Music Notes – Sunday, November 19th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Chancel Choir, The Women’s Ensemble, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Hymn: Honey in the Rock – Page
“Honey in the Rock” is a song from the African-American Spiritual tradition, and includes many hallmarks of that style, including call-and-response singing and lyrical themes expressing hope of a better world. The song originated in the southern United States, although no one can say exactly where or when. The first recordings and publications of it began to appear in the 1930s, and like most songs that grew out of the oral tradition, several different variations of the melody and lyrics exist. The arrangement we’ll sing on Sunday is by UU composer, conductor and author Nick Page (b. 1952).
Centering Music: From You I Receive – Segal and Segal
Most UUs are familiar with this short and simple round, which is #402 in Singing the Living Tradition and is used by many UU congregations as their weekly offertory response. What many UUs do not know is that the song was written and performed by two brothers, Joseph and Nathan Segal, who describe themselves as “12th generation singing rabbis”. The Segal brothers had a successful career as both spiritual leaders and entertainers, blending music, humor, and life lessons in their appearances.
Offertory music: So Much – Morris
“So Much” is a song about joy and gratitude, 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)
Closing Hymn: #407 We’re Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table
“The Welcome Table” is an African-American Spiritual. Like most songs of the Spiritual tradition, its exact origins are unknown, but it almost certainly was created by enslaved people and was first published in 1874 by The Hampton Institute. As is the case with many Spirituals, the song expresses hope for things (abundance, the freedom to gather with family and other loved ones, a path to salvation and liberation) that its original author(s) were denied. The tune for this song has been set to numerous sets of lyrics and appears in various hymnals as “I’m Gonna Cross that River of Jordan”, “I’m Gonna Climb Up Jacob’s Ladder”, and “God’s Gonna Set This World on Fire”, among others. In our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, it is #407 We’re Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table”.
Postlude: My Spirit Sang All Day – Finzi
British composer Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) was primarily known for his choral works, with a few notable instrumental works, including his Clarinet Concerto and Cello Concerto. “My Spirit Sang All Day” is one of Seven Partsongs – Poems by Robert Bridges, which were published in 1937. It is thought that Finzi chose this text to express his love for his wife, Joyce (Joy) Black.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director