History of the Music Program
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, Arlington, Massachusetts

Fall 2005 / Winter 2005 / Spring 2006
2004-05 / 2003-04 / 2002-03 / 2001-02
1991-92 / 1978-79 / 1966-67 / 1964-65
Early History of Music at First Parish 1733-1964

Current Music Rehearsal & Planning Schedule
First Parish UUC Arlington Homepage
Laura Prichard's Homepage
UU & Musical Humor


2005-2006
Director of Music: Laura Prichard
Organist & Children's Choir Director: Wendy Covell

Sunday, Sept. 11
Ingathering and Water Communion
with the Rev. Dr. Barbara Whittaker-Johns and Carlton E. Smith

  • Prelude: Wendy Covell, organ
  • Congregational Song: Down in the River to Pray
  • Anthem: Deep River from Lift Every Voice and Sing II
  • Water Music: Sicut cervus by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  • Congregational Performance: Making a Shower of Blessings
    led by Carlton E. Smith and Caitlyn O'Brien
  • Postlude by Wendy Covell, organ
  • Hymns & Readings: 128, 413, 729

Sunday, September 11 BENEFIT CONCERT

  • First Parish Adult Choir
    Down in the River to Pray
    Sicut cervus
    by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  • Michael Prichard, baritone, and Kenneth Seitz, piano
    Old Man River from Showboat by Jerome Kern
  • Kenneth Seitz, piano
    Sea Mist by Frederick Delius
  • First Parish Vocal Quartet (Jean Renard Ward, Kenneth Seitz, Michael and Laura Prichard)
    Auf dem Wassern Babel weinen wir by Arvo Pärt, with Frank Toppa, organ
  • Sharing a New Song Chorus
    Va Pensiero by Giuseppe Verdi
    Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima
    Set Down, Servant arranged by Robert Shaw
    Siyahamba, Akanamandla, Thuma mina - South African Freedom songs
    Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon
    Total Praise by Richard Smallwood

Sunday, Sept. 18
"A Faith for Being Both Right and in Relationship" Rev. Dr. Barbara Whittaker-Johns
BACH MUSIC SUNDAY

  • Prelude: Prelude and Fugue in E Minor by Johann S. Bach
    Carl Schlaikjer, oboe; Wendy Covell, organ
  • Candle Music: Andante un poco from Sonata #2 in A major, BWV 1015 by J. S. Bach
    Carl Schlaikjer, oboe; Wendy Covell, organ
  • Offertory: Laudamus te from Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor
    Carl Schlaikjer, oboe; Laura Stanfield Prichard, soprano; Wendy Covell, organ
  • Anthem: A Gaelic Blessing (Deep Peace of the Rolling Wave to You) by John Rutter
  • Postlude: Presto from Sonata #2 in A major, BWV 1015 by J. S. Bach
    Carl Schlaikjer, oboe; Wendy Covell, organ
  • Hymns & Readings: 126, 401, 413, 657, 662

Sunday, Sept. 25
"You Shall Be a Blessing: A Pilgrimage to Crawford, TX" Rev. Carlton E. Smith

  • Prelude: Adagio by Eduardo Torres
  • Offertory: Stabat Mater by Jeanne Demessieux
  • Anthem: L'chi Lach by Debbie Friedman
    L'chi lach, to a land that I will show you.
    Leich l'cha, to a place you do not know.
    L'chi lach, on your journey I will bless you.
    and you shall be a blessing, l'chi lach.
    L'chi lach, and I shall make your name great.
    Leich l'cha, and all shall praise your name.
    L'chi lach, to the place that I will show you.
    L'sim-chat cha-yim, l'chi lach.
  • Postlude: Priere by Denis Bedard
  • Hymns & Readings: 295, 413, 442, and readings from Genesis 12 and from A Course in Miracles, Lesson 360

Sunday, Oct. 2
"Sacred Dialogue" Rev. Dr. Barbara Whittaker-Johns
HEBREW MUSIC SUNDAY

  • Prelude: Psalm by Herbert Fromm
  • Blessing of the Candles: Shehecheyanu (traditional) sung by Bonnie Zimmer
  • Intergenerational Anthem: Sim Sholom by Max Janowski
    Chris Jones, cantor
  • Candle Music: Ose Shalom (traditional)
  • Offertory: Hassidic Interlude by Herbert Fromm
  • Anthem: Avinu malkeinu from the Rosh Hashanah Service of Max Janowski
    Michael Prichard, cantor
  • Postlude: Dance of Reconciliation (Hebrew folk song)
  • Hymns & Readings: 146, 188, 217, 413, 450, 585, 634, 636, 720

Sunday, October 9
"After the Storm: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina" Michelle Bates Deakin

