Jean Langlais (1907-1991)

Today we sang Psalm 121 "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills" to the chant Barry Rose composed for the Queen's Silver Jubilee service at St Paul's. Clare had asked for this - she went to school in India and the hills mean a lot to her! The readings on the weekly sheet gave the Easter Alleluia verse instead of the post-Ascension one but I maintained we must stick with what the people had in their hands even if it is "wrong". The psalm was supposed to be next week as we had no tenor apart from me but in the event all went well. Statham in D is a good setting and Tallis's "If ye love me" a favourite motet. The tenor has a lovely phrase going up to a top G and the counterpoint is a masterpiece with the alto sailing over the soprano at the end! We also sang "Our blest redeemer e'er he breathed his tender last farewell" from A & M - such a lovely sentiment! I played the Dubois Toccata and Bach "Christ is erstanden" preludes.
The sermon from Teresa was about Not for Sale Sunday.CHASTE website has the details of the appalling sex trafficking which blights our cities and we were urged to write to the local paper and MP.
The prayers were different - 50 years since Dr Seuss published his first book (pity we didn't pray for children's librarians!), 50 years of Test match special cricket broadcasts, 50 years of Patrick Moore broadcasting The sky at night. Nothing wrong with it - just a little wacky! I was amused - what next?
After service I worked again with Ellie for her Bishop's award and she is singing really well. I then practised the organ and played through 4 pieces by Jean Langlais (centenary this year) which my Dad played. Langlais was blind form the age of 2 and Wikipedia gices details of his life as an organist and composer. The Hymne d'action de Grace "Te Deum" was one of the pieces Dad played for the FTCL exam at St Mary's cathedral, Johannesburg and how well he played that day. I turned over for him and pulled out the tuba stop. I have his FTCL hood in the cupboard at church. I was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of not seeing him again in this life but then I thought how close he still is through the music.