By Mark Heiskanen
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
from the oratorio “The Creation” (1798) by Joseph Hadyn
The wonder of God’s work displays the firmament.
This Trinity Sunday, we celebrate God’s bountiful creation, each form bearing God’s indelible mark from loving creating fingers.
The organ welcomes you into worship with a lied (German for “song”) to the beauty of flowers by 20th century Belgian organ composer Flor Peeters. It is the third movement from “Lied Symphony for Organ”, an impressionistic five part cycle which, in the composer’s words, is a “thanksgiving hymn for nature in God’s creation.” Depictions of the ocean, desert, mountains and sun complete the work. Written during Mr. Peeters’ concert tour of America in 1947, he was inspired by this country’s diverse range of natural habitats. The varied colors and shapes of flowers are portrayed by an assortment of timbres from the organ presented in a plainsong chant style.
Two additional nature-oriented offerings will be presented this Sunday. During the Offertory, the hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is treated to a quirky light-hearted arrangement by American composer Emma Lou Diemer. And at the Ministry of Music moment, an excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s cantata “Rejoice in the Lamb” is offered in “For the Flowers Are Great Blessings” sung by tenor Kendall Terhaar. The work as a whole is a hymn of praise from all of God’s creation stated in a distinctively idiosyncratic manner by 18th century poet Christopher Smart. “For the flowers are great blessings…For the flower glorifies God and the root parries the adversary. For there is a language of flowers. For the flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.”
We leave worship with a “Pasticcio” by 20th century French organ composer Jean Langlais. Italian for a “mess”, a pasticcio in musical terms refers to a work pieced together from borrowed preexisting sources. In this case, the composer’s penchant for employing elements of the medieval era and Gregorian chant in a contemporary form is clear in this vibrant work.