All Saints - November 4, 2012

• Organ Prelude: “Jerusalem, My Happy Home” and “There Is a Happy Land” – George Shearing 
• Opening Hymn 276 “For all the saints” 
• Service Music: David Hurd 
• Psalm 24: 1-6 (Tone VIII.1)
• Anthem: O sing joyfully – Adrian Batten
  

  O sing joyfully unto God our strength; make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take the song, bring hither the tabret, the merry harp with the lute. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, even in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast-day. For this was made a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. (Psalm 81:1-4)

• Offertory Hymn 275 “O what their joy and their glory must be” 
• Communion Hymn 282 “Let saints on earth in concert sing” 
• Final Hymn 278 “Jerusalem the golden” 
• Organ Postlude: “Menuet Gothique” (from Suite Gothique) – Leon Boellman 

Music Notes:

In 1977 the American composer Dale Wood and jazz pianist George Shearing created a volume of organ settings of early American folk hymns entitled Sacred Sounds from George Shearing. Over a period of 11 weeks Shearing had recorded a series of improvisations at the piano. After the tapes were transcribed to paper, Shearing visited Dale in his studio. Dale spent hours at the organ making suggestions of registrations and textures, while Shearing with his critical ear listened for accuracy. This morning’s organ preludes are from this set of pieces.

Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) moved in the best circles of the French musical world, and as a pleasing personality, he made friends of many artists and was able to give concerts both in Paris and the provinces. Boëllmann became known as "a dedicated [organ] teacher, trenchant critic, gifted composer and successful performer ... who coaxed pleasing sounds out of recalcitrant instruments". His best-known composition is Suite Gothique in four sections, of which the Menuet is the third. Boellman composed it in 1895, two years before his premature death at age 35.