Music Notes – Sunday, May 31st:
This Sunday’s musicians are Becky Burns, Amy Collins, David Collins, Ian Nelson, Drew Watkins, Molly Watkins, Sophie Watkins, and UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Centering Music: Dear Theodosia – Miranda
“Dear Theodosia” is a song from Hamilton: An American Musical, a Broadway show about the life of Alexander Hamilton. The book and score for Hamilton were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980), and the show uses an innovative hybrid approach to music and storytelling, incorporating elements of hip-hop, pop, soul, and R&B, along with traditional-style show tunes and dialogue. Miranda and the show’s producers have also been intentional about casting non-white actors as American Founding Fathers and other historical figures. The show received wide critical acclaim and was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, winning 11, including Best Musical. Hamilton has been a smash commercial hit since its 2015 debut, and is currently running in New York, Chicago, London and with multiple touring productions.
Special Music: I Know It’s Today – Tesori and Lindsay-Abaire
“I Know It’s Today” is a song from Shrek the Musical, a 2008 stage adaptation of the hit 2001 animated film Shrek. The song was written by composer/arranger Jeanine Tesori (b. 1961) with lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (b. 1969). In the musical, the song is performed by three actors, playing the part of Princess Fiona as a child, a teenager, and an adult. This Sunday, you’ll hear a multigenerational performance of this song by four members of the same family: Drew and Sophie Watkins, along with their mom Molly Watkins, accompanied by Molly’s mom Becky Burns.
Song: Building a New Way – Sandefer
Martha Sandefer (b. 1952) is an American vocalist and composer who is currently involved with the Work o’ the Weavers project. She wrote “Building a New Way” in 1986 and her song was later arranged by Jim Scott (b. 1946) and included as #1017 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook.
Joys and Concerns Music: Proud of the House We Built – Dunn, McBride, and Green
“Proud of the House We Built” was a 2007 hit for Brooks & Dunn, reaching number four on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart as the first release from their tenth studio album, Cowboy Town. The song was co-written by Ronnie Dunn (who sang lead vocals on the recording) along with Terry McBride and Marv Green. The song’s lyrics describe some of the difficulties overcome by a young couple who are starting a family.
Special Music: The Gift of Love – English folk melody/Hopson
“The Gift of Love” is a song by American composer and performer Hal Hopson (1933-2025), who is primarily known for hymns and other sacred music. Hopson’s words are an adaptation of I Corinthians 13, the well-known love passage from Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians which is often read at wedding ceremonies. The tune for this hymn is “O Waly Waly”, a flowing folk melody from the British Isles which dates back at least 400 years, and is most commonly set as “The Water Is Wide”. This well-loved tune has been set for voices and instruments hundreds of times, both by traditional composers (such as Benjamin Britten and John Rutter) and folk musicians (Pete Seeger and Joan Baez among many others). This Sunday, “The Gift of Love” will be sung by UUCC’s own Amy Collins, accompanied on guitar by her brother David Collins, who is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays in a number of performing groups.
Special Music: Hey Jude – McCartney
“Hey Jude” was the first Beatles song to be issued as a standalone (non-album) single when it was released in August of 1968. The song became a #1 hit and the top-selling single of the year in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. “Hey Jude” began as “Hey Jules”, a song Paul McCartney (b. 1942) wrote to comfort John Lennon’s young son Julian in the wake of Lennon’s divorce from Julian’s mother Cynthia Powell Lennon. This Sunday, “Hey Jude” will be performed on guitar by UUCC youth Ian Nelson, accompanied by Karin Tooley on piano.
Song: Blue Boat Home – Mayer/Prichard
A native of Minnesota, folk musician Peter Mayer (b. 1963) is a guitarist and songwriter who specializes in earth-centered music. UU congregations know and love Peter as the lyricist behind “Blue Boat Home”, which first appeared on Mayer’s album The Great Story and is #1064 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The melody Mayer set his inspiring words to is called “Hyfrodol”, a popular Welsh hymn tune credited to Rowland Prichard (1811-1887).
Postlude: Go Now in Peace – Sleeth
A native of Evanston, Illinois, organist and composer Natalie Sleeth (1930-1992) was a prolific and influential voice in American church music of the 20th century. In particular, her songs “Joy in the Morning” and “Hymn of Promise” have both become staples of many North American congregations. Sleeth is also responsible for two of the songs in Singing the Living Tradition: “Voice Still and Small” (#391) and “Go Now in Peace” (#413), which our youth have chosen as the postlude for this Sunday’s service.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director