9 June 2013 - The Third Sunday after Pentecost
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10:00am Eucharist, II
Summer Choir / Touring Choir
John Linker, Organist/Choirmaster
J.S. Bach / Concerto in C Major, BWV 594 (Recitativo)
Monk / Psalm 146 Lauda, anima mea
Arr. White / Steal Away
Byrd / Ave verum Corpus
J.S. Bach / Prelude & Fugue in C minor, BWV 549
Hymns
390* Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
429* I'll praise my Maker while I've breath Old 113th
493* O for a thousand tongues to sing Azmon
5:00pm Eucharist, II
Zach Denniston, Treble soloist
John Linker, Organist
Bach / Jesu, joy of man's desiring
Mozart / Laudate Dominum
Hymns
390* Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren
511* Holy Spirit, ever living Abbot's Leigh
43* All praise to thee, my God The Eighth Tune
[* = Hymns chosen from the 2009 Hymn Survey]
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Notes for Sunday's Music
The first notes of our new organ will sound for the first time in public this Sunday. Only a portion of the instrument will be usable this weekend, but it will be a dramatic difference from the sounds emitted by the faithful small Steiner positive instrument we've had the luxury of using over the past year. Our deepest thanks to the Kentucky Bach Choir and Lexington Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for use of their instrument for the past year.
It is only fitting that the first notes the public hears on the instrument are by J.S. Bach, perhaps the most revered church music composer of all time. That said, Bach's Concerto in C Major is actually a transcription of Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major for violin. The second movement (Recitativo) is vocally inspired, and though the melody is instrumental, it includes harmonic progressions familiar in vocal recitative and also bears resemblance to the pensive tierce en taille movements from French organ masses.
Bach's Prelude & Fugue in C Minor, BWV 549, is a brief virtuosic work, and as typical in Bach's organ works, makes great demands of the feet. A whole new world of literature is now available to us since we finally have a pedalboard after a year's hiatus.
William Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus is a much beloved and widely performed motet. This work is representative of the English school of the time with frequent use of "cross relations", that is, half-step dissonances occurring between two vocal parts either simultaneously or in the succeeding shift of harmony. The first one occurs at the word verum with f-sharp and f-natural occurring very close to one another, reinforcing through Byrd's text painting (a long note on verum) that this is the true body.
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Organ installation continues
Around 2:00pm this past Wednesday the first sounds emitted from our new Goulding & Wood organ (the Miller and Wrigley Organ). The electricians completed the necessary work in order for the builders to start the blowers, and once we had wind, we had sound. It was incredibly thrilling to hear the organ sing for the first time in the church! A small portion of the instrument will be usable for this Sunday's 8:00am, 10:00am, and 5:00pm services. Next week tonal finishing will begin in order to smooth out any rough edges. The congregation should be able to hear more of its organ in more of is finished glory on 16 June.
Choir Send-Off Concert 23 June
Join us for a special concert on Sunday 23 June at 4:00pm as the choir sings repertoire that will go on tour with them to Italy and France later this month, where they'll sing concerts and services in Rome, Florence, and Paris. Following this concert, the choir will sing the 5:00pm Eucharist that evening.
Choirs are Enrolling for 2013-14We're planning an action-packed academic year, and we want YOU! Good Shepherd offers choirs for all ages, from preschool through retirement. Instruction in music theory, choral repertoire, foreign languages, rehearsal, performance, spirituality, and liturgical education are all part of the package. And all of this is offered for FREE! Contact John Linker, Organist/Choirmaster, for more information.
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 RSCM Promotions at Evensong last Sunday Last Sunday we recognized the achievements of our talented young singers. The Training Choir was recognized at the 10:00 service for their splendid year of music making. During Evensong at 5:00pm three trebles were promoted to their next levels of choristership. Nora Cowen and Rylan Thomas advanced to Junior Chorister (light blue ribbon) and Zach Denniston advanced to Senior Chorister (red ribbon). This advancement reflects their dedication and commitment to learning, which involves choir activities a minimum of three days a week during the academic year (Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Saturdays). Congratulations to these choristers on their accomplishments! Psallam spiritu et mente. I will sing with the Spirit and with the understanding also.
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 | Swell division of the Miller and Wrigley Organ,
Goulding & Wood Opus 50
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That's Swell
The pipes off to the right are in the Swell division, the expressive division (i.e., volume is governed by shade levers) that is above the quire on the south side. It takes an amazing feat of engineering to arrange the pipes in a logical manner while working within the confines of limited space. For instance, reed pipes (which have a vibrating brass tongue) need to be tuned more often than the other pipes and therefore must be readily accessible. The other divisions of the organ are Great (the "main" part of the organ), Choir (usually closest to the singers), Antiphonal (at the west end), and Pedal (played by the feet).
Chorister parents Laura and Tommy Whittaker made key chains were made of our old organ stops and also of the couplers. Amusing it was that the most popular key chains ended up being the couplers, which connect the various divisions together so that they can be played from the same keyboard. Couplers have names like "Swell to Great," "Great to Pedal" and so on. While organists tend to be most interested in the actual stops (8' Principal, 16' Violone, 4' Rohrfloete, etc.), those new to organ lingo were most fascinated with the couplers. And that's just GREAT!
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Concerts in Good Shepherd |
Friday 21 June at 7:30pm - The dedicatory recital of our new organ, the Miller and Wrigley Organ built by Goulding & Wood Organbuilders.
Last week we received word that Bruce Neswick, the originally scheduled recitalist for the dedication, fractured his arm in a cycling accident. He is expected to make a full recovery, but his arm will be in a cast until August, preventing him from keeping concert engagements scheduled for this summer.
In Bruce's place, resident organist John Linker, along with Owen Sammons (organist at St Peter's in Paris, KY) and Schuyler Robinson (organ professor at University of Kentucky), will present the dedicatory recital with a program similar to what Bruce intended to play.
Therefore our dedicatory recital will be moving forward as scheduled but with a few different sets of hands and feet! Bruce Neswick will be rescheduled to perform at a future date in Good Shepherd. We wish Bruce the best as he heals from his injury!
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Sunday 23 June at 4:00pm - Bon Voyage concert as the choir prepares to depart for Italy and France.
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Advance Planning - Highlights for 2013/14 |
Choir Reunion Weekend
Mark your calendars now for an exciting weekend of reunion activities for the choir program from 20 - 22 September 2013! As a way of celebrating the installation of our new Goulding & Wood organ, all singers of Good Shepherd Choirs, past and present, are invited to participate in this weekend of choral festivities. If you haven't done so already, please be in touch with John Linker and he will provide you with pertinent details.
Organist Olivier Latry coming to Good Shepherd in 2014
Olivier Latry, one of the three organistes-titulaires de Grande-Orgue of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, will be playing a recital in Good Shepherd on Friday 28 February 2014. This remarkable event will be co-sponsored between the Lexington and Louisville Chapters of the American Guild of Organists as well as Good Shepherd. Latry is also organ professor at Paris Conservatory and is considered to be one of the finest organists in the world. You may read more info about this dynamic musician here. |
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