Music Notes – Sunday, November 10th:
This Sunday’s musicians are UUCC Music Director Mike Carney and The Treble Ensemble
Come join me in Lakewood this Sunday, November 10th for a special concert from Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble, who will be welcoming guest composer and conductor Joel Thompson to Cleveland as part of Good Company’s Contemporary Composers Series. Mr. Thompson will lead a masterclass at Harkness Chapel (on the CWRU campus) the morning of Friday, Nov. 8th and then join Good Company on Sunday, November 10th for Hold Fast to Dreams, a concert featuring several of his compositions. Sunday’s concert will be at 4:00 p.m. at Lakewood Presbyterian Church (14502 Detroit Road) in Lakewood. Many of you know that I direct Good Company, and several UUCC members and friends sing with the group as well, including Amy Collins, Anne and Steve Sanford, and Holly Walker. Click here for more information about these events – I hope to see you there!
Song: Filled with Loving Kindness – Hayes/Riddell
Based on a traditional Buddhist meditation, “Filled with Loving Kindness” was written in 2001 by UU Minister and Musician Ian Riddell (b.1968) for the installation of Rev. Mark W. Hayes (b. 1949) at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County in State College, Pennsylvania. The song is #1031 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook.
Song: O Hear, My People – Lewandowski/Nachman
#219 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “O Hear, My People” is based on words from Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), an Eastern European rabbi who is best known as the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement and for his talent for parables, many of which were based upon Eastern European folktales he had learned in his youth. The music for “O Hear, My People” is from Polish composer and violinist Leon (Louis) Lewandowski (1821-1894), who composed many of the melodies that are now staples of synagogue music across Europe and North America.
Centering Music: Daoona Nayeesh – Warmbrand/Badri
#1032 in Singing the Journey, “Daoona Nayeesh” is the inspiration of a Muslim residing in the United States, Samir Badri (b. 1952). Samir recruited Jewish composer Ted Warmbrand (b. 1943) to set his words to a tune, after they were both featured at a Peace rally in Arizona before the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan and then Iraq. The song is structured musically to allow for people who have never sung in Arabic to do so, in echo fashion. It was first sung with a rippling banjo accompaniment, then a cappella, then with percussion, and then with a band made up of musicians from Morocco and Saudi Arabia who formed to play for the Tucson Jewish Muslim Peace Walk of 2004. (from uua.org)
Translated from Arabic, Badri’s words are as follows:
Let us live in peace. Let us live in inner peace. Let us weave our dreams together. Let us die in peace.
Offertory Music: V’asu Li Mikdash – Siegel
“V’asu Li Mikdash” is a song by Hanna Tiferet Siegel (b. 1940), a spiritual guide and Rabbi of the renewal Judaism, notably the first woman to receive the title of Eshet Hazon (woman of vision). Siegel’s music bridges the divide between traditional and contemporary, and she continues to promote Jewish feminism through her music and spiritual teachings. The English translation of “V’asu Li Mikdash” is:
Make sacred space for me to dwell, and I will be with you.
Song: Spirit of Life – McDade
“Spirit of Life” is #123 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal and is a favorite hymn of many UUs. The composer of “Spirit of Life”, Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), describes herself as “a songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist” (carolynmcdademusic.com). Originally, McDade was reluctant to see “Spirit of Life” included in our hymnal, as she thinks of her song as a personal and living prayer as opposed to a hymn. Despite her misgivings at the time, “Spirit of Life” has become the most frequently sung hymn within UU congregations around the world – many UUs know the words by heart, and some of our sister churches sing this song together every Sunday.
Postlude: The Fire of Commitment – Shelton
Jason Shelton is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, song and worship leader, workshop presenter, and coach. He served as the Associate Minister for Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, Tennessee from 1998-2017, and is now engaged in a music ministry at-large, focused on serving the musical resource needs of UU (and other liberal) congregations around the country (from jasonsheltonmusic.com). The Fire of Commitment (#1028) is one of many contributions Rev. Shelton has made to our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The unrest of its irregular meter and the insistent rhythmic pulse drive home the call to action that is at the core of the song’s message.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director