  • Prelude: If You But Trust in God to Guide You by Johann S. Bach
  • Reflection and Ministry in Song by Krista Ernewein (native of New Orleans)
  • Offertory: Prelude by Ernest Bloch
  • Postlude: In God, My Faithful God by Georg Boehm
  • Hymns & Readings: 163, 331, 413, 470, and a reading by Chris Rose of the New Orleans Times - Picayune

Wednesday, October 12
Erev Yom Kippur Service 5-10pm (Temple Kahal B'rair'a)
Thursday, October 13
Yom Kippur Service 8am-1pm (Temple Kahal B'rair'a)

Sunday, October 16
Ferry Beach Weekend
"From the Barrel: Sin, Evil, and the Blessing of the Flesh" Rev. Dr. Barbara Whittaker-Johns

  • Prelude: Sonata in E-flat Major by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Children's Recessional: Go Now in Peace
    Bell Quintet
  • Candle Lighting: Ave verum corpus by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Offertory: Siciliano by Johann S. Bach
  • Anthem: I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar
    Diane Shriver, voice; Laura Prichard, piano
  • Postlude: Trumpet Tune by Wilbur Held
  • Hymns & Readings: 25, 343, 413, 445, "Partners" story from  Does God Have a Big Toe?

Sunday, October 23
"Room for Gifts" Rev. Carlton E. Smith presents a sermon on his recent visit to the American South

  • Prelude: Allegro from Autumn from Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerti
  • Ceremony of Child Dedication
    Children's Anthem: Chalice Flames and Sparks perform under the direction of Wendy Covell
  • Offertory: Adagio from Autumn from Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerti
  • BELL CHOIR PERFORMS Hymns 404 and 413
  • Anthem: You Are the New Day by Peter McKnight, composed for The King's Singers
  • Postlude: Allegro from Autumn from Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concerti
  • Hymns & Readings: 128, 404, 413, Luke 2:1-7

Friday, October 28
Pagan Samhien Service

Sunday, October 30
Daylight Savings Time Ends
"To Hallow Creation" Carlton Elliot Smith

  • Prelude & Costume Parade
  • The Ancient Roots of Halloween: The Witch Song by Bonnie Lockhart
    Solo and guitar by Diane Shriver
  • Offertory & Lighting of Candles of Celebration and Concern
    Celtic Tunes
  • Anthem: Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem
  • Children's Choir Anthem (Theme - The Mystery of Death): Playing Forests
  • Children's Choir Anthem (Theme - Lift High Our Colors): Falling Leaves
  • Postlude: Marche by T. Dubois
  • Hymns & Readings: 52,103, 389, 538, This Little Light of Mine, Affirmation from from Kol Haneshamah (Shabbat Eve Prayer, 1989 ), Masks by Lynn Ungar, What Will You Do with Your One Wild and Precious Life? by Mary Oliver, It Is Up to Us to Hallow Creation by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
  • Angela Gazza Piano Recital in Sanctuary (early afternoon)

Sunday, November 6 VOCAL QUINTET
"Faith and a Sense of Humor in the Face of Murphy's Law, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and Chaos Theory"
Rev. Dr. Barbara Whittaker-Johns creates an "auction sermon" for Andrew Leonard
Vocal Quintet: Jennifer Kobayashi, soprano, Dorothy May, alto, Andrew Leonard, tenor, Jean Ward, baritone, Andy Kobayashi, bass

  • Prelude: Humoreske by Antonin Dvorak
  • Musical Interlude: The Other Shore by the Austin Lounge Lizards, arranged by Andrew Leonard
  • Offertory:The Laughing Song by Johann Strauss
  • Musical Interlude: Murphy's Law - A Choral Litany arranged by Andrew Leonard
  • Benediction: Choral Amen
  • Postlude: Anything Goes by Cole Porter
  • Hymns & Readings: 92, 368, 413, 531
  • Ceremony of New Member Recognition and New Member Brunch

Sunday, November 6 at 3pm CONCERT
Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra
Walter Pavasaris and James Russell Smith, Conducting

  • Verdi - Overture to "La Forza del Destino"
  • Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, The "Emperor Concerto"
    featuring Chia-Hsing Lin, 2005 PSA Young Artist Competition Winner
  • Borodin - Symphony No. 2 in B-minor

Monday, November 7
Special Alliance/Music Program featuring the historic First Parish organ 6-7pm in Santuary

Sunday, November 13
Caitlyn O'Brien, Community Minister "Poverty: Who's Responsible?

