Musical Musings: May 30 – June 5, 2021

Musical musings:

Don’t forget that UUCC will once again host Moises Borges and his Brazilian Jazz Band along with the Mo’ Mojo Band for a fantastic parking lot concert! The event will now be in our parking lot at 4:00 p.m. this Sunday, May 30th. Come sing and dance along to some wonderful music – you can stay inside your car or bring a lawn chair and enjoy the spring weather. Either way, all audience members will be expected to follow county and state recommendations for safe outdoor gatherings. Don’t miss your chance to join some old (and new) friends and enjoy a concert in the great outdoors! There is no cover charge, but donations are encouraged and proceeds will go to side musicians who are struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. You can support the fundraising project on ioby’s website here.

We’ll also have some great music in this Sunday’s virtual service! Read on for this week’s Music Notes…

Music Notes – Sunday, May 30th:  

  • Music 1: May Nothing Evil Cross This Door – Quaile and Untermeyer 
  • Music 2:  Daoona Nayeesh – Warmbrand and Badri 
  • Music 3/Offertory: Gamelan – Jutras 
  • Music 4/Postlude: There Is a Love – Norton 

“May Nothing Evil Cross This Door” (also known as “Prayer for This House”) has the honor of being hymn #1 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal. The words, which were first published in 1923, are by Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977). Untermeyer was an American author, poet, and businessman (co-founder of Untermeyer-Robbins Jewelry), and was even a onetime panelist on the TV show What’s My Line? The music for “May Nothing Evil Cross This Door” is a hymn tune called “Oldbridge” (first published 1906), which was composed by Robert N. Quaile (1867-1927), an Irish businessman and minister’s son who was not a professional musician but wrote songs and hymns for his own enjoyment. The UUCC Chancel Choir will lead this hymn during Sunday’s virtual service.

#1032 in Singing the Journey, “Daoona Nayeesh” is the inspiration of a Muslim residing in the United States, Samir Badri (b. 1952). Samir recruited Jewish composer Ted Warmbrand (b. 1943) to set his words to a tune, after they were both featured at a peace rally in Arizona before the U.S. bombings of Afghanistan and then Iraq. This song has been well-embraced by those who have heard it around the country. It is structured musically to allow for people who have never sung in Arabic to do so, in echo fashion. It was first sung with a rippling banjo accompaniment, then a cappella, then with percussion, and then with a band made up of musicians from Morocco and Saudi Arabia who formed to play for the Tucson Jewish Muslim Peace Walk of 2004. (from uua.org) In our virtual service this week, “Daoona Nayeesh” will be led by UUCC’s Music Director Mike Carney on piano and vocals along with Steve Sanford on clarinet. 

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Benoit Jutras (b. 1963) is a composer and performer best-known for his work with Cirque du Soleil, both as the ensemble’s music director and as a composer of several original pieces that have been featured during their performances. “Gamelan” is from Cirque du Soleil’s 1998 show O, and will be performed this Sunday by UUCC Pianist Karin Tooley. 

“There Is a Love” is a simple but powerfully moving song with words and music by two strong UU women. The music was composed by Elizabeth Norton (b. 1959), who is a performer, composer, and the longtime music director at First Parish (UU) in Concord Massachusetts.  The words were written by the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker (b. 1953), a minister, author and theologian who served as president of the UU Starr King School for the Ministry from 1999 to 2014. UUCC Music Director Mike Carney will lead the song on Sunday as soloist and pianist, joined by the UUCC Chancel Choir.

                                                                      -Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director