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" prelu...