Sunday after Ascension Music Musings May 11, 2024

annematlack

May 11

This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension with lots of uplifting music (pun intended).

The first part of the service up to the anthem you can read about here.

Ascension Music Musings May 20, 2023

The anthem is a wonderful setting of God is Gone Up by Anglo-Canadian Healey Willan (1880-1968), who I play and talk about a lot (more here), or treat yourself to the video below.

At the presentation we'll sing the Welsh tune BRYN CALFARIA, which is found in our hymnal at #307, Lord Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor. I realized on Friday that we havn't sung this since "before times" at least with the School Choirs, and it's a great tune (as most Welsh tunes are) on a melody by William Owen (1813-1893) a quarryman and temperance hymn-writer. The text by George Hugh Bourne (1840-1925) hymnodist, schoolmaster and warden, chaplain to the Bishop of Bloemfontein, and ultimately on the staff of Salisbury Cathedral. This is the most famous hymn for both composer and author.

At communion we will sing ST.BOTOLPH which we often use the Sunday after Easter for "We Walk By Faith," but since we did a Sacred Harp tune setting of that text this year, we can sing this with the Ascension appropriate text by the great hymnodist-poet Brian Wren (b. 1936), a major British figure in the revival of contemporary hymn writing. He studied French literature at New College and theology at Mansfield College in Oxford, England and was ordained pastor in the Congregational Church. He worked for the British Council of Churches and several other organizations involved in fighting poverty and promoting peace and justice. Later he moved to the United States where he is active as a freelance lecturer, preacher, and full-time hymn writer. The tune is by Gordon Slater (1896-1979), named for a 7^th century Benedictine-educated Saxon who was one of the earliest East Anglian saints, and became known as the patron saint of wayfarers. The tune name came from Slater's position as organist of St Botolph's Church, Boston (Lincolnshire, UK) (1919–1927).

The last hymn is also an Ascension hymn, Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise, one of 6000 by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). THAT Wesley, who with his brother John, founded Methodism. LLANFAIR is another Welsh tune (you can tell by the double L!) --yet in a major key! It is usually attributed to Robert Williams (1781-1821) a blind basket-weaver who lived on the Welsh island of Anglesey.

The Postlude is based on LLANFAIR by renowned British organist David Briggs (b. 1962), currently Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. I had the pleasure of working with him at RSCM Kings College Choir Camp more years ago than I'd care to say…as a matter of fact, it was David's first time in the U.S. I believe, and we kept having to "translate" his Britspeak for the American choristers.

On Friday here at Grace, the wonderful alto Patricia Ruggles, who grew up singing in this church choir is giving her last full-length recital, and you won't want to miss it!