Our prelude Sunday is a meditative "wandering" appropriately called "Contemplation". I have played this before, but it's been a while. The composer is the English organist, pianist, composer, and career educator, Alec Rowley (1892- 1958). The musical style of the piece is typical of his writing in that it is neo-romantic.
Read MoreSunday's organ prelude is a very meditative setting of the hymn, "Cheshire" (581, "Where charity and love prevail..."), by Gordon Slater (1896-1979), who was organist for several prominent English cathedrals. It is worth meditating on the text of the hymn (581).
Read MoreSunday's prelude, "Ah, Jesus Christ with Us Abide", is one of 66 "choral improvisations" (Op. 65) by the early 20th century German composer, Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933), who had a profound knowledge of music theory and wrote in a more or less late romantic style.
Read MoreChoir rehearsals have begun on Wed evenings; if you have any interest in joining us, please see me -- or just appear at 7:15P in the choir room!
Read MoreThe prelude will be based on the day's Gospel hymn, "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" - a bright setting by Wibur Held, whose music I often use. Mr. Held was prolific and both professor of organ at Ohio State and organist at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Ohio, for 30 years, living to 100 (d. 2014).
Read MoreThe organ prelude Sunday is a Percy Whitlock setting of "Song 13" (themselves settings of Psalms) by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). Whitlock was an English organist and composer whose works only began to gain wide recognition in the latter 20th century. He lived only from 1903-1946, another victim of TB.
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