Music List for November 2011

November 6, 2011 – All Saints’ Sunday A

Prelude:

Entrance: 286  Who Are These Like Stars Appearing    

Gloria:   The Sewanee Service Malcolm Archer

Psalm 34:1-10, 22 S-411

Sequence: 656 Blest are the Pure in Heart                                                    

Offertory Anthem: Give Us The Wings of Faith to Rise  Justin Wiget

Presentation:  711  Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God

Sanctus: The Sewanee Service

Fraction: The Sewanee Service

Communion: 624 Jerusalem the Golden 

                      526 Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing 

Exit Hymn: 287 For All the Saints Who From their Labors Rest  

Postlude:

November 13, 2011 – Pentecost 22, Proper 28 A

Prelude:                       

Entrance: 632 O Christ, the Word Incarnate 

Gloria:  The Sewanee Service Malcolm Archer                                                        

Psalm 123

Sequence: 655 O Jesus I Have Promised 

Offertory Anthem:     TBA       

Presentation: 711 Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God

Sanctus: The Sewanee Service

Fraction: The Sewanee Service 

Communion:                           

Exit Hymn: 680 O God, Our Help In Ages Past

Postlude:

November 20, 2011 – Christ the King Sunday

Prelude:

Entrance: 494 Crown Him With Many Crowns

Gloria: The Sewanee Service Malcolm Archer                  

Psalm 100

Sequence: 483 The Head that Once Was Crowned with Thorns             

Offertory Anthem: O Jesus King Most Wonderful David Hogan

Presentation: 711 Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God 

Sanctus:  The Sewanee Service 

Fraction: The Sewanee Service

Communion: 324  Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence       

                      382  King of Glory, King of Peace   

Exit Hymn:   450  All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name  

Postlude:

November 27, 2011 – Advent 1 B

Prelude:

Entrance: 73 The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns

Trisagion:  S-102           

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

Sequence:   68 Rejoice! Rejoice Believers

Offertory Anthem: An Advent Carol Alfred Fedak

Presentation: 56 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Verses 1 & 2)

Sanctus:  S-130

Fraction: S-164

Communion:           

Exit Hymn: 57 Lo! He Comes, With Clouds Descending

Postlude:                        

Music Links for Advent & Christmas Eve 2011

This "blog" entry is for the choir members who would like to listen to recordings of most of our Advent & Christmas Music. I encourage each choir member to listen as often as possible.


Advent 1--November 27
Anthem: An Advent Carol by Alfred Fedak


Advent 2--December 4
Anthem: The Father's Love by William Roger Price


Advent 3--December 11
Anthem: Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates by Mark Schweizer


Advent 4--December 18
Anthem: Gabriel's Voice by Ian Higginson

Christmas Eve--December 24
Anthem: On Christmas Night by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Communion Anthem: Still, Still, Still by Ian Higginson (Women)
Service Music: St. James Christmas Service

Choir Retreat Photos & Video

On Saturday, August 27, the Parish Choir embarked on their first Choir Retreat. Sue Mitchell-Wallace was our guest clinician/mentor for the day. Sue is known all over the U.S. for her expertise in Choir Ministries and Hymn Festivals, as well as a clinician, composer, and accompanist.  Sue is also an instructor in the Leadership Program for Musicians. Members of the Parish Choir spent a whole day in fellowship, worship, prayer, learning, and rehearsals. We thank Sue for her tireless efforts in creating a more beautiful world through worship and music!

 Group #1 doing their "Commercial" for Choir Recruiting.

 Sue Mitchell-Wallace instilling her vast knowledge.

 Group #2 announcing Short- and Long-term goals for the choir.

Rehearsal around the piano w/ Sue

Group #1 with their "Commercial for Recruiting Choir Members.

Music Samples for Choir

The following links are recordings of some of the music we will be singing over the fall term. The choir is encouraged to listen to them to get a sense of how anthems sound.

Archer- Service Music

How - Day by Day
(Sung by an all male choir)

Martin - King of Glory, King of Peace

Parry - Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

Shaw - With A Voice of Singing

Shepherd- Be Thou My Vision

Music Notes August 2011

Summer is just about over and many of us have taken our summer vacations and getting ready for the new "School Year." With that, the choir will once again be returning to our regular Thursday Evening rehearsals. This year the choir will begin the Royal School of Church Music "Voice for Life" program. They will learn the basics of reading music and it means to be a minister of music with in the church.  Also, on August 27th, the choir will embark upon a day-long choir retreat lead by special guest Sue Mitchell-Wallace of Atlanta. Also, if you are interested in assisting in preparing breakfast and/or lunch for the choir retreat, please email me!

