Sunday, May 16, 2010

16 May—Seventh Sunday of Easter

I will admit this post is way long overdue. Back-dated to May 16, 2010.

I have two lists for you today as I played one morning service and one afternoon service.




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

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Prelude on Hyfrydol (P. Manz)
Processional Hymn: 460, Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
Gloria: S-280 (Powell)
Psalm: Psalm 97 (Simplified Anglican Chant)
Sequence Hymn: 477, All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine (ENGELBERG)
Offertory Hymn: 328, Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord (SONG 46)
Sanctus: S-125, Community Mass (Proulx)
Lord's Prayer: chanted (S-119 in Hymnal 1982)
Fraction Anthem: S-154, New Plainsong (Hurd)
Communion Anthem: Ascendit Deus (F. Schaller)
Recessional Hymn: 494, Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA)
Postlude: Allegretto (G. Böhm)

This was actually the Seventh Sunday after Easter. Feast of the Ascension was celebrated the previous Thursday, but in our case, it was a spoken (i.e., no music) service.




I drew the organist's duties at the 5.15 pm service at Chapel of the Cross.

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Prelude on Hyfrydol (P. Manz)
Processional Hymn: 460, Alleluia! sing to Jesus! (HYFRYDOL)
Psalm: Psalm 97 (recited)
Sequence Hymn: 459, And have the bright immensities (HALIFAX)
Offertory Hymn: 336, Come with us, O blessed Jesus (WERDE MUNTER)
Sanctus: S-125, Community Mass (Proulx)
Communion Voluntary: Three variations on Werde munter (J.G. Walther)
Recessional Hymn: 494, Crown him with many crowns (DIADEMATA)
Postlude: Allegretto (G. Böhm)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

9 May—Sixth Sunday of Easter

I will admit this post is way long overdue. Back-dated to May 9, 2010.

I have two lists for you today as I played one morning service and one afternoon service.




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

Sixth Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Prière à Notre-Dame from Suite Gothique (L. Boëllmann)
Processional Hymn: 204, Now the green blade riseth (NOËL NOUVELET)
Gloria: S-280 (Powell)
Psalm: Psalm 67 (Simplified Anglican Chant)
Sequence Hymn: 530, Spread, O spread, thou mighty word (GOTT SEI DANK)
Offertory Hymn: 512, Come, gracious Spirit, heavenly Dove (MENDON)
Sanctus: S-125, Community Mass (Proulx)
Lord's Prayer: chanted (S-119 in Hymnal 1982)
Fraction Anthem: S-154, New Plainsong (Hurd)
Communion Anthem: Dona Nobis Pacem (H. Hopson)
Recessional Hymn: 292, O Jesus, crowned with all renown (KINGSFOLD)
Postlude: Menuet gothique from Suite Gothique (Boëllmann)

This was a particularly difficult service for me to play because I had suffered from hip pain. It was quite difficult to play the pedals, so I ended up playing mostly manuals only.




I played the 4:00 pm service for Carol Woods, which is organised by Chapel of the Cross. The music list would generally resemble the 8.00 am summer morning Rite I services.

The music list:

Sixth Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite I
Prelude: Improvisation on St. Kevin
Processional Hymn: 199, Come, ye faithful, raise the strain (ST. KEVIN)
Psalm: Psalm 67 (recited)
Offertory Hymn: 174, At the Lamb's high feast (SALZBURG)
Comm: Prelude in C Major from Well-Tempered Clavier I (BWV 846; J.S. Bach)
Recessional Hymn: 213, Come away to the skies, my beloved, arise (MIDDLEBURY)
Postlude: Improvisation on Middlebury

My nod to Mother's Day was the piece I played during Communion. Most would probably recognise it as the "ccompaniment" for the Bach-Gounod setting of 'Ave Maria'.

I'll be playing the Carol Woods services during the summer. It's a pleasure to be playing the piano for these services once again.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

A visit from an old friend, Part II

I will admit this post is way long overdue. Back-dated to May 6, 2010.

It was wonderful to see Fr. Mel Portula, CICM once again. He had spent a couple of weeks in NC amongst friends and parishioners of St. Eugene's in Wendell, where he had served as Pastoral Vicar before he was sent to the Philippines to be the Formator/Postulancy Program Director at the Maryhurst Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines.

