworth, United Methodist Church of Hartford
March 4, 2012 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth Choir and the Women of the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude on \’Aus der Tiefe rufe ich\’ Johann Christoph Bach
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 401 The God of Abraham praise Leoni
Offertory anthem: Wash me throughly George Frideric Handel
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Ave verum corpus Edward Elgar
Communion Hymn 328 Draw nigh and take the body of the Lord Song 46
Closing Hymn 150 Forty days and forty nights Aus der Tiefe rufe ich
Organ: I call to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, S. 643 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: In the minds and experience of most Episcopalians, \’Forty days and forty nights\’ is forever associated with the tune matched to the words since 1861. The original text for this hymn was described as \”impossible for public worship\” in 1637, and included stanzas recalling the trials of Christ\’s temptation and the many ways that Christians are drawn into sin: \”Sunbeams scorching all the day, Chilly dewdrop nightly shed, Prowling beasts about thy way, Stones thy pillow, sand thy bed? And shall we in silken ease, Festal mirth, carousals high,–All that can our senses please,–Let our Lenten hours pass by?\” † Bach\’s postlude trio has been arranged for other instruments. It is from his book of teaching pieces entitled \”Little Organ Book\” which instructs the student in techniques of both playing and composition, while also serving as a collection of music for church services and a religious statement. In the words of humanitarian and Bach scholar Albert Schweitzer, \”Here Bach has realized the ideal of the chorale prelude. The method is the most simple imaginable and at the same time the most perfect. Nowhere is the Dürer-like character of his musical style so evident as in these small chorale-preludes. Simply by the precision and the characteristic quality of each line of the contrapuntal motive he expresses all that has to be said, and so makes clear the relation of the music to the text whose title it bears.\”
February 26, 2012 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: Prélude au Kyrie (Hommage à Frescobaldi) Jean Langlais
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Anthem (Youth Choir): Day by Day Martin How
Sequence Hymn 147 Now let us all with one accord Bourbon
Offertory anthem: Call to remembrance Richard Farrant
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Fraction anthem S170 Whoever eats this bread Mode 1 melody; adapt. Mason Martens
Communion anthem: Miserere mei, Deus Gregorio Allegri
Closing Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days Erhalt uns, Herr
Organ: So now as we journey, aid our weak endeavor Marcel Dupré
Music Note: The hymn before the Gospel pairs a nineteenth-century rural American tune with an anonymous text which is likely to be at least a thousand years older. The closing hymn is a Reformation chorale, believed by some to be the work of Martin Luther himself, based on a twelfth century plainsong tune. It appears in our hymnal as harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach. (Hymn note from writings of Carol Doran, Marion Hatchett and Carl Schalk.) † Composer and church musician Martin How is the son of a former Primate of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. He spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music where he initiated and developed the chorister training scheme used in many parts of the world. St. Richard of Chichester is supposed to have recited the popular prayer ascribed to him on his deathbed, written down in Latin by his confessor. The first English translation to use the rhyme \”clearly, dearly, nearly\” is thought to be one from 1913; the first including the phrase \”day by day\” followed in 1931. The prayer became especially popular in America following its adaptation for the musical Godspell in 1971. Martin How\’s version dates from 1977. † Allegri\’s famous setting of Psalm 51 was written in the 1630s for use in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week, for tenebrae services dating back to 1514. At some point, it became forbidden to transcribe the music and it was allowed to be performed only at those particular services, adding to the mystery surrounding it. Writing it down or performing it elsewhere was punishable by excommunication. According to the popular story (backed up by family letters), the fourteen-year-old Mozart was visiting Rome when he first heard the piece during the Wednesday service. Later that day, he wrote it down entirely from memory, returning to the Chapel that Friday to make minor corrections. Some time during his travels, he met a British historian who obtained the piece from him and took it to London, where it was published in 1771. Once the piece was published, the ban was lifted; Mozart was summoned to Rome by the Pope only instead of excommunicating the boy, the Pope showered praises on him for his feat of musical genius. (Wikipedia.) The setting contrasts two choirs interspersed with traditional plainchant verses. The second choir is traditionally placed at some distance from the first for an ethereal echo effect, and sings a particularly poignant, ornamented passage with a high soprano C.
February 19, 2012 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Prelude and Fugue in C Major, S. 545 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn (insert): Blessed Assurance Assurance
Offertory anthem: Prayer for Transfiguration Day John Weaver
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Phillips
Communion anthem: O nata lux Morten Lauridsen
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ: Fugue in C Major (\”Jig\”) Dietrich Buxtehude
Music Note: The first hymn today is repeated from the first Sunday after the Epiphany (January 8) as a bookend to the observance of the season. The last Sunday after the Epiphany, or Transfiguration Sunday, is the last before the beginning of Lent and thus is the last opportunity until Easter to say or sing the word Alleluia. The prelude and postlude reflect this spirit of joyful enthusiasm, by both the nature of the music and the \”radiant\” key of C Major. In the Baroque period of their composition, keyboard instruments were tuned in such a way that some keys sounded more pure than others. Much music was written in keys with few sharps or flats, to avoid the out of tune \”wolf\” when playing in keys with many flats or sharps. Even after an \”equal tempered\” system of tuning made all keys sound more or less in tune, C Major continued to be particularly associated in the Classical period with festivity and grandeur, and has always been a triumphant key in organ music owing to C being the lowest note on the pedalboard, thus playing the largest, lowest available pipes. † The Fraction Anthem and Sanctus, being introduced throughout Epiphany, come from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California.
February 12, 2012 + The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Gospel Prelude on \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” William Bolcom
Opening Hymn: What a friend we have in Jesus
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 545 Lo! What a cloud of witnesses St. Fulbert
Offertory anthem: I hear a voice a-prayin\’ Houston Bright
Sanctus S114 Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Craig Phillips
Communion anthem: Deep River Gerre Hancock
Communion Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Closing Hymn 482 Lord of all hopefulness Slane
Organ: Prelude on \’Slane\’ Hancock
Music Note: Absalom Jones (1746-February 13, 1818) was the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church (1804). In the Episcopal calendar of saints he is listed on February 13 as \”Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818.\” Jones was born into slavery in Philadelphia. By 1778 he had purchased his wife\’s freedom so that their children would be free, and in another seven years he was able to purchase his own. Tired of relegation to a gallery as was the custom in interracial congregations, Jones and his followers founded the first black church in Philadelphia which petitioned to become an Episcopal parish. Jones was also part of the first group of African Americans to petition the U.S. Congress, in criticism of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. Originally a poem, \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” was never intended by the hymn writer, Joseph Scriven, for publication. Upon learning of his mother\’s serious illness and unable to be with her in faraway Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of the text. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near his bed. The friend read it with interest and asked if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, \”The Lord and I did it between us.\” (Hymn note by Kenneth J. Osbeck.) In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published, entitled Hymns and Other Verses, and the musical setting soon followed which launched the enduring popularity of the pairing. In the prelude, University of Michigan composer William Bolcom captures the verve of a gospel hymn improvisation with the tune heard in very long note values. † Houston Bright, son of a Methodist minister, grew up in West Texas and spent his entire career there as a composer and music educator. The most popular of his some 100 original compositions remains the 1955 spiritual heard today: unexpected fare, perhaps, from the pen of one whose Ph.D. dissertation was \”The Early Tudor Part-song from Newarke to Cornyshe,\” and revealing of a diverse and largely unknown talent. † Another West Texan, one internationally known in Anglican circles is Gerre Hancock, from 1971-2004 Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. His postlude on the final hymn \”previews\” each phrase of the melody with imitative counterpoint in the manner of early Baroque hymn-tune composers, then disguises the tune somewhat by doubling its note values, all in the context of modern harmony. A second verse of the hymn is treated as an exciting build-up of the instrument with a reflective ending, reminiscent of the composer\’s legendary improvisations following Evensong. Dr. Hancock passed away this past January 21. His beloved setting of Deep River was sung at Evensong at Saint Thomas Church on January 22 in his memory. † The Fraction Anthem, being introduced throughout Epiphany, come from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California.
February 5 at 5:00 p.m.: Choral Evensong for Candlemass (with Tea at 4:00 p.m.)
Sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs:
Organ: Fugue on \’How brightly shines the morning star\’ Max Reger
My soul doth magnify the Lord, S. 643 Johann Sebastian Bach
Introit: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Preces and Responses William Smith
Psalms 48 and 87 Anglican Chants by Edward Elgar and Jonathan Battishill
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D George Dyson
Anthem: When to the temple Mary went Johannes Eccard
Organ: Lord God, now open wide thy heaven, S. 617 Bach
At the conclusion of Evensong: Organ Recital
Graham Schultz, The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, NY
February 5, 2012 + The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: How bright appears the morning star Dietrich Buxtehude
Opening Hymn 381 Thy strong word did cleave the darkness Ton-y-Botel
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Anthem (Youth Choir): The Birds Benjamin Britten
Sequence Hymn 423 Immortal, invisible, God only wise St. Denio
Offertory anthem: Sing we merrily Sidney Campbell
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Phillips
Communion anthem: We have seen his star Everett Titcomb
Communion Hymn 300 Glory, love, and praise, and honor Benifold
Closing Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Organ: How bright appears the morning star Paul Manz
Music Note: The prelude is essentially a treatment of two stanzas of the Epiphany hymn \”How bright appears the morning star,\” although owing to the repeated phrases in the melody and its overall length, the composition unfolds rather like a set of variations, with color and texture matching the mood of the stanzas. (Dietrich Buxtehude was the outstanding composer of organ music in North Germany in the generation before J. S. Bach; at the age of twenty, Bach famously walked some 250 miles each way from Arnstadt to Lubeck to hear Buxtehude play, and outstayed his authorized absence from his church post by several months! According to legend, both Bach and George Frideric Handel wanted to become amanuesis (assistant and successor) to Buxtehude, but neither wanted to marry his daughter, which was a condition for the position). The postlude presents the same hymn tune in a light, whimsical mood, employing quiet high-pitched stops. † Belloc\’s beguiling poem \”The Birds\’\” published in 1910, has inspired at least twenty-five musical settings. That by Benjamin Britten (dating from 1929 when the composer was sixteen) sets the action of the birds into the colorful accompaniment, and also into the way the range of the voices takes flight. The concluding prayer comes back to earth with disarming simplicity, both profound and childlike. † Virtuoso Sidney Campbell served successively as organist of Southwark Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, and St. George\’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. His joyous setting of Psalm 81 treats the voice in a nimble instrumental manner, similar to the choral and solo vocal writing of J. S. Bach. † Everett Titcomb served for fifty years as Director of Music of the church of St. John the Evangelist in Boston, beginning in 1910. Many of his organ and choral compositions are based on plainchant themes or pay stylistic homage to the works of former periods. † The Fraction Anthem and Sanctus, being introduced throughout Epiphany, come from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California.
January 29, 2012 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Opening Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord\’s anointed Es flog ein kleins Waldvogelein
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Anthem (Youth Choir): Light of the world John Dankworth
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: When to the temple mary went Johannes Eccard
Communion anthem: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn: 336 Come with us, O blessed Jesus Werde munter
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Music Note (archival): This service was conducted in the absence of the Music Director who was ill. Some of the scheduled music was changed; what appears above is what was heard in the service. Thanks to Richard Knapp and Ben Rechel, organists, and John Janeiro, choir director, for filling in on short notice. † Sir John Dankworth, known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz musician and the husband of jazz singer Cleo Laine. †
January 22, 2012 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:00 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs (followed by the Annual Parish Meeting)
Prelude: Meditation Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod
Whitney Perrine-Dziura, flute
Opening Hymn 537 Christ for the world we sing Moscow
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 549 Jesus calls us; o\’er the tumult St. Andrew
Offertory anthem: Christ, whose glory fills the skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Phillips
Communion anthem: They cast their nets in Galilee Michael McCabe
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 653 Dear Lord and Father of mankind Repton
Organ: Variation on \’Rockingham\’ George Thalben-Ball
Music Note: The prelude is a curiosity in musical history–a collaboration between two great composers whose lives did not overlap! In 1840, Gounod met Mendelssohn\’s sister, who introduced him to some of Bach\’s then long-dormant keyboard works including the Prelude in C, the first piece in the Well-Tempered Clavier (1722). A decade later, Gounod spent many evenings at the home of his fiancee Anna Zimmerman and one evening her father, an accomplished musician overheard Gounod improvising a beautiful melody over Bach\’s Prelude in C. As Gounod played, Zimmerman wrote the melody down, and later organized a concert where the piece was played with piano and violin. The work appears to have been published in 1853 under the title \”Meditation on the First Prelude of Bach.\” Gounod set words to his melody only later, possibly not until 1859 when it was published with the text Ave Maria; the rest is history. Curiously, the first text Gounod chose was a short French poem instead. (Adapted from an essay by Tom Potter.) † Thomas Frederick Handel Candlyn was an English-born church musician who spent twenty-eight years at St. Paul\’s Church, Albany, New York, and the final ten of his career at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. The offertory anthem is an enduring favorite of his some two hundred works, and contains a splendid example of text-painting at the beginning of the second verse. \”Day-spring\” is the beginning of dawn; \”Day-star\” is the morning star. \”Sun of Righteousness\” is an attribute spoken of Christ in Malachi 4:2 (referring to God\’s blessings on the good): \”But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.\” This reference also underscores the double-meaning of \”Sun\” as \”Son\” in the context of Epiphany. † The Fraction Anthem and Sanctus, being introduced throughout Epiphany, come from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California. † Michael McCabe is a former pupil of Leo Sowerby and the elder composer\’s influence can be heard in the dissonance of \”head down was crucified,\” along with a slightly jazzy rhythm. † The closing hymn\’s quiet call to bold evangelism is echoed in the brief postlude by George Thalben-Ball, organist of London\’s famous Temple Church for fifty-nine years (1923-1982). The \’still small voice of calm\’ heard as a sustained note in the hymn\’s descant continues in the hands, then in the feet; this musical device is known as a \”pedal point\” from the way it is typically executed on the organ.
January 15, 2012 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Aria Flor Peeters
Opening Hymn 599 Lift every voice and sing Lift Every Voice
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be Hollingside
Offertory anthem: Lord, you have searched me out Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sanctus Craig Phillips
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Phillips
Communion anthem: Eternal light Leo Sowerby
Communion Hymn 319 You, Lord, we praise in sings of celebration Gott sei gelobet
Closing Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Organ: Tuba Tune in D Major Craig Sellar Lang
Music Note: In the Episcopal Church\’s calendar, Common Saints are a general category of lesser saints such as martyrs, missionaries, pastors, theologians, monastics and teachers, whose personal qualities or traits include heroic faith, love, goodness of life, joyousness, service to others for Christ\’s sake, and devotion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is so recognized, with feast days on both his birth on January 15 and death on April 4. The opening hymn is sung in celebration of tomorrow\’s holiday. This hymn was composed at the request of a group of young black men who sought to pay tribute to the President of the United States who had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It was first sung in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 12, 1900, by a chorus of schoolchildren at the all-black Stanton School at a special assembly in honor of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. It became an immediate favorite of schoolchildren throughout Florida, and by the late 1940s was being sung by black Americans throughout the United States as the \’Negro National Anthem.\’ The song became a multiracial favorite after its use as a freedom song in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and has since been adopted by various groups of other races who seek liberation from opression. While the text is clearly addressed to freedom, it unfolds without anger and admonishes both the Christian and the oppressed to \”march on till victory is won.\” (Note by Horace Boyer.) † In the offertory anthem, searching is symbolized by the powerful pull between major and minor tonality heard in the opening triplet motive of the accompaniment. A variety of textures and moods suits the wide emotional range of Psalm 139 and pays homage to the long history of musical settings of the psalms, with solo, choral and chant sections. In the chant section, a duet between an adult and a child is based on the interval of the descending minor third, which research shows to be a remarkably constant first musical utterance of children around the world regardless of native cultural tradition. Is it not amazing that God would know us before we are born, each in our individualities, and also give us a common first voice? † Alcuin of York, author of the text of the communion anthem, became a leading scholar and teacher of the Carolingian Renaissance, as part of the court of Charlemagne. His final decade was spent as Abbott of Marmoutier Abbey in France. In addition to his religious texts and poetry, he is known for a mathematical textbook containing clever word puzzles, several involving river crossings such as the famous problem of the wolf, the goat and the cabbage. Alcuin is also recognized as a Common Saint in the Episcopal Church\’s calendar; his feast day is April 20. † The Fraction Anthem and Sanctus, being introduced throughout Epiphany, come from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California.
