Moises Borges CDs and hats are available now!
If you enjoyed the concert on the lawn earlier this month with Moises Borges and friends but missed out on your chance to purchase a CD or hat, don’t despair! Just contact UUCC Music Director Mike Carney to get yours today! This is the CD that features our UUCC Chancel Choir members on “Estrela” – supplies are limited, and this is a first-come, first-served opportunity.
Music Notes – Sunday, July 23rd:
This week’s musicians are Becky Burns, Drew Watkins, Molly Watkins, Sophie Watkins, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Hymn: We Are Not Our Own – Hurd/Wren
“We Are Not Our Own” (#317) is one of the lesser-known hymns in Singing the Living Tradition. The words come from British poet, theologist and prolific hymn writer Brian Wren (b. 1936), who is the author of several other hymns in Singing the Living Tradition, including “Name Unnamed”, “Joyful Is the Dark”, and “Love Makes a Bridge”. The arching, hopeful tune for “We Are Not Our Own” was written by Dr. David Hurd (b. 1950), an alumnus of Oberlin College and composer, organist, and educator who currently serves as the Director of Music at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square, New York City.
Centering Music: Meditation on “Slane/Wake Now, My Senses” – Irish folk tune
#298 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Wake Now, My Senses” is a setting of “Slane”, an Irish folk song that is commonly associated with “Be Thou My Vision” (which is also in our hymnal as #20). “Slane” is named for a hill in County Meath, Ireland, where St. Patrick’s lighting of an Easter fire – an act of defiance against the 5th Century pagan king Loegaire – led to his unlimited freedom to preach the gospel in Ireland.
Offertory Music: Take Care of our Earth – Stamegna
Cathy Stamegna has been composing since the age of eight. She studied Theory and Composition at the University of Delaware and has also completed graduate studies in education. Her focus lies in vocal, choral, piano, and small instrumental ensemble arrangements. She is a piano teacher and church musician in Northern Delaware (from jwpepper.com). Written in 2020, “Take Care of Our Earth” is a choral/piano piece with an environmental focus. This anthem will be played/sung in this week’s service by four members of the Watkins/Burns family.
Closing Song: Standing Like a Tree – Kaur
Snatam Kaur Khalsa (b. 1972), who is more commonly known as Snatam Kaur, is an American musician, composer, activist, and author who writes and performs new age Indian devotional music and kirtan. Her surname Kaur, literally meaning “princess”, is shared by all female Sikhs. First published and recorded in 2013, “Standing Like a Tree” is one of her best-known songs.
Postlude: This Little Light of Mine – African American Spiritual
“This Little Light of Mine” is an African American gospel song whose origins are unknown. The song first began appearing in church and school settings during the 1920s and 1930s. Interestingly, the first few known instances of the song being performed are scattered around the United States, from Illinois to Texas to Montana to Missouri, so we cannot even say with any certainty in which particular city or region the song originated. Today, “This Little Light of Mine” is sung all over the world and is found in dozens of hymnals, including our own Singing the Living Tradition (#118).
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director
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