Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sunday, April 1, 2012 - Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion

  • Procession of Palms – Malcolm Williamson 
  • Processional Hymn 181 All Glory, Laud and Honour (St. Theodulph)
 
  • Offertory Hymn 184 My Song is Love Unknown (Love Unknown) 
  • Communion Hymns 
    • 202 “There is a Green Hill” (Horsley) 
    • 56 “I am the Bread” (Picket Wood) 
  • Recessional Hymn 187 “As Royal Banners” (Gonfalon Royal) 
  • To emphasize the transition from the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to the solemnity of Holy Week, there is no organ postlude. Please take a minute in silence to ponder and pray about the events of the week ahead. 

PROCESSION OF PALMS – MALCOLM WILLIAMSON 

In the late 1960s I was introduced to Procession of Palms by my organ teacher who had the confidence to ask me to accompany his choir in a Palm Sunday service. Since that time I’ve incorporated it into several Palm Sunday services in different ways, the most effective being at the start of the service in place of an organ prelude and preceding the traditional procession. The work is a bit longer than the usual anthem, being in 5 sections and using words familiar to us all. It begins with a contemporary musical setting of “Ride on, ride on in majesty”, followed by a jaunty “All glory, laud and honour”. Then comes a more somber setting of the text “O Saviour of the world, who by thy cross and precious blood …..”, sung by 2 soloists. A beautiful “Benedictus qui venit” (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord) follows, and the work ends with rousing shouts of “Hosanna” from the choir.

Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003) was Australian born but spent his working life in the UK where he was Master of the Queen’s Musick from 1975 until his death. He composed Procession of Palms in 1961.

Neil Houlton

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