Music at All Saints Parish Sunday, February 11, 2007
Epiphany VI
From All Saints Music Director Donald Teeters
The Gospel today (Luke 6:17-26) is one version of the Beatitudes - another is in Matthew. One hymn and an anthem in our service draw directly upon them for inspiration.
The hymn is #656 - Blest are the pure in heart, which we will sing as the offertory hymn. The text, a paraphrase of the Matthew Beatitudes, was extracted from a long poem by John Keble honoring the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (February 2nd), which was made reference to in our music last week. It has been a part of our Episcopal hymnal since 1892. The tune, much altered since it first appeared in the 18th century, is a perfect companion for this eloquently gentle poem.
The anthem that the choir will sing at the Communion is H. Walford Davies' setting of the same text, a warmly romantic rendering of this simple but heartfelt poem. Davies (1869-1941) was organist at Temple Church in London, and was known also as a composer of oratorios and choral suites.
As the offertory anthem the choir will perform another work with a romantic bias, Edward C. Bairstow's I sat down under his shadow, based on a text from the Song of Solomon (2:3,4). Bairstow (1874-1946) was an almost exact contemporary of Davies', although a composer of generally greater scope. The text is from that great ode to eros and romantic love also known as the Song of Songs. I quote here the anthem text (in italics) and the immediately preceding and succeeding texts that the composer did not set:
"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love."
Two great hymns of our faith will be sung at the beginning and end of the service.
#518 - Christ is made the sure foundation and
#376 - Joyful, joyful, we adore thee
The music of the first derives from the work of Henry Purcell, and the latter, as everybody knows, is from Beethoven.