Music Notes – Sunday, July 21st:
This Sunday’s musicians are Brad German, Anne Sanford, Steve Sanford, Aaron Burkle, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Song: Rise Up, O Flame – Praetorius
“Rise Up, O Flame” is a setting of an anonymous poem to a simple canon by Renaissance author and composer Christoph Praetorius (ca. 1535-1607) The song is #362 in Singing the Living Tradition and is often used at UU gatherings.
Song: Turn the World Around – Belafonte and Freeman
When legendary Jamaican-American musician, songwriter, and activist Harry Belafonte (1927-2023) was the guest star on a season 3 episode of The Muppet Show in 1979, he explained the inspiration for “Turn the World Around” before performing the song with various Muppets in African garb. Belafonte said: “I discovered that song in the African country of Guinea. I went deep into the interior of the country, and in a little village, I met with a storyteller. That storyteller went way back in African tradition and African mythology and began to tell this story about the fire, the sun, the water, the Earth”. Belafonte pointed out the whole of these things put together turns the world around – that all of us are here for a very, very short time. In that time that we’re here, there really isn’t any difference in any of us, if we take time to understand each other. The question is: “Do I know who you are, or who I am? Do we care about each other? Because if we do, together we can turn the world around.” Co-written by Belafonte with jazz performer and arranger Bob Freedman (1934-2018), “Turn the World Around” was first released in 1977 on Belafonte’s album of the same name. The song is also the final selection (#1074) in our Singing the Journey hymnbook.
Centering Music: Yigdal Elohim Chai – Traditional Jewish Hymn
“Yigdal Elohim Chai” is a traditional Jewish hymn, frequently used to begin morning worship or conclude evening worship. The “Yigdal” text is based on the thirteen fundamentals of the Jewish faith, and can be sung or played to various tunes.
Offertory Music: La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) – Debussy
French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is considered to be the father of musical Impressionism, although Debussy himself disliked the idea of being categorized as a composer. Throughout his career, Debussy wrote music for a wide variety of performing forces, and his nontraditional use of harmony played a vital role in ushering in a new era of music at the turn of the 20th century. Debussy wrote “La fille aux cheveux de lin” in January of 1910 as part of his first book of Préludes for solo piano. “La fille aux cheveux de lin” is one of Debussy’s best-known pieces and has been arranged for various performing forces and recorded by hundreds of artists.
Closing Song: The Fire of Commitment – Shelton
Jason Shelton 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). The Fire of Commitment (#1028) is one of many contributions Rev. Shelton has made to our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The unrest of its irregular meter and the insistent rhythmic pulse drive home the call to action that is at the core of the song’s message.
Postlude: Blue Skies – Berlin
Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was one of the most important and influential composers in American history. Born in Russia, Berlin’s family emigrated to the United States when he was five years old and settled in New York City. During his long career, Berlin wrote an estimated 1,500 songs, as well as the scores to 20 original Broadway shows and 15 Hollywood films. His contributions to the Great American Songbook are significant, including timeless songs such as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, “Cheek to Cheek”, “Easter Parade”, “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, “White Christmas”, and “God Bless America”. “Blue Skies” was one of Berlin’s earlier hits, written in 1926 and inspired by Berlin’s feelings about family life after the birth of his first daughter. The song was debuted by Belle Baker in a mostly forgotten Ziegfeld show called Betsy, and was subsequently recorded by many performers, including Al Jolson (in The Jazz Singer), Count Basie, and Willie Nelson, who took Berlin’s song to #1 on the country music charts in 1978.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director