If you also participated in the mens or womens choirs over the summer and really enjoyed yourself, we are planning to do that again sometime in the fall, watch for email blasts, bulletin announcements, etc. for dates! If you REALLY enjoyed yourself in the Mens/Womens Choirs and have considered joining the Parish Choir on a regular basis, please see me soon!  No Auditions are required, but I will meet with you one-on-one to hear your voice so we'll know where to place you. You may email me at music.marymartha@gmail.com and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have! Rehearsals resume August 11 at 7p.m.

But wait, that's not all.... Beginning in August we'll re-continue our choral evensongs. This time we're taking it a step further and singing a service of Choral Evensong once a month! The dates for the Fall are as follows:

August 14--Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Chamber Singers)

September 11--Evensong for 10th Anniversary of Sept 11 Attacks (Parish Choir)

October 2--Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (Chamber Singers)

November 6--Sung by the Parish Choir

December 4--Advent Lessons & Carols (Chamber Singers & Parish Choir)

All Evening Services will take place at 6:00 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated). I certainly hope you will make this part of your Spiritual Journey and Discipline in further discovering our Anglican Heritage.  

Musically Yours, 

Josh

music.marymartha@gmail.com

Calling all Men...

On Sunday, July 10, All Men in the choir and congregation are invited to join forces to form an All Men's Choir. Our anthem will be "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy"  arranged by Mark Schweitzer. 

We will have a short rehearsal on Thursday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m. We will also meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday Morning for the 10:30 service. 

Calling All Ladies....

On Sunday, June 26, All ladies in the choir and congregation are invited to join forces to form an All Ladies Choir. Our anthem will be "Make Me A Channel of your Peace" (Prayer of St. Francis) arranged by Martin Neary.

We will have a short rehearsal on Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday Morning for the 10:30 service.

2011 Choir Schedule

St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany Choir 

Summer Schedule

Sunday, May 29
--Morning Prayer w/ H.E. 10:30 a.m.
--Anthem: “Alleluia! Christ is Risen” (The one we sang as the Easter Communion Anthem)

Thursday, June 2
--Ascension Day
--Mass @ 7:00 p.m.
--Details TBA

Sunday, June 5
--Bishop Whitmore's Visit
--Anthem: “Gracious Spirit Dwell With Me”

Sunday, June 12
--Pentecost Sunday
--Services will be at 10:00 at Fort Yargo and at the Church Simultaneously
--No Choir Duties This Sunday

Thursday, June 16
--Last Full Choir Rehearsal for Summer

Sunday, June 19
--Trinity Sunday & Father’s Day
--Simple Anthem TBA

Sunday, June 26
--All Ladies Sunday
--All Ladies from the Choir as well as from the Congregation will be invited to sing
--Short Rehearsal on Thursday, June 23rd at 7:30



Sunday, July 3
--Readings & Music for Independence Day



Sunday, July 10
--All Men’s Sunday
--All Men from the Choir as well as from the Congregation will be invited to sing
--Short Rehearsal on Thursday, July 7 at 7:30


Sunday, July 17
--Josh at Conference
--No Choir Duties
--Soloist?



Sunday, July 24
--Patronal Feast
--Service at 10:00???
--Full Choir if Possible



Sunday, July 31
--Morning Prayer with Eucharist



Sunday, August 7
--Josh Gone
--Choir TBA



Thursday, August 11
--First Rehearsal of the Season

Lenten Choral Evensong and Organ Recital

The Parish Choir of St. Mary and St. Martha of Bethany in Buford GA will sing a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.

Also, during the service, Choirmaster-Organist Josh Duncan will present a short organ recital of Lenten-Themed Music.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend. A reception will follow.

St. Mary & St. Martha is located a 3805 Braselton Highway, Buford GA.

Psalm 51 -- Gregorio Allegri

This setting of Psalm 51 is one of the most popular and beautiful settings ever composed. Today, we normally chant or read Psalm 51 during the Ash Wednesday Service during or after Ashes have been imposed on the congregation.

Allegri composed this setting most likely during the 1630s in Rome. Upon the first public "performance" Pope Urban VIII declared this setting be sung exclusively inside the Sistine Chapel and for only Tenebrae Services on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. Transcription or performance by other musicians outside of the Sistine Chapel was punishable by excommunication. Circa 1714, the music "escaped" the Vatican and has gone through countless revisions and arrangements.

Allegri's setting can be heard by clicking here.

John Wesley's Directions for Singing

1. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

2. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

3. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

4. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan.

5. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

6. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing to slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

7. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

From John Wesley’s Select Hymns, 1761

Lenten Recital Schedule

Wednesday, March 23
--Redeemer Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA
--11:45 a.m.

Wednesday, March 30
--Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile, AL
--12:05 p.m.