As part of the month-long Flores de Mayo celebration, we had met at a house in Southwest Durham (can't remember the name of the family, sorry... I didn't really know them). As was usual, we started off with praying the Rosary, complete with the typical music that is usually sung during these celebrations (Halina't tayo'y magsidulog, Our Lady of Fatima, Paalam Inang Birhen, etc.). This was followed by a Mass celebrated by Fr. Mel. And then after the Mass: the food! Filipinos joke that everyone gains a heap of weight during the month of May because of all the good food that is prepared for these celebrations.

I'm happy about these traditions continuing on even in a foreign land, and for me, the local-born, I feel perfectly at home with these people. I was always aware of my culture during my youth, even though I may have resisted it growing up, but despite that, I'm glad I am living the Filipino culture, even though it is outside, abroad in a foreign land. This particular host family has a couple of young children... I'd estimate the oldest is no more than 7 and the youngest no more than 5, and she might even be younger than that. I noticed they were holding their rosaries and following along. It's really nice to see these traditions being passed down to the next generation so they too can hold on to it, appreciate it, and pass it on to their own children.

Dinnertime conversation was very interesting. I devoted one post to one of the conversations (click here to read about it)... admittedly, another thread of the conversation didn't interest me too much, but considering when it took place, it attracted a lot of attention. Elections in the Philippines are to take place next Monday, May 10. Naturally, people at the table wanted to hear Fr Mel's take on the whole thing, considering that he knows the situation from the perspective of a local, as opposed to the rest of us who could only follow from abroad, with opinions formed from whatever the Filipino media feeds you over the interwebz.

I will admit--I hate politics, and I try to avoid it like the plague. However, the dinnertime political conversation I found rather disheartening. It's disheartening how the rampant corruption in Philippine politics breaks the hope of the people. Most of what I heard at the table, I've heard before as I recalled conversations with friends who have been disillusioned with politics in the Philippines. Sure, they're not there now, having immigrated to the West, but it's a reflection of how others feel... those who might have a shred of honesty and humanity try to go against the machine that is corruption in politics... the cycl of corruption continues, making you wonder when it would end; when would Filipinos stop shooting themselves in the foot so that we could become a viable entity in the world stage? We have a lot of people with good brains in their heads, good abilities, etc. Why can't we play honestly in the political stage?

It's a question that is always asked. Who knows who has the answers?

I just listened to the conversation, which was conducted mostly in Tagalog. Fr Mel was telling some stories that just sounded quite unbelieveable... and it made us shake our heads because of the continual perpetuation of corruptive behaviour amongst the politicians.

He will be returning home over the weekend, expected to arrive in the midst of the voting... I can't remember if he said he'll be back in time to vote (polls open until 7.00 pm), but despite it all, I was able to get the sense that there was a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding these elections.

It was great seeing Fr. Mel again. I wish him safe travels as he winds down his trip to NC and returns home to Baguio City.

A visit from an old friend, Part I

I will admit this post is way long overdue. Back-dated to May 6, 2010.

I had the chance to spend some time with an old friend, Fr. Mel Portula, CICM. Currently, he is Formator/Postulancy Program Director at the Maryhurst Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines. He had visited friends and parishioners in North Carolina during his short stay.

Over dinner, he was telling us about his work amongst the seminarians. They go through a four-year program at the seminary but also take academic courses at St. Louis University. Tuition costs around US$350.00 / PHP 16,200 per semester, which a lot of the seminarians cannot afford.

One class may start off with 40 seminarians; however, on average, thanks to one thing to another, including financial hardships, only 4-5 would end up going to the Novitiate.

Fr. Mel says we could help in many ways, including sponsoring a seminarian, send supplies like basic office supplies (e.g., paper, pencils, pens, etc.), t-shirts, shorts, towels, etc. The Zaballeros are collecting these items and will ship a Balikbayan box to the seminary, and the contents will be distributed to the seminarians in need.

Of course, we could also pray for more vocations to the priesthood, most especially during this Year of the Priest.

He told us to look for a couple of videos the Maryhurst Seminarians had made on Youtube. They did a two-part video, mostly in Tagalog. The description: A presentation that depicts the life of the seminarians in Maryhurst-CICM Mission Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines. It includes the four aspects of life in the seminary namely, Academic Life, Spiritual Life, Community Life and Apostolic Life.

The videos are embedded below.



