Music for Sunday, October 9, 2022 + The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Thee We Adore – T. F. H. Candlyn (1892-1964)

Instrumental Music

• Andante in D Major – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
• The Infinite Meadows of Heaven – Paul Mealor (b. 1975)
• Praise to the Lord, the Almighty – Max Reger (1873-1916)

Congregational Music (all hymns from The Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “R” which are from Renew.)

• Hymn 411 O bless the Lord, my soul (ST. THOMAS (WILLIAMS))
• Hymn 644 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds (ST. PETER)
• Hymn 295 Sing praise to our creator (CHRISTUS, DER IST MEIN LEBEN)
• Hymn 390 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)
• Hymn R 266 Give thanks with a grateful heart (GIVE THANKS)
• Hymn 397 Now thank we all our God (NUN DANLET ALLE GOTT)
• Psalm 111 – Tone VIIIa

Thee We Adore

This is an anthem based on a hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas. The tune is in our hymnal, using a different translation of the original Latin text (hymn 314). 

The arrangement is by Thomas Frederick Handel Candlyn, English-born organist, composer and choirmaster who spent most of his professional career at two Episcopal Church congregations in New York. After graduating from Durham University in 1911 with  the Bachelor of Music degree, he was offered the position of organist and choirmaster at St. Paul's Church, Albany, New York by its rector Dr. Roelif H. Brooks and he emigrated to the United States. He was to remain at St. Paul’s for twenty-eight years, with the exception of the period between September 21, 1917 and April 25, 1919 when he served with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I.

In 1943, Dr. Brooks (who had left Albany in 1926) offered Candlyn the position of organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York. where he worked until his retirement in 1954.

Although he composed two hundred works, primarily anthems, cantatas, service settings and organ solos, only three of his anthems ("Christ, whose glory fills the skies," "Thee We Adore," and "King of Glory, King of Peace") remain part of the standard repertoire of Episcopal church choirs in North America.

Andante in D Major

Although Mendelssohn was most famous during his lifetime as a composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor, he also enjoyed an enviable reputation as a highly skilled organist. The instrument had fascinated — one might almost say mesmerized — him from earliest youth, but aside from a year or so of formal training at the age of about 12 or 13, he was entirely self-taught. He never held a position as church organist, and never had any organ pupils. Nevertheless, the instrument played a uniquely important role in his personal life. In the course of his many travels, whether in major cities or tiny villages, he invariably gravitated to the organ loft, where he might spend hours playing the works of Bach or simply improvising. Although the piano clearly served Mendelssohn as an eminently practical instrument, the organ seems to have been his instrument of choice. He searched out an organ loft, not because he had to, but because he wanted to, because on the organ he could find catharsis. Indeed, as he once exclaimed to his parents after reading a portion of Schiller's Wilhelm Tell, “I must rush off to the monastery and work off my excitement on the organ!” 

Mendelssohn's public performance on the organ in Germany was rare, and he gave but one public recital: in the Thomas-Kirche in Leipzig in 1840. In England, however, he evidently felt more comfortable on the organ bench and played there often before large crowds. Indeed, he performed as Guest Organist twice at the Birmingham Music Festivals in 1837 and 1842. Given Mendelssohn's profound affinity for the organ, it is remarkable that he composed but relatively little for the instrument, and assigned an Opus number to only two works: his Three Preludes and Fugues for Organ (Op. 37) and his Six Sonatas for the Organ (Op. 65). A small number of organ works, plus sketches and drafts, were scattered among his musical papers; most of these only gradually found their way into print, and it was not until the late 20th century that an edition of his complete organ works was finally published. 

This Andante (1844) is one of them. It's a theme and variations on a very sweet melody

The Infinite Meadow of Heaven

Welsh composer Paul Mealor is one of the world’s most ‘performed’ living composers and has been described as, ‘the most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias’ (New York Times, 2001).

Born in St Asaph, North Wales in 1975, Paul Mealor studied composition privately as a boy with William Mathias and later with John Pickard, and at the University of York (BA Hons, 1997, PhD, 2002) and in Copenhagen with Hans Abrahamsen and Per Nørgård. He was catapulted to international stardom in April 2011, when 2.5 billion people heard his motet, Ubi caritas, at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge) at Westminster Abbey. 

The Infinite Meadows of Heaven is a quote from H. W. Longfellow and this slow and expressive piece is very beautiful. It is underpinned by oscillating thirds in its outer sections that accompany a melody using the upper end of the keyboard. A low pedal octave also accompanies the first section. The middle section is more agitated but all returns to a blissful calm. It was commissioned and premiered by Iwan Llewelyn-Jones at the Wales International Piano Festival in 2016.

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

Music for August 23, 2020 + The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Vocal Music

• Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me – arr. K. Lee Scott

Instrumental Music

• Fanfare and Chorale – Calvin Fuller 
• Holy God, We Praise Your Name – Max Reger

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “R” which are from Renew.)