  • Prelude: Polonaise from Suite in b minor by Johann S. Bach
    Mies Boet Whitaker, flute
  • Offertory: Bourée from Suite in b minor by Johann S. Bach
    Mies Boet Whitaker, flute
  • Anthem: Sometimes I Feel Like a Moanin' Dove arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw
  • Postlude: Menuet from Suite in b minor by Johann S. Bach
    Mies Boet Whitaker, flute
  • Hymns & Readings: 121, 298, 318, 413, 438, excerpt from Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol

Saturday, November 19 Harvest Moon Fair

Sunday, November 20
Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith "Blessing the World"

  • Prelude: March in E-Flat by E. Schreiner
  • Intergenerational Anthem: Haida (Hassidic Round)
    Chalice Flames and Chalice Singers
    Wendy Page, clarinet
  • Offertory: Suite for an Organ Clock by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach
  • Meditational Song: life/dream
  • Anthem: Shalom Rav by Ben Steinberg
  • Postlude: We Gather Together by Flor Peeters
  • Hymns & Readings: 68, 163, 413, 470

Sunday, November 27 First Sunday in Advent
Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith "IOU...?"

  • Offertory: The Lord's Prayer by Albert Hay Malotte
    Nancy McDowell, soprano solo
  • Anthem: Ave Maria from Verdi's Otello
    Nancy McDowell, soprano solo
    Hail to thee, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
    Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
    Ah, pray for her who lies in prayer before thee,
    Pray for the sinner thou, and for the sinless,
    Give thy aid to the oppressed and to the mighty,
    He too will need it, pray for all who implore thee.
    Pray thou for her who is sadly sighing
    As all the early hopes of bliss betray her,
    Oh, grant, oh grant thy prayer,
    pray for us now, and in the hour of dying, pray thou for us, pray.
    Hail to thee, Mary in the hour of dying. Hail! Amen!
  • Hymns & Readings: 218, 329, 604, Matthew 18

Sunday, December 4
Kenneth F. Heideman, guest speaker "Putting Yourself in a Position to Win: Lessons from a Lifelong Dark Horse”
Jacques Duranceau, coordinator

  • Prelude: Comfort, Comfort Ye My People by Timothy Albrecht
  • Candle Music: Silent Meditation from E. Bloch's Sacred Service
    This movement starts with the organ alone, allowing the listeners a moment to formulate their own thoughts, perhaps as a substitute for the liturgical silent Tefillah. Then the choir, a cappella, quietly intones Yihyu Lerotson, the prayer for acceptance that follows the Tefillah. The composer called this section "a silent meditation which comes in before you take your soul out and look at what it contains."
    Translation: O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable before Thee, Adonoi, my Rock and Redeemer. Amen.
  • Offertory: The Day of Gladness Now Appears by J. C. F. Fischer
  • Bell Choir Anthem: O Come, O Come Emmanuel
  • Music for Centering: Lighthouse, words and music by Ken Heideman
    Colin O'Dwyer and Rene Gagnon, vocals
  • Postlude: Der Tag, der ist so freundenreich by Johann S. Bach
  • Hymns & Readings: 354, 396, 413, 519, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, excerpt from Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Sunday, December 4 CONCERT at 3pm
Cantilena Women's Chorale, conducted by Kenneth Seitz

Monday, December 5 Alliance Holiday Party

Sunday, December 11 Winter Music Service
Excerpts from Messiah by George Frederic Handel
Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith "Prophecy, Renewal, and Hope"

  • Prelude: Overture (No. 1)
    Comfort Ye (Tenor Recitative, No. 2) Andrew Leonard
    "Comfort ye, my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that cried in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:1-3)
  • Chalice Lighting Music: Every Valley (Tenor Aria, No. 3) Andrew Leonard
    "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough places plain." (Isaiah 40:4)
  • Intergenerational Music:
    I Will Shake
    (Bass Recitative, No. 5): Jean Renard Ward
    "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: Yet once a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come." (Haggai 2:6-7)
    "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts" (Malachi 3:1)
    And the Glory of the Lord (Chorus, No. 4)
    "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." (Isaiah 40:5)
  • Candles Music: O Thou, That Tellest (Alto Recitative & Aria, Nos. 8 & 9): Dorothy May
    "Behold! a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us." (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:23)
    "O thou that tellest good tidings of Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" (Isaiah 40:9).
  • Offertory: (Bass Recitative & Aria, Nos. 10 & 11): Michael Prichard
    "For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee; and His glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising" (Isaiah 60:2-3)
    "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2)
  • Anthem Set #1: The Christmas Story
    Pastoral Symphony
    (No. 13)
    Soprano Recitative (Nos. 15-16) Krista Ernewein
    "And the Angel said unto them, 'Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.' And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:" (Luke 2:10-11)
    Chorus of Angels (No. 17)
    "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, goodwill towards men" (Luke 2:13-14)
  • Anthem Set #2: Invitation of Hope
    Chorus (No. 26)
    "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).
    Alto Recitative and Aria (No. 19) Meg Candilore
    "Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing" (Isaiah 35:5-6)
    "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young" (Isaiah 40:11)
    Soprano Solo (No. 20) Laurie Francis Wright
    "Come unto him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and he will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of him, for he is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:28-29)
  • Benediction: Soprano Solo (No. 18) Krista Ernewein
    "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is the righteous Saviour, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen." (Zechariah 9:9-10)
  • Postlude: Chorus with Congregation (No. 44)
    "Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth (Rev. 19:6). The Kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:1). King of kings, and Lord of lords. Hallelujah!" (Rev. 19:16).

