From the Organist & Choirmaster
This Sunday afternoon, Saint Andrew’s will mark the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Five Points South with a commemorative service of Choral Evensong. Evensong, a jewel of Anglican worship, brings together Scripture, prayer, and music in a way that allows space for both lament and hope. The service will be sung by our parish choir, whose music gives voice to emotions sometimes too deep for words. Each piece chosen for the liturgy has been selected with care, drawing from the breadth of the Anglican choral tradition to reflect themes of comfort, rest, and God’s promise of new creation.
The music for Evensong is the following:
The souls of the righteous - Herbert Murrill (1909-1952): Murrill was one of the most gifted English composers of the mid-twentieth century. Educated at Oxford and the Royal Academy of Music, he rose quickly to prominence, serving as organist of Christ Church, Oxford, and later as Director of Music at the BBC. Though his life was cut short by cancer at only 43, he left behind a body of sacred music that continues to inspire. The souls of the righteous, written in 1947, is a radiant setting of the verses from the Book of Wisdom: “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.” Its serene, homophonic textures and gentle harmonic shifts embody stillness and assurance, offering the listener a glimpse of heavenly peace. It is a particularly fitting introit for this service, holding before us the Christian hope that those who have died in faith rest securely in God’s eternal care.
Psalm 34 - Chant by Martin How (1931-2022): The psalm appointed for Sunday, Psalm 34, is sung to an Anglican chant composed by Martin How. How was long associated with the Royal School of Church Music, where his pastoral approach and gift for melody shaped generations of choristers. He is perhaps best remembered for his anthem Day by Day, widely sing in Anglican churches. His chant for Psalm 34 captures the text’s assurance of God’s presence with the afflicted and brokenhearted, allowing the words to speak with clarity while clothing them in beauty. In the context of this Evensong, the psalm reminds us that even amid grief, we can trust in God’s goodness.
Preces & Responses - Richard Ayleward (1626-1669): Ayleward lived through turbulent times in 17th-century England, including the English Civil War and the restoration of the monarchy. Serving as organist and choirmaster of Norwich Cathedral, he composed a number of works for the daily round of choral services. His Preces and Responses remain among the most beloved in the Anglican repertoire. Characterized by rhythmic vitality and sensitive word-setting, they frame the liturgy with a stately tone that is both timeless and immediate. IN this Evensong, Ayleward’s Preces and Responses connect our prayers to the enduring rhythm of worship through the centuries.
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis - King’s College Service - Joanne Forbes L’Estrange (b. 1971): A living composer and trailblazer, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange is a singer, conductor, and composer whose career spans both classical and jazz traditions. She made history as the first female member of the world-renowned King’s Singers, and in recent years has become a sought-after composer of choral music. Her King’s College Service, commissioned for King’s College, Cambridge, is written in a style that is luminous and approachable, balancing contemporary harmonic language with the clarity of liturgical tradition. The Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise, and the Nunc Dimittis, Simeon’s song of release, are both canticles that frame the human experience in divine promise: joy in God’s faithfulness and peace in the assurance of salvation. In the setting of this Evensong, they resonate as songs of both mourning and hope, affirming that God is present at every stage of life and death.
And I saw a new heaven - Edgar Bainton (1880-1956): Edgar Bainton was an English composer who studied alongside Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams, but whose career took an extraordinary turn during World War I. While traveling to a music festival in Bayreuth in 1914, he was interned in a German prisoner-of-war camp for four years. After the war, he returned to England and later emigrated to Australia, where he became director of the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in Sydney. Despite his disrupted life, his anthem And I saw a new heaven (written in 1928) has ensured his lasting place in the Anglican repertoire. The text, from the Book of Revelation, is one of the most consoling in all of Scripture: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Bainton’s soaring, lush harmonies evoke a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, where pain and death are no more. This anthem’s consoling beauty has made it popular at funerals, memorial services, and feasts such as All Souls’ and All Saints’.
Music as prayer in a time of lament. The music of this Evensong is not mere ornament but an offering of prayer on behalf of our parish and community. Murrill, How, Ayleward, Forbes L’Estrange, and Bainton, though separated by centuries and circumstances, all provide a musical language through which grief may be expressed and transformed into hope. As we remember Carlos McCain, Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr, Anitra Holloman, Tahj Booker, as well as the victims of homicide in Birmingham this year, we entrust them to God’s eternal keeping and ask for God’s grace to bring peace to our city and healing to our hearts.