• Hymn 525 - The Church’s one foundation (AURELIA)
• Song of Praise S-280 - Glory to God – Robert Powell
• Sanctus R-207 - Holy, holy, holy Lord (LAND OF REST)

It's not every Sunday that I get to play an organ work written by a friend of mine. Especially rare is when that piece is vibrant, fresh, and so much fun to play. Well, this Sunday is one of those rare occasions when I play Fanfare and Chorale for the opening voluntary for our Sunday morning service. 

This stunning piece was composed by Calvin Fuller, organist and choirmaster at St. James Episcopal Church in Houston. He is a native of Houston and received his musical education at Texas Southern University where he earned Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees. He pursued further study at the University of Maryland, the University of Texas and the University of Houston where he was a conducting student of Charles Hausmann and composition student of David Ashley White. 

For fifteen years he was chorus master of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, a position he also held at Opera in the Heights. Presently, he is adjunct lecturer in the Music department of Texas Southern University, and The University of Houston-Downtown. I've known Calvin for more than 20 years through our work on the Diocesan Music Commission.

A charming and gracious man, his unassuming personality would never lead you to think that here was a first class composer and musician, but that is the case. And when I asked him for a photo to accompany this article, he sent me one which also shows his love for the Houston Astros. That caused me to remember a photograph taken at the Diocesan Choral Festival in 2017, the year the Astros won the World Series. There was a game the day of the festival (out of town, thankfully!), so we arrived in our Astros gear! I've included that photo of Calvin, Linda Patterson, and myself as well!

The choir (virtually) sings a setting of the hymn, Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me, as arranged by K. Lee Scott. We previously sang this on Pentecost of this year.

Music for May 17, 2020 + The Sixth Sunday after Easter

Vocal Music

• His Name So Sweet – arr. Hall Johnson (1888-1970), Camryn Creech, soprano

Instrumental Music

• Because He Lives – Bill Gaither (b. 1936), Bernice Satterwhite, pianist
• O That I had a Thousand Voices – Max Reger (1873-1916)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982.)

• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (Slane)

This Sunday, Camryn Creech will sing the solo for our virtual service. Camryn is the newest member of our choir, just joining in January, so she didn't get long to sing with us before the Corona virus hit. She is a senior at Kingwood High School, so it's fitting that she sing this Sunday, which is Senior Sunday. She is singing an arrangement of the spiritual, His Name So Sweet, written as a "concert Spiritual" by the groundbreaking American composer and musician, Hall Johnson.

Born Francis Hall Johnson but better known as just plain Hall Johnson, this important artist was equally known for his compositions, the formation of several world-famous choirs, and a series of superb publications concerning gospel and black music, in general. His first major influence in the subject of sacred choral music would have had to have been his father, a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal church in Athens, Georgia. Another important early musical talisman who Johnson was fond of pointing out was his grandmother, a former slave whose interpretations of spirituals moved him deeply. But far from leaning only on oral tradition, Johnson studied at Atlanta University, Allen University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Juilliard School, and the University of Southern California.

In 1943, Johnson became music director for one of the first major all-black movies, Cabin in the Sky, where he worked with a cast of legends that included Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Lena Horne.

He was still at the helm of his choir and as creatively energetic as ever when he turned 80 in 1968. But just two years later, on April 30, 1970, Johnson died when a fire broke out in his New York apartment building. Marian Anderson delivered his eulogy,

I welcome Bernice Satterwhite, who plays the piano for the opening of this week's service. She'll be playing a very popular Gospel song by Bill and Gloria Gaither, Because He Lives. This hymn, perfect for the Easter season, has appeared in 41 hymnals since it first was published in 1971.

Music for Sunday, September 22, 2019

Vocal Music

• Psalm 113 – Edward Bairstow (1874-1946)
• I Choose Love – Mark A. Miller (21st Century)

Instrumental Music

• Solemn Melody – H. Walford Davies (1869-1941)
• Prelude in B-flat – Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
• Toccata in D Minor – Max Reger (1873-1916)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “R” which are from Renew.)

• Hymn 475 - God himself is with us (TYSK)
• Hymn 605 - What does the Lord require (SHARPETHORNE)
• Hymn R 255 - Give to our God immortal praise (DUKE STREET)
• Hymn 488 - Be thou my vision (SLANE)
• Hymn 676 - There is a balm in gilead (BALM IN GILEAD)
• Hymn 390 - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LOBE DEN HERREN)

This Sunday the choir is singing a very simple but powerful anthem written by Mark A. Miller, a Associate Professor of Church Music and Composer In Residence at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Written in response to the tragic massacre at the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina in June 2015, this anthem represents our solidarity to love in the midst of pain, of war, of brokenness. We choose love. We choose community. What better way to share this message than through powerful song?  I have been humming the tune all week, and allowing the words to wash over me and nurture my soul. I hope they will do the same for you:

In the midst of pain, I choose love.
In the midst of pain, sorrow falling down like rain,
I await the sun again, I choose love.

