October 12, 2014 - Proper 23

Neuf Pieces: "Prelude sur une Antienne" - Jean Langlais

Gloria: "Laudamus Te" - Francis Poulenc

This is the Hour of Banquet and of Song-Richard DeLong

Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices - arr. Diane Bish

Hymns: #7 Ratisbon, #763 Raquel, #569 Russia

The music this week is a little bit all over the place but it all fits together well. The prelude and gradual anthem are from the late French Romantic literature while the postlude and communion anthem are settings of great but lesser known hymns.

The communion anthem is a setting of This is the Hour of Banquet and of Song by Horatius Bonar (1808-1899). Bonar was born in Edinburgh and ordained in 1837. In 1843 he joined the Free Church of Scotland. He gained fame as a religious writer with the publication of the “Kelso Tracts” in addition to this he has authored over 600 hymns. The text is set to a new tune by the American organist and composer Richard DeLong (1951-1994). DeLong attended Ashland College and did his graduate work at Southern Methodist University. DeLong was a successful recitalist and accompanist as well as being a respected composer. He received several prominent commissions during his career. This hymn anthem sets the four verses of Bonar’s Eucharistic hymn simply but elegantly first in unison then all of the men of the choir. The third verse is a meditative a cappella setting that eludes to the fleeting nature of our celebration here on earth while the final verse for unison choir with descant points to the banquet to be celebrated in heaven. This text is made even more poignant by the notation in the front of the anthem which reads: “On the day THIS IS THE HOUR OF BANQUET AND OF SONG was scheduled to go to press, word was received in this office of the death of the composer.” It seems his thoughts had already turned toward the heavenly banquet as he lost his battle with AIDS.

The postlude is a setting of Lowell Mason’s (1792-1872) hymn tune “Harwell” which is often coupled with the text from 1806 by Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices. Lowell Mason is considered the father of church music and music education in America. He spent his life studying and then educating teachers and musicians on the practice of teaching music and is also responsible for the introduction of music into the public school. This arrangement by the American organist Diane Bish (b. 1941). Bish has hosted, produced, and starred in the television series “The Joy of Music” for more than 25 years. This show takes her all over the world and features performances by world class performers on a variety of different organs. Known almost as well for her flashy costumes as for her flawless playing Bish remains a prominent recitalist throughout the US and Europe. This arrangement shows the wide variety of colors and sounds that are available to the organist and the different approaches that can be taken to text painting in a hymn arrangement.

The prelude is taken from Jean Langlais’s (1907-1991) Neuf Pieces written between 1942 and 1943. The piece was written as Langlais’s response to World War II. His publisher wanted him to write something that would include Gregorian chant and Lutheran chorale tunes. The seventh piece in the collection Prelude sur une Antienne incorporates the chant “vos amici mei estis” a text taken from John 15:14 “You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you.” This simple yet haunting melody in 5/4 is set smoothly and quietly. A bleak but quiet commentary on the world that Langlais lived in at the time of the composition.

The gradual anthem also comes out of the French Romantic tradition but is a “preview” of the Poulenc Gloria which we will present in full on Sunday, November 2. I will do a full set of program notes for that piece then.