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Choral Rewind
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Welcome to Choral Rewind! This is your friendly resource for diving back into the choral pieces our music ministry ensembles have recently shared. Find texts, translations, and occasionally some fascinating historical or liturgical insights to deepen your experience with the music.
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November 16th | In the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time10:30 AM Mass | Holy Sepulcher Church
Saint Mark the Evangelist Schola
Kyle Masson, conductor
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Iudmea | arr. Joseph Knapicius
And am I born to die?
To lay this body down?
And must my trembling spirit fly,
into a world unknown?
A land of deepest share,
unpierced by human thought,
the dready reions of the dead,
where all things are forgot?
Soon as from earth I go,
what will become of me?
Eternal happiness or woe,
must then my portion be!
Waked by the trumpet sound,
I from my grave shall rise,
and see the Judge with glory crown'd,
and see the flaming skies!
Context:
The prelude piece “Idumea” reflects on the opening reading from the Book of Malachi that foretells and anticipates the second coming of Christ on the Day of Judgment. The song meditates on the ephemerality of our time on earth while looking with hope to the day when Jesus comes again, especially in verse four as the lyrics turn to the vision of Christ the judge crowned amidst flaming skies, an echo of Malachi’s text on the “sun of justice.” It similarly reflects the Gospel reading that comments on the trials, tribulations, and hopes of the end times that Jesus anticipates in his words to the people outside of the temple as they comment on the costly votives and other expenses bound up in that space.
The piece comes from a tradition known as “shape note singing” prevalent in America during the 19th century, in which shapes of notes refer to steps on the musical scale (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do) and are meant to assist singers when reading “at sight.”
The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns | setting by Theodore Beck (1929 - 2003)
The King shall come when morning dawns
and light triumphant breaks,
when beauty gilds the eastern hills
and life to joy awakes.
Not as of old a little child,
to bear, and fight, and die,
but crowned with glory like the sun
that lights the morning sky.
The King shall come when morning dawns
and earth's dark night is past;
O haste the rising of that morn,
the day that aye shall last.
And let the endless bliss begin,
by weary saints foretold,
when right shall triumph over wrong,
and truth shall be extolled.
Thank-you for joining us in worship today!
The Schola ministers next at the monthly Taizé Prayer Service this coming Tuesday, November 18th at 7:00 PM at Saint Kilian Church. There will be a special remembrance of our Faithful Departed during the Prayer. All are welcome!
Next Sunday, the Chancel Choir ministers at the 10:30 AM Mass at Holy Sepulcher for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Christ the King). This marks the final Sunday of the Liturgical Year.
To inquire about a call to the music ministry at Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish, please contact Dr. Brian Hart at [email protected]. -
November 1st | In the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departedhe he 7:00 PM Mass | Saint Kilian Church
Saint Mark the Evangelist Combined Choirs
Christopher Brewer, piano & organ
Cynthia Babin-Anderson, oboe
Victoria Bechtold Kush, cantor & soprano soloist
Dr. Brian Hart, conductor
Ave Maria | arr. Bob Moore (b. 1962)
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Hail Mary, full of grace,
Dominus tecum, the Lord is with you,
benedicta tu in mulieribus, blessed are you among women,
et benedictus fructus ventris and blessed it the fruit of
tui, Jesus. of your womb, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Holy Mary, Mother of God,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, pray for us sinners
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae now and at the hour of our death.
Elegy | Carl Nygard, Jr. (b. 1947)
When the roses bloom in the garden,
red and yellow plumes growing tall
under summering suns, by the sheltering wall.
We will see you there in the roses,
growing beautiful in the day,
as you bloomed at our garden wall
and graced our lives with your rare bouquet.
When the icy breath of the winter
and the silent snow paint the hill
in a blanketing white, sitting deep and still,
we will see you there, on the hillside,
locked in yesterday’s frozen time,
making light in the world below,
and tracing upon it a new design.
Oh, if we had the hands to halt the fall of the hourglass sands.