Sunday, May 2, 2010

Jacob Reed, organ

Jacob Reed, organist, is a ninth-grade student at East Chapel Hill High School and studies organ with Dr. Van Quinn, organist/choirmaster at Chapel of the Cross.

He gave a wonderful organ recital earlier this afternoon. It's hard to believe he's only been studying the organ since July 2009. Look at how far he's come. He's a musical genius, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he'll go far if he chooses to make the organ his career.

Here is his program.

Prelude and Fugue in e minor (BWV 533)—J. S. Bach (1685–1750)

Trois Pièces pour Grand Orgue (1881): II. Cantabile, M. 36—C. Franck (1822–1890)

Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644—Bach
Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten (BWV 642)
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639)

Partite diverse sopra il chorale «O Gott, du frommer Gott» (BWV 767)—Bach
Partita Nº I, II, IV, VII, VIII, IX

Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist (BuxWV 208)—D. Buxtehude (ca. 1637–1707)

Libre d'Orgue (1710?): Suite du Premier Ton: V: Basse et Dessus de Trompette—L.-N. Clérambault (1676–1749)

Organ Sonata Nº 2 in C, Op. 65, Nº 2—F. Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
I. Grave
II. Adagio
III. Allegro maestoso e vivace
IV. Fuge: Allegro moderato


Le Banquet Céleste (First Version, 1928)—O. Messiaen (1908–1992)

Suite Gothique, Op. 25: IV: Toccata—L. Boëllmann (1862–1897)

2 May—Fifth Sunday of Easter

I have two lists for you today as I played one morning service and one afternoon service.




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

Fifth Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Adagio from Voluntary in d minor (Op. 5 No. 8; J. Stanley); Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (M. Casner)
Processional Hymn: 296, We know that Christ is raised and dies no more (ENGELBERG)
Gloria: S-280 (Powell)
Psalm: Psalm 148 (Simplified Anglican Chant)
Sequence Hymn: 577, God is love, and where true love is (UBI CARITAS (Murray))
Offertory Hymn: 581, Where charity and love prevail (CHESHIRE)
Sanctus: S-125, Community Mass (Proulx)
Lord's Prayer: chanted (S-119 in Hymnal 1982)
Fraction Anthem: S-154, New Plainsong (Hurd)
Communion Anthem: Laudate Dominum (L. Perosi)
Communion Hymn: 324, Let all mortal flesh keep silence (PICARDY)
Recessional Hymn: 213, Come away to the skies, my beloved, arise (MIDDLEBURY)
Postlude: Fuge in D (Wm. Selby)




I drew the organist's duties at the 5.15 pm service at Chapel of the Cross. The Parish Choir was scheduled to sing today, and Van wanted my voice in the choir, so we arranged it so that he would play the choir anthem, play an improv as the gifts were being brought up to the altar, and then play the Sanctus. I played the rest of the service.

Fifth Sunday of Easter: Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude: Poco allegretto, Andantino, Poco lento from Sept Pièces en Ut Majeur et Ut Mineur (L'Organiste; C. Franck)
Processional Hymn: 432, O praise ye the Lord! (LAUDATE DOMINUM)
Gloria: S-280 (Powell)
Psalm: Psalm 148 (recited)
Sequence Hymn: 192, This joyful Eastertide (VREUCHTEN)
Offertory Anthem: Panis angelicus (C. Franck)
Sanctus: S-125, Community Mass (Proulx)
Communion Voluntary: Adagio from Voluntary in d minor (Op. 5 No. 8; J. Stanley)
Communion Hymn: 324, Let all mortal flesh keep silence (PICARDY)
Recessional Hymn: 174, At the Lamb's high feast (SALZBURG)
Postlude: Fuge in D (Wm. Selby)

It was interesting that the sermon for the morning service was based more on Revelations 21:1–6 whilst the sermon for the afternoon service was based on John 13:31–35. I suspect the music lists could easily have been swapped between the two services to reflect the sermon. Just an observation I made. Both Rhonda and DFraz delivered excellent sermons today.

Next Sunday: Sixth Sunday of Easter. It's also Mother's Day and graduation day at UNC Chapel Hill.

EDITED TO ADD:
Goodness. I'm going to have to recreate my Fourth Sunday of Easter post. Stupid me over-wrote it. Bleah. Thank goodness for LiveJournal. And thanks to my friend, Juno Magic, as she helped me set that up when I'd first 'met' her via the interwebz a couple of years ago...