Lamb of God

The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
November 18, 2018

During my sabbatical last summer, I spent time working on several musical composition projects. One of those was a mass setting for unison voices and handbells. Our Cantate and Laudate Choirs are premiering one movement of the mass setting - "Lamb of God" - at today's 10:30 Eucharist. Members of the Cantate Choir have also learned and memorized the handbell accompaniment. 

I started composing in elementary school, and it is one of my passions. I believe that it is important for children and adults to understand that our church's musical tradition continues to bloom and flourish as contemporary composers create new settings of both ancient and modern texts. In addition to singing the classics of the sacred repertoire, we seek to offer the best music of our own time to the glory of God. As a teacher and choral conductor, I encourage all of our children to develop their creative gifts. It's especially important for them to experience music by women composers. I want our girls to understand that they can create sacred music for the church's worship.

Creating new music is a collaborative process, and our choristers have been co-creators of this new work. In rehearsals, we have experimented with different ways of singing in canon, discovering together how this music works best for our ensemble. All of the Cantate Choir members have had the opportunity to experience playing handbells this fall, further developing their musical skills.

At the announcements this morning, we will award choir crosses to our three newest choristers who are completing their first semester in Cantate Choral Academy. These choristers are members of the Laudate Choir, our preparatory choir for students in grades 1-3. They wear colorful crosses from El Salvador, hand-painted with animals, plants, and birds, set against a starry night sky. 
 
The crosses remind us of the joy and beauty of God's creation, including the gift of music through which we offer prayer and praise.



Music for the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
November 18, 2018

Hymns
51       We the Lord's People (Decatur Place)
633     Word of God, come down on earth (Liebster Jesu)
822*    Through north and south (Lasst uns erfreuen)
628     Help us, O Lord, to learn (St. Ethelwald)
598     Lord Christ, when first thou came to earth (Mit freuden zart)

Canticle
Song of Hannah, A HymnTune Psalter (Carl P. Daw and Kevin R. Hackett)

Service Music
Gloria in excelsis, S-278          William Mathias
Sanctus, S-128                        Mathias
Fraction Anthem, S-155           Gerald Near

Anthems
I Received the Living God        Richard Proulx
Lamb of God                            Marty Wheeler Burnett

Music for Handbells
Simple Gifts                                            arr. Patricia Sanders Cota
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessins     arr. Cota

Organ Music
Toccata                                     Johann Krieger

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Composer Michael McCabe

Image
The Third Sunday of Easter April 15, 2018 Sing to the Lord a new song!    -Psalm 96 Easter - a celebration of new life in Christ - serves as the perfect season for the creation and offering of new music. Our cathedral celebrates Nebraska composers, and we're blessed by a wealth of talent in this state. Today, our Cathedral Choir sings an anthem by Omaha composer and organist Michael McCabe. McCabe began his study of piano and organ as a child. As a student at Creighton University, McCabe was appointed university organist and choir director. During a 20 year military career, various assignments provided McCabe with unique opportunities to study with leaders in the field of Anglican church music, including Leo Sowerby, David McK. Williams, Thomas Matthews, and Dale Wood. McCabe has served numerous churches, including Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. As a published composer, McCabe was elected to ASCAP in 1972, and his ASCAP credits include NBC Television, ...
Read more

Come, Holy Spirit

Image
The Day of Pentecost May 31, 2020 We celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today, we will hear organ settings of two classic Pentecost hymns. " Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist " ("We pray now to the Holy Spirit") is a German hymn. The first stanza dates to the Middle Ages, and additional stanzas were added by Martin Luther in the 16th century. The tune appears in organ chorales (organ compositions based on Lutheran chorale tunes) and cantatas by several Baroque composers, including this setting by Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707). Hear the authentic sound in this video recorded on a Silberman pipe organ built in  1721:  Nun bitten wir The organ postlude is a setting of the great plainsong hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus ("Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire"). This hymn dates from the 9th century and is typically sung on Pentecost and at ordinations. Originally in Latin, the hymn is found in an English translation in The Hymnal 1982...
Read more

"Praying Twice" Says Farewell

Image
Trinity Cathedral's Praying Twice blog has ended. Thank you, faithful readers! I am moving to a new position as Associate Professor of Church Music at Virginia Theological Seminary.  I will be writing more in the future, and I'll share a link when my new blog is up and running. Marty Wheeler Burnett, D.Min.
Read more