Music to end the day Sunday, 15 November 2020
In the past few days our thoughts have been with the thousands of men and women who through two world wars and more recent conflicts have sacrificed their lives in the cause of justice and peace. The poignancy of this Remembrance season has been heightened by news this week that deaths in the UK from Coronavirus have exceeded 50,000.
Tonight I offer three pieces of music on a Remembrance theme, beginning with a recent improvisation, made just before lockdown 2, on Sir John Arkwright’s World War 1 hymn ‘O Valiant Hearts’, set to Charles Harris’s stirring tune, ‘The Supreme Sacrifice’. The hymn evokes the powerful image of Christ’s Cross, and so, as I improvised in the peacefulness of Cornerstone Worship Area, I found inspiration in our beautiful etched glass Cross, created by Diane Radford.
Still stands His Cross from that dread hour to this
Like some bright star above the dark abyss,
All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave,
to save mankind – yourselves you scorned to save.
Now, a lovely choral miniature, a setting of well-known words from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ created by Douglas Guest, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, for use at Remembrancetide. During the Second World War, Guest served as a Major in the Royal Artillery, and was involved in the battle for the liberation of Caen, Normandy. He was twice severely injured sustaining a leg injury which left him with a permanent limp.
They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning,
We will remember them.
Musical settings of the Requiem Mass are particularly appropriate at this season of All Saints, All Souls and Remembrance. In our Morning Service last Sunday, the choir sang the beautiful ‘In Paradisum’ from Fauré’s Requiem. To bring this evening’s offering to a close we hear music from one of the finest Requiem settings of modern time, by John Rutter. To the standard text of the Requiem Mass, Rutter adds the words of Psalm 23 and Psalm 130 (De Profundis). The latter is given music of visionary depth and beauty, and features cello obbligato, superbly realised in our performance by a great friend of Cornerstone, Vanessa Lucas-Smith. The penultimate phrase ‘And he shall redeem Israel’ expresses genuine hope for a better world.
Out of the deep have I called unto thee O Lord
Lord, hear my voice
O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss,
O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with thee: therefore shalt thou be feared
I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him
and in his word is my trust
My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch
I say, before the morning watch
O Israel, trust in the Lord
for with the Lord there is mercy
and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his sins.
Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world, and grant us the grace to pray for the who would wish to do harm to others. As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future, for you are the source of life and hope, now and for ever.
Amen
Goodnight, everyone.
Adrian Boynton
