String Quartet: La Bella Musica – Emily Chen & Elizabeth Codd - Violins, Abby Pazlisack – Viola, Morgan Santos - Resident Cellist

Music Notes and a bit more on the side: This Sunday being a very special day in the life of Emmanuel, we have an expanded ‘Notes’ issue. First, The Sixth Sunday of Easter is a special day called Rogation Sunday. I recall being familiar with the term since early childhood, but confess not really understanding its full meaning. So, the ‘…bit more on the side’ part from a little research before getting into the music: The word "Rogation" comes from the Latin verb ‘rogare,’ meaning "to ask," and was applied to this time of the liturgical year because the Gospel reading for the previous Sunday included the passage "Ask and ye shall receive" (Gospel of John 16:24). The Sunday itself was then, often called Rogation Sunday as a result and marked the start of a three-week period (ending on Trinity Sunday), when Roman Catholic and Anglican clergy did not solemnize marriages. The faithful typically observed the Rogation days by fasting in preparation to celebrate the Ascension and farmers often had their crops blessed by a priest at this time, (Reggie McNeal’s question, ‘How may I ask God to bless you today?), which always occurs during the spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Violet vestments are worn at the rogation litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what color was worn at the ordinary liturgies of the day. A common feature of Rogation days in former times was a ceremony called "beating the bounds", in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. [Curiously, a sort of ‘Beating the Bounds’ actually occurred this past week at Emmanuel, when the Junior Warden, Ellen Vadney, Andy Christianson and Heath Twichell went around the entire building to survey all its needs – probably a bit of a stretch, but none-the-less, an outward sign subliminally asking God’s blessing upon this place, albeit without a minister or the choir.] The Roman reforms of 1969 officially eliminated the Rogation days from the church calendar, and the Sunday preceding Ascension Thursday is now known simply as the Sixth Sunday of Easter; however, the observance in the Catholic Church has been revived since 1988 (when Pope John Paul II issued his decree Ecclesia Dei Adflicta) and especially since 2007 (when Pope Benedict XVI issued his motu proprio called Summorum Pontificum) when the use of such older rites were again permitted and encouraged. Churches of the ‘Anglican’ Communion reformed their liturgical calendar in 1976, but continue to recognize the three days before Ascension as an optional observance. Rogation Days are the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day, on which before the Reformation, priests led processions round the fields, blessing crops and praying for good harvests. A secondary purpose was to bless the main boundary markers of each parish, in towns as well as rural areas. A cross, relics, hand-bells, and banners were carried; those taking part were sometimes given a communal meal supplied from church funds or received food at the houses they passed. The event was also known as Cross Days or, in northern districts, Gang Days (from gang = ‘walk’). Inevitably, some early Protestants attacked the processions as superstitious; how far they succeeded is debated (Thomas, 1971: 62-5; Hutton, 1994: 175-7). However, there were financial reasons why parishes wished to establish exact boundaries publicly, so a modified form of the custom, minus its blessings and other Catholic features, was established under Elizabeth I and became widespread in the 17th century, especially after the Restoration. Hence, it was known as, ‘beating the bounds.’ References: Daniel T. Reff, Plagues, Priests, and Demons: Sacred Narratives and the Rise of Christianity in the Old World and the New (Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 100. The Catholic Encyclopedia marks the connection; see the 1913 edition. Greg Dues, Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide (Twenty-Third Publications, 200, 2006), p. 39. NOW, the music – where does knowing all this fit in… Today the choir will sing two settings of Psalm 67: an Anglican chant by George Mursell Garrett, whom we met last week, (see Music Notes for May 2), and the second by Bruce Neswick, a contemporary organist-choir master. The text of Psalm 67 aptly befits the Sunday of Rogation. Its recurring theme as vocalized in its antiphon (refrain) is, ‘Let the praise peoples praise you O God,’ the biggest request of all - asking God to allow us to be heard to exalt His mighty works and Mr. Neswick dramatically molds the text in a rocking 6/8 rhythm using a classical contemporary organ sound. In the middle sections, soothing melodies by soloist and choir sing the verses, ‘…the earth has brought forth her increase, …may God give us His blessing and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of Him.’

A native of Kennewick, Washington, the composer Bruce Neswick (b. 1956), who attended Pacific Lutheran University (graduating magna cum laude) and the Yale University School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, was recently appointed Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, N.Y.C. in July 2008. Previously, he had been Canon for Music at The Cathedral of Saint Philip, Atlanta, where he had grown and nurtured one of the best chorister and adult choir programs in the country and before that he served as Assistant Organist-Choirmaster for the girl choristers at Washington National Cathedral and Director of Music at National Cathedral School for Girls and St. Albans School for Boys. A nationally and internationally acclaimed organist, he holds Fellowship degrees from both the American Guild of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music.

The communion anthem, ‘Ave verum corpus’ is a short Eucharistic hymn dating from the 14th century, attributed to Popes Innocent III, Innocent IV and Innocent VI. In the middle Ages it was sung at the Elevation of the Host during the consecration and was also used frequently during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The title means "Hail, true body" and is based on a poem manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. A meditation on the belief in the real presence of Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist, it relates to the redemptive meaning of suffering in the life of all believers. This setting, written by Sir Edward Elgar in 1887 while he was organist at St George's Church, Worcester, is part of the Pie Jesu in memory of William Allen, who was a Worcester attorney for whom Elgar worked as a fifteen-year old.

‘Sir Edward William Elgar,’ (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) an English composer, is known for his orchestral works including Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance. He also composed oratorios, chamber music and songs and was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924. From a modest background as a Roman Catholic in Protestant Britain, he was seen by himself and others, as an outsider. Nevertheless, he married the daughter of a senior British army officer and even though she inspired him musically and socially, he struggled to achieve success well into his forties, when his Enigma Variations became immediately popular. He followed the variations with a choral work, The Dream of Gerontius, based on a Roman Catholic text that caused some unease in the ‘Anglican establishment’ in Britain, but it became and has remained a core repertory work in Britain and elsewhere. His other full length religious works were well-received but did not enter the regular repertory. In his fifties Elgar composed a symphony and a violin concerto that were immensely successful, but after initial international success before World War I, his music was perceived as appealing chiefly to British audiences. After his death though, his music was taken up by a wide range of international conductors and orchestras. Nevertheless, it is still played more in Britain than anywhere else to be sure. Elgar was one of the first composers to record his works for the gramophone and he conducted the recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius himself. Much more may be read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Elgar. Today, we are blessed to have the La Bella Musica, String Quartet along with the organ to accompany the choir and all of our music for the second special reason of the day that in honor of The Reverend Anita Schell-Lambert’s first Sunday as our New Rector here at Emmanuel Church. As the psalmist wrote: ‘This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it!’ Psalm 118:24.