January 8, 2012 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first Anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: Prelude on the Introit for Epiphany Maurice Duruflé
Opening Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Anthem: Brightest and best Malcolm Archer
Sequence Hymn 121 Christ, when for us you were baptized Caithness
Offertory anthem: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day John Gardner
Sanctus S114 Willan
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Craig Phillips
Communion anthem: Epiphany Skinner Chávez-Melo
Communion Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: In thee is gladness, S. 615 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Today\’s service begins with an ancient plainchant hymn for Epiphany heard in the trumpet voice of the prelude. The sparkling accompaniment to the trumpet suggests the bright light symbolic of the season. The French composer Maurice Duruflé was highly self-critical and published very little music, of very high quality; this gem is typical of his refined service improvisations. On February 19, the Sunday of The Transfiguration or the last Sunday after Epiphany, we will again sing today\’s opening hymn, which summarizes the entire life of Christ with emphasis on the Epiphany season of the revelation of Christ\’s divine majesty through miraculous works and events. The offertory anthem makes a similar summary in the guise of a carol text full of larger meaning, narrated by Christ himself. As commonly interpreted by St. Paul from the biblical imagery of the Song of Songs, \”My true love\” is the one holy, catholic, apostolic church. \”Tomorrow\” is any time after the resurrection, which allows the disciples to look back at Jesus\’ baptism, life, suffering, and death through the filter of the resurrection. And the \”dancing day\” is the entire feast of salvation in the New Testament era. The theme of the dance is unique among traditional carols and is set by John Gardner in a lighthearted medieval-renaissance style, perhaps inspired by the medieval parallels among many fifteenth-century \”cradle prophecy\” carol texts, in which the infant Christ foretells his future to his mother while seated in her lap. (Anthem note adapted from the New Oxford Book of Carols by H. Keyte/A. Parrott; and J. Miller.) † The Fraction Anthem comes from a new festival setting of the Eucharist commissioned for the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, to commemorate the ministry of the Most Rev. Frank Tracy Griswold III as the 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. It will be used throughout Epiphany; next week the Rite II Sanctus from this setting will also be introduced. Craig Phillips is Music Director of All Saints\’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California.
Sunday, January 1, 2012 + The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Meditation on \’Picardy\’ Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 248 To the Name of our salvation Oriel
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 644 How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds St. Peter
Offertory anthem: It came upon the midnight clear arr. Barry Rose
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem: S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O magnum mysterium Near
Closing Hymn 497 How bright appears the Morning Star Wie schon leuchtet
Organ: Infant Holy, infant lowly Keith Chapman
Sunday, January 1, 2012 + The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Meditation on \’Picardy\’ Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 248 To the Name of our salvation Oriel
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 644 How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds St. Peter
Offertory anthem It came upon the midnight clear arr. Barry Rose
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O magnum mysterium Near
Closing Hymn 497 How bright appears the Morning Star Wie schon leuchtet
Organ: Infant Holy, infant lowly Keith Chapman
Sunday, December 25, 2011 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 a.m. with congregational Carols
Richard Knapp, organ, John Janeiro, baritone and Lucelia E. Fryer, flute
Organ: Noël Henri Mulet
What child is this? Ralph Vaughan Williams
Opening Hymn 93 Angels from the realms of glory Regent Square
Sequence Hymn 78 O Little town of Bethlehem Forest Green
Music at the Peace: In dulci jubilo Johann Michael Bach
Offertory Solo: Gesu Bambino Pietro Yon
Communion Solo: In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke
Closing Hymn 98 Unto us a boy is born! Puer nobis nascitur
Organ: Noël Suisse Louis-Claude Daquin
Music Note: Noëls are French organ pieces for Christmas. The first is from Mulet\’sByzantine Sketches, composed 1914-1919 and inspired by his visits to the church of Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, Paris. The second is by Daquin, noted for his dazzling keyboard performance ability. He was appointed organist to the king in 1739 and Organiste Titulaire at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris in 1755. † Vaughan Williams based many works such as the music of \”What child is this?\” on old country tunes, in this case \’Greensleeves,\’ dating from the 16th century. † In dulci jubilo was written by J. S. Bach\’s father-in-law as a prelude to the familiar Christmas hymn \”Good Christian friends, rejoice\” (The Hymnal, No. 107). † Pietro Yon, an Italian by birth, was a brilliant teacher and became organist at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in New York City in 1926. His pupils included his godson Norman Dello Joio and Cole Porter. † Harold Darke was organist at St. Michael\’s, Cornhill, London from 1916 to 1966, leaving only briefly in 1941 to deputize for Boris Ord as organist and Director of Music at King\’s College, Cambridge during World War II. His setting of Christina Rossetti\’s poem \”In the bleak mid-winter\” was voted the greatest Christmas carol of all time in a poll of choral experts and choirmasters published in 2008. (Note by Richard Knapp.)
Saturday, December 24, 2011 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
4:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with String Quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir
Music listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m.
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
What child is this? arr. Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Angelus ad virginem arr. Jefferson McConnaughey
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with String Quartet
Hymn 102 Once in royal David\’s city Irby, arr. Paul Halley
Sussex Carol arr. David Willcocks
Nativitie Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Gloria (Coronation Mass in C, K. 317) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
Pastoral Symphony from Messiah George Frideric Handel
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: In the bleak mid-winter Harold Darke
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Fraction anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Music note: The postlude is from Widor\’s Symphonie Gothique, based on a Christmas plainsong hymn. The final movement (Toccata) was played annually on Christmas Eve by the composer at the church of St. Sulpice in Paris where he was organist for a remarkable 64-year tenure (1870-1934). Unlike the famous toccata from Widor\’s Symphonie No. 5, which is loud throughout, this one gradually builds in excitement, and concludes softly, in a peaceful, almost plaintive mood which can be interpreted as a meditation on the full meaning of Christmas and the life of Christ.
December 18, 2011 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Church School Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Thomas Hintz and Jeff Higgins, trumpets
Prelude: Sung by the Choirs
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming Michael Praetorius
Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Charles Wood
A merry Christmas arr. Arthur Warrell
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
Ding dong! merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
Gloria (Coronation Mass in C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert
Offertory anthem: What child is this? Greensleeves, arr. Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Closing Hymn 87 Hark, the herald angels sing Mendelssohn
Organ and trumpets: My spirit be joyful (Cantata 146) Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. E. Power Biggs
Music Note: The offertory anthem was composed for today\’s pageant (during the blizzard which immediately followed Christmas last year), and is dedicated to the choirs of St. John\’s Church. The English traditional melody \’Greensleeves\’ is mentioned twice in Shakespeare\’s comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). The tune was already at least a generation old when Shakespeare referred to it, having first been licensed in 1580 as \”A new Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves.\” According to hymn scholars Morgan Simmons and Alan Luff, it must have been popular or became so very quickly because a number of other licenses were issued for it within a short time. Within twelve days, in fact, it is recorded as being turned to religious use as \”Green Sleves moralised to the Scripture, declaring the manifold benefites and blessing of God bestowed on sinful man.\” From its origins as a secular song (a typical lover\’s lament) it was thus directed on its journey toward Christmas. It appeared as the tune for a New Year carol in 1642, and finally in 1865 was paired with a poem written for it by William Chatterton Dix, inspired by the Gospel for the Day of Epiphany (Matthew 2:1-12). (Dix was manager of a marine insurance company in Bristol, England, who found time to write many original hymns.) Beginning with the version which appeared in the Episcopal Hymnal 1940, Dix\’s text was altered to make a \’refrain\’ common to all three stanzas, using the end of the first stanza. In the original poem, the second stanza continued \”Nail, spear shall pierce him through, The Cross be borne for me, for you; Hail! hail the Word Made Flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary!\” and the third continued \”Raise, raise the song on high! The Virgin sings her lullaby. Joy! joy! for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary.\” While hymnal editors may well have had young Christmas pageant singers in mind when doing away with the vivid imagery of the crucifixion, the joy mentioned in the original third stanza is less complete without it, not to mention that Mary herself is deprived of a solo! In this new arrangement, one detail of the melody is altered to highlight the chromatic, exotic character of the original: in the original tune, the \’verse\’ consists of two phrases containing notes drawn from a minor scale and the \’refrain\’ has two phrases with notes drawn from the associated Major scale; in the arrangement, this distinction is blurred with each section containing one phrase from each scale. The motive of the accompaniment (which becomes a descant) is also a nod to exoticism, of the 1940s Hollywood sort.
December 11, 2011 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude on \’Aberystwyth\’ Claude Means
Opening Hymn 640 Watchman, tell us of the night Aberystwyth
Kyrie S96 Franz Schubert
Anthem (Youth Choir): Watchman, tell us of the night Bruce Saylor
Sequence Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Offertory anthem: This is the record of John Orlando Gibbons
Sanctus S130 Schubert
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Rejoice in the Lord alway Henry Purcell
Communion Hymn 597 O day of peace that dimly shines Jerusalem
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Organ: Magnificat V Marcel Dupre
Music Note: Today\’s two anthems are examples of \’verse anthems\’ which developed and were very popular during the early 17th to the middle of the 18th centuries in England. In a verse anthem the music alternates between contrasting sections for a solo voice or voices (called the \’verse\’) and the full choir. The organ provided accompaniment in liturgical settings, but viols took the accompaniment outside of the church. Verse anthems were a major part of the English Reformation due to the use of English rather than Latin, and because the use of soloists allowed the text to be expressed more clearly as decreed by the monarchy. \’This is the record of John\’ was written by Gibbons for a visit of the Archbishop to his alma mater, St. John\’s College, Oxford. Purcell\’s \’Rejoice in the Lord alway\’ (using the early English spelling) is known as \’The Bell Anthem\’ because of its introduction based on a recurring descending scale, such as is heard from change-ringing of eight bells in bell towers. † The communion hymn was created for the Hymnal 1982 out of urgings from the hymnal Commission to include hymns on world peace, and also to include the tune \’Jerusalem\’ by the British composer and teacher Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. To satisfy these requests, the Commission asked Carl P. Daw, Jr. to write a text on peace that would fit the Parry tune. The tune was written in 1916 for William Blake\’s poem \”Jerusalem,\” which contains almost fanatical zeal for all things English, and the setting quickly became a second \’national anthem\’, still sung on many great public occasions in England. In a musical context specifically embracing while also redirecting a nationalist association, the new text (a paraphrase of a favorite Advent passage, Isaiah 11:6-9) takes on a meaning perhaps broader than the intention of the creators of any of its individual parts. (Imagine a rendition of \’Joy to the World\’ set to the music of \’O beautiful for spacious skies.\’)(Hymn note adapted from an essay by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Alec Wyton.) † Unlike last week\’s postlude, this week\’s is Dupré in a contemplative mood throughout, based on the final section of text of the Magnificat: \’He remembering his mercy, hath holpen his servant Israel; as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.\’ The imminent fulfillment of ancient prophecy is depicted in the long-held chords and the pedals slowly descending as if from heaven to earth; the gentle dissonances resolve into meditative peace. This music is from a set of versets (organ responses to choir passages based on liturgical texts) originally improvised at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1919, and written down at the behest of Dupre\’s admirer from across the channel Claude Johnson (president of the Rolls Royce automobile company).
December 4, 2011 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Service of Advent Lessons and Carols at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Savior of the Nations, come, S. 659 Johann Sebastian Bach
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming Johannes Brahms
Advent Matin Responsory Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Hymn 60 Creator of the stars of night Conditor alme siderum
Carols: There is no rose Gerald Near
A tender shoot Otto Goldschmidt
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
Of the father\’s heart begotten arr. David Willcocks (sung by choir and congregation)
Angelus ad virginem arr. Jefferson McConnaughey
Offertory anthem: And I saw a new heaven Edgar Bainton
Closing Hymn 59 Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding Merton
Organ: The World awaiting the Savior Marcel Dupré
Music Note: As the secular season threatens to overshadow the significance of Christmas, the spiritual preparation immediately preceding Christmas is frequently ignored or lost. Advent is a time of contemplative expectation, leading to a major event in the church year, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This service is offered as part of our spiritual preparation. It is based upon a service first held in Truro Cathedral, England in 1880. The sequence of choral music, scripture, and hymns focuses on the element of expectation and longing for the day when God\’s kingdom will be established on earth–and the assertion that in Christ that day has come–with the aim that when Christmas does arrive, we may better comprehend its true meaning. The service begins in a darkened church, with the choir singing from a remote location. In a path leading ultimately to the offertory anthem, a progression is made from darkness to light; concurrently, brightness increases to symbolize the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ to the world. † The postlude began its existence as one of the French organist\’s legendary improvisations, at the Wanamaker store in Philadelphia on December 8, 1921. It vividly portrays a sense of the tumult and instability of the modern world awaiting its Savior, with irregular rhythms and dissonances. After a pause in the turmoil, an oboe introduces the Gregorian chant \”Jesu, redemptor omnium\” (Jesus, redeemer of all). This simple tune becomes clouded by the returning struggle, before it triumphs at last in a symbolic blaze of glory.
November 27, 2011 + The First Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Savior of the Nations, come, S. 599 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Kyrie S96 Franz Schubert
Sequence Hymn 68 Rejoice! Rejoice, believers Llangloffan
Offertory anthem: Sleepers, Wake! (St. Paul) Felix Mendelssohn
Sanctus S130 Schubert
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: We wait for thy loving kindness, O God William McKie
Communion Hymn 615 \”Thy kingdom come!\” on bended knee St. Flavian
Closing Hymn 73 The King shall come when morning dawns St. Stephen
Organ: Sleepers, wake! S. 645 Bach
The offertory anthem was composed for the 1947 wedding of H.R.H. The Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, by the then organist of Westminster Abbey. It opens with a simple chant-like tenor solo echoed by the choir, when an interruption by the organ leads to a more dramatic section and a glimpse of the full revelation of the Advent season ahead of us, before ending as it began in quiet supplication. † Felix Mendelssohn was a guiding force in the rediscovery of choral music from the Baroque and Renaissance periods. His revival of Bach\’s long-dormant St. Matthew Passion is well-known, as is his homage to Handel through his oratorios Elijah and St. Paul. The latter was written when Mendelssohn was twenty-five; its overture, and the fanfare-like chorus sung at the offertory today, are based on the Advent chorale \”Sleepers, wake\” (Hymn 61). † The Advent hymn-tune Helmsley was first printed with this text in London in 1765, and first published in America in 1799. An earlier version of the tune exists in an almost flippant, secular style. It was not widely used in Anglican/Episcopal circles until Ralph Vaughan Williams selected it for inclusion in The English Hymnal of 1906. He transformed it into a stately Edwardian melody by his harmonies (faithfully transcribed in our hymnal), revealing the tune\’s potential as a solemn processional. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Nicholas Temperley and Geoffrey Wainwright.)
November 20, 2011 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude on Union Seminary Charles Callahan
Opening Hymn 450 All hail the power of Jesus\’ Name! Coronation
Anthem (Youth Choir): A grateful heart Mary Plumstead
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Baptism Hymn 478 Jesus, our mighty Lord Monk\’s Gate
Offertory anthem: Te Deum, laudamus in B-flat C. Villiers Stanford
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Draw us in the Spirit\’s tether Harold W. Friedell
Communion Hymn 309 O food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 555 Lead on, O King eternal Lancashire
Organ: Hymne d\’action de graces \”Te Deum\” Jean Langlais
Music Note: Knighted in 1902, Dublin-born Charles Villiers Stanford had a long and distinguished career in Cambridge and London as a professor, composer and conductor. In addition to his legacy of ever-popular church compositions, and lesser-known orchestral and chamber music, songs and incidental music, he is known for his great influence as a teacher of the next generation of English composers, notably Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Holst and Howells. His stirring music is superbly wedded to the text of the Te Deum, one of the most ancient hymns of praise. Authorship of the Te Deum is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter\’s baptism by the former in AD 387. † The hymn-tune \’Union Seminary\’, named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew\’s Church on Park Avenue in 1946. The prelude is a treatment of the same tune by the prolific American composer, Charles Callahan, in a lush romantic style. † Jean Langlais held the esteemed post of organist of the Basilica of Ste. Clothilde, Paris, from 1945 to 1987. Blind from birth, he was the substantial successor to Charles Tournemire (organist 1898-1939), who succeeded Cesar Franck (1859-1890). As part of this \”Ste. Clothilde tradition\” he sustained a legacy of liturgical improvisation and well-wrought compositions which earned a place in standard recital repertorire. His early Te Deum paraphrase dates from 1933-1934; it opens with phrases of the Te Deum plainchant hymn interspersed with mighty pillars of sound, and perhaps the many realms of angels could be heard in the development section following these outbursts. The work ends as it began, with even mightier chords and a broad fantasia suggesting the eternal praise of God.