Sunday, December 11 CONCERT at 3pm
Arlington-Bemont Chorale & the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra
Barry Singer and Nancy Holland, Conducting

  • Mozart - Ave verum, K.618
  • Mozart - Veni, sancte spiritus, K.47
  • Rutter - Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
  • Rutter - Hay, Ay
  • Saint-Saëns - Requiem

Friday, December 16, 7:30pm Pagan Yule Celebration

Sunday, December 18 Intergenerational Service
"The Longest Night" - Solstice Poem by Diane Taraz Shriver

  • Prelude: Verset-Choral by T. DuBois
    Wendy Covell, organ
  • Offertory: Variations sur un Noel by A. Fleury
  • Postlude: Allegretto by A. Fleury
  • Hymns & Readings: 57, 542

Saturday, December 24, 5pm Christmas Eve Service

  • Instrumental Prelude: Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré
    Mies Boet-Whitaker, flute; Carl Schlaikjer, oboe
  • Vocal Prelude: O Holy Night by Adolphe Adam
    Song by Alan Hovhaness
    Lisa Hesterkamp Davis, soprano
  • Anthem: And the angel said unto them; And suddenly there was with the angel; and Glory to God from Messiah by George F. Handel
    Krista Ernewein, soprano
  • Special Offering for Renewal House: Schlafe, mein Liebster from J. S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio
    Michael Prichard, baritone
    Mies Boet-Whitaker, flute; Carl Schlaikjer, oboe
  • Hymns & Readings: 47, 231, 244, 245, 246, 251, 253, Luke 2: 1-16, Matthew 2: 1-23, Christmas Salutation
  • Recessional: Here We Come A-Wassailing
  • Postlude: Variations on Good King Wenceslas by Gardner Read

Sunday, December 25 Christmas & Chanukah (begins at sundown)
Special Vocal Quartet: Andrew, Heather, Jennifer, and Matthew Kobayashi

  • Prelude: Welcome Sire Christemas by Richard Smert (c. 1500)
  • Candles Music: There is No Rose (Anonymous 15th-century, with interpolated Latin responses)
  • Offertory: Star in the East from Southern Harmony by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)
  • Anthem: Da pacem, Domine by Melchior Franck (1575-1639)
    Translation: Give peace, Lord, in our day.
  • Musical Reflection: Christmas All Year Long
    Krista Ernewein, mezzo soprano solo
  • Postlude: Green Grow'th the Holly by Henry VIII (1491-1547)
  • Hymns & Readings: 42, 392 (led by Andee Rubin and Carlton E. Smith), 409, 413, 589, 615, 616

Sunday, January 1
Guest Speaker: Ron Hersom "Announcing an Engagement"
This morning begins a series of five worship services on the theme of joy. We welcome back Ron Hersom, now in his third year at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. Rom served as a Lay Minister here, and had his call to ministry in our sanctuary.

  • Prelude: How Brightly Shines the Morning Star by Dietrich Buxtehude
  • Candle Music: Come Sunday by Duke Ellington
  • Offertory: In dulci jubilo by Marel Dupré
  • Anthem: Alleluia from Exultate, Jubilate by Wolfgang A. Mozart
    Michael and Laura Prichard, duet
  • Postlude: In Thee is Joy by Marcel Dupré
  • Hymns & Readings: 100, 128, 390, 526, Joy by Katie Aaker

Sunday, January 8
"Fear Not" Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith

  • Prelude: Andante from Surprise Symphony by F. J. Haydn
  • Candle Music: Velvet Shoes by Randall Thompson
  • Offertory: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Randall Thompson
  • Anthem for Epiphany: Star in the East from Southern Harmony by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)
  • Postlude: The Harmonius Blacksmith by G. F. Handel
  • Hymns & Readings: 22, 51, 413, 418, 544, Luke II

Friday, January 13 Billie Hockett Concert "Pipeline"

Saturday, January 14 Willow Flute Ensemble Concert

Sunday, January 15
"Let Justice Roll" Rev. Dorothy Emerson speaks on a fair minimum wage

  • Prelude: Steal Away by Joe Utterbach
  • Offertory: Solace by Scott Joplin
  • Anthem: Free at Last by Teresa Jennings
    Choral Refrain: Free! Free at last! Oh, free! Free at last!
    1. Thank God Almighty, we are free! Free at last!
    2. Let freedom ring, we are free! Free at last!
  • Postlude: We Shall Overcome by Adolphus Hailstork
  • Hymns & Readings: 121, 151, 413, 484, I Have a Dream by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Organ Show following the service (11:45-12:30pm), Wendy Covell, organ

