Music Notes – Sunday, February 8th:
This Sunday’s musician is UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Centering Music: Nocturne – Tooley
This Sunday’s Centering Music will be a Karin Tooley original, titled “Nocturne”. Nocturnes (or notturni) are short single-movement character pieces, usually written for piano, evocative of or inspired by the night. The practice of writing nocturnes dates to the mid-18th century and is still a frequently used creative outlet to this day. Composers whose have written in this form include Chopin, Mozart, Fauré, Scriabin, and Bartók, among many others.
Song: There’s a River Flowin’ in my Soul – Sanders
“There’s a River Flowin’ in My Soul” is #1007 in our Singing the Journey hymnal. It was composed by Rose Sanders (b. 1945), who is a civil rights attorney, activist and creative artist living in Selma, Alabama. Ms. Sanders was Alabama’s first African American female judge, and she has co-founded and works to support many organizations which protect children.
Special Music: The Long and Winding Road – McCartney
Appropriately enough, “The Long and Winding Road” was the last of the twenty songs that became number 1 hits for The Beatles in the United States. Although John Lennon received album credit as a co-writer of the song, it was written entirely by Paul McCartney, who composed “The Long and Winding Road” as a reflection on the musical journey he had taken with the other members of The Beatles, whose breakup felt inevitable to McCartney at the time. The song was recorded for Let It Be, the Beatles’ final studio album, and was released as a single in May of 1970, a month after the band publicly announced their breakup. The lush orchestration and choir heard on the final version of the song were both added by producer Phil Spector without McCartney’s knowledge or consent. McCartney tried unsuccessfully to prevent Spector’s arrangement from making it to the album, and has since released his own stripped-down version of the song.
Offertory Music: Present Tense – Gonzales
Grammy-Award winner Chilly Gonzales (b. 1972 as Jason Charles Beck) is a Canadian pianist and composer. His compositional style blends elements of classical, jazz, and pop music and has earned him international success and acclaim. He has collaborated with an eclectic mix of other artists, including Daft Punk, Peaches, Drake, and the Kaiser Quartett. “Present Tense” is from Gonzales’ 2018 album Solo Piano III.
Song: We’ll Build a Land – McDade and Zanotti
“We’ll Build a Land” (Singing the Living Tradition #121) is one of the best-known and most beloved UU Hymns. The song was written by Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), a self-described songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist, who is also the composer of other UU favorites like “Spirit of Life”, “Come, Sing a Song with Me”, and “Rising Green”. The words, written by Barbara Zanotti, are paraphrased from the Old Testament books of Amos and Isaiah.
Postlude: Defying Gravity – Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948) is an American composer and recipient of numerous honors, including multiple Grammy and Academy Awards. Schwartz is best known for his contributions to musical theatre, famously including the Broadway scores to Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972) and Wicked (2003). “Defying Gravity” is the showstopping Act I finale of Wicked, sung by the main character Elphaba when she realizes she will no longer accept the limitations others have imposed upon her.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director