Or, if we could reach through time,
retrieving the moments of lives gone by.
When the stars appear in the evening,
mixing light and years as they glow,
and our eyes are drawn up from the earth below,
we’ll remember you in the starlight,
glowing faithfully as before;
and whenever our senses warm to beauty’s presence and form,
you shall appear in a memory warm and clear,
held as though in eternal hands
in the falling grains of the hourglass sands.
We’ll remember you.
"Pie Jesu" from Requiem | John Rutter (b. 1945)
Pie Jesu Domine Merciful Lord Jesus
dona eis requiem, give them rest,
requiem aeternam give them eternal rest, Lord.
dona eis Domine.
Píe Jesu Domine Merciful Lord Jesus
dona eis requiem, give them eternal rest,
sempiternam requiem. everlasting rest.
Thank-you for joining us in worship today!
The Chancel Choir next ministers at the 10:00 AM Mass on November 9th at Saint Kilian Church.
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October 26th | In the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary TimeSaint Mark the Evangelist Chancel Choir
10:30 AM Mass | Holy Sepulcher Church
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Ave Maria | arr. Bob Moore (b. 1962)
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Hail Mary, full of grace,
Dominus tecum, the Lord is with you,
benedicta tu in mulieribus, blessed are you among women,
et benedictus fructus ventris and blessed it the fruit of
tui, Jesus. of your womb, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Holy Mary, Mother of God,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, pray for us sinners
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae now and at the hour of our death.
Take, O Take Me As I Am | John Bell (b. 1949)
Take, O take me as I am.
Summon out what I may be.
Set your seal upon my heart,
and live in me.
Father, Give Thy Benediction | Joyce Eilers (1941 - 2009)
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Still our minds with truth's conviction,
calm with trust each anxious heart.
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Let thy voice with sweet commanding
bid our grief and struggles end.
Peace which passeth understanding
on our waiting spirits send.
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Amen, Amen.
NOTES
AVE MARIA | arr. Bob Moore (b. 1962)
The month of October, traditionally consecrated to the Rosary, holds at its core one of Christianity's most enduring and beautiful prayers: The Angelic Salutation, more commonly known as the Hail Mary (Ave Maria). Far from being a monolithic text, its depth is rooted in a fascinating three-part evolution, drawing directly from foundational Scripture and later theological development.- Part One: The Angelic Greeting. The initial segment transports us to the Annunciation, echoing the very words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (1:28): "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!" This is the celestial acknowledgement of Mary’s unique role.
- Part Two: The Prophetic Affirmation. The prayer's second part continues in the Gospel of Luke (1:42), capturing the inspired greeting of Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, during the Visitation: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb." This affirms Mary's singular blessedness and recognizes the divinity of her unborn Son.
- Part Three: The Human Petition. The final section, a powerful intercessory plea, was formally added by Pope St. Pius V in 1568. It is a direct appeal for the Blessed Mother's assistance: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." This petitions for her guidance throughout life and, critically, during the final, defining moments of our existence.
In the modern era, composers continue to reinterpret this ancient prayer. For instance, this contemporary setting by Bob Moore ingeniously uses long, ascending melodic lines—a musical metaphor—to evoke the very image of the prayer's petitions soaring heavenward, a fitting auditory depiction of the faithful's fervent devotion.
TAKE, O TAKE ME AS I AM | John Bell (b. 1949)
Composer John L. Bell is an internationally recognized composer from the IONA Community. This religious group was founded in 1939 and is an ecumenical community rooted in the promotion of several social justice issues.
This brief and simple refrain today is reminiscent of the brevity, simplicity, and humility of the pray of the Tax Collector in today's Gospel passage. It is a prayer not of bragging, but of asking the Lord to take us wherever we happen to be on our journey at the moment - frail, incomplete, fragile, broken, and to accompany us so that we may become everything God has created us to be.
FATHER, GIVE THY BENEDICTION | Joyce Eilers (1941 - 2009)
The Chancel Choir thinks of this piece as our Final Prayer—a deep, heartfelt wish offered to our fellow singers "before we part." Even though the congregation listens on, we like to think of it as a special, private choir moment we simply let the public eavesdrop on.
