Trinity Sunday is always brought to you by the number three. Most of the music in today’s service will feature the number three in some form. The prelude is a simple setting of “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” a typical trinitarian hymn that is set in triple meter. That means that every bar has […]

I think you’ll really like today’s anthem. It’s perfect for the gentler side of Pentecost, the spirit of love coming down from heaven. I think that Sir William Harris was kind and quiet. There is actually some anecdotal evidence to that assumption. After he was appointed organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Bruce Nightingale, a […]

Our offertory anthem is what you might call a barnburner! It’s not too often that we ever get to clap our hands and shout in church; however, the words of the 47th Psalm make it very clear that we should indeed extend our voices, and our hands in exuberant praise. Vaughan Williams has set this […]

The slaves sang to help them endure unthinkable conditions, but they also sang as a way of encoding messages of encouragement. So many of the slave songs were about heaven, the hope of moving on to glory. To the unknowing slave-owner, these songs seemed harmless. On the surface they seemed to be about heaven. But […]

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” released in 1988 made Bobby McFerrin a household name in pop music. He later started doing incredible things with his singing, being able to perform remarkable instrumental works with his voice – like pieces by Bach and Vivaldi. He has this incredible falsetto, singing style that has made him one of […]

Today’s anthem is by John Rutter, definitely no stranger to us here at St. Andrew’s. Rutter has some of the most widely-used Christmas carol arrangements of any other composer that I can think of, and this fall we will be singing his Requiem for All Saints (more on that later). Today’s offertory anthem is a […]

Thomas Weelkes was a noted composer of the madrigal, a secular, a cappella form of vocal music which rose to popularity in the 17th century. These kinds of pieces were colorful representations of life itself. The composers tried to encapsulate real life – sounds of love, heartache, and struggle. They were an attempt to unpack […]

What Wondrous Love is this, comes from the early American, shape-note tradition. In a few weeks, you’ll hear another example of this kind of music on Easter Sunday, when we sing William Billings’ Easter Anthem. Music education in The United States began in Sunday School. People learned to read music for congregational and social singing, […]

Today’s offertory anthem is by American composer, Ned Rorem. Rorem is a professed atheist, but has written a good deal of sacred music. This work sounds rather simple, benign, and straightforward. But Rorem gives us a challenge, musically. The harmony is dissonant (clashing), and the notes slither around, untraditionally. These non-traditional musical components are challenging […]

This morning I want to point out that we’re singing some good hymns. “The God of Abraham praise,” for example, is such a strong statement of faith. Leoni, the tune of this hymn is as ancient as any music that you will hear this morning. During Lent we hear lots of music that is set […]