Today’s Palm Sunday music begins with a triumphful procession, the praise of children and subsequent “Hosannas,” leading then to the rather more somber meaning of Holy Week. The Children’s Chorus

is led by Wendy Wilson and Natalie von Seelen.

Today’s music, appropriate to Lent, comes from 20th century England. The children’s chorus will sing the benedictiion.

Today’s music is based on African-American spirituals. Hall Johnson and William Dawson were among the most important musicians raising the songs of the people into an art form. Of the spiritual, Johnson said, “True enough, this music was transmitted to us through humble channels, but its source is that of all great art everywhere – the unquenchable, divinely human longing for a perfect

realization of life. It traverses every shade of emotion without spilling over in any direction. Its most tragic utterances are without pessimism, and its lightest, brightest moments have nothing to do with frivolity.”

Today’s choral music is under the direction of Karla Rivera who originally came to Georgetown Presbyterian’s choir as a soprano almost 10 years ago. Her conducting skills are as polished as her vocal gifts. Under the impressive vocal pedagogy of Karla and Javier Gonzalez (of our tenor section), the choir has benefited greatly, and the results are heard every Sunday. We welcome Mark Willey as our organist today. Mark earned his master’s degree in organ from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and is Director of Music at the Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring.

Today’s music comes from pre-Bach Germany (with the exception of the benediction). Dietrich Buxtehude is considered the greatest German master of the middle baroque period; he also placed the organ on the map as a solo instrument. His music conveys pleasure in sonic

experimentation, exploring the possibilities of harmony and counterpoint. Hans Leo Hassler studied in Italy, then the center of musical learning, bringing Italian polyphonic structures to Germany. He is certainly among the most important German composers of all time.  Henry Lee, organist at Eton College, set the words of the school’s

founder, Henry VI, in a handsome renaissance style fitting the date of their composition.

Today’s service music is largely from England. The exception is the handsome and highly operatic “Agnus Dei” from France, sung by Tomoka Fujioka of our alto section. Today is her last Sunday with us, as she is returning home to Tokyo, having completed her degree in music at the University of Maryland. She has volunteered her considerable talents here at GPC during her time in the States, and we will miss her.

Sampling of music notes included in the bulletins

Today’s music comes from the pens of highly respected American organists. Harold Friedell was organist/choirmaster at St. Bartholomew’s, Park Avenue; Joseph Clokey, Dean of the School of Fine Arts at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; and Fred Swann, organist at the Riverside Church, NYC, and organist/director of music at the Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA.

Today’s music comes from Russia. The Orthodox Church uses no musical instruments; thus the prelude and postlude come from Academe. Both Rachmaninoff and Grechaninov eventually moved to the United States after the Revolution of 1916. The “Cherubic Hymn,” part of a complete setting of the liturgy (Ligurgia Domestica, 1917), is un-orthodox in that it employs instruments and is thus not appropriate for use in a Russian Orthodox service. Rachmaninoff, who moved to Hollywood and wrote for the film industry, wrote the accompaniment for “Blessing and Glory,” which was not specifically intended for use in the Russian Church. The other two anthems are often accompanied when performed in the west.

Today’s music is rooted in Plainsong, which forms the backbone of Gregorian Chant. Plainsongs take their name from the fact they were originally sung on the plains, from England through Eastern Europe.  They were adopted by the church for liturgical purposes from the 6th century until the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) when they were removed from use in the Roman Catholic service. They are monophonic in their original form, and when well-performed, can be quite moving in their honest, otherworldly focus. Elizabeth Poston’s Apple Tree, while not based on actual plainsong, is in her hallmark style of contemporary music with an ancient feel.