Music Notes – Sunday, August 11th:
This Sunday’s musicians are Becky Burns, Molly Watkins, Sophie Watkins, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Prelude: Come, Come, Whoever You Are – Ungar/Rumi
#188 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “Come, Come, Whoever You Are” has been a favorite gathering song for many years in thousands of UU worship services and events. The words, welcoming all without condition or exclusion, are from the renowned 13th century poet and mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273). The overlapping round melody was written by poet, musician and UU minister Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar (b. 1963), who currently serves as minister for lifespan learning and editor of Quest for the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
Song: Be Ours a Religion – Benjamin/Parker
Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940) is a celebrated UU composer and retired professor of music theory and composition. Dr. Benjamin is a frequent contributor to both Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey. “Be Ours a Religion” (#1058 in Singing the Journey) is a musical setting of the famous words by Unitarian minister Theodore Parker (1810-1860).
Centering Music: I Am Light – India Arie Simpson
India Arie Simpson, also known as india.arie (b. 1975) is an American singer and songwriter, who has sold more than 10 million records worldwide and has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations. She has released seven studio albums to date, and has collaborated with many other musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Pink, Yo Yo Ma, and Stevie Wonder. “I Am Light” was the last track of Simpson’s 2013 album Songversation, and was rereleased as a single in 2017. In this Sunday’s service, “I Am Light” will be played and sung by the mother-daughter duo of Molly and Sophie Watkins.
Offertory Music: Allegro (I) from Piano Sonata No. 5 in G major, K. 283 / 189h – Mozart
While staying in Munich, Germany during 1774 and 1775, the then-teenaged composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) created the first six of the 27 piano concerti he would write in his short lifetime. These first piano concerti, each written as three-movement works, are firmly rooted in Classical style, but become gradually more complex and intricate, foreshadowing some of the ways in which Mozart would soon redefine the genre. This Sunday, you’ll hear excerpts from the celebrated first movement (Allegro) of Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 5 in G major (K. 283), played by UUCC’s own Sophie Watkins.
Closing Song: When the Spirit Says Do – African American Spiritual
“When the Spirit Says Sing” (also known as “I’m Gonna Sing”) is among the best-known of traditional African American Spirituals. Its origins are unknown, but the song first began appearing in hymnals during the 1950s and became one of the rallying anthems of The Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. It is included in our Singing the Journey hymnbook as #1024 under the title “When the Spirit Says Do”.
Postlude: This Little Light of Mine
“This Little Light of Mine” is an African American gospel song whose origins are unknown. The song first began appearing in church and school settings during the 1920s and 1930s. Interestingly, the first few known instances of the song being performed are scattered around the United States, from Illinois to Texas to Montana to Missouri, so we cannot even say with any certainty in which particular city or region the song originated. Today, “This Little Light of Mine” is sung all over the world and is found in dozens of hymnals, including our own Singing the Living Tradition (#118).
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director