Music Notes – Sunday, October 2nd:
This Sunday’s musicians are Thomas Simone, The Chancel Choir, and UUCC Music Director Mike Carney.
Opening Hymn: #300 With Heart and Mind – Schein/Carpenter
#300 in Singing the Living Tradition, “With Heart and Mind” is a hymn that juxtaposes a centuries-old chorale melody with a contemporary text. Originally known as “Machs mit mir Gott”, the tune was written by German Baroque composer Johann Schein (1586-1630) and later harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). This melody has been set to numerous texts and published in over 25 hymnals of various denominations. In Singing the Living Tradition, the tune is paired with a 20th-century text by UU songwriter Alicia Carpenter (1930-2021). “With Heart and Mind” is one of 10 hymns in Singing the Living Tradition that were written or co-written by Ms. Carpenter. Some of her other contributions to our hymnal include #6 “Just as Long as I Have Breath” and #360 “Here We Have Gathered”.
Centering Music: L’Origine Nascosta (The Hidden Source) – Einaudi
Ludovico Einaudi (b. 1955) is an Italian pianist and composer. He is a graduate of the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, and although he has written a number of works in wide-ranging styles, Einaudi is best known for his neoclassical piano compositions. “L’Origine Nascosta (The Hidden Source)” was first released in Einadi’s 2006 collection titled Islands.
Offertory music: Come, Raise Your Voices – Unknown
“Come, Raise Your Voices” is a choral anthem that is found in the sacred Cantata Uns ist ein Kind geboren (To Us a Child Is Born), BWV 142. The anthem and surrounding cantata were originally attributed to Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), but its authenticity has been questioned by numerous musicologists, and many hold the opinion is that the cantata was actually the work of Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722), who was Bach’s immediate predecessor as cantor at St. Thomas in Leipzig. However, it is not certain that Kuhnau was the composer of BWV 142 and other theories have been advanced by some scholars. Regardless of its authorship, Uns ist ein Kind geboren is a well-loved cantata that is frequently performed to this day. The translation and arrangement you’ll hear on Sunday is by American composer Douglas Wagner, and features our Chancel Choir with Becky Burns at the piano.
Closing Hymn: Everything Possible – Small
Singer-songwriter, lawyer, activist, and UU minister Fred Small (b. 1952) was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He started out as a lawyer working for the Conservation Law Foundation, but soon answered another calling and became a full-time folk singer and songwriter. Some of Small’s best-known songs are “Heart of the Appaloosa”, “Cranes Over Hiroshima”, and “Everything Possible”, which was first released in 1985 on his album No Limit. “Everything Possible” was also used for the finale of the AIDS benefit musical Heart Strings in 1992 and is #1019 in our Singing the Journey hymnbook.
Postlude: “Toccata” from Organ Symphony #5 – Widor
Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) was a French organist, music educator, and composer of the Romantic period. Although Widor wrote in a wide variety of forms (orchestral, choral, opera, ballet, etc.), he is primarily known today for his ten organ symphonies. The “Toccata” you’ll hear on Sunday is the fifth and final movement of Widor’s Symphony for Organ No. 5, and is one of most widely known works for organ, often performed at weddings and other formal occasions. On Sunday, Widor’s Toccata will be played by UUCC member Thomas Simone.
-Mike Carney, UUCC Music Director