PropersPsalms from the Daily OfficeMotets and cantatas Propers Introit Cantate Domino. Psalm 98O sing unto the Lord a new song, alleluia: for the Lord hath done marvelous things, alleluia: in the sight of the nations hath he shewed his righteous judgments, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. With his own right hand, and with his holy arm: hath he gotten himself the victory. 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. O sing unto the Lord . . . Men of the choir of All Saints Anglican Church …
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Music in our liturgy
Below are links to several pages that guide readers to historical background, commentary, recordings, and links to other resources concerning aspects of our liturgical life together. Psalms This page includes links to pages for each Psalm, on which are presented recordings of the Psalm chanted in plainchant and/or Anglican chant. There are also in some cases embedded recordings of performances of more elaborate choral settings of the Psalm. Click here to download a zipped archive with MP3 file featuring recordings of all 150 Psalms, sung to plainsong as presented in the Saint Dunstan’s Plainsong Psalter. NOTE: This is a very large file (about 700 Mb). Hymns This page displays a…
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More music from quarantine
During Lent, our Eucharistic service does not include the singing of the Gloria. This means that it has been a long time (February 23rd) since we have been able to sing one of the most ancient and joyous portions of our liturgy. So our choir has made a recording (each recording in our discrete spaces) of the Scottish Chant setting of the Gloria (p. 739 in the Hymnal) to aid in your singing together at home. We have also made a new recording of one of the favorite hymns in our parish, “The King of Love my Shepherd is.” The sixth stanza features a stirring descant that our sopranos can’t…
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The Introit, two hymns, and three cantatas for Jubilate Sunday
The Introit for the third Sunday after Easter is from Psalm 66, which begins “O be joyful in God, all ye lands.” The first words of this Introit in Latin are Jubilate Deo, so this Sunday has traditionally been known as Jubilate Sunday. This Sunday is known as “Jubilate Sunday,” because the first word in the Introit (when sung in Latin) is Jubilate, “Be joyful.” (By the way, if you’re explaining this to your kids, remember that the initial “J” in the word is silent.) The persistent presence of alleluias reminds us that we are still in Eastertide. One Introit O be joyful in God, all ye lands, alleluia: sing…
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Psalm 23 chanted, for Good Shepherd Sunday
One of the most frequently chanted settings of Psalm 23 is by Charles Hylton Stewart (1884-1932). The son of an Anglican organist who was also a priest, Stewart served as an organist in Rochester Cathedral and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Stewart’s setting of Psalm 23 does not conform to the strict structure of Anglican chant, but is one of our choir’s favorite Psalm settings. It is sung here by the choir of St John’s Anglican Church in Elora, Ontario, directed by Noel Edison.
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A canticle for a quarantined people
We haven’t sung the Te Deum laudamus together since before Ash Wednesday. So to provide some encouragement for the parish to sing this canticle at home, the choir (with Wallace’s help) has made a recording of it. Be assured that social distancing was observed; the average distance between singers was probably about 60 miles, with James in Northern Virginia, Braxton in Fluvanna, and myself sequestered in the County of Greene. This permanent page also includes our humble recording, and will soon include information about many other ways this text has been and is still being sung throughout the Church’s history.
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Te Deum laudamus, “We praise thee, O God”
If one excludes hymns with texts taken from the Bible, the Te Deum laudamus is the best known hymn in the history of the Western Church. It was long claimed to have been spontaneously improvised by St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, but other venerable saints have also been named as its author. In his book Te Deum: The Church and Music, music historian Paul Westermeyer summarizes the theology in this venerable text: Long associated with morning prayer, it is cast in three parts. First, praise to God everlasting includes a ‘Holy, holy, holy’ Sanctus-like section in which apostles, prophets, martyrs, and the whole church praise the Father, Son, and Holy…
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Two Propers (& two anthems) for Low Sunday
Within the Anglican Communion, the first Sunday after Easter day is traditionally called Low Sunday. The origins of that name are at best obscure. It is often suggested that the name alludes to the relative inferiority of this Sunday to the Great Sunday that we celebrated last week. The term “Octave of Easter” is used to designate the eight-day period that starts on Easter Sunday, so the “Octave Day of Easter” — Easter’s eighth day — is also used to designate the Sunday after Easter. The Offertory for today is from St. Matthew’s Gospel: The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven,and said unto the women:He whom ye seek is…
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Palm Sunday (April 5, 2020)
If we were together on this day, our service would open with the Processional hymn “All glory, laud, and honor.” This page includes (at the bottom) the singing of the hymn by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, as well as a lot of information about the hymn’s history. One of the texts traditionally sung during the distribution of Palm branches is Pueri Hebræorum vestimenta. Pueri Hebræorum vestimenta prosternebant in via The Hebrew children spread their garments in the way, et clamabant dicentes: Hosanna Filio David, and cried out, saying: Hosanna to the Son of David: benedictus qui venit in nomini Domini. blessed is He that cometh in the Name…
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Passion Sunday, the Fifth Sunday in Lent (March 29, 2020)
This Sunday marks the beginning of the two-week period historically known as Passiontide. During these final days before Easter, more attention is given to the sufferings and death of Jesus. This Sunday has also been known as Judica Sunday, that designation taken from the first word of the day’s proper Introit, a text taken from Psalm 43: Give sentence with me, O God, and defend my cause against the ungodly people: O deliver my soul from the deceitful and wicked man: for thou art the God of my strength. O send out thy light and thy truth, that they may lead me: and bring me unto thy holy hill, and…