After the wonderful, soul-stirring experience of ministering with one another through music, this Benediction is our way of sending a blessing to each other's hearts. It's a gentle acknowledgment that we will soon scatter back into our individual lives, but that the bond we forged in faith and song remains until the next time we're together again.
Thank-you for joining us in worship today!
The Chancel Choir ministers next at the special Mass Commemorating All the Faithful Departed held at 7:00 PM at Saint Kilian Church on Saturday, November 1st. They will be joined by Oboist Cynthia Babin-Anderson, Professor of Oboe and Theory and former Director of Graduate Studies at West Virginia University and by Saint Mark the Evangelist Cantor and Soprano Soloist Victoria Bechtold Kush, Shareholder and Litigator at Buchanan, Ingersoll, and Rooney PC.
To inquire about a calling to the music ministry at Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish, please contact Dr. Brian Hart at [email protected].
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October 19th | In the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary TimeThe Saint Mark the Evangelist Chancel Choir is off this weekend, and our Schola doesn't begin ministering at Masses on the 3rd Sunday of each month until November. Please enjoy looking over the texts and translations from last weekend's choral pieces. Additionally, please come to our Taize Prayer Service this coming Tuesday at Saint Kilian Church at 7:00 PM!
Thank-you for joining us in worship today!
The Chancel Choir ministers next at the 10:30 AM Mass at Holy Sepulcher Church on Sunday, October 26th. To inquire about a call to the music ministry at Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish, please contact Dr. Brian Hart at [email protected]. -
October 12th | In the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary TimeSaint Mark the Evangelist Chancel Choir
10:00 AM Mass | Saint Kilian Church
PRELUDE
We Are Ready, God, to Sing | Robert W. Schaefer (1953 - 2018)
We are ready, God to sing,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Making all creation ring;
With our vibrant harmony,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Soaring to eternity!
Alleluia!
When the night is hardly done,
Alleluia, alleluia!
We will wake the rising sun;
We will praise you all day long,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make of life one endless song.
Alleluia!
All the vast expanse of space,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Cannot hold your depth of grace;
Your compassion reaches far,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Way beyond the farthest star.
Alleluia!
As your people, we will raise,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Endless and increasing praise;
Freed by faith, sustained by prayer,
Alleluia, alleluia!
We will praise you ev'rywhere,
Alleluia!
All Creatures of Our God and King | arr. William Tortolano (b. 1930)
All creatures of our God and King, Alleluia,
lift up your voices, let us sing, Alleluia.
Bright burning sun with golden beams, Alleluia.
Soft silver moon that gently gleams, Alleluia.
COMMUNION MEDITATION
Panis Angelicus | Thomas Aquinas (1224/25 - 1274)
The bread of angels becomes the bread of men,
the heavenly bread
gives an end to (earthly) forms (symbols).
O marvelous and wondrous sacrament:
a poor man, a slave, and the humble one
all ingest (feast on) the Lord.
Thee, therefore, we implore,
O Godhead, One in Three,
so may Thou visit us
as we now worship Thee;
and lead us on Thy way,
that we at last may see
the light wherein
Thou dwellest.
Translation taken from “Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire Volume I: Sacred Latin Texts,”compiled and annotated by Ron Jeffers.
CHORAL BENEDICTION
Father, Give Thy Benediction | Joyce Eilers (1941 - 2009)
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Still our minds with truth's conviction,
calm with trust each anxious heart.
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Let thy voice with sweet commanding
bid our grief and struggles end.
Peace which passeth understanding
on our waiting spirits send.
Father, give Thy benediction,
give Thy peace before we part.
Amen, Amen.
Thank-you for joining us in worship today!
The Chancel Choir ministers next at the 10:30 AM Mass at Holy Sepulcher Church on Sunday, October 26th. To inquire about a call to the music ministry at Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish, please contact Dr. Brian Hart at [email protected].