Musical Musings: January 21-27, 2021

Hello members and friends of UUCC, 

I hope you’ll be joining us for online worship this Sunday, January 24th. We’ll have great music in that service, which is based on our Third UU Principle: the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Read on for this week’s Music Notes…

Music Notes – Sunday, January 24th:  

Music 1: Wake Now, My Senses – Irish folk song, words by Rev. Thomas Mikelson, arr. Carney

#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. Musicologists believe the tune was first associated with the Irish ballad “With My Love on the Road”. The words you’ll be hearing – and 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. 

Music 2: Where Do We Come From – Tate, arr. Carney

The lyrics for “Where Do We Come From?” originate from the title of a famous oil painting by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903). Gaugin’s painting depicts a group of women who represent the three questions posed in his title. Women shown with a young child represent the beginning of life: “Where Do We Come From?” A second group of women represent the daily existence of adulthood: “What Are We?” Finally, an old woman nearing the end of her life is asking, “Where Are We Going?” The musical adaptation was written in 1999 by Canadian composer Brian Tate (b. 1954) and is #1003 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook. The choral arrangement you’ll hear this weekend was written by UUCC Music Director Mike Carney and is performed by our Chancel Choir.

Music 3/Offertory: Present Tense – Chilly Gonzales

Grammy-Award winner Chilly Gonzales (b. 1972 as Jason Charles Beck) is a Canadian pianist and composer. His compositional style blends elements of classical, jazz, and pop music and has earned him international success and acclaim. He has collaborated with an eclectic mix of other artists, including Daft Punk, Peaches, Drake, and the Kaiser Quartett. “Present Tense” is from Gonzales’ 2018 album Solo Piano III, and will be played in this Sunday’s service by UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley. 

Music 4: Woyaya – Amoa, Amarfino, Bailey, Bedeau, Osei, Richardson, and Tontoh

Written by Ghanaian drummer Sol Amarifio (b. 1938), “Woyaya” is the title song of a 1971 album by Oisibisa, a group of Ghanaian and Caribbean musicians. The song was frequently heard in work camps throughout central West Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. The word “Woyaya” has no literal translation but can have multiple meanings, as is the case with many scat syllables, which are a common feature in West African music. The arrangement of “Woyaya” used in our service (and appearing as #1020 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook) comes from Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock and will be led this Sunday by UUCC’s Chancel Choir along with percussionist Aaron Burkle and pianist Mike Carney.

Postlude: When the Spirit Says Do – African American Spiritual 

“When the Spirit Says Sing” (also known as “I’m Gonna Sing”) is among the best-known of traditional African American Spirituals. Its origins are unknown, but the song first began appearing in hymnals during the 1950s and became one of the rallying anthems of The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It is included in our Singing the Journey hymnbook as #1024 under the title “When the Spirit Says Do”. As the spirit moves you, please sing (and clap, dance, etc.) along with the music this Sunday!

-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director