Sunday, August 20, the choir is back and will perform a delightful piece titled “Vivir mi vida”, I live my life. This song performed by Marc Anthony has won quite a few awards, including several Billboard Latin Music awards.
The lyrics translate as:
I’m gonna laugh, I’m gonna dance
[I’m gonna] live my life, la, la, la, la
I’m gonna laugh, I’m gonna enjoy
live my life, la, la, la, la
This appearance of the choir is a “pre-season” performance. We will be back to our full strength and normal 2nd and 4th Sundays schedule starting in September.
Sunday, June 25, the choir will perform a Bach hymn. What we’ll sing is actually in two places in our hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, pages 22 and 41. We will sing them as one piece. Our featured soloist will be Sally Jones.
The music was written by Nikolaus Herman (1480-1561) and J S Bach (1685-1750) took the tune and enhanced it with harmony in a manner only he could. The words to the first 3 stanzas were written by Unitarian Universalist Nancy C Dorian (1936-present), but the words to the last 2 verses originated with English poet George Gascoigne (1540-1577) and were adapted to be sung.
June 25 will be the last choir performance of the summer as our director (and we) take a small break during the summer months. We’ll be back, singing to you again in the Fall.
Sunday, June 11, the choir will perform a powerful and moving piece titled “The Road Home”. Composer Stephen Paulus took a 19th century folk tune called “The Lone Wild Bird” and adapted it to a modern choral setting. He asked his friend and colleague Michael Dennis Browne to write new words for it.
Mr Paulus writes on his website https://stephenpaulus.com:
The tune is taken from The Southern Harmony Songbook of 1835. It is pentatonic and that is part of its attraction. Pentatonic scales have been extant for centuries and are prevalent in almost all musical cultures throughout the world. They are universal. Michael crafted three verses and gave it the title “The Road Home.” He writes so eloquently about “returning” and “coming home” after being lost or wandering.
The theme of June 11th’s service is Hope. This simple and beautiful message embodies the hope of the wanderer to someday find herself on the Road Home.
Sunday, May 28, the choir performs “Peace Train”. This song was released in 1971 by Cat Stevens and appears on his album Teaser and the Firecat. It was Stevens first Top Ten hit in the US. That was during the Vietnam War. Later, during the Iraq War, the song’s relevance was revived.
According to Wikipedia, Stevens — who had by then converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam — said of the piece, “‘Peace Train’ is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.”
Sadie Sonntag will direct the choir in singing a Kirby Shaw choral arrangement of this powerful and appropriate song of hope.
Sunday, May 28, the choir performs “Peace Train”. This song was released in 1971 by Cat Stevens and appears on his album Teaser and the Firecat. It was Stevens first Top Ten hit in the US. That was during the Vietnam War. Later, during the Iraq War, the song’s relevance was revived.
According to Wikipedia, Stevens — who had by then converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam — said of the piece, “‘Peace Train’ is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.”
Sadie Sonntag will direct the choir in singing a Kirby Shaw choral arrangement of this powerful and appropriate song of hope.
The Choir performs “The Call” by Ralph Vaughn Williams.
The Choir performs “The Call” by Ralph Vaughn Williams.
This piece puts the Homeric Hymn “To Gaia, Mother of All” to music written by Jesus Contreras.