November 13, 2011 + The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II and Baptism at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs
Organ: Requiescat in Pace Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 527 Singing songs of expectation Ton-y-botel
Sequence Hymn 541 Come, labor on Ora Labora
Baptism Hymn 516 Come down, O love divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: Greater love hath no man John Ireland
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Soul of my Savior Richard Shephard
Communion Hymn 9 Not here for high and holy things Morning Song
Closing Hymn 718 God of our Fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Organ: Marche Héroïque A. Herbert Brewer
Music Note: Of his Requiscat in Pace, Leo Sowerby wrote: \” It was written as a tribute to those who went \’over there\’ in 1917-1918, and didn\’t return. I feel that the music tells its own story of the eventual triumph of the spirit over the unimportance of bodily or material things, but don\’t quote me…I wouldn\’t want to be taken for a Christian Scientist!\” † John Ireland excelled particularly at writing music for the piano and the solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Ralph Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal Academy of Music. \”Greater love\” resourcefully draws on several texts to illuminate our inheritance as the Redeemed of God, set to music of a fitting variety of characters. Written in 1912, the anthem predates specific reference to veterans, referring to the more general stewardship of our lives. † Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. † Sir Arthur Herbert Brewer spent his entire life in Gloucester, as a Cathedral Chorister, as organist at two of its churches, and finally as organist of the Cathedral for 32 years. His popular \”Heroic March,\” similar in construction to Elgar\’s five \’Pomp and Circumstance\’ marches, has two contrasting themes, the second of which (the \’Big Tune\’) is introduced softly and returns with great dignity.
November 6, 2011 + All Saints\’ Sunday
Due to ongoing disruption from the power outage, this service was said, with congregational hymns.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m.
Organ: Meditation (Improvisation) Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Sequence Hymn 623 O what their joy and their glory must be O quanta qualia
Offertory Hymn 620 Jerusalem, my happy home Land of Rest
Communion anthem: Pie Jesu (from Requiem) John Rutter
Louise Penfield Blood, soprano
Communion Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Closing Hymn 287 For all the saints Sine Nomine
Organ: Prelude on Sine Nomine Leo Sowerby
October 30, 2011 + The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
This service was canceled due to power outage from the previous day\’s snowstorm.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Meditation (Improvisation) Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate Munich
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): Amani, utupe Patsy Ford Simms
Sequence Hymn 656 Blest are the pure in heart Franconia
Offertory anthem: The Beatitudes Craig Phillips
Sanctus S128 Mathias
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: The Beatitudes Russian Orthodox, arr. Richard Proulx
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! Woodlands
Organ: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, S. 565 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The prelude was improvised for a 78 rpm recording in 1928 by the great blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. The music was limited by what could fit onto one side of a record in those days. Vierne\’s beautiful creation was later transcribed from the recording by one of his pupils, Maurice Duruflé. This written version permits the listener to have an unusual opportunity: to travel back in time and hear the spontaneous muse of Vierne. † Two versions of the Beatitudes in one service invites consideration of how a musical setting reinforces the spiritual dimensions of a text. The version sung at communion is a chantlike, hypnotic repetition of two passages such as is a regular part of Russian Orthodox liturgies. The version at the offertory is also chantlike, with a melody of irregular meter, but introducing gently dissonant harmony. It is far from hypnotic, as the text directly colors the repeated statements and the glorious crescendo at the end. One could observe that in the Russian version one is no less \”exceeding glad\” by the certain hope of everlasting life, and the composer\’s restraint is based on liturgical practice. In the American version (by a prolific Los Angeles Episcopalian, music director at All Saints, Beverly Hills) one\’s peaceful reassurance is disturbed by a great outburst that has been building throughout the preceding variations. Which version you would take to a desert island no doubt could change from day to day. The Youth Choir anthem is, in essence, a simplistic reduction of the same text; our paths are burdened but our goal is sure. † While the postlude is instantly recognized as \”phantom of the opera\” spooky music, this stereotyped association tends to obscure the brilliance of the composition. Long before it was used in films, video games and ringtones (not to mention a cameo during the 2011 Grammy Awards by pop artist Lady Gaga), it was transcribed and arranged for orchestra, band, piano, brass and other instruments. A theory exists that it may have been an arrangement by Bach of a lost violin piece; since the 1980s, scholars have been debating whether it is even by Bach at all. Various stylistic departures from the rest of Bach\’s output are generally explained by it being an early work, based on the improvisatory forms of North German composers much studied and admired by Bach. Even if the music is by one of his predecessors, a listener can in any case imagine a teenage Bach pulling out all the stops and having fun with the massive chords, virtuosic use of the pedals, echo effects and startling dissonance. Happy Halloween.
October 23, 2011 + The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude in B Major, Op. 99 No. 2 Camille Saint-Saens
Opening Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel St. Petersburg
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 517 How lovely is thy dwelling-place Brother James\’s Air
Offertory anthem: The Lord is my shepherd John Rutter
Sanctus S114 Willan
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Batter my heart Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 336 Come with us, O blessed Jesus Werde munter
Closing Hymn 680 O God, our help in ages past St. Anne
Organ: Fugue in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The opening hymn is attributed to Dmitri Bortniansky, said to be included in an 1822 mass by the composer. Wesley Milgate in Songs of the People of God remarks that \”the melody was not ordinarily used in Russian churches, but was played on such semi-religious occasions as the \’blessing of the waters\’ on 6 January at St. Petersburg; it sounded on the bells of the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in that city.\” The tune traveled swiftly to England, where it was published in a hymnal in 1827. (From a note by Raymond Glover.) † John Rutter\’s setting of Psalm 23 was written in 1976 for the choir of First Methodist Church, Omaha, Nebraska, and incorporated a decade later as a movement of his Requiem (to be sung in its entirety in a candlelight concert here on November 10). It makes appealing use of the \’pastoral\’ sound of the oboe, echoed by a flute playing passages suggesting running water. † The communion hymn is the one on which Bach based a cantata containing arguably his best-known composition, \’Jesu, Joy of man\’s desiring,\’ which was last week\’s communion anthem. This is the chorale melody (hymn tune) as arranged by Bach, which would have been sung at the end of the cantata, after various elaborations of it and other commentaries on its text had been heard. At the November 10 concert, our choirs will sing another Bach cantata following this structure. By placing the source hymn unadorned at the end, Bach created profound new associations of text and tunes for his congregation, whenever those hymns were sung in the future. If you are familiar enough with the choir\’s part of \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring\’ (perhaps recalling the instantly recognizable triplet figure of its accompaniment), you experience just such a connection when singing this hymn today. † The genius of J. S. Bach manifested itself in many ways, including a fascination with numerology and symbolism. His fugue associated with the hymn-tune St. Anne (today\’s final hymn) is a testament to the Trinity, written in triple meter, with a key signature of three flats, and in three sections. The first section represents God the Father with the stately foundation stops of the organ; God the Son is depicted in the lighter second section (without pedals); the exuberant conclusion evokes the power of the Holy Spirit. The association with the hymn tune is obviously from the similarity of the first six notes of the subject, for which it is often referred to by the popular nickname of the \”St. Anne\” fugue.
October 16, 2011 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Divertimento No. 2 in G Major Franz Joseph Haydn
Lu Sun, violin; Pat Daly Vance, viola; Kathy Schiano, cello
Opening Hymn 544 Jesus shall reign, where\’er the sun Duke Street
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Malcolm Boyle
Sequence Hymn 691 My faith looks up to thee Olivet
Offertory anthem: Sicut cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Sanctus S128 Mathias
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 315 Thou, who at thy first Eucharist didst pray Song 1
Closing Hymn 537 Christ for the world we sing! Moscow
Organ: Sonata in C Major for Organ and Strings, K. 336 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Music Note: The Bach Communion anthem, a perennial favorite, is from a cantata written originally in Weimar in 1716 for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Later in Bach\’s career he found it impossible to perform in Leipzig, because that city observed \”tempus clausum\”…literally \”closed time,\” a time of silence, for the last three Sundays of Advent. Thus he expanded and revised it for the feast of the Visitation, where it was first performed in Leipzig in July, 1723. On many occasions Bach recycled and revised his own music, sometimes as a result of genuine inspiration, sometimes to create meaningful connections between pieces, and sometimes simply to find a practical solution to avoid inutility of a movement as beautiful as \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring.\’ † Today\’s closing hymn has a fascinating musical origin. It was written to accompany the text of Hymn 365 (Come, thou almighty King) which was an intentional homage or parody (in the eighteenth century sense of the word) of the British National Anthem (God save our gracious King). Thus the music intentionally parodies the tune of that Anthem (sung in America to the words My country, \’tis of thee, Hymn 717). Compare, for example, the music for \”the poor, and them that mourn\” in Hymn 537 with \”land where my fathers died\” in 717. This dignified mashup was created by an Italian composer working in London at the time; the tune name Moscow references the place of his death. (Adapted from writing of Robin A. Leaver.) The text of the hymn, with its strong ecumenical and missionary theme, was inspired by a convention motto of the YMCA in 1869:\” Christ for the world, and the world for Christ.\” It was matched with this tune in 1916. † Instrumental music formed an important part of the eighteenth-century church service. We know that Mozart composed a trumpet concerto for the inauguration of Vienna\’s Orphanage Church and that he played a violin concerto in a service in 1773. The term church sonata or epistle sonata or sonata in the example of the postlude covers a total of seventeen single-movement instrumental compositions by Mozart (two of which were discovered and published as late as 1940). Some of them are simple trios for two violins and bass; others are more elaborate with solo organ roles. In a letter to his teacher in 1776, Mozart introduces the term Sonata al Epistola, which would have been played between the choir\’s singing of the Gloria and the Creed during the celebration of the Eucharist. Oddly, no other composers at Salzburg Cathedral cultivated this genre. In 1783, a few years after Mozart had left for Vienna, the Archbishop decreed that the epistle sonatas be replaced by vocal pieces. (Note from Mozart\’s publisher, Carlus Verlag.) Perhaps Mozart had written \”too many notes\” for the Archbishop\’s taste; we are fortunate that these delightful creations survived to be enjoyed today.
October 9, 2011 + The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness, S. 654 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 493 O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Offertory anthem: I sat down Edward C. Bairstow
Sanctus S114 Willan
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O lux beatissima Howard Helvey
Communion Hymn 300 Glory, love, and praise, and honor Benifold
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johannes Brahms
Music Note: Today\’s hymns are a celebration of the work of John and Charles Wesley. Anyone who finds a hymn of six stanzas to be overly long, can be grateful not to have lived in the eighteenth century. Charles Wesley was the brother of two Anglican clergymen, and an English leader of the Methodist movement. He authored over eight thousand hymn texts, of which six thousand were published and of which dozens are still in regular use by many denominations. \”O for a thousand tongues to sing\” opened his brother John Wesley\’s definitive A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People called Methodists (London, 1780) and has continued, with one exception (1935) as the opening hymn of every official American hymnal in the Methodist Episcopal tradition since that time. The present version is made up of six of the original eighteen stanzas of a hymn \”For the Anniversary Day of One\’s Conversion,\” written in 1739 on the first anniversary of the Charles\’s evangelical conversion, and first published one year later. The present opening line may recall a friend\’s remark to the author, \”Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him (Christ) with them all.\” (Note by Geoffrey Wainwright.) The communion hymn is from a Wesley collection of Graces, wedded to a tune having \”a sturdy 18th-century integrity\” in the opinion of hymnologist Erik Routley. The tune was composed by hymnal editors at a meeting in Benifold, England in 1968. The closing hymn combines an actual 18th-century tune (a folk song which found its way into usage at the Catholic Cathedral in Paderborn, Germany) with a text first published in the Wesleys\’ Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution (1744). The first among \”Hymns to be sung in a tumult,\” the imagery is from the Book of Revelation; the original\’s omitted stanzas are filled with maritime references, such as \”The waves of the sea Have lift up their voice, Sore troubled that we In Jesus rejoice; … Their fury shall never Our steadfastness shock, The weakest believer Is built on a Rock.\” Anglican and even Methodist hymnals have been willing to drop such imagery for the sake of a more general use of the hymn. The only hymn not from the Wesleys today is No. 339, which has become one of the beloved Eucharistic hymns in the Episcopal tradition since its introduction into the Hymnal 1940. It comes from the Lutherans, mid-1600s, and inspired the likes of Bach and Brahms to write beautiful settings for liturgical use. Without the lasting influence of other traditions on Anglican hymnody, at least today, even were we to have a thousand tongues we would be mute.
October 2, 2011 + The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Adagio from Symphony No. 3 Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 598 Lord Christ, when first thou cam\’st to earth Mit Freuden zart
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 495 Hail, thou once despised Jesus! In Babilone
Offertory anthem: The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord Richard Felciano
Sanctus S128 Mathias
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest Rosedale
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: These are the holy ten commandments Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the blind organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900-1937, composed six organ symphonies. His third (1911) is widely regarded as a masterpiece of form and melodic development. The poetic Adagio was later orchestrated by Vierne, and is especially marked by the influence of his two great teachers, Franck and Widor. Described as a \”Song without words,\” it is based entirely on the material heard in the first two measures; a sense of melancholy is resolved when the material is recast in a major key at the luminous conclusion. † Richard Felciano is a contemporary classical and electronic composer whose musical career spans over fifty years; he is Professor of Composition, Emeritus, at the school of music of the University of California, Berkeley. Felciano’s music “reflects an acute interest in acoustics and sonority and an attempt to cast them in ritual, architectural, or dramatic forms,” according to Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20th-Century Classical Musicians. In 1987 he founded the Center for New Music & Audio Technologies (CNMAT), an interdisciplinary facility linking all of Berkeley\’s disciplines related to sound (music, cognitive psychology, linguistics, computer science, and architecture). His early offertory anthem (1955) contains premonitions of his brilliant creativity, with fairly traditional outer sections framing an exuberant, complex tapestry of sound that begins with sopranos repeating a simple Alleluia, then lower voices joining in with English text. The overall effect of the music matches that of the text, where yearning souls are given a glimpse of future glory but are not yet fully answered. † Thomas Tallis flourished as a composer in Tudor England. He served the Chapel Royal from 1543-1585, composing and performing for four successive monarchs. He altered the language and style of his compositions according to the monarchs\’ greatly varying demands (primarily in Latin for Henry VIII, then English for Edward VI who established Protestantism in England, back to Latin for \’Bloody\’ Mary who restored Catholicism briefly, and finally English for Elizabeth I), also composing church music in French and Italian. Tallis was a teacher of William Byrd, and in 1575 Elizabeth granted to Tallis and Byrd an exclusive twenty-one year monopoly on music publishing. Were it not for these political considerations, sacred choral repertoire today might not contain such a gem as \”If ye love me\” or many other works from this elegant period. † Bach the numerologist-symbolist is much in evidence in the postlude, where an accompanimental motive of repeated notes (taken from the first notes of the Lutheran hymn tune on which the piece is based), occurs exactly ten times in its original melodic structure. As observed by musicologist Russell Stinson, this sturdy motive is followed in imitation many times over to symbolize obedience to divine law (that is, man \’following\’ God).
September 25, 2011 + The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Adagio from Symphony No. 5 Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn 492 Sing ye faithful, sing with gladness Finnian
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul! St. Thomas
Offertory anthem: Jesu, the very thought of thee Paul Halley
Sanctus S114 Willan
Fraction Anthem S 155 Christ our Passover Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Be known to us, Lord Jesus Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 313 Let thy blood in mercy poured Jesu, meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Organ: Prelude on \’Engelberg\’ Craig Phillips
Music Note: British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral\’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then was founder and artistic director of Connecticut\’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George\’s Anglican Church and at the University of King\’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The basis of today\’s offertory anthem is the hymn-tune St. Botolph (Hymnal 1982 No. 209), set with highly imaginative harmony and a virtuosic accompaniment. As in his work \’Freedom Trilogy\’ heard last May on Youth Sunday, Halley\’s pen forges new territory combining the traditional with the distinctly modern. After one sustained high note creates a magical transition back to the opening accompaniment figure, the anthem concludes (as do many hymn-anthems) with a descant soaring over the final stanza, and an ecstatic Amen. † The communion anthem was written in 1997 for a conference of church musicians in Denver, Colorado. Its refrain is intended for congregational singing and may one day be introduced as a fraction anthem at St. John\’s. † Craig Phillips is Music Director at All Saints Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California and another prolific composer of organ and choral music. His early setting of Stanford\’s hymn tune is designed for an instrument with a distinctive fanfare trumpet (or better yet, as at St. John\’s, two such sets of pipes, one at each end of the building). The hymn tune appears in the middle of the composition, punctuated by a soft dance on the pedals, while the outer sections have suggested to some listeners the triumphant music of the film Star Wars.
