Music Notes – Sunday, July 17th:
This week’s musicians are Anne Sanford, Steve Sanford, Holly Walker, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney
Opening Hymn: Guide My Feet – African American Spiritual)
#348 in Singing the Living Tradition, “Guide My Feet” is an African American Spiritual, employing the call and response singing style that is frequently found in spirituals and many other types of folk music. The origins of the music are unknown, but the song was collected by African American musician, educator, and historian Willis Laurence James (1900-1966) and is arranged in our hymnal by renowned minister and gospel musician Dr. Wendall Whalum (1931-1987). The words for “Guide My Feet” are an adaptation of Psalm 119 and Philippians 2:16.
Centering Music: The Road Goes Ever On – Shore
“The Road Goes Ever On” was composed by Canadian composer Howard Shore (b. 1946) as part of his score for the 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. That score earned Shore the Academy Award for Best Original Score (one of three Oscars which Shore has received to date), and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album (one of four Grammys he has earned), among other accolades. A prolific writer, Shore has composed the music for over 80 films, including all six of the Peter Jackson movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy works, as well as The Aviator, Hugo, and The Silence of the Lambs, among many others. If you’d like to hear more, The Cleveland Orchestra and Choruses (including UUCC’s own Abs Burkle) will be featuring Shore’s music from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at Blossom Music Center on July 22nd-24th.
Sung Meditation: Heart Opening Song – Partain
“Heart Opening Song” is an original composition by UUCC Minister Rev. Randy Partain. In Randy’s own words: “In May of 2022, I attended the Spiritual Directors International conference in Santa Fe. Pat McCabe led a morning ceremony each day. One morning, she introduced a “heart-opening song” drawn from her Diné (Navajo) tradition. Participating in this beautiful communal song, the thought occurred to me that it would be wonderful to bring this song back to the congregation I serve. This thought was immediately followed by an awareness of how inappropriate this appropriation would be. So, in the open-hearted space of that morning’s plenary session, I conceived a more appropriate heart opening song in preparation for our summer series on Connection.”
Offertory Music: Shout, Shout, Shout and Sing – Shaker Song
“Shout, Shout, Shout and Sing” is a Shaker Song believed to have originated with a Shaker settlement in South Union, Kentucky, and first published in 1848 in a shape-note hymnal. The song features many hallmarks of Shaker Songs, including lively rhythms, a circular song form, and the use of nonsense syllables to carry parts of the melody.
Closing Hymn: #346 Come, Sing a Song with Me – McDade
#346 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, “Come, Sing a Song with Me” is a well-known and beloved hymn to many Unitarian Universalists. The words and music were written by Carolyn McDade (b. 1935), a self-described songwriter, spiritual feminist, and social activist. McDade is also the composer of two other UU favorites: “Spirit of Life” and “We’ll Build a Land”.
Postlude: My Spirit Sang All Day – Finzi/Bridges
British composer Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) wrote primarily choral works, along with a few notable instrumental works which include his Clarinet Concerto and Cello Concerto. Finzi’s choral music was inspired by English writers such as William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and William Wordsworth. “My Spirit Sang All Day” is from Finzi’s Seven Partsongs – Poems by Robert Bridges (1937). It is thought that Finzi chose this text to express his love for his wife, Joyce (Joy) Black. Robert Bridges (1844-1930) was a British poet and physician. He practiced medicine only from 1874 to 1882, then devoted the rest of his life to writing. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1913 to 1930. This Sunday, “My Spirit Sang All Day” will be performed by a vocal quartet of UUCC Music Director Mike Carney, Anne and Steve Sanford, and Holly Walker.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director