The above is taken from Wikipedia.
Amen.
Welcome to the Saint Mary choir blog. We are a SATB (ie: four part harmony) choir. We sing at the 10:00am service most Sundays through out the year.We welcome new members to our choir. If you are interested in joining us please contact our Director of Music (Joanna) via the Contact Us page.
There follows some of the music we have performed.
The above is taken from Wikipedia.
Amen.
On Easter Morn Ere Break Of Day Sung by the Greek Church at Lauds on Easter Day Melody: The Bashful Lover
This is a jolly tune, being almost a hornpipe so goes along at a fair pace. But the words are from the Greek Church, traditionally sung at Easter. It describes the three Marys arriving at Christ's tomb and finding him gone. But this is a tremendous thing as the Bible foretold Christ's ressurection for the good of all mankind.
The music was set to a poem by Robert Burns On a bank of flowers ae simmer day.
O Saviour Of The World John Goss 1800 - 1880
Sir John Goss from Wikipedia |
Fairest Lord Jesus German 17th Century, translated by Lilian Sinclair Stevenson (1870-1960)
Silesian folk song (1842) arranged by Martin How.Jubilate Deo in B flat Charles Villiers Stanford
Stanford from Wikipedia |
Hide not thou thy face Farrant
Taken from Wikipedia
Richard Farrant (c. 1525 – 30 November 1580) was an English composer. Like many composers of his day, the early years of Farrant's life are not well documented. The first acknowledgement of him is in a list of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1552. It is assumed from that list that his birth was around 1525, although that cannot be accurately determined. During his life he was able to establish himself as a successful composer, develop the English drama considerably, founded the first Blackfriars Theatre, and be the first to write verse-anthems. He married Anne Bower, daughter of Richard Bower who was Master of the Chapel Royal choristers at the time. With Anne he conceived ten children, one of whom was also named Richard.
As a member of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Farrant was active in ceremonies surrounding the royal family. He began his work with the Chapel Royal around 1550 under the reign of Edward VI. Fortunately, for Farrant, this is a time that saw huge developments in Latin Church Music. Composers like William Byrd and Christopher Tye were busy expanding and elaborating on the Church Music of the day. In Farrant's twelve years with the Chapel Royal, he was able to participate in funerals for Edward VI and Mary I, and coronations for Mary I and Elizabeth I. After his work there, he took up a post as organist at St. George's Chapel at Windsor.
For Farrant, the post at Windsor became a permanent one that he retained for the rest of his life. Along with this, he also acquired the position of Master of the Chapel Royal choristers in November 1569. Having the choirs of both of these institutions at his disposal gave him an outlet to showcase all of his compositions and plays. In fact, every winter he was able to produce a play for the Queen herself. These positions also allowed him to move back to London in 1576 and begin a public theatre of sorts where he rehearsed some of his choir music openly. It was soon after, in 1580, that he died, having left his house to his wife.
Unlike many composers of his day that stuck to only music composition, Farrant also wrote many plays. One of his most important contributions to drama in England is of course the creation of the first Blackfriars Theatre. This eventually became one of the most important places in London for drama to develop during the Renaissance. Farrant is also one of the earliest and most well known composers that began to mix the two mediums of music and drama. It was this uncommon mixture that allowed him to begin to develop the composition style of 'verse.' This becomes prominent in a lot of his pieces including the anthems When as we sat in Babylon, Call to remembrance and Hide not thou thy face.
"Hide not thou thy face" is taken from Psalm 27, verse 9.