Sunday, January 22 Mozart service [250th Birthday year]
Credo Service, coordinated by Wendy Page

  • Prelude: Adagio cantabile from Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 in C minor, op. 13 (1799, Vienna)
  • Candle Music: Ave verum corpus, K. 681 (1791, Baden) by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Offertory: Sonata in E-flat, K. 282 (1774, Salzburg) by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Credos: Sitting by the Fire with God by Andee Rubin
    A Gentle Reminder by Charlotte Sanford
    Grief, Joy, and Happiness by Carol Orme-Johnson
  • Anthem: Laudate Dominum from Wolfgang A. Mozart's Vesperae solemnes de confessore, K. 339 (1780, Salzburg)
    Nancy MacDowell, soprano solo
  • Postlude: Allegro giubiloso by Isadore Freed
  • Hymns & Readings: 55, 95, 413, 447, 663, 707, Frederick by Leo Lionni

Sunday, January 29
Anne Goodwin "The Joy of Spiritual Housecleaning & Creating Sacred Space " coordinated by Jacques Duranceau

  • Prelude: Canzona by Domenico Zipoli
  • Candle Music: Thou Visitest the Earth by Maurice Greene (1696-1755)
    Text: Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it, and crownest the year with thy goodness. (Psalm 65: 9-11)

    Notes: Born in London, the son of a clergyman, Greene became a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral, London, under Jeremiah Clarke and became organist at St Paul's and at the Chapel Royal. In the 1730s he became professor of music at Cambridge University and Master of the King's Musick, becoming the only English musician under forty to hold all four of the highest musical appointments in the country at the same time. At his death, Greene was working on the compilation Cathedral Music, which his student and successor as Master of the King's Musick, William Boyce, completed (most of the anthems are still used in Anglican services today).
    Click here for a detailed biographical website on Greene.
  • Offertory: Allegro di moto by C. P. E. Bach
  • Anthem: Surge Illuminare from the second volume of Gradualia (1607) by William Byrd (c1540-1623)
    Translation: "Arise, shine, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Alleluia." (Isaiah 60:1)

    The text is associated liturgically with the season of Epiphany, but the theme of light links it to Advent, as does the verse in Isaiah that directly follows: "For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Can we hear those words without thinking of the Advent portion of Handel's Messiah?

    Notes:
    The greatest English composer of his generation, Byrd was a versatile composer. Although remaining a Catholic, loyalty that cost him considerable trouble in times of persecution in England, he served as a member of the Chapel Royal under the Pretestant Queen Elizabeth I, providing music for the liturgy of the Church of England which has been sung continuously in English cathedrals for the last 400 years. After the anti-Catholic frenzy that followed the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, all his Catholic music (in Latin) was banned in England.
    Click here for a detailed biographical website on Byrd.
  • Postlude: Molto vivo by Domenico Zipoli
  • Hymns & Readings: 312, 326, 413, Shared reading by Marge Piercy, Excerpt from A Home for the Soul by Anthony Lawler

Sunday, February 5
Guest Speaker: Andy Pakula "Welcoming the Stranger"

  • Prelude: Trumpet Tune in E Major by David N. Johnson
  • Offertory: How Fair and Pleasant Art Thou by Marcel Dupré
  • Anthem: Graduale - Os justi (1879) by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
    Translation: The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak justice. The Law of his God is in his heart and his steps shall not falter. Hallelujah. (Psalm 37: 30-31)

    Notes:
    Bruckner's thirty-odd motets are a crucial part of his compositional output. They express his devout Roman Catholic beliefs, using the modal chords and fluid melodies of the Renaissance masters. But the harmonic shifts and compositional techniques display a clearly Romantic sensibility, and the blocks of contrasting sound display Bruckner's roots as an organ improviser.
    This four-part "cathedral in sound" was dedicated to Ignaz Traumihler, who subscribed to the Cecilian movement (seeking to bring back the spare, a cappella choral style of Palestrina). Bruckner created an extraordinary motet in the Lydian mode which achieves striking harmonic effects without ever using a single sharp or flat. The work is in an ABA' structure, with similar music to set the Os justi and Lex Dei segments. It concludes with a plainchant Alleluia.
    Click here for a detailed biographical website on Bruckner.
  • Postlude: Allegro moderato (excerpt) by Felix Mendelssohn
  • Hymns & Readings: 131, 360, 413, 442, On Your Way, Genesis 25: 34-40, Matthew 18: 1-8

Sunday, February 12 Service Cancelled Due to Snow

Sunday, February 19
Guest Speaker: Alex Mercedes "Sojourner: I Am Here"

