|
St. Paul’s Choir is celebrated for its pure tone color, exquisite harmony, and strong musicianship, and its repertoire encompasses sacred music from the sixteenth century to the present. Four paid choir section leaders anchor the choir. Service music, hymns, motets all offer both the high achievements of the past and the contemporary, but nothing is selected merely because it is very old or very new, but because it is profound and germane. A special aspect of St. Paul’s relationship with music is the extraordinary level of congregational participation in our singing of hymns, psalms, and responses. One of the joys of many a liturgy is to be singing a hymn and have the organ drop away, leaving the entire congregation singing in remarkable four-part harmony. These occasions expose the beauty, intimacy, and often lump-in-the-throat poignancy of singing together to the Creator with our very human voices. We are truly a singing community, and music is indeed one of our most bountiful gifts to all who enter. See also Schola Cantorum Sancti Pauli *motet: a polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text usually without instrumental accompaniment |
Schedule of Motets*April 13 April 20 April 27 May 1 (Ascension) May 4 May 11 (Pentecost) May 18 (Trinity) May 25 June 1 June 8 June 15 June 22 June 29 August 17 |
Over and over again one hears that “what brought me [to St. Paul’s] was the music,” or that liturgy — especially liturgy sung by celebrant, choir, and congregation — “is who we are as a people.”