Music for Third Sunday of Advent

In a world full of Christmas songs and commercial excitement, our church remains in a time of waiting. Our Advent hymns focus on the coming of Christ, on the prophecies that fuel our expectation, and on the announcement of John the Baptist.

The composer of our Communion setting was Dr George Oldroyd. He was organist of St. Alban’s Church, Holborn, and then of St. Michael’s Church, Croydon until his death in 1951. His beautiful “Mass of the Quiet Hour” was not published until 1969.

At communion, the choir sings the traditional O Antiphons in a setting by Canadian composer Healey Willan. These are antiphons to be used at Vespers during the Magnificat during the last week of Advent; they are best known in their form as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, which we sang on Advent 1. They derive their title from the vocative address to Christ in one of his attributes.

O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
O Adonai (O Lord)
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (O Key of David)
O Oriens (O Dawn of the East)
O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
O Emmanuel (O God With Us)

This morning we will alternate the Willan settings with traditional plainsong. A slightly different plainsong and translation can be found in the New English Hymnal at #503

Brigid Coult

Solemn Mass takes place at St. James’ Anglican Church, Vancouver at 10:30 am every Sunday.