Easter Sunday - March 31 2013

• Organ: TBA 
• Processional Hymns 203 “Jesus Christ is risen today” 
• 220 “Christ is risen, Christ is risen” 
• Service Music: 
• Gloria, Creed and Lord’s Prayer - John Merbecke 
• Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei – TBA 
• Psalm 118:1-2,14-24 
• Gospel Fanfare and Alleluia
• Anthem: “Christ the Lord is risen today” – John Rutter 
• Offertory Hymn 231 “That Eastertide with joy was bright”
• Communion Hymn 84 “Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour” 
• Communion Motet: “This joyful Eastertide” – arranged by Charles Wood 
• Concluding Hymn 216 “Ye choirs of new Jerusalem” 
• Organ: Toccata in G – Theodore Dubois

Good Friday - March 29 2013

• Choir: O crux ave – Rihards Dubra
  

  O Crux ave, spes unica, hoc Passionis tempore! piis auge gratiam, reisque dele crimina. O Cross! all hail! sole hope, abide With us now in this Passion-tide: New grace in pious hearts implant, And pardon to the guilty grant! Translation from "The Psalter of Sarum": London 1852.

Maundy Thursday - March 28 2013

• Opening Hymn 487 Where charity and love prevail 
• Service Music: John Merbecke 
• Psalm 116: 1, 12-19 
• Offertory Hymn 75 With the body that was broken 
• Communion Hymn 54 Bread of the world, in mercy broken 
• Communion Motet: Ave verum corpus – Sir Edward Elgar

Jesu, Lamb of God, Redeemer, born the virgin Mary's Son, who upon the cross a victim hast man's salvation won. From whose side, which man had pierced flow'd the water and the blood, by thy sacred body broken, Be in life and death our food. O Jesu, be in life and death our food.

• During Stripping of the Altar: Psalm 22 (Tone VIII.3)

Palm Sunday - March 24 2013

• Organ: Hosanna Filio David – Jeanne Demessieux 
• During Distribution of Palms – Benedictus and Hosanna (from ‘Procession of Palms’) – Malcolm Williamson 
• Processional Hymn 181 “All glory, laud and honour” 
• Psalm 31: 9-16 
• Gospel Acclamation
• Offertory Hymn 184 “My song is love unknown” 
• Communion Hymn 51 vv. 1-3 “Now, my tongue, the mystery telling” 
• Communion Motet: “Ave verum corpus” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  

  Hail True Body, born of the Virgin, who, having suffered was sacrificed on the cross for humankind; from whose pierced side flowed water and blood. For us let it be a foretaste in the trial of death.

• Concluding Hymn 187 “As royal banners are unfurled”

Lent 5 - March 17, 2013

• Organ: Voluntary in F minor – Maurice Greene 
• Opening Hymn 432 “Jesus calls us! O’er the tumult” 
• Service Music: Missa L’Hora Passa – Ludovico da Viadana 
• Psalm 126 
• Gospel Acclamation 
• Offertory Hymn: “I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship” 
• Anthem: Lord, let me know mine end – Maurice Greene 
• Communion Hymns: 65 “Here, Lord, we take the broken bread” / 202 “There is a green hill far away” 
• Concluding Hymn 505 “Be thou my vision” 
• Organ: Choral Prelude on “St. Columba” – Charles Villiers Stanford

Music Notes

In honour of St. Patrick all of this morning’s hymn texts or tunes are of Irish origin.

One of the most prolific hymn writers of the 19th century was Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander (1818-1895). Alexander’s husband was William Alexander, bishop of Derry and Raphoe, and later the Anglican primate for Ireland. Cecil and her sister founded a school for the deaf, and she set up the Girls’ Friendly Society in Londonderry. Cecil Alexander wrote about 400 hymns in her lifetime, including ‘Once in royal David’s city’, ‘All things bright and beautiful’, ‘There is a green hill far away’ and ‘Jesus calls us o’er the tumult’.

Although written by an English-born Canadian professor (Wycliffe College) and later an Australian bishop, Charles Venn Pilcher (who, incidentally, also played bass clarinet in the Toronto Symphony from 1909 to 1918), the text of “Here, Lord, we take the broken bread” is set to a traditional Irish tune (St. Columba) which was arranged by the Irish-born composer, Sir Charles Stanford.

Perhaps the most famous Irish hymn is “Be Thou My Vision”. The words are attributed to Dallan Forgaill from the 8th Century and versed by Eleanor H. Hull in 1912. The melody is ‘Slane’, of Irish folk origin. It's named after Slane Hill where in 433 AD St. Patrick lit a fire in honor of Easter and in defiance of High King Logaire's decree that no-one should light fires before his pagan holiday was celebrated. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him contin-ue his missionary work.

“Lord, let me know mine end” is arguably the best anthem written in 18th century England. The text is taken from Psalm 39 in which the psalmist recognises the brevity and uncertainty of life, the sinfulness of man and the need to live a life pleasing to God, as this is his only hope. This beautiful and sincere anthem by Maurice Greene (1696-1755) contains expressive and effective contrapuntal vocal parts over an organ accompaniment, a rarity in its day. The duet for soprano and alto in the middle of the anthem finds the two voices interlacing and changing position as they consider the futility of man's desires.

