9:00am Eucharist, II

      Treble Choir (+ Probationers) / Canterbury Choir

      John Linker, Organist/Choirmaster

            Samuel Wesley / Voluntary V (Op. 6)

            Richard DeLong / Just as I am

            S.S. Wesley / The Lord hath been mindful (from Ascribe unto the Lord)

            Jos� Lid�n / Sonata de 1 Tono

            Hymns

            377*                   All people that on earth do dwell                          Old 100^th

            596* (st. 1)         Judge eternal, throned in splendor               Komm, o komm

            594*                   God of grace and God of glory                    Cwm Rhondda

11:15am Eucharist, II                      

      Parish Choir

      John Linker, Organist/Choirmaster

            Samuel Wesley / Voluntary V (Op. 6)

            Day / Psalm 99

            S.S. Wesley / The Lord hath been mindful (from Ascribe unto the Lord)

            Jos� Lid�n / Sonata de 1 Tono

            Hymns

            377*                   All people that on earth do dwell                          Old 100^th

            596* (st. 1)         Judge eternal, throned in splendor               Komm, o komm

            594*                   God of grace and God of glory                    Cwm Rhondda

4:15pm Organ Recital

      Owen Sammons, Organ

            Richard Wagner / Vorspiel from Tristan und Isolde (Trans. Edwin Lemare)

            Improvisation by Sammons / Invocation of the Saints

                        (an improvised suite welcoming the Saints to their upcoming feast)

5:00pm Eucharist, II

      Owen Sammons, Visiting Organist

            Hymns

            377*                   All people that on earth do dwell                          Old 100^th

            596* (st. 1)         Judge eternal, throned in splendor               Komm, o komm

            37*                     O brightness of the immortal Father's face  Evening Hymn

[* = Hymns chosen from the 2009 Hymn Survey]

The opening Voluntary is by Samuel Wesley (1766-1837), son of the great hymn writer Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and father of the prolific Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876). Voluntary V is typical of Wesley's voluntaries in that it begins with a slow introduction followed by imitative sections, and makes use of the diatonic scale as a motive. Writing in the Classical manner using chains of suspension and balanced phrasing, and being a contemporary of Mozart, Wesley is sometimes referred to as the "English Mozart."

The Anthem is the final section of S.S. Wesley's masterpiece Ascribe unto the Lord. First published in 1853, the final section of this masterwork (The Lord hath been mindful) is a gentle development of several absolutely haunting melodies. Wesley's middle name (Sebastian) was derived from his father's admiration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).

The closing voluntary is by Spanish composer Jos� Lid�n (1748-1827). Notable highlights of his career include serving as organist at the Orense Cathedral and the Madrid Royal Chapel. His exciting two-voice (with an occasional "drone" third voice) Sonata on the First Tone is contains the indication "for organ with a royal trumpet." As our Miller and Wrigley Organ has an abundance of fiery reed stops, several combinations of sound will be explored in this particular performance of this work.

In recent weeks we have been reminded of our mortality to varying degrees. Our local communities have seen several burials, our nation is on edge as a deadly epidemic reaches our threshold, and conflict rages abroad with seemingly little hope of resolution. Today's (Sunday's) concert expands upon this theme, and with the Feast of All Saints just a few weeks away, seeks to prepare our hearts for the somber liturgies ahead.

In Tristan und Isolde Wagner uses the metaphor of day and night to designate the realms inhabited by Tristan and Isolde. The world of Day is one in which the lovers are bound by the dictates of the King, and the lovers must pretend as if they do not care for each other: it is a realm of falsehood and unreality. The realm of Night, in contrast, is the representation of intrinsic reality, in which the lovers can be together and their desires can be openly expressed and reach fulfillment: it is the realm of oneness, truth and reality and can only be achieved fully upon the deaths of the lovers. The realm of Night, therefore, becomes also the realm of death: the only world in which Tristan and Isolde can be as one forever. In the Vorspiel the blanket of night is laid out in the opening phrases with the famous "Tristan chord" and the extremely dark and brooding unveiling of themes to be heard throughout the entire work. 

This piece, transcribed from the orchestral score by Edwin H. Lemare, was heard by many Americans on the organ before having heard the work played by an orchestra. Edwin Lemare was a prolific transcriber of orchestral music for the organ, for his own performance in concerts. While there was likely an element of pure showmanship to these transcriptions - which allowed Lemare to display his uncanny skill as a transcriber of major symphonic works, as well as his phenomenal technique - Lemare sincerely believed he was also performing a service in letting concert audiences in mid-sized American towns hear important orchestral works from Europe that would otherwise go unknown in locales with no resident symphony orchestra. Many of his transcriptions are still performed today, especially those he did of the works of Wagner.

Following the Vorspiel Mr. Sammons will perform an improvised suite based on several plainchant themes. The suite will be an invitation and procession of the Saints to their coming feast. Here the Miller & Wrigley organ will imitate the supernatural with its ethereal strings, and "rattle the graves" with its bombastic power. Enjoy!