Everyone is invited to a special Maundy Thursday service on April 5 at New Hope Presbyterian Church at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. The New Hope Choir, under the direction of Music Director Phil Chandler, and accompanied by New Hope’s Organist, Claire Marie Faasse, will perform The Requiem by John Rutter, a musical setting of an Anglican adaptation of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, completed in 1985. This is the same form of music and text that we used two years ago here at New Hope Presbyterian when we presented Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, also for our Maundy Thursday service. Requiems are particularly appropriate for contemplating our Lord’s death and passion because they are about death, dying and eternity.
There are two versions: one for chorus, orchestra and soloist; one for chorus, instrumental ensemble, organ and soloist. We will be presenting the version for ensemble and organ. The Lord is my Shepherd was originally written in 1976 as a separate anthem. The movements are:
- Requiem aeternam (Rest eternal…)
- Psalm 130: (Out of the deep)
- Pie Jesu (Blessed or Holy Jesus)
- Sanctus (Benedictus)
- Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)
- Psalm 23: (The Lord is my shepherd)
- Lux aeterna (Light eternal)
The first movement consists of the Introit from the Tridentine Requiem Mass (Requiem aeternam) and the Kyrie (Lord have mercy). The second movement is entitled Out of the Deep, and is based on Psalm 130, a psalm commonly used at Anglican funerals. It contains a prominent cello solo written in C minor. The third movement is the motet Pie Jesu. It begins with a soprano soloist singing with a very light accompaniment, with only slight involvement of the chorus echoing the words “Dona eis requiem, Dona eis sempiternam requiem” (Give to us eternal rest). The fourth movement is the Sanctus (Holy) with Benedictus (Blessed Is He who comes in the name of the Lord) and, characteristically, it is a bright, lively, and exclamatory movement which is brightly orchestrated with bells, flute, and oboe and occasional timpani recalling the passage in Old Testament scripture in Isaiah chapter 6, and the worship of the six-winged seraphim in the heavenly throne-room of God. The fifth movement is the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) in the version used in the Tridentine Requiem Mass. The sixth movement is Psalm 23, another psalm commonly used at Anglican funerals. The seventh movement includes words from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer Burial Service (“I heard a voice from heaven…”) and the communion chant from the Tridentine Requiem Mass (Lux aeterna).
