Epiphany lessons and carols

All better now! Went to St. Paul's tonight for their Epiphany lessons and carols with their men and boys choir, and it was wonderful! I took my camera with me this time, but the church was already half full when I got there, so it didn't seem appropriate to wander around snapping pictures. Couldn't do it afterwards, either, since after the postlude (which most people stay to hear), there was only going to be a brief pause before they did their usual Solemn Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament service, and I didn't want to stay for that. So, you'll just have to use your imagination about all those spectacular evergreen, fruit, magnolia, and grapevine arrangements. One addition was back at the font in the narthex, where they had tall pedestal stands holding huge arrangements of white roses. When I came in, they had an excellent bell choir in the little chapel off to the right side of the nave identified as the "Martin Family Ringers," but unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see them. Their repertoire was not identified in the program, but it was very complex and fast moving music, so they are obviously expert ringers.

Here's tonight's program:


A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols for Epiphanytide
Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, K Street, Washington, D.C.


Processional Hymn: Irby, Once in royal David's city
Invitatory Carol: "Ding dong! Merrily on high," arr. David Willcocks

First Lesson: Genesis 3:8—15
Carol: "Adam lay y bounden," Peter Warlock

Second Lesson: Isaiah 9:2, 6—7
Carol: "Joseph was an old man," arr. Stephen Cleobury
Congregational Hymn: Es ist ein Ros, Lo, how a rose

Third Lesson: Micah 5:2—4
Congregational Hymn: Humility, See amid the winter's snow

Fourth Lesson: Luke 1:26—38
Motet: Ne timeas Maria, Tomás Luis de Victoria

Fifth Lesson: Luke 2:1—7
Carol: "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day," John Gardner

Sixth Lesson: Luke 2:8—10
Carol: "The Lamb," John Tavener
Congregational Hymn: Piae Cantiones, Personent hodie (On this day earth shall ring), arr. Gustav Holst

Seventh Lesson: Matthew 2:1—12
Congregational Hymn: Was lebet was schwebet, O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

Eighth Lesson: Hebrews 1:1—12
Carol: "A Babe Is Born," William Mathias

Ninth Lesson: John 1:1—14
Congregational Hymn: Adeste fideles, O come all ye faithful

Voluntary: Carillon de Westminster, Op. 54, No. 6, Louis Vierne

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The Tavener was absolutely exquisite! It's a striking work anyway, but it's incredibly difficult, and the treble voices were amazing and acquitted themselves wonderfully through the odd intervals and dissonances. The Mathias was also excellent; I've sung it several times in the past and this is another of those rythmically difficult late 20th century British works.

They had a great new a capella harmonization for the second verse of "Once in royal David's city" as well as a descant and very interesting organ accompaniment for verse six, all by Jeffrey Smith. The Personet hodie was fun cause we got to sing the Latin words and I've always loved that marching Holst accompaniment. The Vierne organ voluntary was used both for the recessional and for the postlude.

The Ninth Lesson has always been one of my favorite Bible passages because it ties in so well with the mystery of one of my personal theologies I've been trying to work out. This is that "In the begining was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God" section. The Greek word for "Word" is logos, and the logos is carried on the breath, or pneuma. When we talk about the Trinity in Christian doctrine, interestingly enough the Greek word used for what we translate as "holy spirit" is actually "pneuma," meaning the third part of the Trinity is the Holy Breath, so now the question is whether in the begining was the logos or in the begining was the pneuma, but that's another lecture. Anyway, St. Paul's being the high church parish that they are, they made everybody kneel for the phrase, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth," which was a major hassle, since people were dropping the kneelers down, and no sooner had they knelt but the passage was over and it was time to stand again and kick the kneelers back up, but that's the old high church tradition.

The readers included a local Lutheran pastor (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is in communion with the Episcopal Church) and the dean of the Virginia Theological Seminary. The curate officiated and the rector was the final reader. The four clergypeople processed in cope. They used incense in the processional and recessional.

So, all in all it was a fun evening. I see on their calendar that their next big musical event will be for Candlemas on February 2; they are bringing in two English bishops as guest celebrant and preacher.