Music Notes – Saturday, December 24th:
Special Music before the Christmas Eve Service!
Be sure to come early to our Christmas Eve service this Saturday, as there will be wonderful music from many of UUCC’s talented young musicians beginning at 5:30 p.m. Here’s the lineup for this year’s pre-service music:
Once Upon a December (Flaherty/Ahrens) – Astrid Burkle
Silent Night (Gruber/Mohr) – Niko Ustin
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Martin/Blane) – Anya Ustin
Medley: God Rest You Merry Gentlemen/Carol of the Bells – Drew Watkins
(English Carol/Leontovych, arr. Urbanowicz)
The Christmas Waltz (Cahn/Styne) – Jenna Bradbourne
Dona nobis pacem (Traditional round) – Anya and Ella Ustin
Star of Bethlehem (Williams) – Abs Burkle
Sleigh Ride Fantasy – Sophie Watkins & Becky Burns
(Anderson, arr. Heyde & Tedesco)
Opening Hymn: #226 People, Look East – French tune/Farjean
The words for the now-familiar advent hymn “People, Look East” were written by British poet and author Eleanor Farjean (1881-1965), who is also the author of “Morning Has Broken”. Farjean’s setting was first published in 1928 in The Oxford Book of Carols under the title “Carol of Advent”, and is now found in hundreds of hymnbooks, including our own Singing the Living Tradition (#226). The melody, based on a traditional French hymn tune known as Besançon, dates to at least the late 19th century.
Special Music: Angels We Have Heard on High – French Carol, arr. Smith
One of the most beloved of sacred Christmas Carols, “Angels We Have Heard on High” started with a French folk carol known as “Les Anges dans nos campagnes”, which describes the chorus of angels singing in celebration of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The organ-piano duet arrangement you’ll hear on Christmas Eve was written by Cincinnati native Lani Smith (b. 1935), an award-winning organist and composer with over 4,000 published works to his credit.
Special Music: O Holy Night – Adam
Originally titled “Cantique de Noël”, “O Holy Night” originated with an 1843 poem by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), which was adapted and set to music by composer Adolphe Adam (1803-1856), a French composer primarily known for his operas and ballets (and for this carol). The English translation that is familiar to many in Great Britain and the United States was written by American author, transcendentalist, and Unitarian minister John Sullivan Wright (1813-1893). This Christmas Eve, you’ll hear “O Holy Night” sung by our own Amy Collins, accompanied by UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley.
Special Music: What Sweeter Music – Herrick/Leavitt
“What Sweeter Music” began with a 1648 poem titled “A Christmas Carol” by English poet and author Robert Herrick (1591-1674). Many composers have set Herrick’s words to music, among them Eleanor Daley, Hal Hopson, and John Rutter. The setting you’ll hear this Saturday from UUCC’s Chancel Choir with Karin Tooley is by American composer and conductor John Leavitt (b. 1956).
Offertory: This Endris Night – Quartel
Canadian composer and educator Sarah Quartel (b. 1982) is known for her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. Deeply inspired by the life-changing relationships that can occur while making choral music, Sarah writes in a way that connects singer to singer, ensemble to conductor, and performer to audience. Her works have been performed by choirs across the world, and she has been commissioned by groups including the American Choral Directors Association, the National Children’s Chorus of the United States of America, and New Dublin Voices. (from sarahquartel.com) Quartel’s setting of the 15th-century anonymous English carol “This Endris Night” will be sung on Christmas Eve by UUCC’s Chancel Choir, accompanied by Mark Bradbourne on bells.
Closing Hymn: #251 Silent Night – Gruber/Mohr
The origins of “Silent Night” make for an interesting story. As legend has it, Joseph Mohr (1792-1848), the assistant priest at St. Nicholas Church in the Alpine village of Oberndorf, Austria learned the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken and would not be repaired in time for the Christmas Eve service. Mohr wrote three stanzas that could be sung by choir to guitar music, which was hastily written by the church’s organist and music director, Franz Gruber (1787-1863). “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” was heard for the first time at that Midnight Mass in 1818. Today, Silent Night has been translated into more than 180 languages and has touched the hearts of millions of people.
See you next year
Music Notes will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. Enjoy your winter holidays and I hope to catch up with all of you in 2023!
Upcoming service musicians:
- Christmas Day: UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
- New Year’s Day & Sunday, January 8th: UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director