September 18, 2011 + The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with ceremony of chorister commitment
Organ: Cantabile César Franck
Opening Hymn 410 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven Lauda anima
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir) Praise the Lord, his glories show Peter Niedmann
Sequence Hymn 707 Take my life and let it be Hollingside
Offertory anthem: Jubilate Deo William Walton
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem S155 Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Brother James’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob
Communion Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless St. Agnes
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Paul Manz
Music Note: Cantabile (singing) describes the lovely melody of Franck\’s prelude (1870), one of a set of Three Pieces which became popular concert works in the Parisian composer\’s lifetime. The title is of course also a reminder to attend the inaugural concert of Sacred Music at the Red Door this Thursday at 7. † Peter Niedmann is director of music at Church of Christ, Congregational in Newington, Connecticut. He is an active composer and a past member of the faculty of the Hartt School of Music and a past Dean of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. His merry setting of Henry Lyte\’s hymn responds to the text\’s basis of Psalm 150. † British composer William Walton wrote in many styles, including film scores and opera. His suitably joyous Psalm 100 is a late work, written for events celebrating his seventieth birthday in 1972. After a rhythmically intense opening for two four-part choirs, it contrasts two alternating trios (expressing the ‘quiet’ side of joy) with simpler choral passages supported by an ostinato organ part. † \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. The tune upon which the communion anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\” † Paul Manz improvised many preludes and responses to hymns during his long tenure at his Lutheran parish in Minnesota; a set of one hundred were published in the 1960s and became staples of liturgical repertoire crossing denominational lines for their straightforward appeal and craft. Today\’s postlude combines a ritornello (repeated refrain) construction with just enough of a good hint of Handel\’s Hallelujah chorus.
September 11, 2011 + The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with Pat Daly Vance, viola
Organ: Adagio in G minor Tomaso Albinoni
Opening Hymn When sudden terror tears apart* Kingsfold
Sequence Hymn 609 Where cross the crowded ways of life Gardiner
Offertory anthem: Cantique de Jean Racine Gabriel Fauré
Sanctus S128 William Mathias
Agnus Dei S166 Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Bread of the world John Abdenour
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Organ: Kyrie! Thou Spirit divine! Johann Sebastian Bach
* a hymn text by Carl P. Daw, Jr., copyright 2001 Hope Publishing Company, sung in observance of the tenth Anniversary of 9-11-2001. Used by permission.
Music Note: Albinoni\’s celebrated Adagio in G minor, heard in many films and on Baroque \’greatest hits\’ compilations, is more the creation of the composer\’s twentieth-century biographer than from the pen of the eighteenth century Venetian master. From a fragment of a manuscript, the music was constructed and published by Remo Giazotto in 1958 under the title \”Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ, on two thematic ideas and on a figured bass by Tomaso Albinoni.\” Regardless of its exact provenance, it is a work of enduring pathos and beauty, which was played at a prayer vigil in New York City on the night of September 11, 2001. Along with Molière and Corneille, Jean Racine was one of the \”Big Three\” 17th-century French dramatists. His paraphrase-translation (published in 1688) of an early Latin hymn, was set to music by Fauré at the age of nineteen, as his opus 11. This piece won first prize when Fauré graduated from the Niedermeyer School in Paris, and was first performed the next year in 1866, accompanied by strings and organ. It was published about a decade later and has become one of his best-known works, sharing with his Requiem a general mood of quiet consolation, and melodic beauty. John Abdenour is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul\’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, Connecticut. The closing hymn is a response by Herbert Howells to the death of his son Michael at age 9, from polio. The postlude is an ecstatic setting of a German hymn version of Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy upon us) which contains additional text between its two Greek words: \”Kyrie! Thou Spirit Divine! Oh grant us thy power evermore, That we when life is o\’er With joy uprising may leave our sorrows. Eleison!\” The sentiment therein is matched by a majestic and elaborate fantasia. The initial three rising notes of the melody (heard in long pedal tones) is also the motive upon which all the accompanying material is based, either right-side-up or upside-down. The startlingly dissonant conclusion to this music could have been written in modern times.
September 4, 2011 + The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Awake, awake to love and work Joseph M. Martin
Opening Hymn 376 Joyful, joyful, we adore thee Hymn to Joy
Sequence Hymn 593 Lord, make us servants of your peace Dickinson College
Offertory anthem: Et exultavit from Magnificat Johann Sebastian Bach
Margaret Beers, soprano
Communion anthem: Maria Wiegenlied Max Reger
Closing Hymn 541 Come, labor on Ora Labora
Organ: Praise to the Lord Vernon Butcher
August 28, 2011 + The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
This service was canceled due to Hurricane Irene.
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Psalm-Prelude, \”Out of the depths\” Herbert Howells
Opening Hymn 401 The God of Abraham praise Leoni
Sequence Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be Hollingside
Offertory anthem: Wir eilen from Cantata 78 Johann Sebastian Bach
Jennifer Berton, soprano; Peter Berton, alto
Music during communion: Adagio from Symphony No. 5 Charles-Marie Widor
Closing Hymn 644 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds St. Peter
Organ: Allegro from Symphony No. 5 Charles-Marie Widor
August 21, 2011 + The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Choral No. 2 in B minor César Franck
Opening Hymn 427 When morning gilds the skies Laudes Domini
Sequence Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Offertory anthem: Sound the trumpet Henry Purcell
Carrie Hammond and Liz Hammond, sopranos
Communion anthem: Day by day Martin How
Closing Hymn 523 Glorious things of thee are spoken Abbot’s Leigh
Organ: Tu es petra Henri Mulet
August 14, 2011 + The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Prelude au Kyrie Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 371 Thou, whose almighty word Moscow
Sequence Hymn 380 From all that dwell below the skies Old 100th
Offertory anthem: Come, let\’s rejoice John Amner
Helen Douglas, Frisha Hugessen, John Church, Stephan Christiansen, quartet
Communion anthem: O God, be merciful Christopher Tye
Closing Hymn 544 Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Duke Street
Organ: Rondeau from Sinfonie de Fanfares Jean-Joseph Mouret
August 7, 2011 + The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m.
Prelude: Lotus William Thomas Strayhorn
Opening Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord! The almighty Lobe den Herren
Sequence Hymn 398 I sing the almighty power of God Forest Green
Offertory anthem: Ave, verum corpus Gabriel Fauré
Marjorie Hardge and Nancy Sichler, sopranos
Communion anthem: Pie Jesu from Requiem Andrew Lloyd Webber
Closing Hymn 414 God, my King, thy might confessing Stuttgart
Organ: Salvation unto us has come, S. 638 Bach
During the month of July 2011, services were said in the Cloister Garden.
June 26, 2011 + The Second Sunday after Pentecost
Baptism and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Cantabile (Symphony No. 2) Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 525 The church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Sequence Hymn 609 Where cross the crowded ways of life Gardner
Baptism Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised and dies no more Engelberg
Offertory anthem: Laudate Dominum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: I will not leave you comfortless Everett Titcomb
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord Woodlands
Organ: Prelude in D Major, S. 532 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Mozart composed two complete settings of the vesper psalms in 1779-80, for use in the celebrated evening services of Salzburg cathedral. From the more well-known setting, Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339) comes the soprano aria \”Laudate Dominum,\” written for the remarkable singer Maria Magdalena Lipp (the wife of composer Michael Haydn). Mozart composed many pieces for her, and this beguiling example, in which the choir enters for a doxology of serene simplicity, was a particular favorite of many nineteenth-century singers and arrangers. † Everett Titcomb served for fifty years as Director of Music of the church of St. John the Evangelist in Boston, beginning in 1910. Many of his organ and choral compositions are based on plainchant themes or pay stylistic homage to the works of former periods. The communion anthem, chosen in relation to the reassurance offered by God to Abraham thus sparing Isaac, is based on a plainchant hymn for Pentecost, Veni Creator Spiritus (Hymn 504), which may be heard in long note values in the bass part at the beginning of the second \’Alleluia\’ section.
June 19, 2011 + The First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Amoroso Thomas Arne
Gigue and Adagio (Trio Sonata in C, S. 1037) Johann Sebastian Bach
Virginia Kramer, violin; Gabriel Remillard, viola; Kathy Schiano, cello
Opening Hymn 409 The spacious firmament on high Creation
Sequence Hymn 423 Immortal, invisible, God only wise St. Denio
Offertory anthem: Sanctus (from St. Cecilia Mass) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Sanctus (from Requiem) Gabriel Fauré
Communion Hymn 367 Round the Lord in glory seated Rustington
Closing Hymn 362 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty! Nicea
Organ: Fugue in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The special string trio today in celebration of Trinity Sunday is made possible by the Ralph Valentine Music Fund at St. John\’s Church. † Charles Gounod, because of his great popularity (especially from his operas) and his stylistic influence on the next generation of composers, was a towering figure in French music in the mid-nineteenth century. For two years he studied theology, but chose not to take holy orders; still, he was often referred to as \”l\’Abbé (Father) Gounod.\” The Sanctus sung at the offertory is from his Mass dedicated to Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music), written in 1855. † The genius of J. S. Bach manifested itself in many ways, including a fascination with numerology and symbolism. Bach\’s fugue associated with the hymn-tune \”St. Anne\” (O God, our help in ages past) is a testament to the Trinity, written in triple meter, with a key signature of three flats, and in three sections. The first section represents God the Father with the stately foundation stops of the organ; God the Son is depicted in the lighter second section; the exuberant conclusion evokes the power of the Holy Spirit. † Perhaps taking a cue from Bach\’s famous fugue, Gabriel Fauré, in the generation after Gounod, set the Sanctus from his 1887 Requiemsimilarly in triple time, in three flats. Instead of a tenor solo echoed by the full choir (Gounod\’s rather operatic construction), Fauré opts for a more universal and ecclesiastical dialogue between the upper and lower voices of the choir, in simple unison phrases inflected by gradually richer harmonies. The choir finally sings all together for the last word, softly, under a stratospheric solo violin.
June 12, 2011 + The Day of Pentecost
Baptism and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Fanfares to the tongues of fire Larry King
Opening Hymn 225 Hail thee festival day! Salva festa dies
Sequence Hymn 511 Holy Spirit, ever living Abbot\’s Leigh
Baptism Hymn 516 Come down, O Love divine Down Ampney
Offertory anthem: Listen, sweet dove Grayston Ives
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Batter my heart Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Communion Hymn 504 Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire Veni Creator Spiritus
Closing Hymn 507 Praise the Spirit in creation Julion
Organ: Final on \’Veni Creator Spiritus\’ Maurice Duruflé
Music Note: Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter, is celebrated in many parts of Christendom as a major festival whose significance surpasses that of Christmas and equals that of Easter. From the time of the earliest recorded sacred melodies, music for Christmas, Easter and Pentecost has proliferated more uniformly and survived longer than any other music associated with Christian worship. Much as the Latin hymn \”Adeste Fidelis\” (O Come, all ye faithful) is associated with Christmas in many different traditions, the ninth-century \”Veni Creator Spiritus\” (today\’s communion hymn, and basis of the prelude and postlude) is the hymn most universally associated with Pentecost. Throughout Christian history, the descending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost has been portrayed in literature and art in one of two images: as a dove or in tongues of fire. The organ music today conveys the tongues of fire image primarily. Larry King was organist and Music Director of Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York from 1968 to 1989. The 1978 \”Fanfares to the tongues of fire\” is based on Acts 2:1-3: \”When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.\” The offertory anthem, by contrast, meditates on the image of the Holy Spirit as a dove, alongside a charming poetic image of the sun made jealous by the dazzling evangelism of the twelve apostles.
June 5, 2011 + The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after Ascension Day
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prayer of Christ Ascending Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 214 Hail the day that sees him rise Llanfair
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: O clap your hands Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Coelos ascendit C. Villiers Stanford
Communion Hymn 219 The Lord ascendeth up on high Ach Herr, du allerhöchster Gott
Closing Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Organ: Paraphrase on the Te Deum Marcel Dupré
Music Note: Messiaen\’s quietly ecstatic prayer of \’Christ ascending towards his Father\’ is from his 1932 Ascension Suite, described by the composer as \”Four meditations for orchestra.\” He arranged it for organ the next year, and it is still one of his most frequently performed pieces. Over the course of some nine minutes the music takes on a radiant glow, using gradually ascending notes and progressively ascending sections, as part of a typically weightless, timeless experience created by very long note values and unpredictable rhythms. † Dating from 1920, Vaughan Williams\’s arrangement of Psalm 47 was originally orchestrated for organ, brass and percussion, and can be heard in arrangements for organ alone and for full orchestra. The joyous mood of the text is capitalized upon in a setting of extroverted jubilation. The brass and organ parts work fanfare-like counterpoints around the vocal lines. After an anticipated climax on \”Sing praises unto our King,\” the music reaches a moment of quiet introspection. Here the vocal lines take on an almost speech-like quality that seems to pay homage to the tradition of Anglican chant. The moment, however, is quickly interrupted by the brass, and the energy of the music returns to the same joyous mood as the opening. This is a piece clearly designed to fill a space with a grand noise in praise of God. (Stephen Kingsbury) † Irish-born Stanford was teacher to Vaughan Williams among a host of other prominent composers over the course of two generations of teaching in London and Cambridge. His own compositions still hold a very high place in Anglican church literature and, after a long period of neglect, his many substantial orchestral works are enjoying a welcome revival. From a set of Three Latin Motets (1905), Coelos ascendit creates a merry noise echoing back and forth between two equal choirs, sung today from the transepts to more nearly generate the stereophonic excitement offered by the divided, facing placement of traditional choir-stalls in larger spaces. † Te Deum, laudamus (Prayer Book, page 52) is one of the most ancient hymns of praise. Authorship of the Te Deum is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter\’s baptism by the former in AD 387. The bold paraphrase of the plainsong tune associated with this hymn by French virtuoso Marcel Dupré was commissioned by his American publisher, H. W. Gray in 1945. The minor key of the tune, and the recent devastation of World War II, help to define the character of the rhythmically intense sections, which alternate with lyrical passages for relief (based on the more comforting sections of the text). It is, altogether, a fiery vision of angels resounding in praise.
May 29, 2011 + The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Prelude in E-flat Major, S. 552 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 705 As those of old their first fruits brought Forest Green
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 488 Be thou my vision Slane
Offertory anthem: The Holy City Alfred R. Gaul
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: If ye love me Thomas Tallis
Communion Hymn 593 Lord make us servants of your peace Dickinson College
Closing Hymn 291 We plow the fields, and scatter Wir pflugen
Organ: Allegro from Sonata No. 3 in F Major Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Music Note: Bach\’s majestic Prelude in E-flat Major, and its accompanying Fugue (to be played as the postlude on Trinity Sunday this year, June 19), frame a large set of pieces based on hymn tunes of the Lutheran church, collectively known as \”Clavierubung III\” (Keyboard Practice). As in many other of his composition projects, Bach was the consummate multi-tasker, or multi-use composer. He sought simultaneously to educate students of keyboard technique, composition and improvisation, to provide music of practical utility in playing services, to create works of refined and lasting beauty, and certainly not least to make a theological statement in praise of God. The E-flat Prelude is known familiarly as the \”St. Anne\” because the subject of its accompanying fugue takes its first several notes from the hymn tune of that name (sung to the hymn \”O God our help in ages past\”). The prelude and fugue are bookends to about two hours of music, and if we calculated all the music heard in services between today\’s prelude and the postlude on June 19, we might come out about right. The exuberant writing was intended for students of either the organ or the pedal cembalo, a sort of harpsichord with a pedalboard. The delightful echoes and sectional contrasts brought into relief by the antiphonal placement of pipes at St. John\’s, would not be as characteristic on a pedal cembalo which, in addition to being a fine instrument in its own right, was a practical way for organists to practice without heating a church or paying someone to pump the bellows in the pre-electricity era. † Alfred Gaul spent his life as a church musician and music educator in Birmingham, England. He composed prolifically in a simple, melodious style influenced by Mendelssohn and Spohr, and his cantatas became very popular with provincial choirs in the Victorian era. His lovely solo The Holy City, written in 1882, is still sung today, although history has relegated most of his other music to the \’unfashionable\’ file. † Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was Johann Sebastian\’s fifth child and second (surviving) son. He was educated as a chorister at the St. Thomas Church Choir School in Leipzig, where his father was Cantor, and continued his education in the field of law at the University of Leipzig. However, at age 24 he gave up his law career and devoted himself to music, becoming an important transitional composer between the Baroque and Classical periods. In his light-hearted Sonata No. 3 one can hear the emerging style of Mozart and his generation. The work is scored for organ but without the use of pedals, making it ideal music for a holiday weekend when undue exertion is to be avoided (or, perhaps, for a Sunday after a skiing accident).
