October 30, 2022

The prelude to Sunday's service is one of Charles M Widor's most beloved pieces, the "Andante Sostenuto" from his "Gothic Symphony", so named because it honored The Church of St. Ouan in Rouen, where a Cavaille Coll organ had been built. These organs are still probably the most respected for French romantic organ literature, and Widor himself played the finest of these organs, at Saint Sulpice in Paris, for 63 years! Widor wrote 10 "organ symphonies", of which this is No. 9; his most famous piece, of course, is the "Toccata" from No. 5. No. 9 on the whole is more introspective, and both No's 9 & 10 are based on plainchant. I try to play this piece once or twice a year in some capacity.

Our processional hymn is 545, a 19th century hymn using a paraphrase of Hebrews 12: 1-3 as text.

The Gospel hymn is the beautiful 20th-century hymn by David Walker, a setting of George Herbert's 17th century text, "King of glory, King of peace", which has been set to music many times. It is 382.

The anthem, "Turn Thy Face from my Sins", a setting of Psalm 51: 9-11, is by the English organist and composer, Thomas Attwood (1765-1838), who actually studied with Mozart beginning when he was 20 and Mozart 28 (Mozart died at 35). Mozart had both great admiration and affection for Atwood, who was his only English student.

Communion hymns are 312, "Strengthen for service, Lord", and 301, "Bread of the world, in mercy broken". Note in the hymnal how old this second melody is!

Closing the service we will sing another very old and beloved melody, 448, "O love, how deep, how broad, how high", as you will note, a 15th-century Latin text.

The postlude, a movement from Maurice Greene's "Voluntary in Minor", also dates back a few centuries! Greene (1696-1755), was organist at St. Paul's in London before becoming organist at the Chapel Royal.