1

Prelude: Siciliano from Paschal Suite for Brass and Organ

— Richard Webster, 2004*

dvent Press and Richard Webster are pleased to welcome you to this festival of hymns and anthems on the eve of the national convention of the American Guild of Organists in Boston. All are invited to join in

the singing of hymns as indicated.

❖

32

Reading: An Ode for Music on St. Cecilia’s Day

Cantus in harmonia, sing we all, Cecilia.Cantus in concordia, sing we, Saint Cecilia.Sing we now, our strains abound to thy sweet celestial sound.Joyful, all our voices raise to thy art, we sing our praise.In a sadly pleasing strain let the warbling lute complain;Let the loud, clear trumpet sound, ‘till the echoes all abound.While in lengthened notes and slow, deep majestic organs blow.Hark! The numbers soft and clear gently steal upon the ear.Louder, and yet louder rise, fill with spreading sounds the skies:Joyful all, now swell the notes, trembling all wild music floats.

—Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the almighty* Tune: Lobe den Herren 1. Unison 2. Harmony 3. Choir 4. Unison

❖ Please stand.

54

Reading

A song does not exist until it is sung, or re-created, by a human voice. Every incarnation is different, and no one sound is the only right one. This is a paradox. A page of music seems to present a finished product, yet it contains no sound. (Hold it up to your ear: Can you hear it?) The song doesn’t live until it comes off the page and resumes its natural state as sound. The page can no more substitute for living sound than a recipe can for edible food.

Singing is the most human, most companionable of the arts. It joins us together in the whole realm of sound, forging a group identity where there were only individuals and making a communicative statement that far transcends what any one of us could do alone. It is a paradigm of union with the Creator.

—Alice Parker (b. 1925)

A D V E N T

❖ Please stand.

Hymn: Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding* Tune: Merton 1. Unison 2. Harmony 3. Unison 4. Harmony, unaccompanied 5. Unison, with descant

© 2014 Advent Press All rights reserved. S-914475

76

C H R I S T M A S

❖ Please stand.

Hymn: Once in Royal David’s City Tune: Irby 1. Solo chorister 2. Choir 3. All, harmony 4, 5. Unison

Hymn: Angels, from the realms of glory* Tune: Deysach — Richard Webster 1. Choir 2, 3. All, harmony 4. Unison

98

❖ Remain seated.

Hymn: How bright appears the Morning Star Tune: Wie schön leuchtet 1. Choir 2. All, harmony 3. unison

E P I P H A N Y

Reading: 2 Chronicles 5: 11–14The priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were pres-ent had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions). All the levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kindred, arrayed in fine linen, stood with cymbals, lutes and lyres to the east of the altar, together with a hundred and twenty priests who blew trumpets. Now the trumpeters and the singers joined in unison to sound forth praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and the song was raised with trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise of the Lord, because ‘it is good, for his steadfast love endures forever’; and the house was filled with the cloud of the glory of the Lord. The priests could not continue to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Copyright © 1982 Hope Publishing Co. Reprinted under OneLicense.net S-914475

1110

Hymn: Ask ye what great thing I know Tune: Rogatisne — Richard Webster* 1. Unison 2, 3. Harmony 4. Unison

L E N T

Reading

Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite sim-ply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak and pray the same Word at the same time; in other words, because here they can unite in the Word. There should be singing, not only at devotions, but at regular times of the day or week. The more we sing, the more joy will we derive from it. But above all, the more devotion and discipline and joy we put into our singing, the richer will be the blessing that will come to the whole life of the fellowship from singing together. It is not you that sings; it is the Church that is singing, and you, as a member of the Church, may share in its song. Thus all singing together that is right must serve to wid-en our spiritual horizon and make us see our little company as a member of the great Christian Church on earth, and help us willingly and gladly to join our singing, be it feeble or good, to the song of the Church.

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

❖ Please stand.

1312

E A S T E R

Reading: From The Road to Emmaus

The sacred moments, the moments of miracle, are often the every-day moments, the moments which, if we do not look with more than our eyes or listen with more than our ears, reveal only...the gardener, a stranger coming down the road behind us, a meal like any other meal. But if we look with our hearts, if we listen with all of our being and our imagination – if we live our lives not from vacation to vacation, from escape to escape, but from the mira-cle of one instant of our precious lives to the miracle of the next – what we may see is Jesus himself, what we may hear is the first faint sound of a voice somewhere deep within us saying that there is a purpose in this life, in our lives, whether we can understand it completely or not; and that this purpose follows behind us through all our doubting and being afraid, through all our indifference and boredom, to a moment when suddenly we know for sure that everything does make sense because everything is in the hands of God, one of whose names is forgiveness, another is love. This is what the stories about Jesus’ coming back to life mean, because Jesus was the love of God, alive among us, and not all the cruelty and blindness of men could kill him.