May 22, 2011 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter – Youth Sunday
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Psalm 100 Justin Heinrich Knecht
Opening Hymn: 484 Praise the Lord through every nation Wachet auf
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 405 All things bright and beautiful Royal Oak
Offertory anthem: Freedom Trilogy Paul Halley
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: God be in my head H. Walford Davies
Communion Hymn 51 We the Lord\’s people, heart and voice uniting Decatur Place
Closing Hymn 432 O praise ye the Lord Laudate Dominum
Organ: Festival Voluntary Flor Peeters
Music Note: British-born Paul Halley was from 1977-1990 Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where he directed the long-established intergenerational choir program and transformed the Cathedral\’s music program into a rich combination of classical and contemporary music. He then was founder and artistic director of Connecticut\’s acclaimed choirs, Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus, based in Torrington. He is winner of five Grammy awards for his contributions as a writer and performer on recordings by the Paul Winter Consort, of which he was a member for eighteen years. Since 2007 he has been Director of Music at St. George\’s Anglican Church and at the University of King\’s College Chapel, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In his Freedom Trilogy (1997), Halley freely integrates elements from a diversity of styles into a convincing new entity. † Welsh-born Henry Walford Davies grew up as a chorister at St. George\’s Chapel, Windsor, where he then became assistant organist. After serving at London\’s Temple Church from 1898-1917, as the first music director of the newly created Royal Air Force, and as a music professor, he returned to St. George\’s Chapel as organist in 1927. Following the death of Sir Edward Elgar in 1934, he was appointed Master of the King\’s Musick. His brief and effective setting of the sixteenth century prayer God be in my head was composed around 1930, a distillation of a long career into a profound meditation that sounds youthful. The successive phrases each begin alike in the soprano part, the repetition rising like a gentle litany. The text reminds us of God\’s presence at all times throughout life\’s journey. † During the 1960s and 1970s, \”The Lord\’s People in the Lord\’s House on the Lord\’s Day for the Lord\’s Service\” was a saying often quoted in the Church of England and used as a teaching device to try to express succinctly the essence of Christian liturgy. Today\’s communion hymn was the author\’s first, and based on that idea. The music was written specifically for the text for inclusion in The Hymnal 1982 by Richard Wayne Dirksen, former Organist and Choirmaster and Precentor of Washington National Cathedral. The tune name Decatur Place honors the Washington home of Paul Callaway, the composer\’s longtime friend and predecessor as Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral. (Hymn note by Raymond Glover and Russell Schulz-Widmar.)
May 15, 2011 + The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Sheep may safely graze Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn: 495 Hail, thou once-despised Jesus In Babilone
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Offertory anthem: The Lord is my shepherd John Rutter
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Brother James\’s Air arr. Gordon Jacob
Communion Hymn 343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless St. Agnes
Closing Hymn 646 The King of love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Organ: Hornpipe from Water Music George Frideric Handel
Music Note: The Fourth Sunday of Easter, known as \”Good Shepherd Sunday,\” is often filled with musical versions of Psalm 23, and today is no exception. The image of God as a shepherd was immensely appealing to the farming societies of Jesus\’s day, as well as before (the Psalter) and through to the present age. So many versions of Psalm 23 exist partly through this timeline of over two thousand years, and additionally because of the practice of \”metrical psalmody\” beginning with the Reformation in the 1500s. Initially a literary and then a musical pursuit, metrical psalmody led to the easy congregational singing of psalms to pre-existing familiar hymn tunes, such as Psalm 100 being paired with the tune of that name, \”Old Hundredth\” which we sing weekly at the presentation of the offering. Metrical versions of psalm texts (for example, today\’s communion anthem and final hymn) are by nature paraphrases, adjusting the number of syllables per line into a formula determined by the meter of the music. This is the reverse of the process made possible by chant, such as our corporate singing of Psalm 23 today, which allows a familiar tune to fit the pre-existing syllables of irregular text. (We are singing the King James translation today, in observance of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible this year.) Isaac Watts observed that when we hear the word of God read, God speaks to us; when we sing a Psalm, we speak to God. Through the Psalms \”we are inspired to enter into a dialogue with God, hearing those ancient expressions of joy and sorrow and judgment and praise and making them our own petitions\” (Michael Morgan). John Rutter\’s through-composed setting was incorporated a decade later as a movement of his Requiem, and makes appealing use of the \’pastoral\’ sound of the oboe, echoed by a flute playing passages suggesting running water. \”Brother James\” is the familiar name ascribed to the spiritual leader James Macbeth Bain, born in Scotland in 1860. A somewhat eccentric personality of great popularity, he worked among the poor in London and wandered in nature for refreshment. He has been compared to St. Francis for his mystic insights combined with an irresistible charm and childlike trust of one who loves all people and all creatures. Once when walking in the woods he caught his cast on a tree branch, and in freeing himself accidentally broke the branch, much to his annoyance. When asked to explain his annoyance, he responded \”Man, I\’ve just lost a real good friend. Many a fine cast have I found on that self-same branch.\” The tune upon which the communion anthem is based is one of many beautiful melodies which came to him spontaneously. It has, in its simplicity, something of that rare quality of appeal which Maurice Baring describes as \”a wonderful tune–a tune that opened its arms.\”
May 8, 2011 + The Third Sunday of Easter
Order for Baptism and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Choral (from Symphonie Romane) Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn: 492 Sing, ye faithful, sing with gladness Finnian
Anthem (sung by the Youth Choir): Praise the Lord, his glories show Peter Niedmann
Sequence Hymn 205 Good Christians all, rejoice and sing Gelobt sei Gott
Offertory anthem: Surgens Jesus Peter Philips
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Up, up, my heart, with gladness Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 334 Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing Alles ist an Gottes Segen
Closing Hymn 296 We know that Christ is raised and dies no more Engelberg
Organ: Awake, thou wintry earth Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The second movement of Widor\’s tenth organ symphony is a calm, pastoral piece based (as was the toccata from this symphony heard as the Prelude on Easter Day) on the Gregorian chant for Easter Day \”Haec dies\” (This is the day the Lord has made). A passage in the middle of the piece, for flutes played high on the keyboard, is possibly a description of the singing of Easter birds. † Peter Niedmann is director of music at Church of Christ, Congregational in Newington, Connecticut. He is an active composer and a past member of the faculty of the Hartt School of Music and a past Dean of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. His setting of Henry Lyte\’s hymn responds to the text\’s basis of Psalm 150. † Peter Philips was an English composer, organist and Catholic priest, who began his musical career as a boy chorister at St. Paul\’s Cathedral in London. Because of his religion, at the age of twenty he left England for good, as did many other English Catholics. He settled in Belgium, where after the death of his wife and child he became ordained and gained a court chapel position, through which he was able to meet many of the best musicians of his day. Thanks to his ability to publish music in exile, large portion of his prolific output survives today, consisting of hundreds of motets and madrigals, and instrumental and keyboard works. \’Surgens Jesus\’ describes the Resurrection in merry music for five part choir. Sections of imitative counterpoint are contrasted by a brief passage of quiet homophony (all parts singing together in the same rhythm) at the words of Jesus. † Today\’s postlude is a chorale (a German hymn-tune) from the Bach cantata \”Praised be the Lord,\” transcribed for organ in the twentieth century by Homer Whitford. Phrases of the hymn are interspersed with the joyous motive of the accompaniment. The music is based on this text: \”Awake, thou wintry earth, Fling off, fling off thy sadness. Ye vernal flowers, laugh forth, laugh forth your ancient gladness. A new and lovely tale Throughout the land is sped, It floats o\’er hill and dale To tell that death is dead.\”
May 1, 2011 + The Second Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Prelude: Death and Resurrection Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn: 193 That Easter day with joy was bright Puer nobis
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 209 We walk by faith, and not by sight St. Botolph
Offertory anthem: O filii et filiae arr. Franz Liszt; Volckmar Leisring
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Rise up, my love Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 212 Awake, arise, lift up your voice Richmond
Closing Hymn 208 Alleluia! The strife is o\’er, the battle done Victory
Organ: Toccata on \’O filii et filiae\’ Lynnwood Farnam
Music Note: Today\’s organ prelude bears the inscription, \”O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?\” (I Corinthians 15:55). One of Langlais\’s earliest works, it portrays a vision of the life hereafter. Death is heard in the somber opening melody in the pedals; eternal life is represented by a Gregorian chant, the Gradual from the Requiem Mass, announced by a trumpet. These two ideas are combined, significantly, not so much in a struggle as in a unified crescendo toward the work\’s victorious conclusion. † \’O filii et filiae\’ is a hymn tune of uncertain origin, assumed to be either a French folk melody probably dating from the late fifteenth century, or perhaps a tune which began as a chant melody. Although the melody is included in the compendium of chant Liber Usualis, it is one of the few melodies that appears in standard modern notation, instead of chant notation. Most likely it is a composed melody in chant-like style. (Hymn note by Jeffrey Wasson and Louis Weil.) Our hymnal includes one of each type of setting, at Nos. 203 and 206. It was included as a three-part chorus for women by Franz Liszt, late in his monumental, Messiah-length oratorioChristus completed in 1866. Its setting by the early 17th century German composer Volckmar Leisring echoes the upper and lower voices of the choir antiphonally. † Healey Willan, often referred to as the \’Dean of Canadian composers\’ of church music, penned many ravishing miniatures. His 1929 motet \”Rise up, my love\” uses gentle flowing chords to describe flowers appearing in Eastertide, and ends with a reiteration of the invitation to \’come away.\’ † Lynnwood Farnam was an exceptional Canadian organ recitalist who moved to New York in 1918, first to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and then to the Church of the Holy Communion. His tremendous American touring career tragically was cut short by a brain tumor. His only composition is this brief Toccata, and reportedly he launched into it invariably as a test piece when trying out an instrument new to him. Speaking of Death and Resurrection, Farnam made several recordings onto automatic player rolls, and in 1953 the Austin Organ Company of Hartford arranged with St. John\’s organist Clarence Watters to transfer several of Farnam\’s rolls to long playing records. A roll-player mechanism was temporarily attached to the St. John\’s instrument, and the stops were selected by Watters, allowing Farnam, who had been deceased for 23 years, to \”return\” to \”play\” pieces by Bach, Handel and others. These can be heard on our website, in the section about the St. John\’s Organ. (Farnam recording note by Bill Uricchio.)
April 24, 2011 + The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
at 8:00 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
and at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs, with brass and tympani
Prelude: Final (from Symphonie Romane) Charles-Marie Widor
Opening Hymn: 207 Jesus Christ is risen today Easter Hymn
Pascha nostrum: Hymn 417 This is the feast Festival Canticle
Sequence Hymn 180 He is risen, he is risen! Unser Herrscher
Offertory anthem: Ye choirs of new Jerusalem Charles Villiers Stanford
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Fraction anthem: Christ our Passover Jeffrey Rickard
Communion anthem: Alleluia Randall Thompson
Communion Hymn 305 Come, risen Lord Rosedale
Postcommunion anthem: Hallelujah (from Messiah) George Frideric Handel
Closing Hymn 199 Come, ye faithful, raise the strain St. Kevin
Organ, brass and tympani: Toccata (from Symphonie V) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: The prelude is Widor\’s \’other\’ Easter toccata, from his tenth and last organ symphony, based on the day\’s traditional plainchant hymn Haec Dies (\”This is the Day the Lord has made\”). Widor describes this hymn as \”a graceful arabesque…as difficult to fasten upon as the song of a bird…The rhythmical freedom of Gregorian chant clashes with our stern metronomic time…The only mode of fixing on the auditor\’s ear so undefined a motive is to repeat it constantly.\” In the symphony\’s triumphant conclusion, the energy of the toccata rises and falls several times before arriving at a crowning Resurrection hymn, which recedes into a rich texture suggesting the ringing of bells. † Charles Stanford, as professor of composition at London\’s Royal Academy of Music, taught several generations of composers and did much to raise standards of church music in late Victorian England. His setting of a twelfth-century text by St. Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres, conveys the celebration of the Resurrection with jubilant \”strains of holy joy\” and \”alleluia,\” contrasted against darker musical descriptions of \”devouring depths.\” † Randall Thompson\’s \”Alleluia,\” surely established as one of the most beloved American choral compositions, was written in 1940 for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Composed during wartime, the piece\’s many moods around a single word of acclamation express the totality of the Easter message.
April 17, 2011 + The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
The Liturgy begins in the Cloister at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Choral Prelude: Hosanna to the Son of David Thomas Weelkes
Opening Hymn: Ride on! ride on in majesty! Winchester New
Processional Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor Valet will ich dir geben
Sequence Hymn 474 When I survey the wondrous cross Rockingham
Offertory anthem: Jerusalem (from Gallia) Charles Gounod
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Crucifixus Antonio Lotti
Communion Hymn 458 My song is love unknown Love unknown
Closing Hymn 158 Ah, holy Jesus! Herzliebster Jesu
Organ: Final (Symphony No. 7) Charles-Marie Widor
Music Note: French composer Charles Gounod, along with many others, turned to programmatic subjects in musical response to France\’s military defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870). Dating from 1871, and written in England, the oratorio Gallia is thought to draw a parallel between the then national situation and that of Jerusalem stunned by the reversal of fate upon its Messiah. The concluding section asks the populace to consider its own affliction and to turn to God for forgiveness, with an almost barbaric opening, a tender solo sung by the Youth Choir, and a rousing choral expansion of the solo. † Excepting two years in Dresden producing operas, Antonio Lotti spent his entire career at St. Mark\’s Basilica in Venice, first as an alto singer, then as assisting assistant organist, assistant organist, main organist, and finally music director for the final four years of his life. Bach and Handel knew his work and may have been influenced by it. His 8-part setting of a brief text is justifiably famous, for its lavish dissonances and other expressive qualities so well suited to the event described. † In an apt comparison, Albert Reimenschneider compared the last movement of Widor\’s Seventh Symphony for organ (1885) with Wagner\’s Ride of the Valkyries for orchestra (1856). In the context of Palm Sunday this music could be considered a depiction of the swift and devastating events following Jesus\’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Various developmental ideas propel the energy of a sturdy main theme, including an unexpected cadenza near the end.
April 10, 2011 + The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Psalm-Prelude, \”Out of the depths\” Herbert Howells
Opening Hymn 149 Eternal Lord of Love, behold your Church Old 124th
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Sequence Hymn 457 Thou art the Way, to thee alone St. James
Offertory anthem: Out of the deep (from Requiem) John Rutter
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Let nothing ever grieve thee Johannes Brahms
Communion Hymn 314 Humbly I adore thee Adore devote
Closing Hymn 669 Commit thou all that grieves thee Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Organ: I call to thee, Lord Jesus Christ, S. 639 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Today\’s appointed Psalm is the inspiration for the prelude, Offertory anthem and postlude. One of the penitential Psalms, Psalm 130 is part of the prayers for the faithful departed in Western liturgical tradition, is recited as part of the High Holidays in Jewish tradition, and has inspired countless musical settings. Its Latin title, De profundis, is used as a title to poems by Alfred Tennyson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Charles Baudelaire, Christina Rossetti and C. S. Lewis, among others. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to God (verse 1), asking for mercy (2-3). The psalmist\’s trust (4-5) becomes a model for the people (6-7). The experience of God\’s mercy leads the people to a greater sense of God. Herbert Howells created of it in 1938 a dark, brooding work building to a cry of great anguish, which is relieved and ends peacefully. John Rutter\’s setting from his 1985 Requiem features a solo cello and traces a similar journey, however ending where it began with a return to the opening text and music. Bach\’s beautiful trio for organ has been arranged for other instruments and is perhaps the most profound of the three. It is from his book of teaching pieces entitled \”Little Organ Book\” which instructs the student in techniques of both playing and composition, while also serving as a collection of music for church services and a religious statement. In the words of humanitarian and Bach scholar Albert Schweitzer, \”Here Bach has realized the ideal of the chorale prelude. The method is the most simple imaginable and at the same time the most perfect. Nowhere is the Dürer-like character of his musical style so evident as in these small chorale-preludes. Simply by the precision and the characteristic quality of each line of the contrapuntal motive he expresses all that has to be said, and so makes clear the relation of the music to the text whose title it bears.\” In a related mood presaging that of his sublime Requiem, Brahms\’s communion anthem reinforces the message of God as guide, with a double canon, the tenor following the soprano and the bass the alto. This technique is employed at the dissonant interval of a ninth, its effect disguised by beautifully constructed harmony. The work ends with an especially lovely and prolonged Amen, which would not be found wanting on many a \”desert island\” list of essential favorite passages from choral music.
