FROM DR. DAVID HURD: LENT, PRAYER BOOK, AND MUSIC

We are now in the second week of observing Lent. The Book of Common Prayer lists as “Days of Special Devotion” Ash Wednesday and the other weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week. The Prayer Book advises that these days “are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial” (BCP, page 17). Note that Sundays are not included in the category of such “Days of Special Devotion.” While the Prayer Book goes on to include all Fridays of the year as “Days of Special Devotion” as a weekly remembrance of our Lord’s crucifixion on Good Friday, it reminds us elsewhere that “All Sundays of the year are feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ” in recognition of his resurrection on Easter Sunday. This “feast day” designation presumably then includes the Sundays in Lent. It may be noted that the 1928 edition of the Prayer Book, in its front material, contained equivalent characterizations of the days and seasons of the church year (pages L-LI).

In practical reality, much of the Episcopal Church has split the difference between fasting and feasting on Sundays in Lent. We generally rein in many signs of festivity. In addition to omitting the singing of Gloria in excelsis and resisting the voicing of the beloved “A-word of praise,” ceremonies and music are simplified, ornamental objects and decorations are obscured, and a more contemplative tone is set. On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, we prayed in the collect for “new and contrite hearts,” that God, in his mercy, would accord us forgiveness of our sins. This collect formerly was prescribed for daily recitation in Lent. Although the season of its use has been shortened by the present Prayer Book from forty to four days, its concise paraphrase of Psalm 51 establishes a context for much of how Lent may be observed.

The weekly collects of the Lenten season form an outline of seasonal themes. Week one effectively raises up the petition of the Lord’s Prayer which begs “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Week two implores God, in his mercy, to gather the fallen back to his timeless truth. Week three prays for deliverance from evil, both from without and from within ourselves. Week four prays for the nourishment of life-giving bread, a longing for Christ to live within us as enacted in the sacrament of Communion. Week five asks for focus on true joy even in time of distracting turbulence. All of these themes may take on particularly enhanced intensity this year as we live through Lent.

On Ash Wednesday, the congregation is addressed by the celebrant and given a thumbnail reminder of the historical origins and functions of Lent. Themes of preparation, welcoming the newly converted, forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal of faith are named. Fasting and self-denial are presented, not ends in themselves, but as a way of providing a less obstructed path to a greater wholesomeness of faith and life. Every Lent the Church is invited to approach this healing opportunity again with fresh intention and conviction.

The COVID-19 pandemic occasioned a sixteen-week hiatus for in-person worship at Saint Mary’s which began nearly a year ago on the Third Sunday in Lent. When in-person Sunday Masses resumed last July, Lent was long over but the congregation of Saint Mary’s, and churches everywhere, effectively re-entered an extension of “Days of Special Devotion.” In a time seemingly ruled by so many forces, including concern about public health, economic stress, political tension, distraction, and called by a desire to reclaim the gift of Christian community, Saint Mary’s reopened its doors and offered Eucharist again. Not unlike in Lent, however, there was a need to reset assumptions and accept the concept of holy fasting, even in the midst of the Pentecost season.

The Church has long regarded the human capacity to create and appreciate music as a gift from God, and also understood the offering of music in praise of God as a joyful and reciprocal gift returned to God. Many standards and customs have arisen over the centuries which have influenced how and what music has been used, where and when, by the Church. These varying prescriptions have helped to affirm the larger architecture of a community’s worship over seasons and liturgical cycles. Some customs are ancient and others comparatively recent, some are affirming, and others intended to be restrictive or corrective. In the end, however, the purpose of our liturgical music—as expressed in the words of Constitution and Canons; Title II, Canon 5—is “that music is used as an offering for the glory of God and as a help to the people in their worship in accordance with The Book of Common Prayer.” The canon further instructs that music be “appropriate to the context in which it is used.” There is subjectivity for those who administer these directives, but the Holy Spirit can be counted on to bring things together for good.

We at Saint Mary’s, as those in churches everywhere, have been challenged in the past year in our effort to live the public practice of our faith. Music in the liturgy largely has had to be reimagined. Group singing has been deemed hazardous because of the risks of viral transmission. This has cost us the singing of hymns in the liturgy. It has also meant that choral offerings have become limited and rare. While one hopes that God will restore both of these “gifts” to us in time to come—that we may use them, in turn, to glorify God—we must not fail to give thanks for the gift exchange which is accorded us in the present. The present gifts may differ in detail from those we are accustomed to exchanging, but they may speak to us now with a refreshing and even unexpected clarity. For example, with choral music temporarily suspended, I have delved into a repertoire of Mass settings appropriate for solo cantor. These musical expressions, many of which have never before been heard at Saint Mary’s, give new expression to old truth in the true spirit of the openness to which we are called in the season of Lent. It is a gift to sing songs of praise, but it is also a gift to receive song offered by others and thus be supported in meditation. Organ music has a long history of being used in the liturgy both to offer praise and to support meditation. Even without words, the sound of the organ, animated by the movement of wind though its pipes, provides a distinctive voice in worship. Melodies drawn from the church’s long history of song have formed the basis of organ compositions which lend their own unique wordless worship. Five weeks are insufficient even to begin to explore the bounty of organ music suited for Lent.

