October 26,2014 - Proper 25

Romance for horn Op. 36 - Camille Saint-Saens

Set Me as a Seal - Richard Nance

Horn Concerto No. 3 - W.A. Mozart

Hymns: #423 St. Denio, #517 Brother James' Air

              #538 Lucerna Laudonaie 

This week as we observe Morning Prayer the music is less focused on a clear period or composer but more on the medium that it was composed for. Joining us this Sunday is Paula Kinev, a fantastic horn player. The choir’s anthem calls for horn and I thought it would be nice for her to share a few other musical offerings with us.

The choir’s anthem, Set Me as a Seal was composed by Richard Nance for the wedding of fellow choral conductor Richard Sparks and his fiancé Kathryn Wold in 1996. The piece takes its text from the love poetry of the Bible, Song of Solomon. This oft set text opens with a lovely rising and falling line that reminds me of something be set or placed. It’s as though the composer lifts up the line and places on the heart of his or her intended. The B section sets the text “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it” in a flowing 9/8 in which the soprano and alto voices act as the water trying to quench love as the tenors valiantly try to finish the statement as they are nearly swallowed by the oppressive 2 against 3 rhythms. The men of the choir then take up the billowing figure followed by the ladies leading to a climax on the statement “cannot quench love” which takes us back to 4/4 and brings in the soaring horn solo. The instrumental interlude leads us to a return of the A section. The choir finishes solidly rising again to forte on the word strong and only tapering slightly as the horn and organ finish the piece. The composer makes no denial in his setting of the text that death also is strong, I think that may be why the piece stays strong to the end. The instrumental ending suggests to me that love merely tapers away into death. The metaphorical language of the Biblical text is usually taken to be interpreted as God’s love for His people Israel rather than the literal love story of two people. This reading offers further insight into the idea of love fading into death. The Bible tells us frequently in the New Testament that we have a place prepared for us where we shall be with God. This is the ultimate union of love in death. Something to think on as we approach the Feast of All Saints.