St Barnabas with Christ's Chapel
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) – Easter (part 1 – Rise Heart, thy Lord is risen)
Ralph Vaughan Williams is another of my musical heroes. He attended my secondary school (Charterhouse) as a pupil, so his influence was all around me as I was growing up. The music building at the school is still called the Ralph Vaughan Williams building. His writing encapsulates and builds upon
Happy Easter! We celebrate Jesus rising again with two gloriously joyous pieces of music, with one very special change to previous music lists (at the end of the page, for those who want to get there without reading my notes first!!).
Norman Caplin – Gloria in Excelsis Deo (from Missa Omnium Sanctorum)
Norman Caplin was an extremely talented organist and
Holy Saturday is a difficult day for which to choose music. We are between the drama of the Crucifixion and the Vigil service, where we celebrate the light of Christ once again. For me, the message in this short space of time is one of hope: we return to a similar place to where we were in Advent, waiting for the coming of Christ to bring his glory and healing to us. In these unusual times we need hope, courage, and faith more than ever.
We are offering two pieces of music for Maundy Thursday, an Offertory motet and a Communion motet.
Offertory motet: Maurice Duruflé – Ubi Caritas
Maurice Duruflé’s (1902-1986) oeuvre is relatively limited: he was, as many musicians are, a perfectionist, and one who frequently scrapped many of his compositions due to them not being good enough in his eyes.
Thomas Tallis – The Lamentations of Jeremiah
We begin our musical Holy Week with the service of Tenebrae (darkness). It is the most austere of the services of Holy Week, made up of Psalms, readings, and responsories. The readings are based around the liturgy of one of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Holy Saturday, with the service held the day before. For today’s Music List we will use the