April 3, 2011 + The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prélude funèbre Op. 4 Louis Vierne
Opening Hymn 646 The King of love my shepherd is Dominus regit me
Kyrie S86 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Anthem (Youth Choir): Thou, O Lord, art my hope Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Sequence Hymn 567 Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old St. Matthew
Offertory anthem: The secret of Christ Richard Shephard
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Agnus Dei S161 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Communion anthem: Lead, kindly light William H. Harris
Communion Hymn 490 I want to walk as a child of the light Houston
Closing Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Johannes Brahms
Music Note: Louis Vierne, the organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 until 1937, composed his early and profound \”funeral prelude\” in 1896 while serving as assistant to Charles-Marie Widor at the church of Saint-Sulpice. The Youth Choir anthem was written in 1994 for training the junior class of boy choristers at the Saint Thomas Choir School in New York. Its sections therefore contain several deceptively difficult similarities to encourage reading music from the printed page rather than remembering it by rote; the successful navigation of the music may be one of the early trials described by the psalmist. Richard Shephard is Director of Development and former Headmaster of the Choir School of York Minster in northern England. He has always had a dual career as an administrator and composer; many of his compositions have become popular in America, for which work he was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of the South in Tennessee. Through the Offertory anthem we are invited to take encouragement for our pilgrimage through Lent. William Harris served the Chapel Royal in Windsor Castle from 1933 until 1961, where he had very productive years as a composer for choir festivals and two Coronations. Several of his anthems and canticles are still in regular use, as well as his hymn-tune \”Alberta\” often sung in England to the text arranged as the communion anthem today. The Youth and Communion anthems are being sung this afternoon by over sixty singers as part of the Youth Choir Festival Evensong at Trinity Church, and will be sung next Sunday at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as well. Brahms\’s setting of the final hymn is from a set of eleven chorale preludes based on Lutheran hymns, his final compositions. Written in the same year as Vierne\’s prelude, and published posthumously in 1902, they are considered a final statement on Brahms\’s life and pending death.
March 27, 2011 + The Third Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prélude (Prélude, Andante et Toccata) André Fleury
Opening Hymn 455 O Love of God, how strong and true Dunedin
Kyrie S89 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Anthem (Youth Choir): Ex ore innocentium John Ireland
Sequence Hymn 665 All my hope on God is founded Michael
Offertory anthem: Sicut cervus Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Hear my prayer, O Lord Henry Purcell
Communion Hymn 692 I heard the voice of Jesus say The Third Tune
Closing Hymn 690 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah Cwm Rhondda
Organ: Fantasie in C minor, S. 582 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Fleury\’s 1931 Prélude shows the influence of his teachers Vierne and Dupré in its rich chromaticism and sustained sense of melody. Ireland excelled particularly at writing for piano and solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal College of Music. The text of \”Ex ore innocentium\” (\”From the mouths of innocents\”) does not limit the view of Christ\’s sacrifice to a child\’s perspective, but invites all to consider the meaning of the cross through its vivid imagery, accompanied by compelling music. Its author, Bishop William Walsham How, was known for his ministry to children and was commonly called the children\’s bishop. In addition to publishing several volumes of sermons he wrote a good deal of verse, including such well-known hymns as \”Jesus! Name of wondrous love!\” (the Hymnal 1982, No. 252),\”O Christ, the Word Incarnate (632), and \”For all the Saints\” (287). The hymn before the Gospel is named for the composer\’s son, who died of polio at the age of nine. Of the over 300 motets from the pen of the Italian Renaissance master, Palestrina\’s \’Sicut cervus\’ is perhaps the most often performed. Its gentle counterpoint flowing from a very simple theme creates a signature atmosphere of meditative devotion. Although it is apparent from the autograph that Purcell originally intended to add to the anthem \’Hear my Prayer,\’ it seems quite likely that having written it he realized how difficult it would be to match its brilliance, and deliberately wrote no more. What makes the music so outstanding is not so much its skillful construction for eight parts out of the most economical of means, namely two simple phrases and their inversions (one based on two notes only and the other on a short chromatic scale), but its strong sense of climax in the final bars. Not only is this prepared in gradually increasing intensity, but the reservation of the full eight-part texture, and the restrained range of the parts up to the last few bars, gives this climax the maximum effect. Then, very quickly and inevitably, the music comes to rest as the sonoroties clarify, and resolve into a simple four-part chord. (Purcell note by Christopher Dearnley.) Bach\’s mournful Fantaisie is similarly based on sparse musical materials: a descending minor figure which begins with an ornament. The latter detail makes the theme easily recognizable within the five-part texture. A flourish of faster notes brings the searching music to rest at last on a hopeful major chord.
March 20, 2011 + The Second Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Choral No. 2 in B minor César Franck
Opening Hymn 401 The God of Abraham Praise Leoni
Kyrie S86 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Sequence Hymn 635 If thou but trust in God to guide thee Wer nur den lieben Gott
Offertory anthem: God so loved the world John Stainer
Sanctus S124 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Agnus Dei S161 David Hurd, New Plainsong
Communion anthem: Lift thine eyes Felix Mendelssohn
Communion Hymn 152 Kind maker of the world, O hear A la venue de Noë
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: Andante con moto (Sonata V) Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: César Franck did much to return dignity to organ-lofts in nineteenth century France, where during typical church services, organists routinely provided battle and storm pieces, or improvised upon popular tunes of the day. As professor at the Paris conservatory he taught primarily works by the then unappreciated J. S. Bach. His influence as a composer and improviser led others, especially his contemporary Charles-Marie Widor and his star pupil Louis Vierne, to adopt a cultured, highly expressive and organized musical language, which formed the basis of France\’s preeminance in the organ world well into the twentieth century. The Three Chorals are Franck\’s final compositions, his musical last will and testament. The poignant circumstances of their composition have often been discussed. They were written while he was already in frail health recuperating from a traffic accident suffered three months earlier; he deteriorated rapidly right after he completed them and died less than two months later. Because of his infirmity he was unable to take the scores to an organ; except for one occasion, when he played through the Chorals on the piano in a private session (with a pupil playing the pedal part), he never publicly performed the works or had the opportunity to teach them to his pupils. So, paradoxically, Franck himself never heard the music played on an organ. It is left for us to be the ones to hear it. Largely a piece in variation form (interrupted by a central improvisatory outburst), the second Choral is a profound revelation of the composer\’s unmistakable soul. His music expresses at once the searching uncertainty of the human condition, where strength and hope grapple with yearning and despair; and spiritual triumph, courage, and trust. (Includes writings of Brian Du Sell and Karl Schrock.) The two excerpts from oratorios sung today have been sung by choirs all over the world and help to sustain the interest in the larger works from which they come. Stainer\’s Passion meditation The Crucifixion (1887) dates from his years at St. Paul\’s Cathedral, London and is his main work still performed; Mendelssohn\’s Elijah (1846) is reckoned to be the second most widely known and sung work in this genre (after Handel\’s Messiah). \’God so loved the world\’ and \’Lift thine eyes\’ share a disarming simplicity combined with the essence of inspiration found in Franck\’s music, assuring their enduring appeal and effectiveness.
March 13, 2011 + The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: Prélude au Kyrie (Hommage à Frescobaldi) Jean Langlais
Opening Hymn 150 Forty days and forty nights Aus der Tiefe rufe ich
The Great Litany S67
Anthem (Youth Choir): Day by Day Martin How
Sequence Hymn 147 Now let us all with one accord Bourbon
Offertory anthem: Wash me throughly Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Sanctus S117 James McGregor, after Hans Leo Hassler
Agnus Dei S159 Plainsong, Missa Marialis
Communion anthem: Call to remembrance Richard Farrant
Communion Hymn 313 Let thy blood in mercy poured Jesus, meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 143 The glory of these forty days Erhalt uns, Herr
Organ: So now as we journey, aid our weak endeavor Marcel Dupré
Music Note: The beginning of the journey of Lent is aided by several familiar hymns of the season, whose origins are quite diverse. In the minds and experience of most Episcopalians, \’Forty days and forty nights\’ is forever associated with the tune matched to the words since 1861. The original text for this hymn was described as \”impossible for public worship\” in 1637, and included stanzas recalling the trials of Christ\’s temptation and the many ways that Christians are drawn into sin: \”Sunbeams scorching all the day, Chilly dewdrop nightly shed, Prowling beasts about thy way, Stones thy pillow, sand thy bed? And shall we in silken ease, Festal mirth, carousals high,–All that can our senses please,–Let our Lenten hours pass by?\” The hymn before the Gospel pairs a nineteenth-century rural American tune with an anonymous text which is likely to be at least a thousand years older. The tune is pentatonic (based on a scale of five notes) and first appeared in a four-part version in the shape-note tunebook Beauties of Harmony (Pittsburgh, 1814), where it was printed with stanzas from Isaac Watts\’s metrical version of Psalm 143, beginning \”Look down in pity, Lord and see.\” The tune name Bourbon may have come from an association with Bourbon County, Kentucky, the site of the famous Cane Ridge meeting of August 1801. This large camp meeting, using music from shape-note hymnals, drew thousands of Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians and was a precursor of popular \”revival\” meetings. The closing hymn is a Reformation chorale, believed by some to be the work of Martin Luther himself, based on a twelfth century plainsong tune. It appears in our hymnal as harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach. (Hymn notes compiled from writings of Carol Doran, Marion Hatchett and Carl Schalk.)Composer and church musician Martin How is the son of a former Primate of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. He spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music where he initiated and developed the chorister training scheme used in many parts of the world. St. Richard of Chichester is supposed to have recited the popular prayer ascribed to him on his deathbed, written down in Latin by his confessor. The first English translation to use the rhyme \”clearly, dearly, nearly\” is thought to be one from 1913; the first including the phrase \”day by day\” followed in 1931. The prayer became especially popular in America following its adaptation for the musical Godspell in 1971. Martin How\’s setting dates from 1977.
March 6, 2011 + The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude and Fugue in C Major, S. 545 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 137 O wondrous type! O vision fair Wareham
Offertory anthem: The Transfiguration Larry King
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: O lux beatissima Howard Helvey
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 460 Alleluia! sing to Jesus! Hyfrydol
Organ: Fugue in C Major (\”Jig\”) Dietrich Buxtehude
Music Note: The first hymn today is repeated from the first Sunday after the Epiphany (January 9) as a bookend to the especially long observance of the season this year, owing to the late date of Easter. The last Sunday after the Epiphany, or Transfiguration Sunday, is the last before the beginning of Lent and thus is the last opportunity until Easter to say or sing the word Alleluia. The prelude and postlude reflect this spirit of joyful enthusiasm, by both the nature of the music and the \”radiant\” key of C Major. In the Baroque period of their composition, keyboard instruments were tuned in such a way that some keys sounded more pure than others. Much music was written in keys with few sharps or flats, to avoid the out of tune \”wolf\” when playing in keys with many flats or sharps. Even after an \”equal tempered\” system of tuning made all keys sound more or less in tune, C Major continued to be particularly associated in the Classical period with festivity and grandeur, and has always been a triumphant key in organ music owing to C being the lowest note on the pedalboard, thus playing the largest, lowest available pipes. Larry King was organist and choir director of Trinity Church, Wall Street in New York City from 1968 to 1989. He composed several works incorporating pre-recorded synthesized sounds alongside traditional organ and choral writing, of an iconoclastic yet deeply spiritual nature. Today\’s offertory anthem is one of these, and there is little that could be said to prepare the listener for the experience, intentionally as mystifying and bizarre and hopefully transcendent as the event it describes in music. The pre-recorded part is coordinated with the live performance using a stopwatch. It includes not only sounds from a synthesizer, but also echoing filtered sounds of the choir of Trinity Church, Wall Street. Howard Helvey is organist-choirmaster of Calvary Episcopal Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a prolific composer and concert pianist. O lux beatissima creates the effect of shimmering light with close harmonies and gentle pacing. If today\’s modern choral music is disquieting, hopefully it is in a positive way, allowing us to think about past miraculous events in new ways. Its effect might be offset somewhat by the C Major organ music, although if it is ultimately disagreeable, one can adopt the attitude some take concerning weather in New England…just wait twenty minutes! During Lent there will be a good deal of traditional music for the season.
Choral Evensong March 6 at 5:00 p.m.
Sung by the St. John\’s Adult Choir and Trinity Church Adult Choir combined, at Trinity Church, Hartford.
Music by the combined Adult Choirs:
Introit: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Preces and Responses Paul Halley
Psalms 114 and 115 Anglican Chants by George Thalben-Ball and Michael Camidge
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis Herbert Murrill in E
Anthem: Evening Hymn H. Balfour Gardiner
February 27, 2011 + The Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness, S. 654 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 398 I sing the almighty power of God Forest Green
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Anthem (Youth Choir): Amani, utupe Patsy Ford Simms
Sequence Hymn 711 Seek ye first the kingdom of God Seek ye first
Offertory anthem: The Lord is my light Stephen Sturk
Sanctus S114 Willan
Agnus Dei S158 Willan
Communion anthem: Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring Johann Sebastian Bach
Communion Hymn 309 O Food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 559 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us Dulce carmen
Organ: Allegro maestoso e vivace (Sonata No. 2) Felix Mendelssohn
Music Note: The text of today\’s first hymn first appeared for use by Episcopalians in the 1874 edition of The Hymnal. It was dropped from subsequent editions until its restoration in The Hymnal 1982. Written as a song for children, this text by Isaac Watts was printed in his Divine Songs attempted in Easy Language for the use of Children (London, 1715) under the heading \”Praise for Creation and Providence.\” (The title of the collection was changed to Divine and Moral Songs in 1795.) The text was first paired with the much-loved English folk melody by the editors of the Methodist Hymnal (Nashville, 1964). This melody first appeared in The English Hymnal, arranged as in our hymnal by Ralph Vaughan Williams, who transcribed it from the singing of a Mr. Garman of Forest Green near Ockley, Surrey, in December 1903. It is a typical ballad tune and was sung to \”The ploughboy\’s dream.\” The doubling of the note value at the beginning of the seventh line of the poem is by the arranger and appears to be an attempt to give the tune a little poise at that point. (Hymn note by Carol A. Doran, Alan Luff, Raymond Glover and Thomas Remenschneider.) The Youth anthem is dedicated to the Menya family and their homeland, Kenya, Africa; the Offertory anthem was commissioned in honor of Mildred Buttrey by a San Diego area composer for a conference of the Association of Anglican Musicians in New Haven, CT in 1988). These two anthems are settings, in basic terms, of the same text. The Bach Communion anthem, a perennial favorite, is from a cantata (No. 147) written originally in Weimar in 1716 for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Later in Bach\’s career he found it impossible to perform in Leipzig, because that city observed \”tempus clausum\”…literally \”closed time,\” a time of silence, for the last three Sundays of Advent. Thus he expanded and revised it for the feast of the Visitation, where it was first performed in Leipzig in July, 1723. On many occasions Bach recycled and revised his own music, sometimes as a result of genuine inspiration, sometimes to create meaningful connections between pieces, and sometimes simply to find a practical solution to avoid inutility of a movement as beautiful as \’Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring.\’
February 20, 2011 + The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Duo, Basse de cromorne, Récit de nazard Louis-Nicolas Clérambault
Opening Hymn 518 Christ is made the sure foundation Westminster Abbey
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 674 Forgive our sins as we forgive Detroit
Offertory anthem: Grieve not the holy spirit of God T. Tertius Noble
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: We have seen his star Everett Titcomb
Communion Hymn 337 And now, O Father, mindful of the love Unde et memores
Closing Hymn 379 God is Love, let heaven adore him Abbot\’s Leigh
Organ: Caprice sur les grands jeux – Clérambault
Music Note: A prolific composer and esteemed teacher of the French Baroque period, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault was organist of the church of St. Sulpice in Paris, where later Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré were to have similar impacts on the field. His sprightly, ornamented organ works bear titles indicating the stops used to produce the sounds he intended, hence: basse de cromorne (the bass register of a pungent clarinet),récit de nazard (recitative for the nazard stop, which sounds two and a half octaves higher than written), and grands jeux (full organ). This music can be created with great authenticity with the French colors of the instrument here at St. John\’s. T. Tertius Noble became a \”British import\” to the American church music scene when, after serving at Ely Cathedral and York Minster, he moved to New York in 1913 to establish a choir program along Cathedral lines at then-newly-rebuilt Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue. In 1919 Dr. Noble founded the Saint Thomas Choir School to educate the parish\’s boy choristers, an institution that continues to thrive today as the only remaining such school in America(enrolling solely church-affiliated choristers), and one of only four remaining in the world. The much-beloved anthem \’Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God\’ was published in 1915, and is dedicated to Noble\’s friend and colleague Arthur S. Hyde, who in 1908 succeeded Leopold Stokowski as organist and choirmaster of nearby St. Bartholomew\’s Church, Park Avenue. Hyde had been a pupil of Charles-Marie Widor; in the music of the anthem one can hear the influence of Edward Elgar (in the harmonies and the long phrases), and perhaps also Widor (in the organ interludes when a solo tone blending into the bass register recalls textures from the French master\’s organ symphonies). Everett Titcomb served for fifty years as Director of Music of the church of St. John the Evangelist in Boston, beginning in 1910. Many of his organ and choral compositions are based on plainchant themes or pay stylistic homage to the works of former periods.
