Happy Trinity Sunday!
Our prelude is one of the pieces for saxophone and organ that I am working up for Erik Donough's recital next Saturday at 3! Hans-André Stamm (b. 1958) is a German organist and freelance composer who lives near Cologne, in Germany. As well as composing stage, choral and orchestral works, he is well known for his works for organ plus another instrument, in this case, alto saxophone. Pick Five is inspired by Dave Brubeck's famous "Take Five". Every measure has 5 beats.
On Trinity Sunday we sing the glorious 7 verses of I Bind Unto Myself Today" (ST. PATRICKS'S BREASTPLATE, and its middle tune DIERDRE). This ancient text is attributed to St. Patrick, the 2nd Bishop and Patron Saint of Ireland (c.372-466). The English version of the poem is by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), wife of Rev. William Alexander, the Anglican bishop of Ireland. I've talked about her a lot – she was a poet of many hymns including a whole collection for children including All Things Bright and Beautiful. She ministered to the sick and poor, and founded a school for the deaf.
Cecil Frances Alexander
The words sung under DIERDRE are the ones used in the chorister's lovely Song of Praise, Prayer of St. Patrick by William Schoenfeld (b. 1949). William M. Schoenfeld holds a B.A. in Music from Cal-State, Hayward, California; C.T.S. in Worship from the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California; and Master of Church Music from Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. We even did a virtual video of this during the pandemic!
The offertory is a favorite setting of a George Herbert (1593-1633) poem by Robert "Bob" Chilcott (b. 1955), British choral composer, conductor, and singer based in Oxford, England. He sang in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a university student. In 1985, he joined the King's Singers, singing tenor for 12 years. Chilcott is well known for his compositions for children's choirs, and he has written larger works as well, and has worked with choirs all around the globe. Chilcott was the conductor of the chorus at the Royal College of Music in London for 7 years, and has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers. The kids like to call this "The Bob Song" for some reason!
George Herbert is a Welsh-born metaphysical poet, orator, and priest. Just a few weeks ago, we sang "The Call," and next week we will sing his "King of Glory King of Peace." I really love discussing this poem with our choristers:
Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and sky;
The dew shall weep thy fall to-night,
For thou must die.
Sweet rose, whose hue angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye;
Thy root is ever in its grave,
And thou must die.
Sweet spring, full of sweet days and roses,
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My music shows ye have your closes,
And all must die.
Only a sweet and virtuous soul,
Like season'd timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turn to coal,
Then chiefly lives.
In celebration of pride month and in honor of our guest preacher, the presentation hymn is Mark Miller's I Dream of a Church. Mark (b.1967) serves as Assistant Professor of Church Music at Drew Theological School and is a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale University. He also is the Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit and composer-in-residence for Harmonium Choral Society. He is a Yale and Julliard educated passionate advocate for the power of music to change the world.
During communion we have a hymn set to the Southern Harmony Tune HOLY MANNA (attributed to William B Moore (1790-1850)), with new words that celebrate female imagery for God, and a more inclusive way of looking at the Trinity.
This week's last hymn is the Trinitarian classic Holy, Holy, Holy. Remember, "hymn" means text, and this text is by Reginald Heber, a poet and rector in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked there for three years until he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns are still in use today.
The tune is by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876). This bio is from The Hymnary.org: "In 1849 he became the precentor and choir director at Durham Cathedral, where he introduced reforms in the choir by insisting on consistent attendance, increasing rehearsals, and initiating music festivals. He served the parish of St. Oswald in Durham from 1862 until the year of his death. To the chagrin of his bishop, Dykes favored the high church practices associated with the Oxford Movement (choir robes, incense, and the like). A number of his three hundred hymn tunes are still respected as durable examples of Victorian hymnody." Dykes also wrote MELITA, the tune to the Navy Hymn.
The tune NICAEA is named after the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) at which church leaders began to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity to oppose the heresies of Arius. (Think "Nicene creed" as well…)
The kids were able to solfege this in rehearsal d,d,m,m,s,s,l,l,l,s,m. (do, mi, sol…).
The postlude based on this hymn is by organ and handbell composer Dr. Jerry Westenkuehler, a native of Keytesville, Missouri. He earned the Bachelor of Science in Organ Performance, Music Education and Church Music from William Jewell College (Liberty, Missouri) and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, Texas). His organ teachers have included Poppy Koutz, Pauline Riddle, and Albert L. Travis. He currently serves Arborlawn United Methodist Church in Fort Worth, Texas as organist.
Now it is time to dress for my Harmonium concert! Here is a nice article about it (although it is at 7:30 Saturday night, not 7! as well as 3 pm Sunday). Here is a picture of some Grace Church altos happily unmasked for the first time at the dress rehearsal last night!
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