— Fredreick Beuchner, 1966

PA S S I O N T I D E

Reading: From a sermonOffer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remain-ing your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give him yourself you are never without the means of giving. To make these acceptable, mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to the earth. However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues – if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit. When you fast, if your mercy is thin, your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give others.

— Peter Chrysologus, Bishop of Ravenna, c. 450

Anthem: A Fair and Delectable Place — Richard Webster, 1992*

Behold, and see your Lord, your God, who is your Creator and your endless joy; see your own brother, see your Savior. My child, behold and see what delight and bliss I have in your salvation, and for my love rejoice with me. With a kindly countenance our good Lord looked into his side, and gazed with joy; and with sweet regard, by the same wound he drew his creature’s understanding into his side; and there he revealed a fair and delectable place, large enough for all mankind that will be saved and will rest in peace and love.

— From Revelations of Divine Love Dame Julian of Norwich (1342–c.1417)

1514

Hymn: Jesus Christ is risen today*

Tune: Easter Hymn 1. Unison 2, 3. Harmony 4. Unison

Anthem: The Dawning — Richard Webster, 2001*

Awake, sad heart, Whom sorrow ever drowns ; Take up thine eyes, which feed on earth ; Unfold thy forehead, gathered into frowns ; Thy Saviour comes, and with Him mirth.

Awake, awake, And with a thankful heart His comforts take. But thou dost still lament, and pine, and cry, And feel His death, but not His victory.

Arise, sad heart;If thou dost not withstand, Christ’s resurrection thine may be ; Do not by hanging down break from the hand Which, as it riseth, raiseth thee :

Arise, arise; And with His burial linen Drie thine eyes. Christ left His grave-clothes, that we might, when grief Draws tears or blood, not want a handkerchief.

— George Herbert (1593-1633)

❖ Please stand.

1716

Hymn: Thine be the glory Tune: Judas Maccabeus 1. Unison 2. Harmony 3. Unison

1918

Hymn: Come down, O Love divine Tune: Down Ampney 1. Unison 2. Harmony (The choir sings an additional stanza between 2 and 3.) 3. Unison

P E N T E C O S T

Reading: Acts 2: 1–4And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Sprit gave them utterance.

Anthem: O Thou, who camest from above — Richard Webster, 2006 *

O thou who camest from abovethe fire celestial to impart,kindle a flame of sacred loveon the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for thy glory burnwith ever bright, undying blaze,and trembling to its source return,in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desireto work and speak and think for thee;still let me guard the holy fire,and still stir up thy gift in me.

Still let me prove thy perfect will,my acts of faith and love repeat,till death thy endless mercies seal,and make the sacrifice complete.

— Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

2120

Anthem: The Invitation — Richard Webster, 2012

Come ye hither all, whose taste Is your waste; Save your cost, and mend your fare. God is here prepar’d and drest, And the feast, God, in whom all dainties are.

Come ye hither all, whom wine Doth define, Naming you not to your good: Weep what ye have drunk amisse, And drink this, Which before ye drink is blood.

Come ye hither all, whom pain Doth arraigne, Bringing all your sinnes to sight: Taste and fear not: God is here In this cheer, And on sinne doth cast the fright.

Come ye hither all, whom joy Doth destroy, While ye graze without your bounds: Here is joy that drowneth quite Your delight, As a flood the lower grounds.

T H E C H U R C H : T H E B O D Y O F C H R I S T

❖ Please stand.

