Transfigured Nights Evensong for Evelyn Underhill

Transfigured Nights The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Dallas, TX Evensong Commemorating Evelyn Underhill, Mystic and Writer. 1941 We're glad you're with us. Notes on the Music The music offered tonight commemorating of Evelyn Underhill also honors important events in the lives of the musicians at Transfiguration, including my own. The setting of my Evening Service was the first one the Transfiguration Choir sang at two evensongs when I started here in the fall of 2004. The Preces and Responses were composed with our choir in mind and were sung on two choir tours to Britain. Howard Helvey’s O lux beatissima is a choir favorites. Its theme – Light – is perfect for a celebration of Underhill’s life, as is its use of Latin, an appropriate language for Anglo-Catholics. The opening voluntary Light, Revealing by Grace-Evangeline Mason uses the Gregorian chant for Candlemas – Lumen ad revelationem gentium. She writes: "Everything in this piece should be serene and not rushed. The treatment of the chant, literally ‘revealed’ at the opening in an aura of its sustained harmonies before unfolding into seventh chords and the theme heard in the bass, gives the player ample occasion to exploit the more atmospheric acoustics of any building. “Lightness’ should indeed prevail throughout." Sarah MacDonald’s ethereal setting of O sacrum convivium was composed for the Transfiguration Choir to sing during Communion at the Closing Eucharist of the Association of Anglican Musicians’ (AAM) Dallas Conference in 2023. Like tonight, the Eucharist was in commemoration of Evelyn Underhill. Born in Canada, MacDonald has spent much of her career in Cambridge, England, as director of music at Selwyn College, as well as director of the girls’ choir at Ely Cathedral. Miriam’s Dance was composed for the Closing Worship of the American Guild of Organists’ (AGO) 1994 National Convention in Dallas for which my predecessor here, Howard Ross, served as coordinator. This service celebrated women in the Bible and in the DFW area. Dallas composer Jane Marshall preached, Hailstork’s Song of Deborah was sung, and my dear friend Annette Albrecht commissioned this work and performed its premiere. Since the booklet had to go to press months before Annette needed the music, I chose “Miriam’s Dance” as the title before I had even written one note of the piece! Finally, we are delighted that we can feature another work by a female artist, Suzanne Schleck, on the cover of this program. She graciously gave us permission to reprint her work after Jonathan Gregoire discovered it in a search. Please see her work at http://www.schleckicons.com. — Joel Martinson" Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-709126. All rights reserved. Visit our website: www.transfiguration.net