From the Organist & Choirmaster

This Sunday’s Choral Evensong will feature Basil Harwood’s Evening Service in A-flat major. The Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, drawn from the Gospel of Luke, form the heart of the Office of Evening Prayer: Mary’s joyful song of praise at the Incarnation “My soul doth magnify the Lord,” and Simeon’s peaceful response upon seeing the Christ child, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.”

Harwood’s setting, composed in 1887, is among the greatest examples of late-Victorian Anglican choral writing. It embodies the grandeur and warmth of the Oxford tradition, where Harwood himself served as Organist of Christ Church Cathedral from 1883-1892. His Evening Service in A-flat captures both the confidence and serenity of the English choral sound, lyrical, noble, and richly harmonized (The parish choir has come to call it “beautifully diatonic!”). The Magnificat unfold with a sense of radiant devotion, while the Nunc dimittis settles into a calm assurance, culminating in a glorious Gloria that lifts the congregation spirits.

Harwood was a deeply church-minded musician whose work helped shape the golden age of Anglican cathedral music. Trained at Oxford and Leipzig, he brought both English lyricism and German craftsmanship to his compositions. Beyond these Evening Canticles, he is also remembered for his sturdy hymn tune “Thornbury,” familiar to many though the hymn text in the Hymnal 1982 “Blessed be the God of Israel, who comes to set us free” (Hymn 444). His music reflects the dignity of worship and the disciplined beauty of Anglican Church music, a tradition that continues to inspire devotion through generations.

Please join us this Sunday at 5:30 in the Nave where the parish choir will offer Basil Harwood’s Evening Service in A-flat, alongside prayers, reading, an anthem, and hymns, in the timeless rhythm of Choral Evensong.