Music for Sunday follows the Ascension Day propers, rather than Easter 7. Ascension Day is an important feast day that is the 40th day of Easter, and always falls on a Thursday. It commemorates Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven, so the lessons you hear on Sunday will also be the lessons for that day.

In addition to its being an important feast day, Ascension Day has some great hymns and anthems associated with it, so that's another reason to observe the day. The Parish Choir's anthem by Welsh composer, William Mathias (1934-1992) is also a jumping off point for today's music. Entitled "Lift up your heads, O ye gates," you will hear a lot of dissonances and rhythmic drive.

Mathias also composed the Gloria and Sanctus that we sing every Easter, so I have inserted them into this service so that you can see that the musical style is similar. Additionally, I have done some serious dusting off of his organ piece, Processional, which, in my opinion, goes through periods of stately and whimsical.

As a major contrast, the closing voluntary (as well as last week's), is written by American composer Robert J. Powell, who also composed the service music we have been singing this Easter season.