  • Prelude: Meditation by Lamar Friend
  • Candle Music: That Lonesome Road by James Taylor
  • Offertory: The Lone, Wild Bird by Thomas Somerville
    Mies Boet-Whitaker, flute
  • Anthem: My Life Flows on in Endless Song
  • Postlude: Glory by Godwin Sadoh
  • Hymns & Readings: 413, 645, 1040,On Your Way, Hush, Guide My Feet, Ain't I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth

Sunday, February 26
Rev. Terasa Cooley speaks on transformation: "Faith Matters"

  • Prelude: Rhapsodie on Breton Melodies by Camille Saint-Saens
  • Candle Music: Ave verum corpus by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Meditation: Herzliebster Jesu by Ernst Pepping
  • Anthem: Halleluja Amen from Four-Voiced Canons, K. 553 (Vienna, 1788) by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Postlude: Allegro by Camille Saint-Saens
  • Hymns & Readings: 124, 360, 413, 591, On Your Way, excerpt from Parker's The Company of Strangers

Sunday, March 5
The Rev. Karen Lewis Foley "The Only Way Over is Through"

  • Prelude: Choral by Leon Boellmann
  • Offertory: Bist du bei mir by Johann S. Bach
  • Anthem: River in Judea
    First Parish Glee Club
    Chris Jones, conductor; Meg Candilore, piano
  • Postlude: Andantino by Cesar Franck
  • Hymns & Readings: 12, 100, 470, On Your Way

Sunday, March 12
Rev. Calrton E. Smith "Love and Help"

  • Prelude: Candyrapper Sword Dance Team from Arlington, MA
    Click here for a link to their webpage.
  • Candle Music: O Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) arranged by Joseph Flummerfelt
  • Offertory: Violin duet by the musicians for the Rapper Sword Dance Teams
  • Anthem: Ubi caritas by Maurice Duruflé
  • Postlude: Scrambled Six Rapper Sword Dance Team from Arlington, MA

  • Click here for a link to their webpage.
  • Hymns & Readings: 34, 129, 562, On Your Way, reading by Olympia Brown (1835-1926, Universalist minister)

Sunday, March 12 CONCERT at 3pm
Arlington-Belmont Chorale & Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus
Barry Singer and Nancy Holland, Conducting

  • Brahms - Geistliches Lied, Op. 30
  • Brahms - Nänie, Op. 82
  • Liszt - Missa Choralis

Saturday, March 18
First Parish Fellowship Dinner 6:30-9pm
Entertainment by the Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society with Diane Taraz Shriver

Sunday, March 19
Guest Speaker Eugene Benson, staff attorney for Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE), an agency dedicatd to working for environmental justice
"Not in My Backyard"

  • Prelude: Prayer by Eduardo Torres
  • Children's Choirs Anthem: Step by Step
  • Candle Music: A Winter Prayer by Fenno Follensbea Heath, Jr.
  • Offertory: Andante by Eduardo Torres
  • Anthem: We Are by Ysaye Barnwell
  • Postlude: A Proclamation by Daniel Pinkham
  • Hymns & Readings: 131, 651, On Your Way, Say Something, Look Well to the Growing Edge by Howard Thurman, Affirmation of Hope by Loretta Williams, O For a World (UCC Hymn #575, by Mirian Therese Winter)

Sunday, March 26

  • Offertory:

Sunday, April 2
"Mystery at Walden Pond" The Rev. Dr. Ken Reeves

  • Prelude: Prelude in G Minor by Dietrich Buxtehude
  • Candle Music: Hear My Prayer by Henry Purcell
  • Offertory: Blessed are Ye Faithful Souls by Johannes Brahms
  • Postlude: March in C by George F. Handel
  • Hymns & Readings: 42, 188, 318, On Your Way, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, excerpt from Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Sunday, April 9 Spring Music Service & Annual Peep Show
ADULT CHOIR, FESTIVAL CHOIR, ORCHESTRA

  • Israel in Egypt, Part I by George F. Handel
    Click here for a libretto of the complete oratorio (we are concentrating on excerpts from Part I)
  • Prelude: Larghetto by George F. Handel
  • Offertory: The Lord is My Strength and My Song by George F. Handel
    Laurie Francis-Wright and Carolyn Hodges, soprano duet
  • FIRST MUSICAL SECTION
    Now there arose a new King - Jennifer Kobayashi, soprano solo
    Then God sent Moses - John Hodges, bass solo
    Their land brought forth frogs - Michael Prichard, alto solo
    He spake the word and there came all manner of flies - double chorus
    He gave them hailstones for rain - double chorus
    He sent a thick darkness - chorus
  • IMAGES & SYMBOLS OF PASSOVER [Apr. 13 is Passover]
  • SECOND MUSICAL SECTION
    But as for his people - chorus
    He rebuked the Red Sea - double chorus
    The Enemy Said
    - Andrew Leonard, tenor solo
    For the horse of Pharaoh - Nancy McDowell, soprano solo
    And Miriam, the prophetess - Jennifer Kobayashi, soprano solo
    Sing ye to the Lord - Diane Shriver, soprano solo and double chorus
  • Postlude: Air by George F. Handel
    Carl Schlaikjer, English horn, Wendy Covell, organ
  • Hymns & Readings: 61, 210, 416, 532, On Your Way, Go Down Moses led by Jack Duranceau