Hymn: The church’s one foundation Tune: Aurelia

1. Unison 2,3,4. Harmony 5. Unison

Copyright © 1982 Hope Publishing Co. Reprinted under OneLicense.net S-914475

2322

Hymn: Holy, holy, holy!* Tune: St. Peter’s, Bay Shore — Richard Webster 1. Unison 2. Choir 3. All, harmony 4. Unison

T H E T R I N I T Y

Reading: An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts

Invoking the thrice-threefold company of the heavenly hosts, sing we:Fire unquenchable encircling the resplendent and life-giving Trinity,Ye six-winged Seraphim, and ye, the many-eyed Cherubimwho soar aloft and are borne on pinions,Hymning in answering ranks the Thrice Holy,And ye, the Thrones that unite with them in the first hierarchy of heaven,Praise, O praise the King of Glory, and transform our praises intothe likeness of your heavenly song. Amen. Ye who perform the one eternal will,Ye orders of Dominions, Princedoms, Powers,Conform our will to his, the Strong, the Holy, the Unchanging Lord. Amen.Ye ministering angels, messengers of grace,Virtues, who govern men,And myriad hosts of Archangels and Angels, succour and defend us.Hail, ye countless hosts,Praise with us the One Holy, the One Holy Strong, the One Holy Immortal. Amen. — drawn from Eastern Liturgies

Come ye hither all, whose love Is your dove, And exalts you to the skie: Here is love, which, having breath Ev’n in death, After death can never die.

Lord I have invited all, And I shall Still invite, still call to thee: For it seems but just and right In my sight, Where is all, there all should be.

—George Herbert (1593-1633)

❖ Remain seated.

Continued on next page…

2524

Hymn: O God beyond all praising Tune: Thaxted Sung in Unison

❖ Please be seated for the Postlude.

P R A I S E

Reading

The Hebrew word for “cantor” is ba’al tefillah, master of prayer. The cantor does not stand before the Ark as an artist in isolation, trying to demonstrate skill or displaying vocal feats. The cantor stands before the Ark not as an individual but with a congregation. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” How do they declare it? How do they reveal it? “There is no speech nor language; neither is there a voice to hear.” The heavens have no voice; their glory is inaudible. It is the task of people to reveal what is concealed; to be the voice of the glory, to sing its silence, to utter what is in the heart of all things. The glory is there — invisible and silent. Man is the voice; woman is the voice; their task is to be the song. The cosmos is a congregation in need of a cantor. Humanity is the cantor of the universe. To sing means to sense and to affirm that the Spirit is real and that glory is present. In singing we perceive what is otherwise beyond perceiving. Song, and particularly liturgical song, is not only an act of expression but also a way of bringing down the Spirit from heaven to earth.

—Abraham Heschel (1907-1972)

❖ Please stand.

2726

Acknowledgements

St. Cecilia Church and Richard J. Clark, Director of Music and Organist Trinity Church in the City of BostonHarry BrewsterRev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, Interim Rector, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Metuchen, NJColin Lynch, Associate Director of Music and Organist, Trinity ChurchDaniel McKinley, hymn graphicsDana Oakes, musician contractor Brigitta Patterson, Communications Specialist, Trinity Church Rev. Rita T. Powell, Associate Rector, Trinity Church Janet Stone, Music Administrator, Trinity ChurchTrinity Choirs, Choristers and parents Marshall WilkinsRyan Willliams Scott Wilson Design

Postlude: Prelude and Fugue in B Major Op.7, No.1

— Marcel Dupré (1886-1972)

All anthems, hymn arrangements and original hymn tunes on this program are com-posed and copyrighted by Richard Webster, and are published by Advent Press. Among them are these commissioned works:

Lobe den Herren – In memory of Jerome West, 1994

Irby – For Christ Church, Alexandria, VA, Jason Abel, Organist/Choirmaster, 2007

Angels from the realms of glory – In honor of Mary Jo Deysach

A Fair and delectable place – In memory of Jennifer Pendleton Cook, 1992

The Dawning – For the 50th anniversary of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Columbus, OH, 2001

Judas Maccabeus – For The Catalina Organ Festival and dedication of the Quimby organ, Catalina United Methodist Church, Tucson, AZ, Dennis Grannan, Principal Organist, Easter 2014

Down Ampney – For John Blackburn and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Waco, TX, 2007

O thou who camest from above – For the 40th anniversary of the Association of Anglican Musicians, Indianapolis, 2006

Aurelia – For the 175 anniversary of Sharon Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC, 2007

The Invitation – For the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy, 2012

Holy, holy, holy! – For St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Bay Shore, NY, 2002

Thaxted – For the 175 anniversary of the First United Methodist Church, Kalamazoo, MI, 2008

❖

28

Recordings of works marked * in today’s booklet, along with printed music copies, are available for sale in the Narthex.

Visit us at Booth 412 at the AGO Convention Exhibits this week.

Advent Press, Inc.www.advent-press.com(617) 288-1927