Music Notes – Sunday, February 25th:
This Sunday’s musician is UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley
Opening Hymn: Wake Now, My Senses – Irish folk tune/Mikelson
#298 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Wake Now, My Senses” is a setting of “Slane”, an Irish folk song that is most commonly associated with “Be Thou My Vision” (which is also in our hymnal as #20). “Slane” is named for a hill in County Meath, Ireland, where St. Patrick’s lighting of an Easter fire – an act of defiance against the 5th Century pagan king Loegaire – led to his unlimited freedom to preach the gospel in Ireland. The words you’ll be hearing – and hopefully singing along with – this Sunday were written by the Rev. Thomas Mikelson (1936-2020), a UU Minister and native of Iowa who was also an educator and activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights.
Offertory music: God Help the Outcasts – Menken and Schwartz
“God Help the Outcasts” is a ballad from the 1996 Disney animated movie musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was adapted into a stage musical in 2014. The song was written by two of the biggest names in American Musical Theatre. The music is by Alan Menken (b. 1949), known for composing the songs for many live and movie musicals, famously including Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. Menken is one of only nineteen EGOT members, meaning he has won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. The lyrics for “God Help the Outcasts” were written by multi-Oscar and Grammy Award winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948), who is best known for his work on Broadway musicals Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked (2003).
Closing Hymn: Cuando el Pobre – Manzano and Olivar
“When the Poor Ones” (Cuando el pobre; #1027 in our Singing the Journey songbook) is a song by author and composer Miguel Manzano (b.1934) with words by composer and journalist José Antonio Olivar (1939-2019). “Cuando el pobre” is a Roman Catholic hymn, inspired by the mid-20th century Liberation theology that sustained both people and clergy in Latin America but alarmed popes and religious conservatives in Rome. The song comes from a culture that has blended Christian liturgy with indigenous spirituality. In the Andean region of South America, the supreme creator is Viracocha. The legend of the native people is that Viracocha disguised himself as a beggar and wandered the earth, weeping at the plight of his creatures. It is believed that he would return in time of trouble as stated in the song, “We see God, here by our side, walking our way.” (includes material from uua.org)
Postlude: This Is Me – Pasek and Paul
“This Is Me” is a song from the 2017 film musical The Greatest Showman. The music and lyrics were co-written by Benj Pasek (b. 1985) and Justin Paul (b. 1985), a songwriting team known primarily for their work in film and theater, including the scores for Dear Evan Hansen and A Christmas Story (stage musical), and original songs from La La Land. “This Is Me” won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director