AN INTERVIEW OF CLARK ANDERSON: WHO IS THAT PARISHIONER IN THE CHOIR LOFT FROM TIME TO TIME?

For almost seven years, Mr. Clark Anderson, a parishioner at Saint Mary’s, has left the pews to play the organ and direct the choir when Dr. David Hurd was away from the parish or unavailable. Father Matt Jacobson offered Clark a few prompts to help let us all know a little bit more about his background and this ministry he offers to Saint Mary’s. While it is a bit unusual to have a parishioner serve as our backup organist, we all have been given different gifts that we can offer up to God through Saint Mary’s. This is just one example.

How long have you and Zachary been coming to Saint Mary's? What led you here the first time?

My husband Zachary and I have been attending Saint Mary’s since we moved back to New York City in 2014. I had accepted a position with Morgan Stanley at their global headquarters on Broadway at 48th Street, and I was determined not to commute. So we actually live right in the neighborhood. As part of that move God made clear to us we would attend Saint Mary’s. Which was a surprise, since the only time we had entered the church previously was almost 40 years ago, and our memories of it were not particularly positive. This time around, though, it’s been a huge blessing, not least because of the glorious music.

Tell us about your musical background and training. Have you played and directed in other parishes?

I started out on piano and did quite a bit of performing as a teenager. But I was always attracted by the organ—the complicated console with its multiple knobs and keyboards, and the wonderful sounds it made. I started studying organ with our local college professor and took to it like a fish to water, I guess. I gave my first solo recital when I was 14 in, of all places, Alaska! I went on to be music director at UCC, Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, as well as University Organist at Princeton (where I met Zachary).

When was the first time that you played at Saint Mary’s?

That was in 2018 when I started playing for the early services in Holy Week. Father Gerth had found out I was an experienced organist and asked if I would be willing to help out once in a while. Then as David and I got to know each other, he asked me to sub for him when he was away. I love both playing and conducting, and being able to do them with the world-class organ and choir at Saint Mary’s has been like being given the keys to the Ferrari!

You mentioned your other career. Tell us a little bit about that.

I have always led a double life. I will always be a musician. But I’ve also always been fascinated by the world, and global politics in particular. So my formal studies were in international politics rather than music, and I went on to a career advising companies and governments about political and economic risk. That life has been rewarding and fun; among other things I have visited some 100 countries. But my musical life often had to take a back seat. Today, now that I’m semi-retired from my business career, I have lots of time for music again, and I feel more balanced than I have in years. I’m grateful to David and Saint Mary’s for that blessing.

 Any fun anecdotes to share from your double life?

Well, I could tell you about being chased by cannibals in Papua New Guinea (true story). More appropriate for Saint Mary’s might be the Organ Barn. I was invited to give a series of concerts in a barn in southern Vermont, accessed via a dirt road through the forest, on a wonderful little organ lovingly tended by the local music society. Filled with people on a warm, starry summer evening, it was magical. Sharing music that way is a special privilege, one I will always treasure.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for the people of the Diocese of Los Angeles, and all the people of southern California, in this time of devastation, displacement, and destruction. We pray for the people and clergy of our sister parish, the Church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, UK.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Larry, Benjamin, Susan, Grace, Glenna, Henry, Caroline, Giovanna, Jorge, Aston, Lexi, Vicki, Carl, Georgia, Desarae, Jane, Ruth Ann, David, Michele, Barbara, Steve, Shalim, Beverly, Claudia, James, Jose, Renee, Maddie, Nettie, Chrissy, Molly, Tony, Robert, Duncan, Justin, Audy, Russell, Sharon, Rick, Susanna, Rolf, Adair, Jan, June, Carlos, Pat, Marjorie, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; for Eleanor, Barbara Jean, Curtis, Laura Katherine, and Keith, religious; for Lind, deacon; and for Jon, Robby, Jay, Julie, and Stephen, priests.

We pray also for the repose of the souls of Gypsy da Silva, Renee Adams, and for those whose year’s mind is on February 2: for Lewis Weston (1885), Norma Ehrgood (1905), William Trowbridge Eames (1910), Dorothy Elizabeth Ott (1915), Virgina Clark (1923), W. Phelps Warren (1985), and John Doy Woods(1985).

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

As we noted last week, Gypsy da Silva died recently at the Van Dyk Park Place in Hawthorne, New Jersey, where she had resided for the last few years. The funeral details are now available. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at the Church of the Transfiguration (1 East 29th Street) at 2:00 PM on Thursday, February 6. Father Matt Jacobson will offer a homily. The Committal will immediately follow the Mass at the parish columbarium. Gypsy faithfully worshiped with our weekday congregation for many years and volunteered in our parish office. She had relationships with several parishes throughout the city including Saint Edward the Martyr and the Church of the Transfiguration. Gypsy was also an Associate of the Order of the Holy Cross. Please keep Gypsy, her sister Ginger, and all who mourn in your prayers.

