Music Notes – Sunday, March 16th:
This Sunday’s musicians are Aaron Burkle, The Chancel Choir, The Treble Ensemble, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Prelude: Come, Come, Whoever You Are – Ungar/Rumi
#188 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “Come, Come, Whoever You Are” has been a favorite gathering song for many years in thousands of UU worship services and events. The words, welcoming all without condition or exclusion, are from the renowned 13th century poet and mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273). The overlapping round melody was written by poet, musician and UU minister Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar (b. 1963), who currently serves as minister for lifespan learning and editor of Quest for the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
Song: When I Am Frightened – Denham
“When I Am Frightened” (#1012 in Singing the Journey), also titled “Then I May Learn”, was commissioned in 1999 by the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Because of her lifelong commitment to working with and empowering youth, UU composer Shelley Jackson Denham (1950-2013) took the opportunity to write a piece based on children’s yearning for truth, respect, and engagement with adults. In keeping with a philosophy that “children are watching, what are they learning?”, the song is meant as a reminder that all children deserve and need compassion, acceptance, commitment…and that they often learn to both give and receive these essential elements of relationship through the simple act of observation. (includes material from uua.org)
Centering Music: Old Devil Moon – Lane and Harburg
Originally written for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, “Old Devil Moon” is now thought of as a jazz standard and has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, and hundreds of other artists. The song was co-written by composer Burton Lane (1912-1997) and lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (1896-1981), each of whom was celebrated in their own right before they collaborated on “Old Devil Moon” and the other songs from Finian’s Rainbow.
Offertory Music: The Peace of Wild Things – Szymko/Berry
Joan Szymko (b.1957) is an award-winning composer and conductor from the Pacific Northwest. With a catalog of well over 100 published choral works, her music is performed by ensembles across North America and abroad. In “The Peace of Wild Things”, Szymko creates a setting for mixed chorus and piano of the poem of the same name by American poet, author, and naturalist Wendell Berry (b. 1934).
Song: Love Will Guide Us – Rogers
Sally Rogers is an award-winning folk musician, songwriter, and children’s arts educator. 2019 marked Sally’s 40th year as a songwriter, performer, and educator, and she is still steaming ahead, warming hearts and minds wherever she goes. Her songs “Lovely Agnes” and “Touch of the Master’s Hand” have frequently been mistaken for traditional, while “Love Will Guide Us” and “Circle of the Sun” are now anthems for rituals of passage and protest (from sallyrogers.com). Rogers’ gospel-inspired “Love Will Guide Us” is #131 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal and is a favorite of many UUs.
Postlude: Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie – Ledbetter
Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-1949), better known as Lead Belly, was an American folk/blues performer and songwriter, famous for such songs as “Goodnight, Irene”, “Midnight Special”, and “In the Pines”. Lead Belly first began performing “Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie” in the 1930s and is generally credited as the song’s composer, but many historians believe he adapted a work song that was already commonly sung in Texas and Louisiana during that time and likely originated several decades earlier. Lead Belly would often tell his audiences that his version of the song was about his Uncle Bob, who would call for his wife, Sylvie, to bring him some water when he got thirsty while working in his fields.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director