Georg PhilippTelemann was a German Baroque composer of great quality and quantity who spent the last portion of his career in Hamburg where, in 1721, he was given musical oversight of five of the largest churches in the city. Moreover, in 1722, he was appointed Music Director of the Hamburg Opera and composed for them, by his own reckoning, 35 operas in 16 years. Can you imagine the public stature of such an individual? Imagine if you can, one person being made the Director of Music at First, Memorial Drive, Grace, Central and St. Philip Presbyterian churches all at once, while also being in charge downtown at the opera house… …and what a commanding figure he or she would have to be…!

“The peace of God, it is no peace…” These startling words are the essence of one of the really fine combinations of tune and text to surface in the 20th century – the Hymn: ‘They cast their nets in Galilee’ I love how the simple, flowing melody evokes the lapping of waves… David Williams was born in Wales and after honing his skills in Denver, CO, moved on to found a remarkable music program – a model copied by many, many other churches – at St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue in New York.

For the Anthem, the choir sings one of the deeply satisfying little anthems of American composer Gerald Near, lately of Santa Fe, NM. Using simple imitation and gently undulating, off beat figures, Gerald creates a mood that lifts off, gently, and then never seems to land. This piece dates from his years in Dallas in the 1970’s.

Mezzo-soprano Faith Sherman offers the rousing and barely-contained exultation of joy from the ‘Gloria in Excelsis’ movement of the Mozart ‘Mass in C Minor,’ the solo ‘Laudamus te…’ Notice the shades of musical color at each of the four phrases of the text.

Faith, originally from Wilton, CT, holds both an Artists’ Diploma from the Juilliard School and an undergraduate Music degree from Eastman. A life-long Presbyterian whose home church is now First Presbyterian in Sarasota, FL, she has been making St. Philip her “home away from home,” and has been a regular visitor during her time here as a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Please tell Faith how grateful you are for her offering of music today…!

-Keith Weber