Music Notes – Sunday, April 12th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Treble Ensemble, UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Centering Music: Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon
One of the true signature anthems of American popular music, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was written by Paul Simon (b. 1941) in January of 1970 and released as a single later the same year on the Simon and Garfunkel album of the same name. The song would become the biggest hit for Simon and Garfunkel, staying at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 6 weeks, and winning five 1971 Grammy Awards, including both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. To date, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, has been sung and recorded by Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, and dozens of other artists, and was ranked number 48 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Song: Come, Sing a Song with Me – McDade
#346 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “Come, Sing a Song with Me” is a well-known and beloved hymn for thousands of Unitarian Universalists. The words and music were written by Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), a self-described songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist. McDade is also the composer of two other UU favorites: “Spirit of Life” and “We’ll Build a Land”.
Music: Hope is the Thing with Feathers – HOYO-MiX
HOYO-MiX is a musical group and studio which creates musical content for video games produced by the Chinese gaming company miHoYo. HOYO-MiX was originally guided by contemporary Chinese composer Chen Yupeng (b. 1984) but has since become a collaborative, team-based enterprise where no one composer is credited with the creation of any given work. Named for and inspired by the poem of the same name by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” was featured in the 2023 role-playing space fantasy game Honkai: Star Rail.
Offertory Music: Be Still and Breathe (Labarr/Silvestri)
Colorado native Loretta K. Notareschi (b. 1977) is a composer, professor of music at Regis University, and faculty member of The Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat. With her music, she seeks to foster compassion, connection, and meaning. She is a member of First Universalist Church of Denver, where she sings in the choir. Her work spans diverse ensembles and has been performed internationally, from small churches to Carnegie Hall. “Be Still and Breathe” is a meditative song intended to help the listener hear and honor their own feelings, whether they’re difficult or joyous. With its lyrics “Be still and breathe” and “Be still and be,” it encourages being peaceful and present with one’s current experience, without resistance or judgment. (includes material from singoutlove.org)
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: Look Inside – Morris
“Look Inside” is a gospel-inspired song about finding your way in difficult times, written by award-winning performer and composer Lea Morris (b. 1978), also known simply as LEA. Born in Baltimore to a father who toured the world playing trumpet in the funk band Black Heat and a mother who dreamed of opera while performing with her siblings in the Jones Family Gospel Singers, LEA was singing on the pulpit of the Baptist church where she grew up as soon she could speak. When she discovered the acoustic guitar as a teenager, she began teaching herself to play by writing songs. LEA’s final year in high school in Germany at a classical conservatory, where she sang with the jazz ensemble Black & White and co-wrote with the British pop trio Indigo Wild. Having shared the stage with luminaries including Odetta, Mavis Staples, Dar Williams and Anthony Hamilton, LEA performs at a far-ranging array of venues, including arts centers, universities, festivals, places of worship and beyond. She performs solo and with her band, The Moment. (includes material from thisislea.com)
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director