In the words of Hymn 149, as we continue “walking once more the pilgrim way of Lent,” it may be especially important this year to center on the gifts of the present and what is before us at this time. In so doing, we may be assisted in our effort “to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of [God’s] Word, Jesus Christ,” (from the collect for Second Sunday in Lent, page 218) which may be revealed to us in different and perhaps surprising ways. —David Hurd, Mus.D.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Dale, Natasha, Soveryn, Jake, Rita, Nam, Penelope, Ken, Loretta, Aston, Burton, Caryn, Christine, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, John, Shalim, José, and Abraham; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Desmond, Geoffrey, and Todd, religious; for James and Louis, priests, and Charles, bishop, for all those who work for the common good, and for all the members and friends of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . February 28: 1900 Mary Ann Holman; 1910 Charles Gallagher; 1918 Margaret Merti Widmeyer; 1921 Frances Post; 1924 Vallie B. Martin; 1930 Thomas J. Reid; 1941 Anne Sylvia Cairns; 1943 Edith Mead Slocum Culver; 1949 Lucy W. B. Kempson.

THE WEEKDAYS OF LENT AND OF HOLY WEEK, except for the feast of Saint Joseph and the feast of the Annunciation, are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Looking for a COVID-19 Vaccine Site? Try these websites: https://nycvaccinelist.com/; https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/; https://vaccinefinder.org/; https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-vaccine.jsp . . . Lenten Quiet Day: On Saturday, March 13, Brother Thomas Steffensen SSF will lead a virtual quiet day via Zoom. The structure of the day is still being worked out, but it is likely that the day will have three parts: a morning session, followed by a break for reflection at midday, and then a second session in the afternoon. Brother Thomas hopes to use the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) as a way of considering our relationship with God and our inherited images of the divine. Stay tuned for further details . . . Worshipping Safely at Saint Mary’s: If you are at all unwell, please do not come to church. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary-care physician and get tested. If you have a fever of 103.5, which is not being handled by an analgesic, and/or you are having difficulty breathing (by difficulty we mean you must stop talking in order to focus on your breathing), go to an emergency room immediately. That said, we are very happy to be able to welcome you to worship with us here at Saint Mary’s (11:00 AM on Sunday, 12:10 PM Monday–Saturday). When you arrive, please fill out the contact sheet at the ushers’ table. Please take a seat in one of the open pews, and feel free to ask an usher, one of the brothers, or a member of the clergy if you have questions about seating, Communion, or safe-distancing. Face masks are required while in the church building. We know all too well that many of these precautions are tedious, but we accept them as a way to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy. We continue to pray for those who are sick and for a swift end to the epidemic.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, February 28, The Second Sunday in Lent, Adult Education 9:30–10:30 AM, Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The preacher is the Reverend James Ross Smith. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Mr. Christopher Howatt, tenor . . . Tuesday, March 2, Racism Discussion Groups, 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Please contact Brother Damien Joseph or Brother Thomas for more information.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 AM. Clocks will be turned forward one hour . . . Saturday, March 13, Quiet Day (via Zoom), led by Brother Thomas Steffensen SSF . . . Friday, March 19, Saint Joseph, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Thursday, March 25, The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mass 12:10 PM . . . March 28, Palm Sunday, Mass 11:00 AM.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . On Sunday, February 28, 9:30–10:30 AM, Father Peter Powell will resume his series on the Revelation to John, the Christian Bible’s final book. Though it’s not necessary, if you’d like to do some preparation, on Sunday, Father Powell plans to discuss chapters 15 and 16. Father Powell will teach on all the Sundays of Lent and on Palm Sunday. No prior experience is necessary, and attendance at the autumn session is not a prerequisite to attend classes during the winter and spring. We invite you to join us in person or via Zoom.

If you would like to attend Father Powell’s classes via Zoom, please send an e-mail to Grace Mudd or to Father Powell, who will send you a link.

