Music Notes: As we sang last week, our ‘Hymn of Praise’ to emphasize the nature of the Easter season in the resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, is Hymn 417, The Festive Easter Canticle. There are several Sundays more in the Easter Season until the feast of Pentecost, May 23^rd during which to remember God’s victory over death and to sing His praises with psalms, hymns and scriptural songs. This Sunday the choir will sing Psalm 148: to an Anglican chant setting by George Mursell Garrett.

Mr. Garrett, (1834 - 1897), was born in Winchester, where his father was master of choristers at the Cathedral. He studied at New College, Oxford, returning to Winchester as a pupil and then assistant to Samuel Sebastian Wesley at the Cathedral before moving to Madras as cathedral organist. In 1857 he was organist at St John's College, Cambridge, succeeding John Larkin Hopkins as University Organist in 1873. His oratorio The Shunamite has long fallen from choral repertoire, but his settings of Church of England services and other church music, of which today’s psalm is one, are still performed. His chant for the Psalm for today is a model of its kind.

Christopher Tye (c. 1505 – c. 1572), an English composer/organist, studied at Cambridge University and in 1545 became a Doctor of Music both there and at Oxford. He was choirmaster of Ely Cathedral from about 1543 and also organist there from 1559. The title page to Tye's Actes of the Apostles (London 1553) describes him as one of the Gentlemen of his grace's most honorable chapel, and he may have been music teacher to King Edward VI, who reportedly quoted his father, Henry VIII, as saying England hath one God, one truth, one doctor hath for music's art, and that is Doctor Tye, admired for skill in music's harmony.

Tye remained at Ely under the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary despite his apparent Protestant leanings. In 1560 or 1561 he resigned his post at Ely and took holy orders, becoming Rector of Doddington, Cambridgeshire. He died in 1572 or 1573, apparently still active under Elizabeth, for Anthony Wood relates that: Dr Tye was a peevish and humor some man, especially in his latter dayes, and sometimes playing on ye Organ in ye chap. of qu. Elizab. wh. contained much musick, but little of delight to the ear, she would send ye verger to tell him yt he play'd out of Tune: whereupon he sent word yt her ears were out of Tune. [Apparantly, nothing's changed] Tye's Latin Church music includes psalm settings and masses — notably one based on the song "The Western Wynde" (also the basis of masses by John Taverner and John Sheppard). He composed works in English for the Church of England, including services and anthems, and pieces for consorts of viols, including over twenty In Nomines.

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

Services

Calendar

Emmanuel E-pistle

Music News

Music Notes - May 2, 2010

Psalm 148 Setting: George Mursell Garrett Emmanuel Choir