Rheinberger is perhaps a lesser-known composer for you. He was an organist and a contemporary of Johannes Brahms. Although a prolific composer, he’s mostly known for his elaborate and challenging organ sonatas. The movement you are hearing this morning is the Pastoral from his 12th Sonata in D-flat major. Pastoral or Pastorale in German, is […]

The purpose of music is endless. All artforms are like that. Beautiful Savior, today’s offertory anthem, serves a very unique purpose, the purpose of comfort. Written by F. Melius Christiansen, a Norwegian immigrant who led the St. Olaf Choir for 30 years, this piece is legendary. The St. Olaf Choir is known for their impeccable […]

The purpose of music is endless. All artforms are like that. Beautiful Savior, today’s offertory anthem, serves a very unique purpose, the purpose of comfort. Written by F. Melius Christiansen, a Norwegian immigrant who led the St. Olaf choir for 30 years, this piece is legendary. The St. Olaf choir is known for their impeccable […]

Elizabeth Poston was a multifaceted musician, pianist, teacher, and musicologist. Not only was she a well-known composer, she was quite active as an academic, and wrote for the Arts Council of Great Britain, gave lectures, and was the president of the Society of Women Musicians from 1955 until 1961. Another interesting part of her career […]

Let All Mortal Flesh is a translation of a Greek, Eucharistic hymn, based on words from Habakkuk 2:20, “Let all the earth keep silence before him.” This is one of my favorite anthems, an arrangement of this hymn by the English composer, Gustav Holst. Holst’s rise to popularity came from his famous orchestral suite, The […]

Many of you may remember a television show called The Joy of Music. It was hosted by Diane Bish, who was touted as the “First Lady of The Organ.” She hosted a weekly television series, where she would travel the world, performing on historical organs, bedecked in the most ornate statuary, and Baroque filigree. Actually, […]

Today’s service includes a lot of music by Felix Mendelssohn. I hope you love his music as much as I do. He only lived for 38 years. What a shame that he didn’t live longer! Today, you’ll hear one of his most famous compositions, a movement from his oratorio, St. Paul, Op. 36. This piece […]

If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that a localized, real experience cannot be recreated virtually. Being together, in community, has a quality to it that cannot be replicated. This localized phenomenon of place and community, is captured so eloquently in today’s offertory anthem, Locus Iste, by Austrian composer, Anton Bruckner. During a time […]

I love a great tune, a memorable melody. Who doesn’t? Sometimes so-called contemporary music lacks a good, singable melody. It’s hard to say what makes a good melody, a good one. Generally speaking, a good melody is appealing, catchy, and unique. One of the catchiest melodies ever composed was “The Fishin’ Hole,” by Earle Hagen in […]

Frank Bridge’s famous Adagio in E Major is a favorite for many organists. Perhaps you know of some other poignant Adagio’s, like Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, or the lamenting Adagio in G Minor, attributed to Albinoni. These kinds of pieces are elegiac, meaning that they mimic the aesthetics of an elegy, a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the […]