Music Notes – Sunday, February 16th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Chancel Choir and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Song: In My Quiet Sorrow (Gagné)
Written by UU musician, educator, and performer Jeannie Gagné (b. 1960), “In My Quiet Sorrow” (#1006 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook) was written to acknowledge the concerns or sorrows in our hearts that sometimes go unexpressed—with a prayer for support, love, and guidance. We all have times in our lives that are challenging; sometimes we need to ask for help, but we don’t quite know how or when to reach out. This song was selected for this Sunday’s service because it speaks to the work of our community ministers, Rev. Rina Shere and Rev. Kristy Stuart, who are leading our worship this week. (includes material from uua.org)
Centering Music: Lament in Tremolo Form (Almeida)
Laurindo Almeida (1917-1995) was a Brazilian composer, guitarist, and pianist. He was primarily self-taught and his compositions and performing style were influenced both by his Afro-Brazilian heritage and by traditional classical and jazz music. Almeida wrote more than 1,000 original works during his career, and he was the recipient of many honors, including five Grammy Awards. Originally written in 1967 as a piece for solo guitar, “Lament in Tremolo Form” is one of Almeida’s best-loved compositions.
Offertory Music: Love Psalm – Meader
Written in 2008, “Love Psalm” is a ballad composed by American jazz performer, educator and performer Darmon Meader (b. 1945). Meader is well respected as a saxophonist, but is better known in the world of vocal jazz as a performer, clinician and founding member of the critically acclaimed vocal jazz group New York Voices.
Special Music: Comfort Me (Bornstein-Doble)
#1002 in our Singing the Journey hymnal, “Comfort Me” was written in 1995 by American UU director, performer, and composer Mimi Bornstein-Doble (b. 1964), who currently serves as director of music ministries at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia. In the composer’s own words, the song “was written on a day when I wasn’t doing my life very well or very gracefully. My partner and I were being quite snarly with each other; I didn’t want to be around people and was generally feeling intolerant. I was in no mood to be nice, loving, or anything of the sort. We were visiting friends who lived on a mountaintop in Northern California. The house had no power or running water, but, luckily for me, I did have a baby grand piano in fairly good tune. (It was glossy white, no less. I kept expecting Liberace to walk in). Music has always had the ability to take me out of myself (or more into myself as the case may be). It was in this spirit that I went to the piano that day. I sat there for a while and just let my fingers wander around the keys. After a while, a chord progression presented itself. As I began to feel better, I decided to ask for guidance in how to get out of the terrible mood I had succumbed to. And then came the words. They were a combination of a prayer and a plea. As I began to believe the words that I was singing, I was able to lighten up and find compassion for myself, then my partner, then the others we were with. I continued to sing the song to myself until I felt ready to carry that gentle, compassionate energy with me.” (includes material from uua.org)
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).
Postlude: We Walk in Love – Witkowski & Colon
“We Walk in Love” was written in 2017 by jazz pianist/composer Deanna Witkowski with lyrics from poet and author Lemuel Colon. The song was composed for The Justice Choir Songbook, an online resource that activists and musicians have been using for the last several years to support causes of racial, social, and environmental justice around the world. In the composer’s own words: “In early 2017, I responded to a call for scores for a new collection of social justice songs being curated by Abbie Betinis, Tesfa Wondemagegnhehu, and Ahmed Anzaldúa. The songs to be selected as part of a new movement called Justice Choir would be offered free of charge for anyone to sing for non-commercial use: at concerts, marches, protests, and in houses of worship…I immediately responded by sitting down at the piano. I wrote and harmonized a simple tune in 3/4- not rangy, no big jumps, something that everyone could sing. Next, I went to my living room couch with a large sketchbook on my lap. I started writing lists of nouns: ‘love, purpose, voice, compassion, truth, bridge, justice, kindness’. Then I pulled out the text to James Weldon Johnson’s hymn, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’, and started adding more nouns: ‘hope, faith’…my boyfriend sat with me when I got stuck on a phrase or two and contributed to the lyric. We sang the three verses to each other multiple times before I returned to the piano and recorded myself singing and playing the song, ‘We Walk in Love’. I wrote out a lead sheet and emailed it along with the recording to Abbie. Soon I received a reply: ‘We love your harmony! Can you write a four-part SATB version?’ I scored the song for four parts and sent it back, hoping that it would be selected. ‘We Walk in Love’ made the cut and became one of 43 free-to-download songs in The Justice Choir Songbook. (from deannawitkowski.com)
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director