February 13, 2011 + The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: Gospel Prelude on \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” William Bolcom
Opening Hymn: What a friend we have in Jesus
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Anthem (Youth Choir): The Birds Benjamin Britten
Sequence Hymn 593 Lord, make us servants of your peace Dickinson College
Offertory anthem: Now there lightens upon us Leo Sowerby
Sanctus S114 Willan
Agnus Dei S158 Willan
Communion anthem: Deep River Gerre Hancock
Communion Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Closing Hymn 344 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing Sicilian Mariners
Organ: These are the holy ten commandments, S. 635 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: Absalom Jones (1746-February 13, 1818) was the first African-American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church (1804). In the Episcopal calendar of saints he is listed on February 13 as \”Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818.\” Jones was born into slavery in Philadelphia. By 1778 he had purchased his wife\’s freedom so that their children would be free, and in another seven years he was able to purchase his own. Tired of relegation to a gallery as was the custom in interracial congregations, Jones and his followers founded the first black church in Philadelphia which petitioned to become an Episcopal parish. Jones was also part of the first group of African Americans to petition the U.S. Congress, in criticism of the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. Originally a poem, \”What a friend we have in Jesus\” was never intended by the hymn writer, Joseph Scriven, for publication. Upon learning of his mother\’s serious illness and unable to be with her in faraway Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of the text. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to see him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near his bed. The friend read it with interest and asked if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, \”The Lord and I did it between us.\” (Hymn note by Kenneth J. Osbeck.) In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published, entitled Hymns and Other Verses, and the musical setting soon followed which launched the enduring popularity of the pairing. In the prelude, University of Michigan composer William Bolcom captures the verve of a gospel hymn improvisation with the tune heard in very long note values. Leo Sowerby is considered among the twentieth century\’s finest American composers of choral music for the church. Raised in Chicago and first American recipient of the coveted Prix de Rome for composition, Sowerby devoted the last six years of his life to founding and directing a College of Church Musicians at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. The offertory anthem conveys both the joy and the mystery of Epiphany, and makes a passing musical reference to the Eastern origins of the star before its serene conclusion. Bach the numerologist-symbolist is much in evidence in the postlude, where an accompanimental motive of repeated notes (taken from the first notes of the Lutheran hymn tune on which the piece is based), occurs exactly ten times in its original melodic structure. As observed by musicologist Russell Stinson, this sturdy motive is followed in imitation many times over to symbolize obedience to divine law (that is, man \’following\’ God).
February 6, 2011 + The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude on \”Slane\” Gerre Hancock
Opening Hymn 488 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart Slane
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 707 Take my life, and let it be Hollingside
Offertory anthem: I hear a voice a-prayin\’ Houston Bright
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: Lord, you have searched me out Peter Stoltzfus Berton
Closing Hymn 555 Lead on, O King eternal Lancashire
Organ: Tuba Tune in D Major Craig Sellar Lang
Music Note: Houston Bright, son of a Methodist minister, grew up in West Texas and spent his entire career there as a composer and music educator. The most popular of his some 100 original compositions remains the 1955 spiritual heard today: unexpected fare, perhaps, from the pen of one whose Ph.D. dissertation was \”The Early Tudor Part-song from Newarke to Cornyshe,\” and revealing of a diverse and largely unknown talent. A West Texan internationally known in Anglican circles is Gerre Hancock, from 1971-2004 Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. His prelude on today\’s first hymn \”previews\” each phrase of the melody with imitative counterpoint in the manner of early Baroque hymn-tune composers, then disguises the tune somewhat by doubling its note values, all in the context of modern harmony. A second verse of the hymn is treated as an exciting build-up of the instrument with a reflective ending. The prayer of the hymn, \”Be thou my vision,\” is from the Irish monastic tradition and may be as ancient as the year 700. It is one of two examples in our hymnal of the Celtic lorica or breastplate, almost a sort of incantation to be recited for protection, arming oneself for physical or spiritual battle. (The other lorica is \”St. Patrick\’s Breastplate,\” No. 370.) (Hymn note by May Daw.) It is in this context that today\’s concluding hymn is selected, with \”deeds of love and mercy\” joining those of a long-standing military allegory. Given just two examples from West Texas, what may some day be contributed to the Christian tradition by youth of West Hartford? In the communion anthem, searching is symbolized by the powerful pull between major and minor tonality heard in the opening triplet motive of the accompaniment. A variety of textures and moods suits the wide emotional range of Psalm 139 and pays homage to the long history of musical settings of the psalms, with solo, choral and chant sections. In the chant section, a duet between an adult and a child is based on the interval of the descending minor third, which research shows to be a remarkably constant first musical utterance of children around the world regardless of native cultural tradition. Is it not amazing that God would know us before we are born, each in our individualities, and also give us a common first voice?
February 6 at 5:00 p.m.: Choral Evensong
Sung by the Youth and Adult Choirs:
Introit: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Preces and Responses Plainsong
Psalms 87 and 48 Anglican Chants by Jonathan Battishill and Edward Elgar
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis David Hogan (Washington Service)
Anthem: When to the temple Mary went Johannes Eccard
Organ: Lord God, now open wide thy heaven, S. 617 Johann Sebastian Bach
Organ: Fugue on \’How brightly shines the morning star\’ Max Reger
January 30, 2011 + The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: How bright appears the morning star Dietrich Buxtehude
Opening Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 542 Christ is the world\’s true light St. Joan
Offertory anthem: O nata lux Thomas Tallis
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: The Beatitudes Russian Orthodox, arr. Richard Proulx
Communion Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Closing Hymn 497 How bright appears the morning star Wie schön leuchtet
Organ: Fugue on \”Wie schön leuchtet\” Max Reger
Music Note: The Epiphany hymn \”How bright appears the morning star,\” heard on January 2 as an accompanimental background to a solo about the Three Kings, has been found in countless other choral and organ compositions. The prelude today is essentially a treatment of two stanzas of the hymn, though owing to the repeated phrases in the melody and its overall length, the composition unfolds rather like a set of variations, with color and texture matching the mood of the stanzas. Dietrich Buxtehude was the outstanding composer of organ music in North Germany in the generation before J. S. Bach, who at age 20 walked some 250 miles each way from Arnstadt to Lubeck to hear Buxtehude play, and outstayed his authorized absence from his church post by several months! According to legend, both Bach and George Frideric Handel wanted to become amanuesis (assistant and successor) to Buxtehude, but neither wanted to marry his daughter, which was a condition for the position. Generations later, the German Romantic Max Reger set the hymn as a densely written twenty-minute chorale-fantasy describing some five stanzas of the hymn, with the text included in the score. The brilliant concluding fugue combines an exuberant original subject with the hymn tune which appears in long note values. If it has been said of Mozart\’s music that there are \”too many notes,\” it is all the more justly said of Reger\’s music that there are so many notes, it would be most economical to print merely the spaces between them, using white ink on black paper! In both settings, the final text clearly being kept in mind by the composers is \”Sing! Leap! Be jubilant, Rejoice! Thank the Lord; Great is the King of Glory.\”
January 23, 2011 + The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Benedictus Max Reger
Opening Hymn 525 The Church\’s one foundation Aurelia
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 126 The people who in darkness walked Dundee
Offertory anthem: Christ, whose glory fills the skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: They cast their nets in Galilee Michael McCabe
Communion Hymn 321 My God, thy table now is spread Rockingham
Closing Hymn 539 O Zion, haste, thy mission high fulfilling Tidings
Organ: A Joyous March Leo Sowerby
Music Note: The serene opening and closing music of the German Romantic composer Max Reger\’s Benedictus suggests the title text \”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,\” while the exuberant contrapuntal middle section proclaims \”Hosanna in the highest!\” Sir John Dankworth, known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz musician and the husband of jazz singer Cleo Laine. Thomas Frederick Handel Candlyn was an English-born church musician who spent twenty-eight years at St. Paul\’s Church, Albany, New York, and the final ten of his career at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York. The offertory anthem is an enduring favorite of his some two hundred works, and contains a splendid example of text-painting at the beginning of the second verse. \”Day-spring\” is the beginning of dawn; \”Day-star\” is the morning star. \”Sun of Righteousness\” is an attribute spoken of Christ in Malachi 4:2 (referring to God\’s blessings on the good): \”But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.\” This reference also underscores the double-meaning of \”Sun\” as \”Son\” in the context of Epiphany. Michael McCabe is a former pupil of Leo Sowerby and the elder composer\’s influence can be heard in the dissonance of \”head down was crucified,\” along with a slightly jazzy rhythm. Sowerby\’s postlude bears the infectious flavor of the American popular musical scene following World War I, during which the composer served as an army bandmaster.
January 16, 2011 + The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Adagio (Sonata I) Felix Mendelssohn
Opening Hymn 7 Christ, whose glory fills the skies Ratisbon
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 607 O God of every nation Llangloffan
Offertory anthem: I waited for the Lord Mendelssohn
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: Eternal light Leo Sowerby
Communion Hymn 336 Come with us, O blessed Jesus Werde munter
Closing Hymn 535 Ye servants of God, your master proclaim Paderborn
Organ: Allegro maestoso (Sonata II) Mendelssohn
Music Note: Alcuin of York, author of the text of the communion anthem, became a leading scholar and teacher of the Carolingian Renaissance, as part of the court of Charlemagne. His final decade was spent as Abbott of Marmoutier Abbey in France. In addition to his religious texts and poetry, he is known for a mathematical textbook containing clever word puzzles, several involving river crossings such as the famous problem of the wolf, the goat and the cabbage. Alcuin is recognized as a Common Saint in the Episcopal Church\’s calendar; his feast day is April 20. Common Saints are a general category of lesser saints such as martyrs, missionaries, pastors, theologians, monastics and teachers, whose personal qualities or traits include heroic faith, love, goodness of life, joyousness, service to others for Christ\’s sake, and devotion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is also so recognized, with feast days on both his birth on January 15 and death on April 4. The hymn before the Gospel today is sung in celebration of tomorrow\’s holiday. The closing hymn combines a popular eighteenth century tune (a folk song which found its way into usage at the Catholic Cathedral in Paderborn, Germany) with a text first published in John and Charles Wesley\’s Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution (London, 1744). The first among \”Hymns to be sung in a tumult,\” the imagery is from the Book of Revelations; the original contained additional stanzas filled with maritime references, such as \”The waves of the sea Have lift up their voice, Sore troubled that we In Jesus rejoice; … Their fury shall never Our steadfastness shock, The weakest believer Is built on a Rock.\” Anglican and even Methodist hymnals have been willing to drop such imagery for the sake of a more general use of the hymn. The Hymnal 1982 contains the first appearance of this text and tune in an Episcopal hymnal. (From a note by Geoffrey Wainwright and Alec Wyton.) With another revision of the hymnal of the Episcopal Church under consideration, in is interesting to wonder what contemporary references will pass the muster of editors shaping the imagery of our future common worship.
January 9, 2011 + The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first Anthem sung by Youth Choir)
Organ: Prelude on the Introit for Epiphany Maurice Duruflé
Opening Hymn 135 Songs of thankfulness and praise Salzburg
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Anthem: Brightest and best Malcolm Archer
Sequence Hymn 121 Christ, when for us you were baptized Caithness
Offertory anthem: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day John Gardner
Sanctus S114 Willan
Agnus Dei S158 Willan
Communion anthem: Epiphany Skinner Chávez-Melo
Communion Hymn 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness Schmücke dich
Closing Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Organ: In thee is gladness, S. 615 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The season of Epiphany is especially long this year given the late date of Easter. It runs from January 6 until Shrove Tuesday, March 8. Today\’s service begins with an ancient plainchant hymn for Epiphany heard in the trumpet voice of the prelude. The sparkling accompaniment to the trumpet suggests the bright light symbolic of the season. The French composer Maurice Duruflé was highly self-critical and published very little music, of very high quality; this gem is typical of his refined service improvisations. On March 6, the Sunday of The Transfiguration or the last Sunday after Epiphany, we will again sing today\’s opening hymn, which summarizes the entire life of Christ with emphasis on the Epiphany season of the revelation of Christ\’s divine majesty through miraculous works and events. The offertory anthem makes a similar summary in the guise of a carol text full of larger meaning, narrated by Christ himself. As commonly interpreted by St. Paul from the biblical imagery of the Song of Songs, \”My true love\” is the one holy, catholic, apostolic church. \”Tomorrow\” is any time after the resurrection, which allows the disciples to look back at Jesus\’ baptism, life, suffering, and death through the filter of the resurrection. And the \”dancing day\” is the entire feast of salvation in the New Testament era. The theme of the dance is unique among traditional carols and is set by John Gardner in a lighthearted medieval-renaissance style, perhaps inspired by the medieval parallels among many fifteenth-century \”cradle prophecy\” carol texts, in which the infant Christ foretells his future to his mother while seated in her lap. (Anthem note adapted from the New Oxford Book of Carols by H. Keyte/A. Parrott; and J. Miller.)
January 2, 2011 + The 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: What star is this with beams so bright Healey Willan
Opening Hymn 124 What star is this with beams so bright Puer nobis
Gloria S280 Robert Powell
Sequence Hymn 480 When Jesus left his father\’s throne Kingsfold
Offertory anthem: The three kings Peter Cornelius, arr. Ivor Atkins
Sanctus S129 Powell
Agnus Dei S163 Powell
Communion anthem: Love came down at Christmas Leo Sowerby
Communion Hymn 336 Come with us, O blessed Jesus Werde munter
Closing Hymn 109 The first Nowell The First Nowell
Organ: The wise men Olivier Messiaen
Music Note: The Epiphany hymn \”How bright appears the morning star\” (No. 497) is sung as an accompaniment to the soloist in the offertory anthem. Another hymn-tune of Lutheran origin is Werde munter, known in a more florid version with a famous accompaniment as Bach\’s \”Jesu, joy of man\’s desiring.\” Olivier Messiaen\’s unique musical voice was one of the most revolutionary in the twentieth century. Another from a set of nine meditations on the birth of Christ (1935), today\’s postlude depicts the procession of the magi beneath the guiding star; the stars are heard as brief points of light against soft shimmering chords in the background, while the journey of the kings on camels over uneven terrain is suggested by the unusual undulating rhythm of the melody. As with the prelude \”The shepherds\” last Sunday, the effect of this music can certainly be considered more atmospheric than melodic, more theological-mathematical than \”beautiful\” in ordinary terms, but as with an Impressionist painting, the effect of the whole can be miraculous. From notes by Messiaen\’s student Jon Gillock: \”The men are tired, they are half-asleep on their camels, maybe even asleep some of the time – traveling at night so they can see the star. The motion of being on the camel is a mesmerizing movement, one that could put you to sleep, one that could make you feel as if you were in a dream, going on for days – a state of timelessness. It is the energy from the light of the star that seems to draw the caravan forward throughout the piece. Two times the music slows – the first time, perhaps, it is because the wise men have gone to sleep, and the camels (not being urged onward) have decided to take a rest, which in turn wakes the wise men and off they go again. After the second time, however, there is a change of tempo and registration: the wise men have now reached their destination; they are kneeling at the manger, and the music communicates the awe and reverence of being in the presence of God.\”
December 26, 2010 + The First Sunday after Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: The shepherds Olivier Messiaen
Solo: O holy night Adolphe Adam Mrs. Nikita Wells, soloist
Opening Hymn 82 Of the Father\’s love begotten Divinum mysterium
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Sequence Hymn 92 On this day, earth shall ring Personent hodie
Offertory anthem: It came upon the midnight clear arr. Barry Rose
Sanctus S114 Willan
Agnus Dei S158 Willan
Communion anthem: The infant King Basque Noël, arr. David Willcocks
Communion Hymn 104 A stable lamp is lighted Andújar
Closing Hymn 107 Good Christian friends, rejoice In dulci jubilo
Organ: Good Christian friends, rejoice, S. 729 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music note: Today we welcome Mrs. Nikita Wells, one of the Bahamas\’ leading sopranos and a colleague of parishioner Cleveland Williams. Olivier Messiaen\’s unique musical voice was one of the most revolutionary in the twentieth century. From a set of nine meditations on the birth of Christ (1935), today\’s prelude depicts colorfully the shepherds, initially placed in a starry landscape (serene and mysterious, they have just found the babe lying in the manger); then \”having seen the child, returning, glorifying and praising God.\” The shepherds can be heard warming up their pipes, then playing a merry tune. As Messiaen\’s pupil Jon Gillock observes: \”A simple, naive melody comes forth in the style of an organ Noël popular during the French classical period (such as those of Daquin), always with variations. First we hear the simple melody…followed by its echo, taken by another instrument; and then, the melody ornamented, again repeated in echo. Perhaps two of the shepherds are taking turns playing while the others listen in contemplation.\” This is done in the context of Messiaen\’s distinctive, exotic harmonic language and rhythms. The communion carol and the hymn which follows it are matched in mood and theology; each looks past the moment of Christ\’s birth to the later events in his life and ultimate meaning for humankind. Richard Wilbur\’s text \”A stable lamp is lighted\” was written for a candlelight service held in the Memorial Chapel of Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1958. On that occasion the text was prefaced with a quotation from the Gospel of Luke 19:40: \”I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.\” The constant unifying symbol throughout the hymn is the word \”stone,\” referring in successive stanzas to the stable in which Christ was born; the road on which he rode on Palm Sunday; the coldness of heart of those who by their sin reject their Lord; and, finally, the earth joining the stars in the union of all creation in songs of praise. (Hymn note by Raymond Glover.)
