Music Notes – Sunday, January 4th:
This Sunday’s musician is UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Centering Music: La cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral) – Debussy
French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is considered the father of musical Impressionism, although Debussy himself disliked the idea of being categorized as a composer. Throughout his career, Debussy wrote music for a wide variety of performing forces, and his nontraditional use of harmony played a vital role in ushering in a new era of music at the turn of the 20th century. First published in 1910 within Debussy’s first book of piano preludes, “La cathédrale engloutie” (The Sunken Cathedral) is a quintessential example of musical Impressionism, where the composer uses musical means to arouse a non-musical idea in the mind of the listener. In the case of “La cathédrale engloutie”, Debussy is evoking the ancient Breton myth of a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, which – according to legend – rises out of the sea on clear mornings. The composer begins by employing open fifths to represent the sound of far-off bells, and then the overall dynamic, melodic, and harmonic arc of the piece reflects the idea of the grand cathedral rising out of, and eventually sinking back into the waves.
Song: My Life Flows on in Endless Song – Lowry
“How Can I Keep from Singing?” is a southern American hymn tune that was once thought to be of Quaker origin but is now believed to have been written by Baptist minister and hymn writer Robert Lowry (1826-1899). The hymn was first published in 1858 and has since become one of the most familiar and best-loved hymn melodies within dozens of different denominations, including Unitarian Universalism (#108 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnbook).
Special Music: Improvisation on “Just as Long as I Have Breath” – Ebeling, arr. Tooley
#6 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Just as Long as I Have Breath” is a song based on Johann Ebeling’s (1637-1676) traditional hymn tune “Nicht So Traurig” (“Not So Sad”), with words by UU songwriter and activist Alicia S. Carpenter (1930-2021). This Sunday, UUCC pianist will play her own improvisation around Ebeling’s tune.
Offertory Music: You Will Know – Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (b. 1950), more commonly known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American songwriter and musician. Since beginning his professional career at age 11, Wonder has achieved great commercial success (over 100 million records sold, including 30 U.S. top ten hits) and critical acclaim (25 Grammy Awards, among many other accolades). Wonder is also a noted advocate for social justice, both within his music and in his active support of worthy causes. “You Will Know” is the opening track on Wonder’s 1987 album Characters, and the song rose to #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart, becoming the 20th Stevie Wonder song to achieve that distinction.
Song: The Fire of Commitment – Shelton
Jason Shelton (b. 1972) 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.
Postlude: Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall – Simon
“Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall” was written by 16-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Simon (b. 1941). The song was written by Simon in 1965 and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, who included it in their third studio album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, which was released in October of 1966.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director