Sunday, April 3
--St. Mary & St. Martha Episcopal Church, Buford GA
--6:00 (Incorporated into Evensong)

Wednesday, April 6
--St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral, St. Petersburg, FL
--12:00 p.m.

Lenten Recital Series 2011--Josh Duncan, Organist

Praeludium in A Minor                                               H. Clarence Eddy (1851 – 1934)

           

Variations on Wondrous Love                                                     Robert Lau (Born 1943)

   I   “What Wondrous Love Is This, O My Soul…”

   II  “To God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM…”

   III “To Bear the Heavy Cross for my soul…”

   IV “And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on…”

Pièce d'Orgue (BWV 572)                                 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

Elegy                                                                       George Thalben-Ball (1896 – 1987)

Josh Duncan is a native of Georgia and has served Episcopal Parishes in the Diocese of Georgia and the Diocese of Atlanta as Choirmaster-Organist since 2000. Josh holds a certificate of Church Music from Andrew College--Cuthbert, GA--and a Bachelors of Arts in Music from Georgia Southwestern State University--Americus, GA. His major teachers have included Dr. Egbert J. Bacon, Dr. Susan Tusing, Dr. Fletcher Anderson, & Dr. Timothy Wissler. Josh is also active in the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and most recently appointed by Atlanta’s Bishop, the Rt. Rev J. Neal Alexander to the Diocesan Commission on Music--a three-year term. Josh also is employed by Parkey OrganBuilders in Duluth where he works as Office Manager/Administrative Assistant as well as Choirmaster-Organist at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary and St. Martha of Bethany, in Buford, GA. Recent performances have included Trinity United Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Newnan, GA; and Chapel of the Apostles, University of the South, Sewanee, TN. Lenten Performances for 2011 include Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta, GA; Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile, AL; and St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral, St. Petersburg, FL.

Choral Evensong, Sunday March 6, 6:00 p.m.

The Chamber Singers of St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany will sing the Office of Solemn Choral Evensong on March 6, 2011 at 6:00 in the Evening.

This service is celebrating the Last Sunday of the Epiphany as well as the Transfiguration of Christ.

Music for the Service includes:

         Preces & Responses—Raymond Clark

         Psalm 99—Thomas Norris
         Canticles: The Short Service—Thomas Weelkes

         Anthem: Phos Hilaron—Robert Delcamp

We cordially invite everyone to this service to join their prayers with us. A Reception will follow immediately in the Parish Hall graciously sponsored by the Daughters of the King.

Music List February-April 2011

Click here to view the Music List for February-April 2011 (Note: Music may change with little or no notice).

About the Music Department of St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany

Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Hallelujah! –Psalm 150

Congregational singing of hymns is the root of our worship in music, and all worshipers are encouraged to lift their voices in song.

The Parish Choir

The Parish Choir of St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany is made up of volunteers. No auditions are required, no prior experience needed. Though reading music is an asset, it’s certainly not a requirement. All that is needed is an ability to match pitch and a commitment to weekly rehearsals and singing each Sunday morning. New members are always welcomed with open arms.

The Choir sings an anthem almost weekly for the offertory and sometimes communion. In addition, the Choir chants Psalms and Canticles appointed each week using different forms ranging from Anglican Chant, Plain Chant, and Responsorial Psalms.

Rehearsals are held each Thursday evening from 7:00-8:30. We normally rehearse beginning the Thursday after Labor Day, through the Thursday before Trinity Sunday. During the summer, the choir does not rehearse but some members still meet on Sunday mornings to help lead congregational song.

All of our choir members are nurtured and trained in their personal musical growth while preparing for their liturgical role as leaders of worship.

The Parish Choir is the principal ensemble that sings weekly at the 10:30 Sunday Morning Choral Eucharist and occasionally Choral Evensong at St. Mary & St. Martha. The Parish Choir also sings for special Feast Services such as Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, etc.

The Chamber Singers

The Chamber Singers of St. Mary & St. Martha is a mixed ensemble partially made up from the Parish Choir as well as other Professional and Semi-Professional Musicians (some of who are also church choir directors) from the Atlanta Area. The Chamber Singers is a well-balanced group and an audition is required to join. This is a group who focuses primarily Early Music of the Church and sings Choral Evensong at various times of the year.

The Chamber Singers are scheduled to sing the following Choral Evensongs:

            December 5, 2011—Advent Lessons & Carols (with Parish Choir)

January 30, 2011—Feast of the Presentation

            March 6, 2011—Last Sunday of the Epiphany

            May 15, 2011—Eastertide/Good Shepherd Sunday

            August 14, 2011—Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Choirmaster-Organist

The Choirs of St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany are under the direction of Choirmaster-Organist, Josh Duncan. If there are any questions regarding the music department, please don’t hesitate to contact Josh at the Church Office or via email at music.marymartha@gmail.com