CHORAL EVENSONG 5:00 P.M. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017 THE SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST CHRIST CHURCH 118 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314 www.HistoricChristChurch.org CHORAL EVENSONG is the service of Evening Prayer with choral music. It is sung in cathedrals with choral foundations on a more or less daily basis, and in many parish churches around the world. The Prayer Book of 1662 established the pattern for Choral Evensong which remains in common usage throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion. Since the earliest Christian times, the need to mark the passing of time with prayer has been recognized. The monastic cycle of prayer began in the desert with Anthony in the fourth century and continues to this day. By the Reformation, Vespers had become an elaborate musical celebration in the evening. The English Reformation demanded that the vernacular be the language of worship and resulted in the liturgical simplicity of Thomas Cranmer’s services of Morning and Evening Prayer. The provision of music for this structure and these words was the task of men like Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, and Tomkins, whose creativity laid the foundations of Anglican choral worship. Choral Evensong is the quintessence of such worship. The canon of music for Evensong continues to grow, with composers from around the world contributing to it. Unlike the Eucharist, which follows the movement of the Church calendar, and unlike private prayer, which follows the events of our lives, the daily office follows its own rhythm. The readings are done “in course,” and are not specifically chosen to make a particular point, and the canticles (Magnificat and Nunc dimittis) are the same each day. As such, the office provides an objective aspect to our worship and a rhythm to Anglican spirituality as a whole. Dating from the time of the temple in Jerusalem, the choral recitation of psalms remains one of the oldest forms of worship. By listening and following along with the Psalm, we join with the people of God who waited for the coming of the kingdom of God. After the Psalm, the first lesson is read. The choir then sings Magnificat, the song which the Blessed Virgin Mary sang in joyful response to the announcement that she would be the mother of our Lord. In this song, all the hopes of the people of God are recounted and Mary proclaims that, in the Incarnation, God has acted and fulfilled all that he promised. We then hear part of the record of that fulfillment when the second lesson, from the New Testament, is read. Following this reading is Nunc dimittis, the song of the aged Simeon, which acknowledges the salvation of all nations in Christ Jesus. In most liturgies, we, the worshipers, must do two things: speak with our lips, and meditate with our hearts. Choral Evensong is one of the rare occasions when the congregation is able to focus solely on the latter, allowing the prayers and praises being sung by the choir, to be those of the entire faith community, and particularly, of this parish. Please silence all electronic devices. 4:40 p.m. Organ Prelude From Organ Sonata Philip Moore (b.1943) i) Allegro Agitato ii) Andante Tranquillo Sonata in F C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788) i) Allegro ii) Largo iii) Allegretto From Three Preludes founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) ii) “Rhosymedre” In July 2013, Simon Thomas Jacobs was awarded both the First Prize and Audience Prize at the St Albans International Organ Competition. As the 22nd organist to receive this distinction since 1963, he has secured a place alongside some of the world’s finest concert organists and has subsequently built an international reputation for his innovative programming, exacting technique, and engaging performances. In May 2015, The Diapason magazine included him on its “Twenty Under Thirty” listing of artists under the age of 30 who are exhibiting “superior accomplishments, leadership, and creativity” within the pipe organ profession. Following a year as organ scholar at All Saints’ Margaret Street—an historic Anglo-Catholic parish in London’s West End— Simon became organ scholar at Clare College, University of Cambridge, and received an honors degree in music in 2009. While at Cambridge, Simon studied organ with David Sanger and Jacques van Oortmerssen, and worked closely with Timothy Brown and Clare College’s internationally-renowned chapel choir in a busy schedule of choral services, performances, recordings and broadcasts. In 2009, Simon moved to the United States to continue his work as a church musician, first as Associate Director of Music at Christ Church Greenwich, CT and then as Associate Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, IN. He also pursued further organ studies with James David Christie at Oberlin College, and was awarded the school’s prestigious Artist’s Diploma in May 2015. From September 2015 to July 2016 he served as Interim Organist and Choirmaster of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA. Simon is Music Director at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, where he lives with his partner, Michael and their miniature long-haired Dachshund, Magnus. A keen aviator, Simon holds a Private Pilot License (Airplane, Single Engine, Land) and is currently working on his Instrument Rating. Simon is represented exclusively in the USA by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. -1- Introit Lord Jesus Christ, who created, redeemed, and preordained me to be this that I am, you know what you wish to do with me; do with me in accordance with your will, with mercy. Amen. Text: Latin, A Prayer of King Henry VI (1421-1471) Music: Henry G. Ley (1887-1962) Please stand and sing. Hymn 557 Opening Sentences -2- Invitatory and Psalter Philip Radcliffe (1905-1986) Officiant: O Lord, open thou our lips. Choir: And our mouth shall show forth thy praise. Officiant: O God, make speed to save us. Choir: O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Officiant: Praise ye the Lord. Choir: The Lord’s Name be praised. The People are seated. Psalm 145 Anglican Chant by William Marsh (d. 1817) 1 I will exalt you, O God my King, * 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; * and bless your Name for ever and ever. your dominion endures throughout all ages. 2 Every day will I bless you * 14 The LORD is faithful in all his words * and praise your Name for ever and ever. and merciful in all his deeds. 3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; * 15 The LORD upholds all those who fall; * there is no end to his greatness. he lifts up those who are bowed down. 4 One generation shall praise your works to another * 16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, * and shall declare your power. and you give them their food in due season. 5 I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty * 17 You open wide your hand * and all your marvelous works. and satisfy the needs of every living creature. 6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts,* 18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways * and I will tell of your greatness. and loving in all his works. 7 They shall publish the remembrance of your great 19 The LORD is near to those who call upon him, * goodness; * they shall sing of your righteous deeds. to all who call upon him faithfully. 8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, * 20 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; * slow to anger and of great kindness. he hears their cry and helps them. 9 The LORD is loving to everyone * 21 The LORD preserves all those who love him, * and his compassion is over all his works. but he destroys all the wicked. 10 All your works praise you, O LORD, * 22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; * and your faithful servants bless you. let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever. 11 They make known the glory of your kingdom * Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and speak of your power; and to the Holy Ghost; 12 That the peoples may know of your power * As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. -3- The First Lesson Exodus 17:1-7 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.