Resurrection Celebration

FirstLight worship will begin outdoors this week. All during Lent we have written on small pieces of paper a word or phrase describing our weekly confession. These have been saved and will be burned as a sign of our forgiveness as our first act of worship this week. Also, we have been reading a story each week; it conclude this week with a burst of butterflies! We will process into the sanctuary singing the Caribbean "Halle, Halle, Halle." Bring a drum and join the procession! We will also be singing Tommy Walker's "That's why we praise him," and the quintessential resurrection hymn, "Christ the Lord is risen today" (EASTER HYMN). We will be worshiping in the sanctuary this week, with access to the organ, so we will use that instrument as accompaniment to the Charles Wesley hymn. The Prophets will sing Stuart Townend's "In Christ alone" at the offering.

Worship at 11 AM will begin with a setting of "Gelobet sei Gott" by Healy Willan; the arrangement calls for organ alone, but with the especially talented Anna McC. on hand, we've scored it to have a festive trumpet at the beginning of worship. Handbells and trumpet will help us sing "Jesus Christ is risen today" (EASTER HYMN); other congregational hymns include "Good Christians all rejoice and sing" (GELOBET SEI GOTT), and "Christ the Lord is risen today" (LLANFAIR). The choir anthem will be Thatcher's setting of "Come ye faithful raise the strain. The Tune Weavers (our resident men's quartet) will sing Allen Pote's "A jubilant song" at the offering. The organ postlude will be Cesar Franck's "Final." This work begins with an extended solo for the pedals alone. One of only 12 works Franck wrote for his primary instrument, this one has arguably the most triumphant sound.

Worship Music March 16 Palm Sunday

FirstLight worship will begin this week with a presentation of “The Singing Bishop” by Hal Hopson. This mini-musical is a staple for children’s choirs. It tells the story of the origins of the hymn “All glory, laud and honor.” Bishop Theodulph was unjustly imprisoned in Angers, France in 821 for treason. He happened to be in prison over Palm Sunday. The story goes that when he heard the children’s procession go by his cell, he was moved to write the lyrics to this now familiar song. The king, hearing the new song immediately (according to custom) released Theodulph and asked him to finish leading the procession to the cathedral. The Prophets will sing the Hispanic song “Mantos y Palmas” at the offering. Worship will conclude with Darlene Zschesch’s “Worthy is the Lamb.”

Worship at 11 AM will begin with Bach’s festive 9/8 Prelude in C. My first recording of this piece was by E. Power Biggs who, in his liner notes for the LP (!!) suggested that the prelude felt somewhat like a parade given it’s triple-feel. Worship will conclude with the fugue from the same work, which Biggs described as a somewhat poignant letdown after the parade: the crowd is gone and the wind blows away the last wisps of festivity. For those reasons this work has always seemed to me to epitomize the festivity and ominous nature of Palm Sunday. The fugue is an incredible work: four parts for the hands. The pedals don't begin until much later than is usual in organ fugue writing. And when the feet do begin, they play the melody at twice its original speed, first in the melody's original progression and then inverted! The Prelude and Fugue both are very dramatic for their use of rests, absolute quiet at stunning moments.

The choir will sing Vaughan Williams’ setting of “At the name of Jesus,” a quintessential English anthem lauding the person and authority of Jesus Christ. Dancers, drums and children will all help us in worship on our opening hymn, “All glory, laud and honor” (VALET WILL ICH DER GEBEN). Other congregational songs will include “Ride on in majesty” (ST. DROSTANE) and “O Jesus I have promised” (ANGEL’S STORY).

Music for Worship March 9, 2008

At FirstLight this week we will renew our acquaintance with a couple of old hymns. Our opening set will include Eleanor Farjeon’s “Morning has broken,” made popular by Cat Stevens. Our service will conclude with Chris Tomlin’s take on “When I survey the wondrous cross” popularly known as "The Wonderful Cross." The Prophets will sing a new setting of Fanny Crosby’s “Draw me nearer” at the offering. Hearing these old familiar words with this stirring new tune really prompts the singer and listener to hear the text anew. Here’s a recording using full choir and orchestra; they sound almost as good as the Prophets! Other congregational songs will include Lanny Wolfe’s “Surely the presence,” “You are my King (Amazing love)” and “I give you my heart.”

At 11 AM the choir will be singing John Rutter’s setting of Psalm 130 from his Requiem. The text is the English Bible translation of the Psalm. The music is influenced by everything from “Porgy and Bess” to Dave Brubeck. Here is an interesting site on all things related to the requiem mass, in particular the musical setting by Rutter. The choir is planning to perform the whole Requiem in Fall 2008 for All Saints. Worship will conclude with Rutter’s only work for organ, his wickedly rhythmic “Toccata in Seven.” Congregation hymns will include “Morning has broken” (BUNNESAN), “Spirit” (SPIRIT), and “In the cross of Christ I glory” (RATHBUN). In organ history Psalm 130 is associated with the versification “Out of the depths I cry to thee,” with the German chorale tune “Aus tiefer not.” We’ll hear this tune in a setting by Johann Walther at the offering.

Music for Worship 030208

First Light will continue using the music from Taize that we have explored all during Lent. We will also sing the familiar American tune "Wondrous Love" to conclude worship. The Prophets will sing a new-to-us song for the offertory, "Empty Me." It's images of emptying self and making space for God fit neatly with our overarching Lenten theme, "life in full." The image here is taken from the Taize community site: the community at prayer.

11 AM worship will begin with another in a series of Bach preludes for organ, this one in E minor. For those not keeping tracking, Mike Barker has played the Preludes in C minor, A Major, F Minor and now E Minor so far during Lent. No fugues. This Sunday's E Minor prelude is one of Bach's earliest extant works, and one that many, many students cut their teeth on so to speak. Hymns will include "O for a thousand tongues to sing" (Azmon); "What wondrous love is this" (Wondrous Love); and "Life into hope" (Truro). The choir will sing an anthem by Craig Curry, a setting of the text "I heard the voice of Jesus say." The text is by Horatius Bonar, whose page at CyberHymnal lists more than 140 hymn texts! The tune is totally new and makes a stirring transition, from introspection to declaration, through the three stanzas and key change. One interesting note about the piano accompaniment: Curry has written in use of the lowest note on the piano, a low-low A. Pianists rarely get to use that note, unless they are somewhat freely doubling octaves in the left hand. But here Curry has written it into the music! As at 830 worship, we will continue using the Taize music we have experienced all season.