Music Notes – Sunday, Nov. 2nd:
This Sunday’s musicians are Aaron Burkle, Andria Hoy, The Chancel Choir and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Centering Music: Words of Amber – Arnalds
Ólafur Arnalds (b. 1986) is an Icelandic composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose career has spanned many musical genres. He began his musical journey as a drummer for several European hard rock and punk bands, but soon moved into writing and producing his own music, which ranged from rock to electropop to new age and contemporary classical. Arnalds’ career took a turn in 2013 when he was asked to compose music for the British television series Broadchurch. After his Broadchurch score won the 2014 BAFTA TV Craft Award for Best Original Music, Arnalds was in demand as a soundtrack composer, and he has since written scores for numerous other projects and received a number of additional awards and nominations. Composed in 2013, “Words of Amber” was originally released on Arnalds’ third studio album For Now I Am Winter.
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.
Special Music: Spirit, Moving Over Chaos – White
A native of Texas, David Ashley White (b. 1944), is a composer, music educator, and performer who currently serves as Professor of Composition and the C. W. Moores, Jr. Endowed Professor of Music in the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, and as Composer-in-Residence at Houston’s Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church. White has received many accolades and rewards throughout his career, including the 2015 Raabe Prize for Excellence in Sacred Composition for “Spirit, Moving Over Chaos”, an unusual choral work with aleatoric elements that ensure no two performances of the song will be alike. “Spirit, Moving Over Chaos” will be sung by our Chancel Choir this Sunday, accompanied by UUCC’s own Lucy Carney (organ), Aaron Burkle (percussion) and Andria Hoy (oboe).
Offertory Music: Homeward Bound – Keen Thompson
American composer, performer and music educator Marta Keen Thompson (b. 1953) has been an active and well-respected figure in the choral music scene since the 1980s. She has directed a number of ensembles in the western United States and is currently based in Las Vegas. She originally wrote “Homeward Bound” as an art song for tenor and piano as a gift to a friend. It has since been arranged for a variety of performing forces and has become a staple of modern choral repertoire and has been recorded by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and many other ensembles. This Sunday, “Homeward Bound” will be sung by UUCC’s Tenor-Bass Ensemble, accompanied by Pam Schenk.
Song: Love, Come Take Me Home – Hardin/Elicker
Clif Hardin (b. 1955) has lived in the Washington, D.C. area most of his life, and has served as music director for many opera and music theatre productions through the years. More importantly, he started working as Music Director at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in 1983, thinking it would be steady employment until his “real job” came along. Gradually, River Road became his main focus. There, he works with the adult choir and three youth choirs. He regularly arranges and composes for those groups as well as composing piano music for services. “Love, Come Take Me Home” was co-created in 2018 by Clif along with lyricist Jan Elicker (b. 1955), and the song is now a part of the UUA’s new Sing Out Love virtual hymnal.
Postlude: Life Calls Us On – Shelton
Jason Shelton (b. 1972) is an award-winning composer, arranger, conductor, song and worship leader, workshop presenter, and coach. He served as the Associate Minister for Music at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, Tennessee from 1998-2017, and is now engaged in a music ministry at-large, focused on serving the musical resource needs of UU (and other liberal) congregations around the country (from jasonsheltonmusic.com). “Life Calls Us On” was commissioned in 2010 by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and it has become a favorite in many UU congregations across the United States. This Sunday, “Life Calls Us On” will be led by UUCC Music Director Mike Carney and our Chancel Choir, accompanied by Aaron Burkle on drums and Lucy Carney at the piano.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director