Sunday Music Musings Dec. 4, 2021

Friends, I am starting this at 9 pm because-December! I love Advent music and tomorrow will be a musically fun day.

More great Lutheran Paul Manz (1919 – 2009) as the prelude (Comfort Ye), after which the choirs will sing the S.S. Wesley standard Lead Me Lord which you might remember from your childhood in choir no matter your age!

In place of the psalm we will sing Canticle 4, the Song of Zechariah, the Edward John Hopkins (1818-1901) Anglican chant that was done by the Grace Church congregation since before I arrived 31 years ago—I like to continue tradition, even though it is Rite One language.

The choir will sing a verse of Comfort Ye (Freu dich sehr by Claude Goudimel (1514-1572)) at the gospel, and we probably won’t be able to resist some added tamborine!

The adult choir offertory anthem is a setting of the collect of the day by the wonderful contemporary composer Daniel Gawthrop (b.1949). His most famous piece is the gorgeous Sing Me to Heaven, but I have one lots of his music from his Reformation Suite for organ to a silly Pirate Song at Halloween!

Younger singers of the red choir will join the older members of the School Choir to sing a communion anthem, Prepare the Way by Carol McClure, with Elisabeth Wielandy on the violin. Elisabeth is a most awesome head chorister as well, coming early every week to help the younger kids.

The Hymn of the Day is On Jordan’s Bank (WINCHESTER NEW), and the postlude by Malcom Archer on the same tune.

One reason I am so late is I just spent 2 hours making a Covid-safe line-up for my choral society, Harmonium, who have their concert next weekend! Luckily we have a lovely big church (The Presbyterian Church in Morristown) to spread out in, so taking into consideration family pods, heights, soloists and much more, this is what my dining room looked like!

Please please, consider coming to hear our return to live singing! Tickets in advance please, so we can keep you comfortably social distanced as well! You can read all about it in my program notes here.

We also had our first Christmas bell choir rehearsals today so its been a whirlwind of prep! It is all worth it when the youngest ringer says “that was SO FUN!”

If you come to our Advent celebration Sunday afternoon at 4 you will get to hear our youngest singers sing “Go Tell it on the Mountain” with sign language and a special verse I wrote for St. Nicholas.

Here is Go Tell it with extra verses that may come in handy pre-Christmas! (You are welcome to use them, just credit me.)

Go Tell it on the Mountain, Over the hills and everywhere

Go Tell it on the Mountain, Prepare the way of the Lord

St. Andrew Peter’s brother, was fishing in the sea

The call came to disciples, leave all and follow me

Now John ate bugs and honey, and he wore animal skin

He came to baptize people, to let the spirit in…

St. Nich’las helped the hungry, the children and the poor

This chocolate gold reminds us to leave shoes by the door

Thanks for reading! Blessed Advent!