22 February - Last Sunday after Epiphany

Goodness, is it really the Last Sunday after Epiphany / 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time already??? Ash Wednesday is just around the corner ... like, tomorrow as I write this!!! Where has the time gone?

Here are my usual lists.

My turn for cantoring came up at Immaculate Conception. Any numbers you see come out of GIA's Gather Comprehensive 1994 (green cover).

Sunday 7.45 am Mass: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Opening Hymn: 506, Immortal, invisible, God only wise (ST DENIO)
Psalm: 50, Psalm 41, (Guimont)
Gospel Acclamation: 262, Joyful Alleluia (H Hughes)
Offertory: 533, All creatures of our God and King (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
Sanctus, Mem. Accl., Amen, Agnus Dei: 228-232, Community Mass (R Proulx)
Communion: Organist voluntary
Closing Hymn: 590, We walk by faith (SHANTI)

I believe voluntaries the organist played were by Buxtehude and Bach, but I didn't catch exactly what she played.


St. Joseph's Episcopal Church where I played the usual 10.30 am service. As usual, the numbers are out of The Hymnal 1982.

Last Sunday After Epiphany: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Prelude in g minor (attr. J.S. Bach)
Pro: 410, Praise my soul, the king of heaven (LAUDA ANIMA)
Gloria: S-278 (W. Mathias)
Psalm: Psalm 50 (Ford)
Seq: 129, Christ upon the mountain peak (MOWSLEY)
Off: 460, Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
Sanctus: S-128 (W. Mathias)
Lord's Prayer: chanted (S-119 in Hymnal 1982)
Agnus Dei: S-165 (W. Mathias)
Communion Motet: Tu solus qui facis mirabilia (Josquin Desprez)
Re: 137, O wondrous type! O vision fair (WAREHAM)
Postlude: Fugue in g minor (attr. Bach)

I'm so proud of my choir. They pulled off this piece! It is not an easy piece, but they worked hard on it, and it turned out nicely. I received compliments from people on the wonderful job the choir did.

Unfortunately, one of our members was not able to join us due to a death in the family. Condolences to the Brines for their loss.


Episcopal Centre at Duke University

Last Sunday After Epiphany: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Fantasia in G Major and Allegro in G Major (CPE Bach)
Pro: 410, Praise my soul, the king of heaven (LAUDA ANIMA)
Gloria: S-280 (R. Powell)
Psalm: Psalm 50 (recited)
Seq: 129, Christ upon the mountain peak (MOWSLEY)
Off: 460, Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
Sanctus: S-125 (Community Mass; Proulx)
Comm: 134, O Light of Light, Love given birth (JESU DULCIS MEMORIA, plainsong Mode 2)
Re: 137, O wondrous type! O vision fair (WAREHAM)
Postlude: Alternate harmonisation of Wareham (Rawsthorne)

Compline at the Chapel of the Cross. We've been using the Order for Compline, as set by David Hurd.

Here are our little additions:

O nata lux (Thomas Tallis)
Psalm 91 (chanted to Tone 8)
Hymn: O Light of Light, Love given birth (JESU DULCIS MEMORIA, plainsong Mode 2)
Nunc Dimittis from Short Service (O. Gibbons)
Ave Regina Cælorum (Marian antiphon right after the Dismissal)
Ave Maria (Josquin Desprez)
Organ Voluntary by the abfab David Arcus.

David, God bless his heart, improvised on three themes, two of which the majority figured out: Jesu dulcis memoria and Lauridsen's beautiful choral setting of O Nata Lux. The third theme: Shine, Jesus, Shine. It was subtle, but I recognised it. So when I approached him, asking him, "You did not include Shine, Jesus, Shine in your improv, did you?" His response: "Shhhhh! How did you know that?"

*giggle snort* I don't know whether to be amazed or relieved that this lot had not heard of that song. But this led to an interesting conversation on themes that David and Van Quinn had improvised on over the years, including the theme from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the theme from the Mickey Mouse Club, a song from Black Sabbath (but I didn't recognise it when David hummed it. Others did, and they were ROTFL). A friend of mine, who is an organist in the Pittsburgh area, improvised on the Pittsburgh Steelers' fight song, but he didn't exactly get away with it - he claimed that everyone in the congregation recognised it straight away!

Well. Lent starts tomorrow. For the whole of Lent, at St Joseph's there will be no postlude whilst at the Episcopal Centre, there will be no Opening Hymn, although I could play a quiet prelude. Happy Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday, etc. ...