Music Notes – Sunday, November 30th:
This Sunday’s musician is UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
Centering Music: The Butterfly Lovers (Gang and Zhanhao, transcribed by Karin Tooley)
Based on the ancient legend of the same name, The Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto is among the best-known Chinese orchestral works. The music was co-written in 1959 by He Zhanhao (b. 1933) and Chen Gang (b. 1935) while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Most of the melodic and harmonic material in the concerto uses the pentatonic (5-note) scale that is prevalent in much of the traditional folk music from East Asia. The adaptation of the work for solo piano you’ll hear on Sunday is by UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Song: We Gather Together – Valerius/Senghas/Dutch folk melody
Found in the hymnals of dozens of denominations, “We Gather Together” is among the most familiar and well-loved hymns within Singing the Living Tradition – in fact, it appears twice (with lyric variations) in our hymnbook, as #67 and #349. The hymn tune, known as “Kremser”, is derived from a Dutch folk melody called “Ey, wilder den wilt”, which dates to at least the 16th century. The words for “We Gather Together” were originally written by Dutch poet Adrianus Valerius (c. 1575-1625) in celebration of a 1597 Dutch victory over the Spanish force that had been occupying The Netherlands. That victory resulted in liberation from an order by Spanish King Philip II that had prohibited Dutch Protestants from worshipping with one another. Many years later, Dutch settlers brought their beloved song to the new world, and the hymn gained popularity in the United States, particularly at the end of World War II when American families were especially grateful to be reunited. The adapted words we’ll sing on Sunday were written by two Unitarian Universalists, Dorothy Caiger Senghas and Rev. Robert Sengas.
Special Music: Placid Lake and Autumn Moon – Wecheng, arr. Tooley
“Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake” was written in the 1930s by Chinese composer and musician Lü Wencheng (1898-1981) during a visit he made to the famous West Lake near the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Lü was considered a master of Cantonese music and Guangdong folk music and he incorporated elements of folk music within this work, which is meant to express the serenity and natural beauty of the lake which inspired its composition.
Offertory Music: Tranquil Mountain with Birds Singing – Traditional Chinese melody, arr. Tooley
“Tranquil Mountain with Birds Singing” is a traditional folksong, believed to have originated in the Hunan province of China. The arrangement and performance of this song featured on Sunday are both by UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Song: Sing Out Praises for the Journey – DeWolfe/Purcell
#295 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Sing Out Praises for the Journey” was written by UU Minister, author, and activist Mark DeWolfe (1953-1988), who was a staunch AIDS activist and Canada’s first openly gay minister. The tune DeWolfe’s words are set to was written by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Purcell’s melody is commonly known as “Westminster Abbey” and is an excerpt from a larger choral anthem called O God, Thou Art My God, written by Purcell in 1680.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director