Music Notes – Sunday, October 13th:
This Sunday’s musicians are Abs Burkle, Alicia Burkle, Astrid Burkle, UUCC Music Director Mike Carney, and The Treble Ensemble
Song: Circle `Round for Freedom – Hirschhorn
#155 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnbook, “Circle ‘Round for Freedom” (also known as “Circle Chant”) was written in 1985 by Linda Hirschhorn (b. 1947). A native of New York City, Ms. Hirschhorn is a contemporary composer and performer who specializes in folk music and songs celebrating feminism and her Jewish faith. She is also the founder and director of the contemporary women’s a cappella ensemble Vocolot. In this week’s service, the song will be led by UUCC’s Treble Ensemble.
Song: Spirit of Life – McDade
“Spirit of Life” is #123 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal and is a favorite hymn of many UUs. The composer of “Spirit of Life”, Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), describes herself as “a songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist” (carolynmcdademusic.com). Originally, McDade was reluctant to see “Spirit of Life” included in our hymnal, as she thinks of her song as a personal and living prayer as opposed to a hymn. Despite her misgivings at the time, “Spirit of Life” has become the most frequently sung hymn within UU congregations around the world – many UUs know the words by heart, and some of our sister churches sing this song together every Sunday.
Centering Music: Antigua Cancion – Rasmussen Collins/Alarcón
Choral conductor, composer, and educator Kirstina Rasmussen Collins grew up in the Midwest singing in school choirs and writing pop songs. She studied composition at USC’s Thornton School of Music and Boston University, and has had commissions, premieres and performances of her choral works by the Harvard Glee Club, San Francisco Choral Society, and Peninsula Women’s Chorus, among other ensembles. (includes material from Santa Barbara Music Publishing). Written in the style of an art song, “Antigua Cancion” is a setting of poetry from Francisco X. Alarcón (1954-2016), a Mexican-American poet and author whose prolific output includes poetry and books for children and adults, including From the Other Side of the Night (2002) and Poems to Dream Together (2005), and incorporates influences from Latino and gay identity, mythology, the Nahuatl language, Mesoamerican history, and American culture. The translation of Alarcón’s words as you’ll hear them sung this Sunday by our Treble Ensemble are as follows:
each of us carries in our chest a song
so old we don’t know if we learned it
some night between the murmurs of fallen kisses
our lips surprise us when we voice
this song that is singing and crying at once
Offertory Music: Be Thankful You’re You – Jones
Arkansas native Fern Jones (1923–1996) was an American singer and guitarist who was best known for traditional gospel music, which she blended with elements of country and rockabilly. Jones left home at a young age to pursue her music career, touring the Southern tent revival circuit with her husband and musical partner Raymond Jones. Fern and Ray recorded several LPs together, but the only one that received any widespread release was Singing a Happy Song, released in 1959 on Dot Records, and re-released in 2005 as Fern Jones/The Glory Road. Many of that album’s tracks were traditional gospel tunes, but “Be Thankful You’re You” was a Fern Jones original. This Sunday, you’ll hear this near-forgotten American song sung by UUCC’s own Astrid Burkle, accompanied by her mom Alicia.
Song: How Could Anyone – Roderick
Libby Roderick (b. 1958) is a singer-songwriter and activist from Alaska. Her song “How Could Anyone” (#1053 in Singing the Journey) was written in response to a friend in pain. It has been heard around the world, translated into many languages, and is reprinted in many books. The simple folk tune and words have been embraced by people with many types of pain, from AIDS orphans to cancer survivors and prisoners. The lyrics have been used for healing in many different settings, including churches, hospitals, shelters, rallies, weddings, and funerals. (from uua.org)
Closing Song: Blue Boat Home – Mayer/Prichard
A native of Minnesota, folk musician Peter Mayer (b. 1963) is a guitarist and songwriter who specializes in earth-centered music. UU congregations know and love Peter as the lyricist behind “Blue Boat Home”, which first appeared on Mayer’s album The Great Story and is #1064 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The melody Mayer set his inspiring words to is called “Hyfrodol”, a popular Welsh hymn tune credited to Rowland Prichard (1811-1887).
Postlude: A Change Is Gonna Come – Cooke
Written and originally performed by Sam Cooke (1931-1964), “A Change Is Gonna Come” is one of the most significant songs in the history of American music. The song first appeared on Cooke’s 1964 album Ain’t That Good News, and was inspired by Cooke’s experiences as a person of color, especially a 1963 incident when he and his entourage were refused entry to a motel in Shreveport, Louisiana because of their race. The song’s original release only met with modest success, but “A Change Is Gonna Come” is now thought of as Cooke’s signature song, becoming an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and meeting with near-universal acclaim by music critics and historians. In 2005, “A Change Is Gonna Come” was voted number 12 by representatives of the music industry and press in Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, it made NPR’s list of “The 300 Most Important Songs Ever Recorded”, and the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress in 2007. The words “A change is gonna come” are inscribed on a wall of the Contemplative Court, a space for reflection in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Cooke’s lyrics were famously quoted by Barack Obama in his acceptance speech after winning the U.S. Presidential Election in 2008. “A Change Is Gonna Come” has also been covered and sampled by many other artists, including Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Céline Dion, and Seal. This Sunday, you’ll hear this iconic tune sung by UUCC’s own Abs Burkle, accompanied by Alicia Burkle.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director