Sunday, April 16 Intergenerational Easter Service

  • Prelude: Pasticcio by Jean Langlais
  • Call to Worship: Making Rain
  • Offertory: Ma Nishtana folk song
  • Children's Choir: Chalice Sparks Anthem: Alleluia (based on a Hebrew folk song)
  • Children's Choir: Chalice Singers & Flames Anthem: Come Enjoy God's Festive Springtime by G. P. Telemann
    Barbara Tilson, keyboard; Jean Renard Ward, bassoon; Carl Schlaikjer, oboe
  • Postlude: Now Winter Fades from Sight by J. S. Bach
  • Hymns & Readings: 38, 269, 270, 545, 626, 726, 727

Saturday, April 22
Philharmonic Society of Arlington Concerto Competition in Sanctuary

Sunday, April 23
"What Do (UU) Women Want?" Linda Lu Burciaga

  • SPECIAL WOMEN'S CHOIR led by Cheri Minton and Lorriane Cooley
  • Prelude: Norwegian Barcarole by Jennifer Bate
  • Candle Music: Chant for the Seasons (Czech folk song) with words by Mark L. Belletini
  • Offertory: Meditation by Ruth Watson Henderson
  • Anthem: Freedom from Shenandoah by Gary Geld and Peter Udell
  • Postlude: Tu es petrus by Jeanne Demessieux
  • Hymns & Readings: 112, 163, On Your Way, When I Am an Old Woman by Betty Mills

Sunday, April 23 CONCERT at 3pm
Arlington-Bemont Chorale & the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra
Walter Pavasaris and Barry Singer Conducting

  • Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 in C-minor
  • Saint-Saëns - The "Organ" Symphony
    with David Sears, organist
  • Puccini - "Messa di gloria" in A-flat

Sunday, April 30
"Universalism: A Fantastic Faith" by Carlton E. Smith

  • Prelude: The Hen by Jean Phillipe Rameau
  • Child Dedication Anthem: Silver the Moon, a new choral cantata by Diane Taraz Shriver
  • Candle Music: Sabbath Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock
  • Offertory: Doucement by Charles Valentin Alkan
  • Postlude: Bon Dance & Nagaogakyo-ondo Dance by Middle School students from Nagaogakyo, Japan (Arlington's sister city)
  • Hymns & Readings: 21, 28, 315, 714, 715, On Your Way

Sunday, April 30 7pm
Cantilena Spring CONCERT

  • Jean du Rossignolet by Henri Büsser
  • Ronde du Crépuscle by Cécile Chaminade
  • Le Jet d'Eau by Gustave Charpentier
  • In memoriam (from Les Choristes) by Bruno Coulais
  • Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré
  • Aux Petits Enfants & Les Danses de Lormont by César Franck
  • Les Étoiles by Charles Koechlin
  • Barcarolle by Jacques Offenbach
  • Voyage à Paris & Sanglots by Francis Poulenc
  • Salut au Chevalier Printemps by Camille Saint-Saëns

Sunday, May 7
"Celebrating Membership" with reflections from Andrea Pelosi Winslow, Josh Davis, Cecile Strugnell, and Carl Schlaikjer

  • Prelude: Suite in E Minor by Dietrich Buxtehude
  • Offertory & Candle Music: Adagio and Rondo for winds, strings, and organ by Wolfgang A. Mozart
  • Anthem: Hear Me Now from Man of La Mancha
  • Anthem: The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha
  • Postlude: Gigue by Dietrich Buxtehude
    Carl Schlaikjer, oboe, Wendy Covell, organ
  • Hymns & Readings: 295, 358, 474, On Your Way

Friday, May 12 CONCERT at 8pm
Arlington-Belmont Chorale performs "Music for a Spring Evening"
Barry Singer, conducting

Sunday, May 14
The Shinn Service: "UU Visions for Peace"
Click here for a link to the history of Mother's Day

  • Prelude: Sheep May Safely Graze by J. S. Bach
  • Candle Music: The 23rd Psalm (for my mother) by Bobby McFerrin
    Text: The Lord is my shepherd.  I have all I need.
    She makes me lie down in green meadows.
    Beside the still waters, She will lead.
    She restores my soul; She rights my wrongs.
    She leads me in a path of good things, and fills my heart with songs.

    Even though I walk, through a dark and dreary land,
    There is nothing that can shake me,
    She has said she won't forsake me, I'm in her hand.
    She sets a table before me, in the presence of my foes,
    She anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows.

