THE COLLECT FOR SUNDAY

 Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost                     August 9,  2015    

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost                     August 9, 2015    

The French Baroque period in music was a time of grace, nobility, and ornamentation - lots of ornamentation. In Sunday's celebration of the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, the organ prelude and postlude are both from the Messe pour les Convents (Mass for the Convents and Monasteries) by François Couperin (1668-1733), a French composer of the Baroque period. In 1690, Couperin published two organ masses, that is, two sets of organ music to be played throughout the Roman Catholic Mass, one for the parishes (public churches), and one for the convents and monasteries. These pieces hearken back to a different kind of liturgical experience.  In the words of Philippe Beaussant of l'AcadémieFrançaise, "A magnificent music would be playing, vying in splendour with the wall hangings, decorations, and lights, and turning the church into a vast theatre. A theatre in the literal sense of the word : sermons in those days were delivered from the pulpit by priests who were like sacred tragedians, thundering, intoning, holding their listeners spellbound with their drama and eloquence." While the Messe pour les Convents has a quieter character than the louder and flashier Messe pour les Paroisses, it still conveys the drama and piety of a bygone era in a far away land. Next January, your Cathedral musicians plan to present the Messe pour les Convents in its entirety, including the ancient chants that would have been part of it. This music, though different from usual American fare, has much to offer in the way of beauty and grace.

   

     François Couperin was born to a musical family. In fact, the Couperin family was one of the most famous families of musicians in Europe. Like the Bach family in Germany, the Couperin name was almost synonymous with "musician." The family also has a special relationship with the Church of St-Gervais-et-St-Protais in Paris. Stretching back before François' birth and continuing long after his death, members of the Couperin family were the church's organists for 170 years! François went on to become court organist and harpsichordist at Versailles - a position that made him the foremost keyboardist in France. He died in 1733 as François Couperin le Grand, a title bestowed upon him to help distinguish him from the other members of his family.

     

     As we worship together this week, our service is filled with familiar hymns, service music, and a favorite offertory duet, Panis Angelicus. One of the great blessings of our tradition as Episcopalians is finding inspiration from unexpected sources. It is my hope that you will enjoy Couperin's organ music this week as it gives us a glimpse into a different era and branch of Christian musical expression.