Sunday, March 25, 2012 - The Fifth Sunday in Lent

Organ Prelude: Prelude in G - Felix Mendelssohn
Hymns:

• Processional Hymn 564 - Lead us, heavenly Father - Mannheim 
• Offertory Hymn 185 - Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle - Oriel 
• Recessional Hymn 438 - O Jesus, I have promised - Wolvercote 

Organ Postlude: Fugue in G - Felix Mendelssohn

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Music Notes

Next Sunday (Palm Sunday) the choir is singing a longer-than-usual piece of music in an unusual place in the service.  Instead of an organ prelude, the service will begin with a wonderful work called Procession of Palms by Malcolm Williamson, an Australian born, UK based composer who was Master of the Queen's Musick until his death in 2003.  It is a very fitting way in which to begin the exuberance of Palm Sunday.

Sunday, March 18, 2012 - The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Organ Prelude: Psalm Prelude Set 1 No. 1 - Herbert Howells
Hymns:

• Processional Hymn 607 “ Come, let us to the Lord our God" - St. Bernard
• Offertory Hymn 551 “My faith looks up to thee” -Olivet
• Communion Hymn 72 “Bread of Heaven" - Jesu, meine Zuversicht
• Recessional Hymn 398 “Let us with a gladsome mind” - Monkland

Solo: Jesus, Savior, I am Thine (from ‘St. Matthew Passion’) - J. S. Bach (Virginia Wright, mezzo-soprano)
Service Music: Missa L’Hora Passa – Ludovico da Viadana
Communion Motet: Schaffe in mir, Gott, ein rein Herz - Brahms
Organ Postlude: Divertimento - Frederick Karam

Sunday, March 11, 2012 - The Third Sunday in Lent

Organ Prelude Ich ruf zu dir (I call to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ) - J. S. Bach
Hymns

• Processional Hymn 629 “Jesus, thy blood and righteousness” (Walton)
• Communion Hymn 479 “O Christ, the master carpenter”(Albano)
• Recessional Hymn 306 “O for a thousand tongues” (Richmond)

Communion Motet Ave verum corpus - Sir Edward Elgar
Organ Postlude Prelude on ‘Rhosymedre’ - Ralph Vaughan Williams

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Music Notes:

Both quintessential British composers who contributed significantly to the music of the church, Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) were very different men.

Elgar was a devout Roman Catholic who was a parish organist early in his career, writing several choral pieces for that church and later in life composing large-scale oratorios for choir, soloists and orchestra (i.e., “The Dream of Gerontius” to a text by Cardinal Newman).

Vaughan Williams, the son of a priest, was described by his second wife, Ursula, as "an atheist ... [who] later drifted into a cheerful agnosticism." One of RVW’s most significant contributions to the Church of England was his editorship of the English Hymnal in 1904, and throughout his career he composed several choral works, hymn tunes (the one we use for “For all the saints” is one example), and a smattering of pieces for solo organ.

Sunday, March 4, 2012 - Second Sunday in Lent

MORNING PRAYER
Hymns:

• Opening Hymn 7 “New every morning is the love” 
• Hymn 542 “Out of the depths” (Sandon) 
• Offertory Hymn 532 “What a friend we have in Jesus” (Friendship)
• Recessional Hymn 537 “In the cross of Christ” (Cross of Jesus)