Presentation of Christ / Candlemas - February 2, 2014

• Organ: Nunc dimittis – Thomas Crawford (1877-1955)
• Opening Hymn

  Hail to the Lord Who comes, Comes to His temple gate;
  Not with His angel host, Not in His kingly state;
  No shouts proclaim Him nigh, No crowds His coming wait.
  
  But, borne upon the throne Of Mary’s gentle breast,
  Watched by her duteous love, In her fond arms at rest,
  Thus to His Father’s house He comes, the heav’nly Guest.
  
  There Joseph at her side In reverent wonder stands,
  And, filled with holy joy, Old Simeon in his hands
  Takes up the promised Child, The Glory of all lands.
  
  Hail to the great First-born Whose ransom price they pay!
  The Son before all worlds, The Child of man today,
  That He might ransom us Who still in bondage lay.
  
  O Light of all the earth, Thy children wait for Thee!
  Come to Thy temples here, That we, from sin set free,
  Before Thy Father’s face May all presented be!

• Service Music: Holy Trinity Service – Christoper Tambling (page 1 of Service Music booklet)
• Psalm 84 Metrical Paraphrase (Ellers)

  1. How love-ly is your dwell-ing place, O Lord!
  My soul longs to be pres-ent in your courts.
  With joy I sing to you with heart and flesh,
  To you, O liv-ing God of pow'r and might.
  
  2. Even the spar-row finds a place to nest
  And swal-lows find a place to lay their young
  Near to your al-tars, Lord, my King and God.
  Blest they who dwell in your house, sing-ing praise.
  
  3. Bless-ed are they whose strength is found in you,
  Your pil-grim peo-ple trav-eling to your house.
  They make the waste-land burst with springs and rain.
  They grow in strength as they see God in Zi'n.
  
  4. Lord God Al-might-y, hear my hum-ble plea;
  O God of Ja-cob, listen to my pray'r!
  Look on our rul-er, bless him with your might,
  Look on the face of your a-noint-ed one.
  
  5. One day in your courts is far bet-ter than
  One thou-sand days in an-y oth-er place.
  I'd rath-er stand in God's house at the door
  Than live with-in the homes of wick-ed ones.
  
  6. For our Lord God is glo-ri-ous and strong;
  He bless-es us; fa-vour and hon-our gives.
  God gives good things to those who do what's right.
  Blest is the one, O Lord, who trusts in you.

• Gospel Alleluia

Choir: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
All: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Cantor: My eyes have seen your salvation: which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.
All: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

• Offertory  Hymn 393 “Immortal, invisible, God only wise” (St. Basil #394)

• Anthem: Nunc dimittis (from Evening Service in C) – Sir Charles Stanford

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace :
according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen : thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared : before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles : and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

• Communion Hymn 439 “Blest are the pure in heart” (Franconia)
• Concluding Hymn 357 “Let all the world in every corner sing” (Luckington)
• Organ: Final (from ‘Petite Suite’) – Gerald Bales

Music Notes:

Scottish born (in 1877) Thomas J. Crawford went to Germany to study before returning to become assistant organist at Westminster Abbey. He emigrated to Canada in 1922 to become organist at St. Paul’s, Bloor St., succeeding Healey Willan who had moved to St. Mary Magdalene, and a teacher at the Toronto Conservatory of Music (later the Royal Conservatory). He conducted the Eaton Choral Society 1925-31, transforming the group in 1931 into the Eaton Operatic Society, and continuing as music director until 1947. Crawford also conducted 1927-42 the Victoria College Music Club, University of Toronto. He was organist-choirmaster in 1932 at Holy Trinity Church and 1933-46 at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. Retiring in 1946, he continued to travel as an examiner for the RCMT, and his last position was at St. Andrew’s Church in Barrie, beginning in 1954. Crawford was killed in a car accident in 1955. An interesting link is that Thomas Crawford was the teacher of Neil Houlton’s first organ teacher (Eric Dowling, in St. Catharines).

Gerald Bales (born 1919) was a Canadian born organist, conductor, composer and teacher. In his early years Bales was organist of St. Anne’s Anglican, Rosedale United and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian churches in Toronto, then later at the Anglican cathedrals in Minneapolis and Calgary. From the early 1970s he taught at the University of Ottawa and was organist at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in that city. Bales retired in 1984 to London, Ontario where he died in 2002. His Petite Suite for organ is one of his most popular compositions, one of more than 120.

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