Sunday, March 11, 2012 - The Third Sunday in Lent

Organ Prelude Ich ruf zu dir (I call to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ) - J. S. Bach
Hymns

• Processional Hymn 629 “Jesus, thy blood and righteousness” (Walton)
• Communion Hymn 479 “O Christ, the master carpenter”(Albano)
• Recessional Hymn 306 “O for a thousand tongues” (Richmond)

Communion Motet Ave verum corpus - Sir Edward Elgar
Organ Postlude Prelude on ‘Rhosymedre’ - Ralph Vaughan Williams

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Music Notes:

Both quintessential British composers who contributed significantly to the music of the church, Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) were very different men.

Elgar was a devout Roman Catholic who was a parish organist early in his career, writing several choral pieces for that church and later in life composing large-scale oratorios for choir, soloists and orchestra (i.e., “The Dream of Gerontius” to a text by Cardinal Newman).

Vaughan Williams, the son of a priest, was described by his second wife, Ursula, as "an atheist ... [who] later drifted into a cheerful agnosticism." One of RVW’s most significant contributions to the Church of England was his editorship of the English Hymnal in 1904, and throughout his career he composed several choral works, hymn tunes (the one we use for “For all the saints” is one example), and a smattering of pieces for solo organ.