    Surely, surely goodness and kindness will follow me, all the days of my life,
    And I will live in her house forever, forever and ever.
    Glory be to our Mother, and to the Daughter, and to the Holy of Holies,
    As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world, without end.  Amen.

  • Anthem: Sim Sholom (Grant Us Peace) by Max Janowski
    Andrew Leonard, tenor solo
  • Postlude: Solemn Piece by Eugene Gigout
  • Hymns & Readings: 161, 162, 164, On Your Way

Friday, May 19
Arlington Philharmonic Chamber Chorus CONCERT in Sanctuary

Sunday, May 21 ADULT CHOIR SINGS
"Here's to Life" Carlton E. Smith

  • Prelude: Hyfrydol by Ralph Vaughan Williams
  • Chalice Flames Anthem: Freedom from the Sacred Service by Duke Ellington
  • Chalice Singers & Flames Anthem: Who Says I Can't Read Music by H. Beebe
    Meg Candilore, piano
  • Candle Music : That Lonesome Road by James Taylor
  • High School Singers Anthem: You Are the Light of the World from Godspell by Stephen Schwartz
    Andrew Leonard, leader, with Meg Candilore, piano
  • Offertory: Marcietta by T. Dubois
  • Anthem: You are the New Day by Peter McKnight
  • Postlude: Here's to Life by A. Butler and P. Molinary
    Carlton E. Smith, tenor
  • Hymns & Readings: 331, 536, On Your Way, Blue Boat Home

Sunday, May 28 at First Parish UU Church, Arlington
Worship Leaders: Matt Meyer and Jack Duranceau
Our pulpit guest, Matt Meyer is a longtime drummer and lifelong UU. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and has studied abroad in Cuba, Ghana, and Central America. He works as a performer, educator and traveling worship leader and is always seeking new and better ways to combine music, spirituality, and social justice work.

  • Prelude, Candle Music, Offertory, Postlude:Percussion improvisation, hymn accompaniments, and original pieces by Matt Meyer
  • Song: The Tugboat and the Barge
  • Hymns & Readings: On Your Way, Building Bridges, Strive Not to be a Storyteller..., The Very First Drummers

Sunday, May 28 at First UU Church, New Orleans
Worship Leaders: Marta Robertson and Carlton E. Smith
16 members of the First Parish choir travelled to New Orleans, Lousiana to do Hurraine Katrina Relief work and to provide the music for the First UU Church of New Orleans and the Community UU Church of New Orleans, seeking to combine music, spiritualit,y and social justice work.

  • First Prelude for Meditation: Ubi caritas by Maurice Duruflé
  • Second Prelude for Welcoming: You are the New Day by Peter McKnight
  • Candle Music : That Lonesome Road by James Taylor
  • Offertory: Dirait-on by Morten Lauridsen
    Alex Mercedes, piano
  • Communion Anthem: Here's to Life by A. Butler and P. Molinary
    Carlton E. Smith, tenor; Alex Mercedes, piano
  • Postlude: Down in the River to Pray from the Coen Brothers' film, based on Homer's Odyssey, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
  • Hymns & Readings: Blue Boat Home, Spirit of Life

Sunday, June 4
"What are We Starting Now?" Carlton E. Smith

  • Prelude: Giga by Enrico Bossi
  • Candle Music: Benedictus by Ruth Watson Henderson
  • Offertory: March by Jean Mouret
  • Anthem: Ubi caritas by Maurice Duruflé
  • Postlude: Rustic Dance by Paul Creston
  • Hymns & Readings: 108, This Little Light of Mine, On Your Way, Spirit of Life

Sunday, June 11
Flower Communion, Coming of Age, and Parish Picnic

  • Flower Music: Erev Shel Shoshanim by Yosef Hadar
    Lyrics by Moshe Dar
    Erev shel shoshanim (Evening of roses)
    Nitzeh na el habustan (Let's go out to the grove)
    Mor besamim ulevana (Myrrh, spices, and frankincense)
    L'raglech miftan. (are a carpet to walk on)

    Layla yored le'at (The night comes slowly)
    Veru'ach shoshan noshvak (a breeze of roses blows)
    Havah elchash lach shir balat (Let me whisper a song to you quietly)
    Zemer shel ahava. (a song of love)

    Shachar homa yonah (At dawn, a dove is cooing)
    Roshech ma'ale t'lalim (Your hair is filled with dew)
    Pich el haboker shoshana (Your lips to the morning are like a rose)
    Ektefenu li. (I'll pick it for myself)
  • Anthem: The Succession of the Four Sweet Months by Benjamin Britten
  • Anthem: Dirait-on by Morten Lauridsen
  • Music following the service by "Apple Crisp" - a father/son percussion & keyboard duo (Avi & Jonathan Fagan)

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Last update 8/15/06. Maintained by LDSP