The class will meet in Saint Joseph’s Hall, with face coverings and social distancing required. For all these classes, seating in Saint Joseph’s Hall will be arranged to maximize social-distancing. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide refreshments. All those attending the class must wear a face covering.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The organ prelude on Sunday is one of the miscellaneous chorale preludes of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). It is based upon the German paraphrase of Psalm 51, Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott (“Have mercy on me, O God”). This work, cataloged as BWV 721, is unusual among the organ chorales of Bach in that its unadorned melody, stated in half-notes, is accompanied throughout by a steady succession of eighth-note chords which provide homophonic harmonic support. One finds this sort of texture from time to time in other music of Bach, but not in the organ repertory. In light of its style, some scholars consider this chorale prelude to be an homage to Johann Kuhnau (1660–1701) whose music was known to Bach and whom Bach eventually succeeded as organist of the Church of Saint Thomas in Leipzig. The text paraphrase of Erbarm dich is attributed to Erhart Hegenwalt based upon a broadsheet from 1524. The anonymous melody, in Phrygian mode, dates from the same 1524 Whittenberg source. Bach’s four voice harmonization of this chorale, catalogued as BWV 305, will be played for today’s postlude.

The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is from Mass in the Lydian Mode by Richard R. Webster (b. 1952). Webster, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, has long been active as a conductor, organist, choral clinician, composer, and arranger. He is currently director of music and organist at Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston. Formerly he served for many years in a similar position at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois, and, among his many activities, was organist with the Chicago Symphony. His celebrated career has been broadly international including tours on many continents. Webster’s Mass in the Lydian Mode dates from 2001. The Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei will be sung at Mass on Sunday.

The cantor at Sunday’s Mass is tenor, Chris Howatt. During the administration of Communion, he will sing a setting of The Call from George Herbert’s 1633 collection The Temple: Sacred Poems by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Vaughan Williams’s The Call is the fourth of his Five Mystical Songs for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, all composed for texts by George Herbert (1593–1633) between 1906 and 1911. The Call is the simplest of the Five Mystical Songs, having the melodic innocence of a folk song, yet the elegance of a strophic art song in which the third of the three stanzas ventures briefly away from the home key without abandoning the essential melodic shape of the previous stanzas. Herbert has built his poem as a prayer meditation on the “Way, Truth, and Life” characterizations of Jesus presented in the Gospel according to Saint John. (14:6)

More about the cantor on Sunday: Chris Howatt has been a regular member of the Choir at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin for more than ten years and stepped into the role of office manager at the parish five years ago. Not only is he an actively performing singer in the realms of musical theater and cabaret, he was a member of the Associate Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera for two seasons. He has been heard on recordings as diverse as Jessye Norman’s Christmas CD In the Spirit, to singing backup for The Pet Shop Boys on their cover of the Village People’s “Go West.” As an accompanist and music director he has worked with such talents as David Hyde Pierce, Howard McGillin, Tyne Daly, Rita Moreno, Brad Oscar and Cady Huffman, among others. He has served as musical supervisor for productions of Sylvia, Lend Me a Tenor and Inspecting Carol at George Street Playhouse as well as musical director for their world premiere production of Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, written and directed by the late theatrical legend, Arthur Laurents. For several years he displayed both pianistic and vocal talents as music director/arranger and performer with the two-time MAC Award nominated vocal group Boulevard East, producing and recording their CD, Timeless, as well as performing with them in various cabaret venues.

ONLINE RETREAT AT HOLY CROSS MONASTERY . . . Compassiontide: A Lenten Retreat with Father Martin Smith, Friday, March 19—Saturday, March 20, 2021, on Zoom. Lent is “com-passiontide”: we experience both God’s probing of our harshness and withholding, and the gentle pressure of God’s grace, drawing us to embrace the gift of divine compassion for ourselves and all others. As we approach once again the Passiontide that celebrates God’s ultimate revelation of love in Jesus’ self-offering on the Cross, we enter this retreat time of reflection and prayer so we can “catch the tide” of God’s flowing tenderness and let it carry us further out than we have been before in living the compassionate life. Visit the monastery website for more information.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2021 . . . Our stewardship campaign has come to an end. We were not able to achieve our $400,000.00 goal, but we recognize that we are living in a difficult time, and we are all doing the best we can. We live in hope and trust in God. Still, we continue to ask you for your help. We would welcome your financial pledge if you have not yet pledged for 2021. and we are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

AT THE THEATER . . . Are you tired of binging TV shows on Netflix? Are you missing the theater? Consider this: New York’s Mint Theater “finds and produces worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten. [The theater’s] mission is to create new life for these plays through research, dramaturgy, production, publication, readings and a variety of enrichment programs” and the theater is currently offering free, on-demand streaming of six productions from the Mint Archives over the next six months. To receive passwords to access these videos, click this link and complete a short form. Current and upcoming plays are by American playwrights, Teresa Deevy, Hazel Ellis, Miles Malleson, N.C. Hunter, and George Kelly.

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Stephen Gerth and Father Jay Smith. Father Gerth is responsible for posting the newsletter on the parish website and for distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt and parish volunteer, Clint Best.