Lent 4 - March 10 2013

• Organ: Voluntary in 3 parts – John Lugge 
• Opening Hymn “All for Jesus”
  

  All for Jesus--all for Jesus, this our song shall ever be;
  for we have no hope, nor Saviour, if we have not hope in thee.
  
  All for Jesus--thou wilt give us strength to serve thee, hour by hour,
  none can move us from thy presence, while we trust thy love and power.
  
  All for Jesus--at thine altar thou wilt give us sweet content;
  there, dear Lord, we shall receive thee in the solemn sacrament.
  
  All for Jesus--thou hast loved us; all for Jesus--thou hast died;
  all for Jesus--thou art with us; all for Jesus crucified.
  
  All for Jesus--all for Jesus-- this the Church's song must be;
  till, at last, her sons are gathered one in love and one in thee.

• Service Music: New Plainsong – David Hurd 
• Psalm 32 
• Offertory Hymn 485 “Love divine, all loves excelling” Communion 
• Hymn 519 “The Lord’s my shepherd” 
• Communion Motet – O crux ave – Rihards Dubra
  

  O Cross! all hail! sole hope, abide With us now in this Passiontide:
  New grace in pious hearts implant, And pardon to the guilty grant! 

• Concluding Hymn 352 “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound” 
• Organ: Trio de la troisieme mode – Peter Phillips

Music Notes

Scant information is available, but John Lugge (c.1602-c.1645) was Organist & Master of the Choristers at Exeter Cathedral during the period leading up to the English Civil War (1642-1651), and died 4 years before the execution of King Charles I. This voluntary (one of three composed by Lugge) was found in a manuscript in a library at Christ Church, Oxford and recently edited by Michael Cowgill (Director of Music at St. Michael’s Chuch, West Retford, Nottinghamshire). Few other compositions by Lugge survive, but they include nine plainsong settings and a handful of instrumental music.

Rihards Dubra was born in 1964 near Riga, Latvia and was brought up in the countryside by his grandmother. In 1997 he completed his musical education in with a Masters degree in composition. For several years he was an organist at Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church in Riga and is one of the founders and leaders of the group Schola Cantorum Riga. He also works as a music theory and composition teacher at Jurmala Music College. Dubra has composed several sacred works for choir as well as instrumental music. He says this about his sacred music: “I try to write music in the style of meditation …. The style of my music is always in affinity with Gregorian chant or the music of the Middle Ages through the view of a man who lives in the present century.”

Peter Phillips (c1560-1628) was an eminent and very prolific English-born composer, virtuoso organist and later a Roman Catholic priest. In 1582 he left England to settle in Belgium in order to preserve his Catholicism. Phillips was imprisoned for a short period, accused of complicity in a plot on Queen Elizabeth’s life but was acquitted and released. He travelled throughout Europe for several years, returning to settle in Antwerp where he married sometime after 1590. Following his wife’s death Phillips was ordained c1601 and after various appointments finally settled in Brussels where he died in 1628. The Trio heard at the end of today’s service was composed for ‘unspecified instruments’ but it works well on the organ.

Lent 3 - March 3, 2013

• Organ: Ave Maria (from 5 Liturgical Inventions) – Victor Togni 
• Opening Hymn 60 “I come with joy” (Richmond # 224) 
• Service Music: New Plainsong – David Hurd 
• Psalm 63: 1-8
  text and pointing downloadable here »
• Gospel Acclamation
• Anthem: O pray for the peace of Jerusalem – John Blow
  The text is taken from Psalm 122: 6-9 
• Offertory Hymn 508 “I heard the voice of Jesus say” 
• Communion Hymn 72 “Bread of Heaven, on thee we feed” 
• Concluding Hymn 380 “O worship the King” 
• Organ: Jesus dulcis (from 5 Liturgical Inventions) – Victor Togni

Music Notes

Victor Togni was born in 1935 on the Ides of March in Tanganyika (East Africa, now Tanzania) of Swiss parents. His musical studies were begun in Switzerland and continued later in Rome, Paris, London and Geneva. His teachers included some of the great organists and composers of the time. After holding important posts in Europe Togni emigrated to Canada where he first settled in Pembroke, later in Ottawa, and finally in Toronto where he was organist at St. Basil's church of St. Michael's College, Toronto, and professor of organ and improvisation at St. Michael's Cathedral Choir School. In 1963, he was appointed organist of Toronto's St. Michael's Cathedral a position he held until his tragic death in 1965 at the age of 30. His son, Peter Togni, is a well-known name in radio broadcasting at the CBC, as well as being an organist and composer based in Halifax.

John Blow (1649-1708) was an influential composer and organist during the English baroque period, having been the teacher of Henry Purcell amongst other notable musicians. He was organist of Westminster Abbey from 1669, then choirmaster at St. Paul’s Cathedral from 1687 where many of his more than 100 anthems would have been first heard. “O pray for the peace of Jerusalem” is a kind of ‘verse anthem’, with an opening section for solo voice followed by a short choral conclusion.

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