AROUND THE PARISH

Candlemas . . . The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, also known as Candlemas, falls on this coming Sunday, February 2. The Presentation is one of the feast days that takes precedence when it falls on a Sunday (BCP p. 16). Our guest preacher at both Masses will be The Reverend Rita Powell, chaplain for the Harvard Episcopal Community. At the 11:00 AM liturgy, Solemn Mass is preceded by the blessing of candles for use at our altars this year and a procession.

Evensong & Benediction . . . As this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, we will offer Evensong & Benediction at 4:00 PM. The service is supported musically by a quartet from the Saint Mary’s Choir. Evensong is the sung form of Evening Prayer. Benediction refers to the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which concludes the service. E&B typically finishes a little before 5:00 PM and is a great way to round out a Sunday!

Pilgrimage to Assisi . . . Brother Thomas Steffensen, SSF, will be leading a pilgrimage to Assisi for brothers in his community who are nearing the end of their novitiate and he would like some Saint Marians to join them. The dates have not yet been finalized. If you might be interested, please join Brother Thomas and Father Matt after Solemn Mass this Sunday, February 2, for an information session. We will meet in Saint Benedict’s Study.

Rosary Guild . . . Seventeen members of the Saint Dominic’s Rosary Guild gathered two weeks ago for their first meeting. They decided that going forward they will meet on the first Sunday of each month after Solemn Mass. The next gathering will be this Sunday, February 2. Stop by the parish hall for a cup of coffee and then gather in the choir stalls at the front of the church to say the rosary. In you are interested in learning more about the guild, please see a recent article in The Angelus or speak with Father Sammy. All are welcome.

Blessing of Throats . . . On Monday, February 3, Father Sammy Wood will bless throats at the 12:10 PM Mass as is traditional on this day in commemoration of Saint Blaise.

Up next in Adult Formation . . . We continue our six-week series focused on evangelism this week (every Sunday through March 2). This is the second part of the year’s foundation course and is based on videos produced by the Episcopal Church on “Embracing Evangelism.” We will watch the videos together and discuss them. Specifically, we will examine a particularly Anglican definition of evangelism, assess the need for it, and introduce various methods for sharing the gospel. Led by Father Sammy Wood.

Parish Conversation . . . When we implemented the last round of changes to our liturgy in Advent, we promised to host a forum to discuss the changes and hear from you. That conversation will take place on Sunday, February 9, at Coffee Hour following Solemn Mass. Please join Father Wood, Father Jacobson, and Dr. Hurd for an informal conversation about their own love of liturgy, our liturgy at Saint Mary's, and for a chance to ask your own questions.

Super Bowl Party . . . The Young Saint Marians will be hosting a Super Bowl party in Saint Joseph’s Hall on Sunday, February 9, at 6:00 PM. This is not just for young adults; all are invited! Please bring your own food and drink. No need to RSVP.

Guild of All Souls Lunch . . . Our next Requiem Mass will be Saturday, February 15, at 12:10 PM in the Mercy Chapel. Following Mass, the Guild of All Souls will gather in the parish hall for lunch. During lunch, Ms. Ingrid Sletten will speak to the group about spiritual direction. All guild members are encouraged to attend, though this event is open to everyone. In fact, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the guild for those who have been interested. Please RSVP to Father Sammy by February 13.

The New York Repertory Orchestra . . . NYRO, Saint Mary’s resident orchestra, will have their next concert on February 15 at 8:00 PM. The program features: David Diamond: The Enormous Room; Vitezslava Kaprálová: Rustic Suite; and Paul Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher (Masumi Per Rostad, viola). Admission is free but a donation of $15.00 (or more) is gratefully accepted.

Neighbors in Need . . . A drop-by day was held on January 17. Donations of coats of all sizes for both men and women are especially needed for the winter months. There is also a need for sensible shoes and men’s pants, especially sizes 34-38. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information. The next drop-by will be held on Friday, February 21.

Would you like to donate the altar flowers on a Sunday? . . . The customary donation requested is $250. Please call the Parish Office (212-869-5830) or email Chris Howatt for more information.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Helping the victims of the fires in California . . . The Anti-Racism group has donated $750 towards helping those in California who are suffering from the ongoing wildfires. The parish has matched their donation, and $500 each has been given to three different groups in need: Fannie & Evette Turner, The Bill Washington Family, and Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, Altadena. The Turner and Washington families are individual African American families who started GoFundMe campaigns after having been displaced from an area that had been a thriving community of Black families, many of whom had been forced to relocate from the Pasadena area decades ago when the land values there went up. Click on any of the above links to join Saint Mary’s in supporting them.

