Notes - September 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Episcopal Schools Sunday: Thoughts on Teaching

Good teachers often answer a question with a question, making the student think further on his or her own. A teacher himself, Jesus is no exception in his response to the chief priests and elders in today’s reading from Matthew’s gospel. And in the Psalm, God as teacher proclaims, "Hear my teachings, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth." Moreover, the text of the offertory anthem today also implores God to teach us and give us understanding. With these lectionary... Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Saturday, September 27, 2014

Friday, September 26, 2014

A Little Evening Music (A Preview of Sunday's Evensong)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE9b3f-OFGE] Balfour Gardiner’s (1877-1950) setting of this grand hymn for the evening rite is our anthem at Choral Evensong this Sunday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. This fifth/sixth century text is actually appointed for the Office of Compline and asks God for protection and favor "from fears and terrors of the night." Following a slow, controlled crescendo of organ introduction, the choir blossoms into this grand opening phrase of prayer to God, "To... Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Friday, September 26, 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Choral Evensong Series Continues This Sunday!

We have re-visioned our Evensong series in the 2014-2015 year, scheduling them around feast days - this Sunday’s is scheduled around St. Michael and All Angels, September 29. Join us at 5:30 for this Anglican tradition of music and liturgy, with music by Heathcote Statham, John Goss, Bryan Kelly, and H. Balfour Gardiner, sung by the Motet Choir. -CEM Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Friday, September 19, 2014

A Morning of Music: NAVE in the Nave

This Sunday we welcome the North American Vocal Ensemble (NAVE) , which is providing choral music for our liturgy. Founded in 2012, NAVE is a national choir that has sung in major cities throughout the country, most recently in New York City at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and in Carnegie Hall this past January. From a vast repertoire of choral music, NAVE offers for our worship two beautiful ancient, Latin hymns, one adoring the Eucharist ("Ave verum corpus" by Tudor... Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Friday, September 19, 2014

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

And All That Jazz

Sunday, September 7 was our annual Parish Picnic, complete with an outdoor service for the 10:30 liturgy. I have casually called this annual Sunday “Picnic Church,” and fortunately or unfortunately, some have coined my phrase into regular usage. This year, “Picnic Church” was accompanied musically by some very fine Memphis musicians, a Dixieland band directed by trumpeter Jeremy Shrader . Also known as “New Orleans jazz,” Dixieland bands began at the turn of the 20 th century,... Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Friday, September 12, 2014

Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive

The corporate Confession of Sin is a liturgical act that, by Book of Common Prayer rubric ("instruction"), we include in the liturgy each time we gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, except for the Great 50 Days of Easter when our parish custom is to follow the Early Christian tradition and dispense with the Confession. For the next few weeks, we will be using Prayers of the People, Form VI, which is the only form in our Prayer Book that includes its own Confession form tagged... Read More

Posted by Cara Modisett at Friday, September 12, 2014