This Palm Sunday, March 29, the Chancel Choir will present the 1985 Requiem of John Rutter (b. 1945), accompanied by harp, organ, oboe, flute, cello, and timpani.
How does a Mass for the Dead work on Palm Sunday, you might wonder? Rutter’s Requiem is a combination of texts found in the Book of Psalms as well as the traditional Mass for the dead. Rutter selected the texts and gave them beautiful soaring melodies and rich, dramatic harmonies that occasionally bring to mind the evocative film scores of John Williams (Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back in particular!)
In the context of Holy Week, this music foreshadows what’s coming in the passion narrative, and gives us a moment of calm and a space to grieve for all that is and all that isn’t. Psalm 130 and 23, used for movements 2 and 6, are prayers that Jesus would have turned to many times, and allow us to be in prayer for Christ, with Christ, and for all of humanity. The Sanctus – a hymn of praise and triumph – perfectly captures the wildly energetic and chaotic moment of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.
It is unusual that we find ourselves singing a Requiem two times in one year. There have been many losses this year, and so many heartbreaking moments, but we are ultimately an “Easter People” believing that new beginnings are possible, and that change, and transformation can really happen, and that is what this Requiem is really about.
Please be sure to join us in worship on Sunday, March 29 at 11am in the Sanctuary for this special music.
– Susan DeSelms, Minister of Music