MusicNotes
April 28-29
Prelude- Sinfonia pastorale (from Messiah), George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
To help set the tone for Mass, I will play the instrumental interlude from the first part of Handel's Messiah. In Messiah, this piece sets up a new scene, beginning with the recitative, "there were shepherds abiding in the fields," and is meant to call to mind the songs of shepherds, and the calm of sheep. The underlying rhythm is typical of pastorales, or shepherd songs, through musical history. The sounds used on the organ are meant to remind us of shepherds' pipes. As we prepare for Mass, we turn to Jesus, our Good Shepherd, as is revealed in this weekend's Gospel.
Anthem- The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23), Howard Goodall
To reflect the Gospel lesson of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the St. Mary Choir will sing a different setting of the twenty-third Psalm, by British composer, Howard Goodall. There are countless musical versions of this beautiful Biblical poetry, as it naturally lends itself to music. At St. Mary this year, we have already heard several settings, including the Thomas Matthews, the John Rutter, and my own, and now we add this simple and elegant setting to our repertoire. Goodall composed this in 1994 as the theme song to the BBC's television comedy series, The Vicar of Dibley. The piece begins with a soprano solo, a lilting melody over a simple pastorale-like accompaniment, then explores rich harmonies with the choir, finally fading away at the end, finishing with the soprano solo. Because of the popularity of the television show, Goodall's Psalm has become a definitive version for a generation of British and Australian viewers.
Postlude- Improvisation: Hornpipe on Shepherd of Souls
As we go forth from Mass, with Jesus as our pastor and our guide, I will improvise a short tune based on the closing hymn. The Hornpipe was originally a British dance, dating from the seventeenth century. The underlying rhythm of this dance, originally found in Scotland, Ireland, and England, was adopted by English composers in the Baroque period, such as Purcell and Handel. I chose this form to combine the sound of shepherds' hornpipes with the message of the final hymn, sending us out to follow the Good Shepherd.
Dialogues/Acclamations/Litanies- Mass of St. Frances Cabrini and Celtic Alleluia
To help signal the transition to the Easter season, we return to a familiar set of Mass parts (Kyrie, Gloria, Gospel Acclamation, Holy, Memorial Acclamation, Lamb of God), the Mass of Saint Frances Cabrini, by Kevin Keil. For the Gospel Acclamation, we are using the Celtic Alleluia, by Fintan O'Carroll and Christopher Walker. A change in the Mass parts we sing together helps to remind us of our new post-Easter perspective, a new context of hope, victory and redemption.
Will Buthod
Director of Music
Church of St. Mary
(918) 749 2561, ext 120
1347 E. 49th Pl.
Tulsa, OK 74105
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