December 25, 2010 + Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 11:00 a.m. with congregational Carols
Richard Knapp, organ and Lucelia E. Fryer, flute
Organ: Noël Etranger; Noël sur les Flûtes Louis-Claude Daquin
Opening Hymn 93 Angels from the realms of glory Regent Square
Offertory Hymn 78 O Little town of Bethlehem Forest Green
Music during Communion: What child is this? Ralph Vaughan Williams
Closing Hymn 98 Unto us a boy is born! Puer nobis nascitur
Organ: Noël Suisse Louis-Claude Daquin
December 24, 2010 + Christmas Eve
Service Schedule:
4:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude (Adult Choir) with String Quartet
11:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist sung by the Adult Choir
Music listing:
Choral Prelude at 3:50 p.m.
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
Away in a manger arr. David Hill
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 4:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Agnus Dei S 164 Schubert
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Choral Prelude at 10:30 p.m. with String Quartet
Hymn 102 Once in royal David\’s city Irby, arr. Paul Halley
Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
No small wonder Paul Edwards
Gloria (Coronation Mass in C, K. 317) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ave Maria Franz Biebl
Pastoral Symphony from Messiah George Frideric Handel
O holy night Adolphe Adam, arr. John E. West, Peter S. Berton
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 11:00 p.m.
Processional Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles, arr. David Willcocks
Sequence Hymn 79 O little town of Bethlehem St. Louis, arr. Peter S. Berton
Offertory anthem: Sussex Carol arr. David Willcocks
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Agnus Dei S 164 Schubert
Communion anthem: Candlelight Carol John Rutter
Communion Hymn 112 In the bleak mid-winter Cranham, arr. Jane Penfield
Postcommunion anthem: Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light
(Choral from the Christmas Oratorio) Johann Sebastian Bach
Postcommunion Hymn 111 Silent night Stille nacht, arr. Gerre Hancock
Closing Hymn 87 Hark the hearld angels sing Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Final on Puer natus est Charles-Marie Widor
Music note: The postlude is from Widor\’s Symphonie Gothique, based on a Christmas plainsong hymn. The final movement (Toccata) was played annually on Christmas Eve by the composer at the church of St. Sulpice in Paris where he was organist for a remarkable 64-year tenure (1870-1934). Unlike the famous toccata from Widor\’sSymphonie No. 5, which is loud throughout, this one gradually builds in excitement, and concludes softly, in a peaceful, almost plaintive mood which can be interpreted as a meditation on the full meaning of Christmas and the life of Christ.
December 19, 2010 + The Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Church School Christmas Pageant at 10:30 a.m., sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Prelude: Sung by the Choirs
Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming Michael Praetorius
Ding dong! Merrily on high arr. Charles Wood
A merry Christmas arr. Arthur Warrell
Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 83 O come, all ye faithful Adeste fideles
With traditional pageant carols and the following Anthems:
Ding dong! merrily on high arr. Mack Wilberg
Gloria (Coronation Mass in C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The friendly beasts Traditional French Carol
Torches John Joubert
In the bleak midwinter Gustav Holst
Away in a manger arr. David Hill
Offertory anthem: Angelus ad virginem arr. Jefferson McConnaughey
Closing Hymn 87 Hark, the herald angels sing Mendelssohn
Organ: Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabella Keith Chapman
December 12, 2010 + The Third Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir (first anthem by Youth Choir)
Organ: Magnificats I, V Marcel Dupré
Opening Hymn 268 Ye who claim the faith of Jesus Julion
Canticle 4 (Benedictus Dominus Deus) Simplified Anglican Chant
Jerome Webster Meachem
Youth choir anthem: Watchmen, tell us of the night Bruce Saylor
Sequence Hymn 76 On Jordan\’s bank the Baptist\’s cry Winchester New
Offertory anthem: Magnificat in E Herbert Murrill
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Agnus Dei S158 Schubert
Communion anthem: A Hymn to the Virgin Benjamin Britten
Communion Hymn 67 Comfort, comfort ye my people Psalm 42
Closing Hymn 438 Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord Woodlands
Organ: My soul doth magnify the Lord, S. 648 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Note: The Magnificat (Song of Mary) is heard in today\’s organ music and in the descant to the first hymn, where it is sung in Latin. Latin settings of the Magnificat are naturally quite common, the text from the Gospel of Luke being nearly two thousand years old, and Latin being the official language of the Church in the West for much of that time. In France in the early part of the last century, it was common for the Magnificat to be sung antiphonally, with a phrase or two sung by a choir at the front of a church, answered by an organ improvisation from the rear gallery. This is the circumstance of Marcel Dupré\’s organ setting which divides the text into six versets. These were improvised at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1919, and at the urging of an English enthusiast (a director of the Rolls Royce Company), Dupré wrote them down for publication. Herbert Murrill\’s often-performed English setting pays subtle homage to the antiphonal heritage of the text, in the organ\’s playful dialogue with the choir. The beginning of the Gloria, where the choir enters strongly in response to a very soft organ interlude, is quite unusual. A Hymn to the Virgin is Benjamin Britten\’s earliest surviving piece of church music, written in 1930 while he was stuck in the infirmary at his school. He did not have access to music writing paper, so drew music staves on plain paper. A second choir answers the first, in Latin. This pattern of echoes continues throughout the work and the devotional aspect is heightened by locating the second choir at some distance from the first, as if reflecting Mary\’s, God\’s, or our own thoughts from afar.
December 5, 2010 + The Second Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Savior of the Nations, come, S. 659 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 616 Hail to the Lord\’s Anointed Es flog ein kleins Waldvogelein
Canticle 4 (Benedictus Dominus Deus) Simplified Anglican Chant
Jerome Webster Meachem
Sequence Hymn 65 Prepare the way, O Zion Bereden vag for Herran
Offertory anthem: Advent Matin Responsory Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Agnus Dei S164 Franz Schubert
Communion anthem: Lo, how a rose e\’er blooming arr. Dale Adelmann
Communion Hymn 597 O day of peace that dimly shines Jerusalem
Closing Hymn 59 Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding Merton
Organ: The World awaiting the Savior Marcel Dupré
Music Note: The communion hymn was created for the Hymnal 1982 out of urgings from the hymnal Commission to include hymns on world peace, and also to include the tune Jerusalemby the British composer and teacher Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. To satisfy these requests, the Commission asked Carl P. Daw, Jr. to write a text on peace that would fit the Parry tune. The tune was written in 1916 for William Blake\’s poem \”Jerusalem,\” which contains almost fanatical zeal for all things English, and the setting quickly became a second \’national anthem\’, still sung on many great public occasions in England. In a musical context specifically embracing while also redirecting a nationalist association, the new text (a paraphrase of a favorite Advent passage, Isaiah 11:6-9) takes on a meaning perhaps broader than the intention of the creators of any of its individual parts. (Imagine a rendition of \’Joy to the World\’ set to the music of \’O beautiful for spacious skies.\’) The postlude began its existence as one of the French organist\’s legendary improvisations, at the Wanamaker store in Philadelphia on December 8, 1921. It vividly protrays a sense of the tumult and instability of the modern world awaiting its Savior, with irregular rhythms and dissonances. After a pause in the turmoil, an oboe introduces the Gregorian chant \”Jesu, redemptor omnium\” (Jesus, redeemer of all). This simple tune becomes clouded by the returning struggle, before it triumphs at last in a symbolic blaze of glory. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Carl P. Daw, Jr. and Alec Wyton.)
November 28, 2010 + The First Sunday of Advent
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Savior of the Nations, come, S. 599 Johann Sebastian Bach
Opening Hymn 73 The King shall come when morning dawns St. Stephen
Canticle 4 (Benedictus Dominus Deus) Simplified Anglican Chant
Jerome Webster Meachem
Sequence Hymn 61 \”Sleepers, wake!\” A voice astounds us Wachet auf
Offertory anthem: We wait for thy loving kindness, O God William McKie
Sanctus S130 Franz Schubert
Agnus Dei S158 Schubert
Communion anthem: E\’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come Paul Manz
Communion Hymn 324 Let all mortal flesh keep silence Picardy
Closing Hymn 57 Lo! he comes, with clouds descending Helmsley
Organ: Sleepers, wake! S. 645 Bach
Music Note: The offertory anthem was composed for the 1947 wedding of H.R.H. The Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, by the then organist of Westminster Abbey. It opens with a simple chant-like tenor solo echoed by the choir, when an interruption by the organ leads to a more dramatic section and a glimpse of the full revelation of the Advent season ahead of us, before ending as it began in quiet supplication. Prolific Lutheran composer Paul Manz wrote the communion anthem in 1954. The appeal of the composition, with modal elements lending a haunting, medieval quality to certain passages, has been enormous; it has sold over a million copies around the world and has been recorded hundreds of times. The origin of the text, assembled from Revelation 22 by the composer\’s wife (a frequent collaborator), was in response to the near death of their three year old son from a rare form of pneumonia. Their son was spared and is now a Lutheran bishop in Minnesota. The Advent hymn-tune Helmsley was first printed with this text in London in 1765, and first published in America in 1799. A earlier version of the tune exists in an almost flippant, secular style. It was not widely used in Anglican/Episcopal circles until Ralph Vaughan Williams selected it for inclusion in The English Hymnal of 1906. He transformed it into a stately Edwardian melody by his harmonies (faithfully transcribed in our hymnal), revealing the tune\’s potential as a solemn processional. (Hymn note adapted from an essay by Nicholas Temperley and Geoffrey Wainwright.)
November 21, 2010 + The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Organ: Prelude on Union Seminary Charles Callahan
Opening Hymn 494 Crown him with many crowns Diademata
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Canticle 16 (The Song of Zechariah) Simplified Anglican Chant
Jerome Webster Meachem
Sequence Hymn 483 The head that once was crowned with thorns St. Magnus
Offertory anthem: Te Deum, laudamus in B-flat C. Villiers Stanford
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Agnus Dei S166 Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Draw us in the Spirit\’s tether Harold W. Friedell
Communion Hymn 309 O food to pilgrims given O Welt, ich muss dich lassen
Closing Hymn 477 All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Engelberg
Organ: Prelude on Engelberg Craig Phillips
Music Note: Knighted in 1902, Dublin-born Charles Villiers Stanford had a long and distinguished career in Cambridge and London as a professor, composer and conductor. In addition to his legacy of ever-popular church compositions, and lesser-known orchestral and chamber music, songs and incidental music, he is known for his great influence as a teacher of the next generation of English composers, notably Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Holst and Howells. His stirring music is superbly wedded to the text of the Te Deum, one of the most ancient hymns of praise. Authorship of the Te Deum is traditionally ascribed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, on the occasion of the latter\’s baptism by the former in AD 387. The hymn-tune \’Union Seminary\’, named after the institution in New York City, was written by Harold W. Friedell when he was organist of Calvary Church in New York and then set as an anthem after he became organist of St. Bartholomew\’s Church on Park Avenue in 1946. The prelude is a treatment of the same tune by the prolific American composer, Charles Callahan, in a lush romantic style. Los Angeles composer Craig Phillips sets Stanford\’s hymn-tune \’Engelberg\’ in a fanfare style befitting today\’s observance of \’Christ the King\’ Sunday, the last before Advent each year. The tune appears in the middle of the composition, punctuated by a soft dance on the organ pedals, while the outer sections have suggested to some listeners the triumphant music of the film \’Star Wars.\’
November 14, 2010 + The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir,
with first anthem sung by the Youth Choir
Organ: Requiescat in Pace Leo Sowerby
Opening Hymn 7 Christ, whose glory fills the skies Ratisbon
Gloria S202 Healey Willan
Anthem: A grateful heart Mary Plumstead
Sequence Hymn 413 New songs of celebration render Rendez à Dieu
Offertory anthem: Greater love hath no man John Ireland
Sanctus S114 Willan
Agnus Dei S158 Willan
Communion anthem: Holy is the true light William H. Harris
Communion Hymn 678 Surely it is God who saves me College of Preachers
Closing Hymn 718 God of our Fathers, whose almighty hand National Hymn
Organ: Marche Héroïque A. Herbert Brewer
Music Note: Of his Requiscat in Pace, Leo Sowerby wrote: \”It was written as a tribute to those who went \’over there\’ in 1917-1918, and didn\’t return. I feel that the music tells its own story of the eventual triumph of the spirit over the unimportance of bodily or material things, but don\’t quote me…I wouldn\’t want to be taken for a Christian Scientist!\” John Ireland excelled particularly at writing music for the piano and the solo voice; his few pieces of church music date mostly from the turn of the last century, when both he and Ralph Vaughan Williams were students at London\’s Royal Academy of Music. \”Greater love\” resourcefully draws on several texts to illuminate our inheritance as the Redeemed of God, set to music of a fitting variety of characters. Written in 1912, the anthem predates specific reference to veterans, referring to the more general stewardship of our lives. Sir Arthur Herbert Brewer spent his entire life in Gloucester, as a Cathedral Chorister, as organist at two of its churches, and finally as organist of the Cathedral for 32 years. His popular \”Heroic March,\” similar in construction to Elgar\’s five \’Pomp and Circumstance\’ marches, has two contrasting themes, the second of which (the \’Big Tune\’) is introduced softly and returns with great dignity.
November 7, 2010 + All Saints\’ Sunday
The instrumental music this morning is offered to the Glory of God and in thanksgiving for the life of Chris Dziura, with gifts made in his memory by Renbrook School to the Ralph Valentine Music Fund of St. John\’s Church.
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult and Youth Choirs
Harp, Flute and Cello Prelude:
Three Part Invention in g minor Johann Sebastian Bach
Song Without Words, Op. 19 No. 1 Felix Mendelssohn
Heavenly Radiance, \”Angel Chorus\” (from Faust) Charles Gounod
Opening Hymn 293 I sing a song of the saints of God Grand Isle
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 623 O what their joy and their glory must be O quanta qualia
Offertory anthem: I heard a voice (from Requiem) John Rutter
Sanctus S125 Richard Proulx
Agnus Dei S166 Gerald Near
Communion anthem: O nata lux (from Requiem) Mack Wilberg
Communion Hymn 304 I come with joy to meet my Lord Land of Rest
Closing Hymn 287 For all the saints Sine Nomine
Harp, Flute and Cello Postlude: Rondo from \’Hamburger\’ Sonata in G Major
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Music Note: Each of the two excerpts from Requiems heard this morning creates a sense of timeless, eternal peace through repeated (ostinato) musical patterns. The final section of Rutter\’s 1985 work begins with a heartbeat-like bass note (played by drums in the full orchestral version), and the repeated triplets at the introduction of the Latin text create a shimmering effect against the sustained stillness of the voices. Mack Wilberg, current conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, also relies on harmony as well as texture to create a representation of celestial dwelling places, with a more universal text not from the Requiem Mass but incorporated into his vision of it (in the manner of Brahms\’s Requiem and others which are personal statements about death drawing on scriptural and other sources). In this case, the voices repeat one rhythm while the orchestra repeats another, in the context of a weightless, suspended harmonic language which never fully resolves. Sine Nomine (literally, \’without a name\’) may be a reference to the many saints whose names are known only to God. The tune by Ralph Vaughan Williams interestingly combines within it two melodic fragments that can be recognized as the composer\’s fingerprints found in many of his works, the opening four notes and the first \”alleluia\”. The \”alleluias\” also show his way of introducing variety in the rhythm of his tunes and thus avoiding monotony, particularly in a hymn of eight stanzas. (Hymn note by W. Thomas Jones/Alan Luff)
October 31, 2010 + The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 a.m. sung by the Adult Choir
Organ: Vision of the Eternal Church Olivier Messiaen
Opening Hymn 448 O love, how deep, how broad, how high Deus tuorum militum
Gloria S278 William Mathias
Sequence Hymn 382 King of glory, King of peace General Seminary
Offertory anthem: I will lift up mine eyes Leo Sowerby
Sanctus S128 Mathias
Agnus Dei S166 Gerald Near
Communion anthem: Soul of my Savior Richard Shephard
Communion Hymn 312 Strengthen for service, Lord Malabar
Closing Hymn 47