From the Organist & Choirmaster
Last week I wrote asking for your favorite hymns from our 1982 Hymnal. The responses I have gotten since are wonderful; it’s been a great joy to read your thoughts and experience of hymnody. I’m including the questionnaire again to hopefully gather more responses!
The choir returned this past Sunday, one of our lay clerks commented a few days before Sunday that “It’s just not the same when it’s just us, I love having everyone back.” I couldn’t agree more, a full choir loft makes for a happy choirmaster! I was overjoyed with our first Evensong, if you were there, I think you were able to see how hard the Parish Choir works to provide great Anglican music at our liturgies. Be sure to mark your calendars for October 13th at 5:15 pm for the organ prelude and 5:30 pm for Evensong. There will be hors d'oeuvres and refreshments following services of Choral Evensong moving forward.
Service Music at the 10:30 am Mass
There are several settings of the “ordinary” of the Mass. The “Ordinary” are the parts of the Mass that do not change and are reasonably constant regardless of the date. The Ordinary includes the Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus & Benedictus, and the Angus Dei. The Hymnal has many complete musical settings of the Ordinary. For Rite II composers like Felciano, Hurd, Mathias, Near, and Powell offer complete sets. Currently we use Robert Powell’s settings, the Gloria is one of the first “musical moments” I remember when I started attending an Episcopal Church, the Sanctus as well. I was more unfamiliar with the Angus Dei, with its more complex harmonies and accompaniment. Robert Powell is an American composer, born in our neighboring state Mississippi in 1932, he is still living. He earned his Bachelor of Music from LSU and his Master of Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City where he was the assistant organist at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. He also served at Saint Paul’s School in Concord, NH, as Director of Music and later was Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church in Greenville, SC. He has composed in nearly all genres common to church music including anthems, service music, hymn concertatos, organ, handbell, and even large-scale oratorios. His style is more conservative than William Mathias, whose Mass settings we use in Easter and Christmas. Powell says of himself, “I write for choirs of fifteen to twenty-five, because that’s what most choirs are. When you come right down to it, most choirs are not of cathedral ability of size. My pieces are all practical things and useful for specific occasions.” I’d gesture our choir is of cathedral ability, but I do very much enjoy Powell’s compositions! I hope you do as well.