In the midst of war, I choose peace.
In the midst of war, hate and anger keeping score,
I will seek the good once more, I choose peace.

When my world falls down, I will rise.
When my world falls down, explanations can’t be found,
I will climb to holy ground, I will rise.

In addition to his post at Drew, Miller is a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale University and Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit, New Jersey and Composer in Residence of Harmonium Choral Society in NJ. From 2002-2007 he was Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church and from 1999-2001 was Assistant Organist and Music Associate at the Riverside Church, both in New York City. Since 1999 he has travelled to every part of the country delighting congregations with the power and joy of music making. Mark received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University and his Master of Music in Organ Performance from Juilliard.

Music for May 3, 2015 + The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Vocal Music

• O Thou Who Camest from Above – Philip Stopford (b. 1977)

Instrumental Music

• Communion – Richard Purvis (1913-1994)
• Sonatina in C Major, Op. 13, No. 1: Andantino – Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
• Come, O Come, Thou Spirit of Life – Max Reger (1873-1916)

Congregational Music (all hymns from the Hymnal 1982 with the exception of those marked “R” which are from Renew.)

• Hymn 47 - On this day, the first of days (GOTT SEI DANK)
• Hymn 379 - God is love: let heaven adore him (ABBOT’S LEIGH) 
• Hymn R 145 - Lord, I want to be a Christian (I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN)
• Hymn 344 - Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing (SICILIAN MARINERS)

This week the choir is singing a new (to us) anthem by the young English composer Philip Stopford. It is a setting of the well-known text by Charles Wesley with an original new tune that brings a fresh approach to this great hymn. An effective motif is introduced in the beginning with the gentle, pulsating chords in the organ accompaniment and the repetitive "falling" motif in the opening of the melody.

Philip Stopford

Born in 1977, Stopford began his musical career as a Chorister at Westminster Abbey. After winning a major Music Scholarship to Bedford School, he became Organ Scholar at Truro Cathedral, playing the organ for services and taking probationer chorister rehearsals. Stopford went on to study music at Oxford University. He was on the music staff of Canterbury and Chester Cathedrals as Assistant Organist, before being appointed Director of Music at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, in January 2003. He now lives in Chester and devotes his time to composition.

Three of Stopford's works appeared in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2014, after he made his first appearance on the chart in 2013.

The opening voluntary is by Richard Purvis—organist/choirmaster at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral—who (along with Alexander Schreiner, E. Power Biggs, and Virgil Fox) made mid-20th century American organ music popular with the masses through records, recitals, and the press. But unlike his colleagues, Purvis was also a writer and performer of original music for the organ, who engaged church and concert audiences everywhere with daring harmony, colorful registration, and evocative emotion of compositions that won him instant acclaim. Hollywood noticed, but Purvis turned down offers to leave Grace to write for the movies. It was said that Purvis wrote "film music for the Episcopal church." This prelude is no exception. Communion is from a collection from 1941 called Five Pieces on Gregorian Themes. A quiet and contemplative composition, with a melody in the style of an old Gregorian chant, with big, sustained chords in the accompaniment.

• On this day, the first of days (GOTT SEI DANK) - This generic hymn of praise  is a 1861 translation by Anglican, Sir Henry W. Baker of the Latin hymn: 'Die parente temporum' which first appeared in the Carcassion Brievary in 1745. In this volumn, 'Dei parente temporum' is indicated for use on the Sunday at Nocturns from Pentecost to Advent. It is set to the tune GOTT SEI DANK, first published in Freylinghausen's Gesangbuch (1704). 
• God is love: let heaven adore him (ABBOT’S LEIGH) -This tune just missed making it into The Hymnal 1940.  It appears three times in the current Hymnal and is an immensely popular tune. It was written by Cyril Vincent Taylor during the Battle of Britain as a replacement tune for Glorious things of thee are spoken, which used the tune AUSTRIA – which happened to be the German national anthem.  (Both tunes currently appear to the text in our hymnal.)  Soprano and bass lines both feature octave leaps.  
• Lord, I want to be a Christian (I WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN) - Though originating in the 1750s, both text and tune were first published in Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907), compiled by brothers Frederick Work and John W. Work, Jr.  This music is an example of the repetitive text with a slow, sustained, long-phrased tune found in a number of African American spirituals. This music is intended to be reverent, with little, if any, accompaniment (perhaps piano)
• Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing (SICILIAN MARINERS) - As we opened the service, we close it, too, with a generic hymn of blessing. The tune SICILIAN MARINERS has been around for centuries and may have actually originated in Sicily.  If you double the note values, you get the tune for a Christmas carol, "O Sanctissima" which, with its original Latin text, was first published in London in 1792 and in 1794 in the United States. Today, the opening bars are familiarly known for their use in the song "We Shall Overcome."