Dear Fellow Sacred Music Followers,A blessed belated-Feast of St. Blaise to you! I pray you are in good health and that through this holy bishop and martyr's intercession you may continue to be. PROCESSIONAL HYMN: O Worship the KingThis stately hymn tune (HANNOVER) was composed by William Croft (1678 -1727). Said to be an "amiable man", he was elected organist of Westminster Abbey in 1709. Several of his compositions remain in circulation. The hymn tune is perhaps a little challenging for one who has never sung it before, rising and falling by perhaps larger intervals than are in a typical hymn. The first line contains an ascending perfect 4th, a rising minor third, and a falling perfect 5th. The second line moves in mostly stepwise motion, but the third line returns to a series of minor third downward steps, a rising minor 6th, and a rising perfect 5th. The fourth line contains a falling perfect 5th, a rising major 6th, a falling perfect 5h, a rising perfect 4th, and a falling minor third. Such leaps give the piece a certain unmistakable direction and drive, leading the listener to conclude that we are "going somewhere". The text was written by Englishman Robert Grant, who was born and died in Britain-ruled India in 1833. Its text takes the reader on a journey through creation and into a contemplation on the power of God's salvific work. It is worth an examination and a read on its own for its incredible power, a perfect pairing with a powerful tune.I present two very different styles of singing the tune from two very different performing ensembles - enjoy! 1.) O worship the King - YouTube
2.) O Worship the King (Robert Grant) - YouTube
1 O worship the King, all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love:
our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
2 O tell of His might and sing of His grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
3 Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail.
Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!
5 O measureless Might, ineffable Love,
whom angels delight to crown Thee above!
Thy ransomed creation, though feeble our lays,
with true adoration shall sing to Thy praise!
OFFERTORY MOTET
at 9:00 AM: Veni Jesu - Luigi Cherubini (1760 - 1842)Cherubini was an Italian composer, regarded by Beethoven as the greatest of his contemporaries. Writer of a symphony, eight String Quartets, and over ten Masses as well as around thirty operas, Cherubini was, like Beethoven, a bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras. This Veni Jesu is a very simple, through-composed, devotional work whose text is simply, Come Jesus, my Love. One might not get the "full Cherubini picture" if one only ever hears this piece. Accordingly, here is a work of his that demonstrates a more-complete picture of his compositional skills:The final movement of his symphony: https://youtu.be/6ooqDDYKji0?t=1230 at 11:00 AM: Perfice Gressus Meos - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 - 1594)Perhaps my own personal favorite of his series of Offertories, (written to the text of all of the Offertory Propers the Church has established) this piece, in five-part harmony, is luscious and restrained. It's text is taken from Psalm 17:5-7: "O hold thou up my goings in thy paths: that my footsteps slip not. Incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words. Show thy marvelous loving-kindness, thou that art the Saviour of them which put their trust in thee." Here is one of my favorite recordings of the work by the always-excellent Choir of Trinity College - Cambridge: Offertoria: Perfice gressus meos - YouTube
RECESSIONAL HYMN: Come, Christians, Join to SingChosen this week in light of the Introit, which bids us to "O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for He is the Lord our God. Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise unto God our Savior", this hymn exudes a joy and is sung in some churches during Eastertide, sometimes used as a choral anthem. Both the hymn's composer and any explanation for why it has the hymn tune MADRID are unknown.Have a blessed and happy Sunday! God bless you!In Christ,Mr. Jacob Flaherty-Director of Sacred Music