Absalom Jones Celebration . . . This year’s diocesan celebration of Absalom Jones will be Saturday, February 8, at 10:30 AM, at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. From the Cathedral: “This meaningful service will honor the legacy of Rev. Absalom Jones, the first Black priest ordained in the Episcopal Church, whose groundbreaking ministry paved the way for a more diverse and inclusive priesthood. Join us for this inspiring celebration of faith, perseverance, unity, and the richness of our shared diversity.” While registration isn’t required, RSVPing here will help the Cathedral to prepare. Absalom Jones’s feast day is on Thursday, February 13, and Saint Mary’s will commemorate him that day at Mass in the Lady Chapel.

Visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage . . . The Diocese of New York’s Jewish/Episcopal Dialogue group, part of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Commission, invites you on a special field trip to the Museum of Jewish Heritage on March 6 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM. Visitors will enjoy a guided tour of the museum’s exhibit, The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do. Space is limited to 30 participants, so don’t miss this opportunity to reflect on history and its relevance today. The cost of the visit is fully covered by the Commission. For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact The Rev. Posey Krakowsky.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025, THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE

The organ prelude on Sunday will be Fuga sopra il Magnificat, BWV 733, one of the miscellaneous chorale preludes of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Bach’s Fugue on the Magnificat begins in the French manner with theme and counter-theme introduced simultaneously. Bach’s theme is the variant of the tonus peregrinus (wandering tone), sometimes called the ninth tone, which Luther used for his German translation of Magnificat. The first half of the tonus peregrinus provides the primary theme for Bach’s three-sectioned, perpetual-motion fugue. Only toward the end of the fugue’s final section does Bach call for the use of the organ’s pedals to announce the entire cantus firmus in long, low tones while four-voiced counterpoint continues above.

The setting of the Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), sung as the tapers are lighted, is by Gustav Holst (1874–1934). Holst, perhaps best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, was one of the most distinguished English composers of the early twentieth century. Having been influenced deeply by the music of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, Holst studied composition with Charles Villiers Stanford at the Royal College of Music. He was a professional trombonist and was recognized by his colleague, Ralph Vaughan Williams, as a great teacher. Holst is credited in his time for having inspired a rising group of English composers including Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten. Holst’s 1915 Latin setting of the Song of Simeon, Nunc dimittis, is voiced expansively for as many as eight parts.

The setting of the Mass on Sunday will be the Mass for Five Voices, also by William Byrd. Byrd composed settings of the Latin Mass for three, four and five voices. The Mass for Five Voices probably dates from about 1594 and was the last of the three to be composed. Its voicing is the most expansive, having two tenor parts, but its movements are the most concise of the three Byrd Masses. The whole business of Latin Masses in post-Reformation England needed to be a somewhat clandestine matter to protect those involved from the possibility of arrest. This being the case, Byrd’s part books were undated and without title page or preface, nor was the printer (Thomas East) identified. Fortunately, Byrd’s settings survived the period in which their performance—if not their very existence—was illegal, and now they rightly are regarded as great treasures of Western music. Composed with the Continental Tridentine liturgy in mind, Byrd’s Masses were also influenced by pre-Reformation works of English masters John Taverner (c. 1490–1545), Christopher Tye (c. 1505–c. 1573), John Sheppard (c. 1515–1558) and Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585). The several movements of Byrd’s Mass for five voices are linked by recurring freely composed themes.

Johannes Eccard (1553–1611) was a German composer and, by 1608, had been named principal conductor at the Berlin court chapel. In his adolescence, Eccard had been a student of Orlando Lasso in Munich. His extant works are entirely vocal compositions for forces ranging from four to nine voices. One of his most often performed choral works is Maria wallt zum Heiligtum, often sung in the classic English translation When to the temple Mary went by John Troutbeck (1832–1899). This version, sung as Sunday’s Communion motet, conflates the original five stanzas to two. Eccard’s rich texture and restrained polyphony carry both the narrative of the first stanza and the prayer of the second with equal effectiveness. — David Hurd

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Saint Mary’s is a vibrant Anglo-Catholic witness in the heart of NYC. With our identity in Christ and a preference for the poor, we are an inclusive, diverse community called to love God and each other for the life of the world.

This edition of The Angelus was written and edited by Father Matt Jacobson, except as noted. Father Matt is also responsible for formatting it on the parish website and distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt, parish administrator, and parish volunteer, Clint Best. If you have an idea for an article that you would like to publish in an upcoming issue of The Angelus, Father Matt would be happy to discuss it with you.