Music Notes – Sunday, November 15th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Chancel Choir, The Treble Ensemble, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Centering Music: Adagio molto (II) from The Four Seasons: Autumn – Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer of the Baroque period. Vivaldi composed operas, choral music, and many types of instrumental works, but the work he is best known for today is his 1723 set of violin concerti known as The Four Seasons, in which each of the seasons is represented by a mini-suite of three movements. Sunday’s Centering Music will be the second movement of the “Autumn” section (Op. 8, RV 293). The Four Seasons is one of the earliest examples of a composer representing non-musical ideas using music alone, with no acted narrative, sung lyrics, or pictures. This technique, known as program music, would become very popular among European composers during the mid-19th century, more than 100 years after Vivaldi wrote his most famous concerto.
Song: Circle `Round for Freedom – Hirschhorn
#155 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnbook, “Circle ‘Round for Freedom” (also known as “Circle Chant”) was written in 1985 by Linda Hirschhorn (b. 1947). A native of New York City, Ms. Hirschhorn is a contemporary composer and performer who specializes in folk music and songs celebrating feminism and her Jewish faith. She is also the founder and director of the contemporary women’s a cappella ensemble Vocolot.
Joys and Concerns Music: The Gift to Be Simple – Brackett, arr. Chilcott
Bob Chilcott (b. 1955), described by The Observer as “a contemporary hero of British Choral Music”, has become one of the most widely performed composers of choral music in the world. His music has been recorded by many groups including Tenebrae, The Cambridge Singers, The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge and The Choir of Westminster Abbey. (from bobchilcott.com). Mr. Chilcott was a member of The King’s Singers for several years and wrote his version of the Shaker hymn “The Gift to Be Simple” in 1989 for that group. His arrangement juxtaposes the traditional hymn tune with close harmonies, syncopated rhythms and meter changes that are hallmarks of contemporary music.
Offertory Music: To Walk in the Light – Lange
A native of Texas, composer and conductor Kinley Lange (b. 1950) has worked with and composed music for virtually every type of choral ensemble, and is the founder and former artistic director of the Austin ProChorus. Lange wrote “To Walk in the Light” for a cappella treble voices in 2020, and this Sunday, you’ll hear this piece sung by UUCC’s Treble Ensemble.
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.
Postlude: All Together We Are Love – Gimon
Katerina Gimon (b. 1993) is an award-winning Canadian composer, arranger, and lyricist whose dynamic, poignant, and eclectic compositional style has earned her a reputation as a distinctive voice in contemporary choral, orchestral, and vocal music. Her works are performed regularly by ensembles around the world and she has been commissioned by leading ensembles including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Choir of Canada, and re:Naissance Opera. She currently serves as Composer-in-Residence for Myriad Ensemble and lives and works as a freelance composer in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Gimon originally wrote “All Together We Are Love” in 2017 for the Elektra Women’s Choir and later adapted the work for mixed voices. In the words of the composer: “This upbeat work relays a simple and important message — that all together we make the world a more beautiful place.” (includes material from katerinagimon.com)
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director