Music: Sun Dec 8

Music for Advent Sunday begins with a glance back to the Lutheran tradition embodied in J. S. Bach’s Cantata Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now Comes the Heathens’ Savior), written to mark the start of the liturgical year in Weimar in 1714. Another transcription from one of Bach’s cantatas is featured in the Offertory. Unitarian composer Béla Bartók’s charming settings of ten Rumanian Christmas carols follows, a typical example of the composer’s ethnomusicological research. A poignant Catalan Christmas carol, El cant dels ocells (The Song of the Birds) is the morning’s Opening Music. The tune may be familiar to parishioners as the cellist Pablo Casals’ signature encore. Elsewhere, our own Mary Cobb offers up William Bolcom’s touchingly tender “Waitin,’” and the CUUC Choir is on hand as well. Read on for programming details.

Centering Music:
Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland

                                                J. S. Bach arr. by Ferruccio Busoni

Rumanian Christmas Carols, Series I

                                                Béla Bartók

Opening Music:
El cant dels ocells

                                                Traditional Catalan, arr. by Joaquin Nin-Culmell

Offertory:
Sheep May Safely Graze

                                                J. S. Bach arr. by Egon Petri

Music for “An Advent Suite”
CUUC Choir directed by Lisa N. Meyer and accompanied by Georgianna Pappas

How Long?

                                                Mark Miller

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Mary Lane Cobb, soprano

Waitin’

                                                            William Bolcom