Music Notes – Sunday, January 28th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Women’s Ensemble and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney.
Opening Hymn: #318 We Would Be One – Sibelius/Wright
This Sunday’s opening hymn will be #318 “We Would Be One”, one of two hymns in Singing the Living Tradition built around the Finlandia melody, borrowed from a 1900 tone poem of the same name by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The words you’ll be singing this Sunday were written by Unitarian minister Samuel Anthony Wright (1919-2016) for Unitarian and Universalist youth at their Continental Convention of 1953-54. Matching the sentiment of the hymn, that convention resulted in the youth of our two parent faiths merging to become the Liberal Religious Youth of the United States and Canada, nearly 10 years before the official creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961.
Centering Music: Be Ours a Religion – Benjamin/Parker
Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940) is a celebrated UU composer and retired professor of music theory and composition. Dr. Benjamin is a frequent contributor to both Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey. “Be Ours a Religion” (#1058 in Singing the Journey) is a musical setting of the famous words by Unitarian minister Theodore Parker (1810-1860).
Offertory Music: O Ye Who Taste That Love Is Sweet – Tisserant/Rossetti, arr. Carney
“O Ye Who Taste That Love Is Sweet” (#296) is one of the lesser-known hymns (to most UU congregations) found in Singing the Living Tradition. The tune, known as “O Filii et Filiae”, dates back to 15th-century France, and is believed to have been written by Franciscan friar Jean Tisserand (?-1497). The melody has been published in well over 100 hymnals of various faiths, and is most commonly set to the Easter hymn “Ye sons and daughters of the King”. In Singing the Living Tradition, this ancient French tune is set to words from English poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). This Sunday, you’ll hear an arrangement of this melody for treble voices by UUCC Music Director Mike Carney, sung by UUCC’s Women’s Ensemble.
Closing Hymn: #1017 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: One Foot/Lead With Love – DeMore
Melanie DeMore has traveled the world, was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and is constantly amazed by her life. But nothing is closer to Melanie’s heart than bringing people together wherever she is to experience the healing power of music. Melanie has been a formidable presence onstage at such noted venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, international folk music festivals from Europe to Cuba to New Zealand. She has shared the stage with some of the world’s most notable musicians and political activists from Gloria Steinem, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and Judy Collins to Ed Asner, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and Ani DiFranco. (from melaniedemore.com) Written in 2016, “Lead With Love” is one of Melanie’s best-known songs and is a favorite of her audiences whenever she performs. In the composer’s own words: “I was inspired by the great movements that were started out of the love their people, not out of the hatred of others.” UUCC is proud to be bringing Melanie to Cleveland in May of 2024 to join us for a weekend of song and fellowship. Watch this space for more information!
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director