Music Notes - March 7, 2010
Emmanuel Church, Newport, RI
Third Sunday in Lent - March 7, 2010
Year C - RCL
8:45 – Choir Call to vest & rehearse at 9
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10 A.M. Eucharist
Entrance Hymn 392 Come, we that love the Lord Vineyard Haven
Kyrie S-96 Setting by Franz Schubert, arr. Richard Proulx
Psalm 63:1-8 Plainsong Tone II.1
Sequence Hymn 152 Kind Maker of the world, O hear A la venue de Noel
Anthem Lord, for Thy tender mercies’ sake Richard Farrant
Presentation Hymn 313 Let thy Blood in mercy poured Jesu, meine Zuversicht
Sanctus S-130 Setting by Franz Schubert, arr. Richard Proulx
Lords Prayer – Spoken
Fraction Anthem S-153 Christ our Passover (omit Alleluias) Ambrosian chant
Communion Music Taste and See para. of Psalm 34, James E. Moore
Anthem Bread of the World John Abdenour, Krista Haskell, Soprano
Anthem Help me, O, Lord Thomas Arne
Hymn 574 Before thy throne, O God, we kneel
Dismissal Hymn 344 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing Sicilian Mariners
Music Notes: This Third Sunday in Lent we hear about the burning bush, where Moses receives his call to lead and then, the parable of the fig tree with its hard message about bearing fruit, lest being cut down. Both speak of repentance and forgiveness and to repeat from last week, Lent is an incredible time for reflecting on both of these interactive words, singing hymns that are simple chant, darker in musical color and/or longer than usual, which does often produce an uncomfortable feeling. However, as we allow time to be more suspended in worship, our reflection can help us sense that peace, which passes all human understanding. The hymns are 392, 152, 313, 574 and 344 all from the Hymnal 1982. The tune of 152 is actually a Christmas carol from the 16th century set to words by Gregory the Great written some 1000 years earlier, time suspended for sure. The choir sings the traditional Farrant anthem, ‘Lord, for Thy tender mercies sake,’ the text of which is as follows:
Lord for Thy tender mercy’s sake, lay not our sins to our charge
But forgive that is past and give us grace to amend our sinful lives,
To decline from sin and incline to virtue,
That we may walk with a perfect heart before thee now and evermore.
At communion our guest soloist, Krista Haskell sings, ‘Bread of the World’ by St. Paul’s, Fairfield, CT Director of Music/organist, John Abdenour: (see photo), http://www.stpaulsfairfield.org/content.cfm?id=2016.
The solo melody is a mellow, meditative song, which Mr. Abdenour has set to lush, richly harmonic, blues-style chords, the kind of which our pipe organ can sound forth with much ease and beauty.
The text is:
Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul, in mercy shed,
By whom the words of life were spoken,
and in whose death our sins are dead:
Look on the heart by sorrow broken; look on the tears by sinners shed;
And be thy feast to us the token that by thy grace our souls are fed.
For those of you who know the song, ‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so,’ see if you don’t hear something eerily familiar as Krista sings this ‘forgiving,’ affirming text.
Take a look, too, at the Music pages of St. Paul’s, Fairfield. Seeing the success of their chorister program can provide many inspiring ideas and a vision of goals to attain, as we work in ministry in Newport developing the reality of our work for Emmanuel and the RSCM Newport Summer Course to come this August. When I wrote to John about using his music, he told me in an email, ‘Getting things off the ground is by far the hardest part, but hosting the RSCM course should be a terrific shot in the arm. It's a big undertaking.’ God be with us as we continue, week by week together.
A closing prayer for Lent
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name. (Psalm 86:11 NRSV)
Peace and see you at worship – AJH
