Music Notes - April 25, 2010 Good Shepherd Sunday
Emmanuel Church, Newport, RI
Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 25, 2010
Good Shepherd Sunday
Year C - RCL
8:45 – Choir Call to vest & rehearse at 9
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10 A.M. Eucharist
Entrance Hymn 181 Awake and sing the song St. Ethelwald
Easter Festival Canticle 417 Setting by Richard Hillert* See Music Notes
Psalm 23 Setting: C. Hylton Stewart Choir
Sequence Hymn 645 The King of love my shepherd is St. Columba
Anthem Brother James’ Air
Presentation Hymn The Lord my God my shepherd is Crimond
Sanctus S-128 Setting: William Mathias
Lords Prayer – Sung by the Choir & All, as you feel comfortable
Fraction Anthem WLP 866 Alleluia, Christ our Passover Owen Burdick Grace before meals arr. Murray Somerville
Communion Hymn 664 My shepherd will supply my need Resignation
Dismissal Hymn 708 Savior, like a shepherd lead us Sicilian Mariners
Music Notes: Things do not always work as planned: please read on. As mention last week, we sing a Gloria or other ‘Hymn of Praise’ to emphasize the nature of the liturgical season and for all obvious reasons, during the Easter season the major acclamation is the resurrection of Jesus. Hymn 417, a Festive Easter Canticle, is one of those acclamations; however, as all things do not always work everywhere and as I learned last Sunday, this hymn is not well known at Emmanuel. We did sing it last year; however, I am embarrassed to confess I may have played it a bit too fast this past Sunday. We have several Sundays more in the Easter Season until the feast of Pentecost, May 23rd and I would like to have a ‘go’ with it a few more times, as they say, before we switch back over to a Gloria. I remember the founding director of the ‘The Hartt School,’ Moshe Paranov always saying, (incessantly), ‘repetition is the essence of learning. ‘ Unfortunately, we don’t get to practice church; we just do it and only by constant repetition, continual review, listening and trying, (from early childhood sometime), do we build a consciousness of the wide variety of ways God has gifted His people and the ability to sing or enjoy listening to those gifts as they are offered in worship. This Sunday is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday.’ The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,’ is the recurring theme and of which, we always want to be ever mindful. Just knowing, in our daily lives, enjoying the riches of life and blessings God has bestowed on all, that God is there, in charge and that our daily wanderings are shepherded by Him, despite our sometimes lack of awareness of it. The choir will sing Psalm 23 to the very quiet and meditative English chant setting by C. Hylton Stewart. I first heard this chant in February 2005, sung by the Men & Boy choir of St. Thomas N.Y.C. under the direction of John Scott at an Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. This quiet chant setting is reflective, meditative and very soothing, as if sitting on a ‘green pasture, beside the ‘still water,’ rather than in a straight-backed pew in church. I suggest closing one’s eyes and letting this simple music carry you to another place, where God intends all things to be at peace, His peace, which passes all understanding. The anthem is the familiar, ‘Brother James’ Air,’ The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want and for the Prelude and Postlude for day, both will use the theme of the Festival Canticle, This is the Feast by Mr. Hillert.
Peace and see you all at worship – AJH
The Chorister Creed
‘I will with the spirit and with understanding also’
The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 14:15
The Chorister Prayer
Bless, O Lord, us your servants who minister in your temple;
Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts,
And what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
