Musical Musings: Nov 14 – 20, 2021

“The Poet Sings” – online concert with Good Company and composer James Mulholland

Please join me this Sunday, November 14th at 4:00 p.m. (EST) on Zoom for “The Poet Sings”: an online choral concert and master class featuring acclaimed composer and conductor Dr. James Mulholland along with Good Company: A Vocal Ensemble. Many of you know that I direct Good Company, and several UUCC members and friends sing with the group as well, including Barbara Bradley, Amy Collins, Leon Michaud, Anne and Steve Sanford, Pam Schenk, and Holly Walker.

This concert and webinar will explore the significant connection between poetry and choral music, and will feature music of James Mulholland, Eric Whitacre, Joan Szymko, and Morten Lauridsen, including settings of Emily Dickinson, James Agee, Octavio Paz, W.B. Yeats, and others. Attendees will have an opportunity to be part of a Q&A session with Dr. Mulholland and our other panelists.

This event is part of Good Company’s Contemporary Composers Series and is made possible in part by funding from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

Event link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82088327959

Music Notes for November 14th, 2021

This Sunday’s musicians are UUCC Music Director Mike Carney and members of UUCC’s Chancel Choir.

Opening Hymn: #212 We Are Dancing Sarah’s Circle

“We Are Dancing Sarah’s Circle” (Singing the Living Tradition #212) is an adaptation of the well-known African American Spiritual “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”. The adapted text is by UU songwriter and activist Carole Etzler Eagleheart (b. 1944), who was herself inspired by the writings of feminist theologian and educator Nelle Katherine Morton (1905-1987). The words we’ll sing on Sunday are based on Old Testament story of Sarah (Genesis; chapters 17 and 18).

Centering Music: Autumn of Kyoto – Kunimatsu

“Autumn of Kyoto” is a 2014 piece for solo piano by Japanese composer Ryuji Kunimatsu (b. 1977). The historical capital city of Japan, Kyoto is famous for its stunning fall foliage, which peaks in mid- to late November each year. Kunimatsu, himself a native of Kyoto, is well-known internationally as a guitarist and primarily composes for that instrument.

 Meditation Response: #404 What Gift Can We Bring – Marshall

“What Gift Can We Bring” was written in 1980 by Texas native Jane Marshall (1924-2019) for the 25th anniversary of her congregation, Northhaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Over her long career, Marshall wrote over 200 hymns and anthems for her home congregation and others. Today, “What Gift Can We Bring” can be found in the hymnals of many denominations, including in our own Singing the Living Tradition (#404).

Offertory music: “Humility” from Two Shaker Canons – Jeffers

Oregonian Ron Jeffers (b. 1943) is an author, composer and founder of the music publishing company earthsongs. Two Shaker Canons (“Love” and “Humility”) are his original settings of traditional Shaker texts, composed in the straightforward manner that is a hallmark of Shaker hymns.

Closing Hymn: #108 My Life Flows On in Endless Song

#108 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnbook, “My Life Flows On in Endless Song” (more commonly known as “How Can I Keep from Singing”) is a well-known hymn based on a southern American folk melody. The words were once thought to be of Quaker origin but are now believed to have been written by Baptist minister and hymn writer Robert Lowry (1826-1899). The song was first published in 1858 and has since become one of the most familiar and best-loved hymns within dozens of different denominations, including Unitarian Universalism.

Offertory music: “Love” from Two Shaker Canons – Jeffers

Here is the companion song to “Humility”, which is this Sunday’s offertory music. Both pieces are based on traditional Shaker texts and both were written by Oregon-based author, composer, educator, and publisher Ron Jeffers (b. 1943).

                                                                                    -Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director