Music Notes – Sunday, April 14th:
This Sunday’s musicians are The Chancel Choir, The Women’s Ensemble, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Hymn: #318 We Would Be One – Sibelius/Wright
This Sunday’s closing hymn will be #318 “We Would Be One”, one of two hymns in Singing the Living Tradition built around the Finlandia melody, borrowed from a 1900 tone poem of the same name by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The words you’ll singing this Sunday were written by Unitarian minister Samuel Anthony Wright (1919-2016) for Unitarian and Universalist youth at their Continental Convention of 1953-54. Matching the sentiment of the hymn, that event resulted in the youth of our two parent faiths merging to become the Liberal Religious Youth of the United States and Canada, nearly 10 years before the official creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961.
Centering Music: Song About Love – Mancini/Stillman
Cleveland-born Enrico Nicola “Henry” Mancini (1924-1994) was an Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger who was best known for his film and television work, which famously included scores and theme songs from The Pink Panther, Peter Gunn, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Written in 1963, “Song About Love” was a collaboration between Mancini and lyricist Al Stillman (1901-1979). Next Tuesday, April 16th will be the 100th anniversary of Mancini’s birth in Maple Heights, Ohio.
Offertory Music: One Voice – Moody
Two-time Juno Award winning singer and songwriter Ruth Moody (b. 1975) was born in Australia but raised in Manitoba, Canada. She is a founding and current member of the Canadian country/folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys. Moody wrote “One Voice” in 2004 for The Wailin’ Jennys and the song was released in August of the same year on the group’s debut album 40 Days. “One Voice” has since become the Jennys’ signature song and has been performed and recorded by numerous other artists as well. In this Sunday’s service, “One Voice” will be sung by UUCC’s Women’s Ensemble.
Closing Hymn: #134 Our World Is One World – Taylor
#134 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Our World Is One World” was written by British author, poet and hymnist Cecily Taylor (b. 1930), who is most famously known for Contact, her 1972 collection of poetry.
Postlude: Bring Me All Your Dreams – Harris/Hughes
“Bring Me All Your Dreams” is a 2023 composition by Dr. Christopher Harris, an American composer and conductor who currently serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Arkansas Tech University. The song is a setting of “The Dream Keeper” by renowned African American poet, author, and social activist Langston Hughes (1902-1967).
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director