Music Notes – Sunday, July 28th:
This Sunday’s musicians are UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening song: I Know This Rose Will Open – Grigolia
#396 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “I Know This Rose Will Open” is a 1989 composition by UU Minister and songwriter Mary Grigolia (b. 1947), who recently retired as minister from two local UU congregations in North Olmsted and Oberlin. Although short and simple, the song can be performed as an overlapping round, revealing multiple layers of texture and harmonic color like its namesake flower.
Song: We Are Not Our Own – Hurd/Wren
“We Are Not Our Own” (#317) is one of the lesser-known hymns in Singing the Living Tradition. The words come from British poet, theologist and prolific hymn writer Brian Wren (b. 1936), who is the author of several other hymns in Singing the Living Tradition, including “Name Unnamed”, “Joyful Is the Dark”, and “Love Makes a Bridge”. The arching, hopeful tune for “We Are Not Our Own” was written by Dr. David Hurd (b. 1950), an alumnus of Oberlin College and composer, organist, and educator who currently serves as the Director of Music at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square, New York City.
Centering Music: Mother Nature’s Son – McCartney & Lennon
“Mother Nature’s Son” is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney (b. 1942) but officially credited to John Lennon (1940-1980) and McCartney, and released on the 1968 album The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album). McCartney has stated the song was inspired by a lecture given by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi he attended while in India.
Offertory Music: Earth Song – Jackson
“Earth Song” was written in 1988 by singer-songwriter Michael Jackson (1958-2009) and released on Jackson’s 1995 album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Although it was only a modest hit in the U.S., “Earth Song” went to #1 in the U.K. and several other European countries and won critical acclaim, earning a Grammy nomination among other accolades.
Closing Song: Rising Green – McDade
Written in 1983, “Rising Green” is #1068 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The song was written by Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), a self-described songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist, who is also the composer of three other UU favorites: “Spirit of Life”, “Come, Sing a Song with Me”, and “We’ll Build a Land”. About “Rising Green”, the composer shares these words: “Earth shakes out a mantle of green—each blade of grass true to the integrity within, yet together with others is the rise of spring from winter’s urging. Our coming is with the grass—the common which persists, unexalted, but with the essence of life. Our humanness, our rhythms and dreams, the faith which nurtures our ardent love and hope for life—all this we share with earth community, of which we are natural and connected beings.” (from uua.org)
Postlude: Rocky Mountain High – Denver
“Rocky Mountain High” is a 1972 folk rock anthem co-written by John Denver (1943-1997) along with Mike Taylor (1948-2010), who was the lead guitarist in Denver’s band at the time. The song was the first single and title track of Denver’s 1972 album Rocky Mountain High, and reached the top ten on Billboard’s US Hot 100 singles chart. Denver had moved to Aspen, Colorado in 1969, and stated in interviews that the song was inspired by love for his new home state and its natural beauty. In 2007, the Colorado General Assembly voted to make “Rocky Mountain High” one of two official state songs, sharing the honor with the 1911 folk song “Where the Columbines Grow”.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director